God’s cognitive therapy, in brief, is getting you and I to experience this:

(F) Father’s caring love,

(R) Removes sin,

(E) Ensures growth by grace,

(E) Effects His ministry of reconciliation,

(D) Delivers abundant life.

Cognitive therapy is getting “Freed” up by God’s Word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to thoroughly enjoy loving God and His people by participating in the Messiah’s transforming ministry of forgiveness-reconciliation-peace. Rabbi Yeshua said:

“If you are a disciple in My Word you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Being freed up through God’s Word is only a developmental beginning. Applying the presence of God in our moment-to-moment conscious life requires a continuous focus on God’s transcending truths.

Focus is powerful:

Light can cut through steel when focused through a ruby or diamond.

Focus can be beauty enhancing.

Focus can enhance the aesthetic qualities of an object. The hidden beauty of invisible light can be revealed through the aid of a glass prism.

Meditating on God’s divine virtues is an effective way to ally and powerfully attune one’s self to the breathtaking beauty of God’s invisible presence in the here-and-now.

Shalom and the six divine virtues:

Rabbi Paul strongly encourages those who are disciples in God’s Torah (His Word) to regularly meditate on six core virtues that he promises will effectively guard your mind and heart with God’s peace (Shalom):

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:7-9).

1. Shalom:

The overriding virtue in Paul’s cognitive therapy (the theory that right thinking leads to healthy relationships and lifestyle) is peace (Greek: Eirene; Hebrew: Shalom).

Shalom is a personified presence in Paul’s teaching.

Shalom is a Sentry.

Shalom is the Holy Spirit (Qodesh Ruach).

The Holy Spirit acts as a sentry who vigilantly guards the hearts (karthia) and minds (noema) of all who are disciples of the Messiah.

The Holy Spirit is personified peace. He is Shalom!

The Holy Spirit is the “God of Peace” who is with us (Romans 15:33).

1. The Holy Spirit guards the believer’s neurological and spiritual being.

2. The Holy Spirit personally assures the believer’s well-being. In this secure relationship with the Holy Spirit the believer is to learn to be “wise in matters of good and innocent in matters of evil” (Romans 16:19).

3. Thereafter, the Holy Spirit, “the God of Peace,” guarantees He will (“soon”) crush Satan “under the believer’s feet” (Romans 16:20).

2. Truth:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

The virtue of truth here, indicated by the Greek word “alethes,” means both what is real, true, and genuine and what cannot lie.

Truth is a specific efficacy (ability, virtue) that supports Shalom.

In psychiatry reality is precariously balanced on two measures: cognition (logic) and affect (emotion). There is no actual consensus as to what frame of reference or point of reference psychiatry should use to base its understanding of reality upon.

The philosophical problem is that an “ultimate frame of reference” can only come from an all-knowing source.

Only an omniscient being can actually claim to possesses truth and truth-conferring powers (truly know and declare what “Reality is”).

God is the only being who possesses such powers of perception and communication.

God alone is our only point of reference and frame of reference for all truth.

Therefore, reality must be defined as: “Being in harmony with God’s cognition (thoughts), affect (feelings) and volition (will).”

God’s truth “empowers” those who follow in His Torah (Teaching) to discern between good and evil.

The Messiah declares that He is God’s Truth personified in human form (John 14:6; 17:17). The Messiah also declared that those who speak the truth about Him are to “speak the truth in [His] love” (Ephesians 4:15).

3. Nobility:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

Nobility is another positive virtue that serves as a supportive element for what makes for a state of peace, first in the conscious awareness of the believer specifically and second, in the kingdom of God generally.

The Greek word for nobility is semnos.

Semnos is derived from the root word sebomai, which literally means to “fall back before” (seb). One acts nobly when prompting the mind to worship and adore God through the Messiah.

The regular exercise of awe and reverence toward God in one’s mind and behaviorally in one’s relationships with others promotes shalom.

The apostle Peter affirmed this when he told believers, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him” (1 Peter 2:9).

Contextually the noble person being referred to is not a person of “self-derived” nobility.

The word semnos indicates the person is made noble by association. The person is ascribed nobility by virtue of his or her association with another of higher distinction.

The Noble One of higher distinction who is being referenced to here is God Himself.

God has conferred on the believer adoption into His family. He has made all those who believe in the Messiah Yeshua a nation of royal priests.

Hence the One conferring nobility on you and me is God. He is King of the Universe. Yahweh is the Eternal One who is being worshipped by you and I as is indicated by the word semnos and its root word sebomai.

This makes the Noble Person a Sebomenos, a worshipper of the one true God.

Continued in “Shalom II”

Shalom II
Written by Chuck
Sunday, 26 April 2009
Cognitive therapy:

God’s cognitive therapy, in brief, is getting you and I to experience this:

(F) Father’s caring love,

(R) Removes sin,

(E) Ensures growth by grace,

(E) Effects His ministry of reconciliation,

(D) Delivers abundant life.

Cognitive therapy is getting “Freed” up by God’s Word, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to thoroughly enjoy loving God and His people by participating in the Messiah’s transforming ministry of forgiveness-reconciliation-peace. Rabbi Yeshua said:

“If you are a disciple in My Word you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

Being freed up through God’s Word is only a developmental beginning. Applying the presence of God in our moment-to-moment conscious life requires a continuous focus on God’s transcending truths.

Shalom and the six divine virtues:

Rabbi Paul strongly encourages those who are disciples in God’s Torah (His Word) to regularly meditate on six core virtues that he promises will effectively guard your mind and heart with God’s peace (Shalom):

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Messiah Yeshua. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:7-9).

4. Righteousness:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

Righteousness brings life into conformity to what is right.

The Greek word dikaios supports peace by getting the believer to understand and do what is expected of him or her by Almighty God.

Dikaios defines the believer as one:

1. Who lives his or her life in keeping with God’s purposes (Ephesians 6:1);

2. Who lives before the Lord in faithfulness (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11);

3. Who obeys God’s commands (Romans 2:13; 3:10; 1 Timothy 1:9),

4. Who lives a good, upright, virtuous life (Romans 5:7; Philippians 4:8, Titus 1:8);

5. Who exercises fairness and justice in his or her daily living (Colossians 4:1).

God is dikaios in His nature and action. He is the Righteous One who always does what is right and will administer justice that is in accord with His perfectly just nature (Romans 3:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6; 2 Timothy 4:8).

The Plan of God is to transform human beings from their sinful state to a righteous state through the dikaios of the Messiah.

This work of putting right the believer through the righteous work of Messiah is called dikaioo, “justification.”

God’s ultimate plan is to make the believer conform to the image of the Messiah Yeshua (2 Corinthians 3:18).

5. Purity:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

In meditating on shalom, on the restoration of the believer’s calm during the storms of life, Paul is practicing Peace:

“The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:5-6).

Rabbi Paul, whose name means “Little” (indicating one who practices Humility before God) is teaching us about his right and the right of every other believer to continuously abide in the Shalom of the Holy Spirit.

Abiding in the presence of God, the Holy Spirit provokes an overwhelming calming within one’s self.

This regular attention in audience before the King of Righteousness inevitably will affect moral purity in the believer’s life.

The Greek word for purity is hagnos, which indicates freedom from defilements. Confession cleanses the believer of defilements, not just over easy to discern sins but the subtle and nuanced ones.

It is a sin to displace God’s shalom with busyness and the anger provoking tyranny of the urgent.

If followers of God can regularly learn to set aside time to practice the Shalom of God there will be less transgressions and therefore, defilements.

The immature weak and anxious Marthas would finally grow up to become mature strong and confidant Marys. As Messiah Yeshua said:

“Martha, Martha, you are anxious about many things but one thing is needful and Mary has chosen it and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42).

All believers start out their developmental journeys anxious about many things. It takes the Holy Spirit a great deal of time and effort to grow all of us up to the “one thing that is needful” that will never “be taken away from us.”

Cleaning up the defilements of the mind is more than an act of the intellect and the will. It is sacrificing to God one’s emotional life and letting Him replace that fallen emotional life with His perfect love.

This trade-in of our fallen worldly love for God’s perfect love, through receiving forgiveness and the gift of the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit, puts the believer in a state of “pure shalom.”

This is an emotional state that Rabbi Paul wonderfully describes as “transcending all understanding.”

The word understanding in Greek is nous. Nous means operation of the consciousness. Paul is saying God’s Shalom is capable of overwhelming man’s consciousness.

God’s Shalom is so distinctive and overwhelmingly powerful that Paul could wholly devote his mind to the shalom of God and never intellectually and emotionally exhaust its meaning.

This alone is what true pure consciousness is.

Pure consciousness is filling up the mind with God’s presence and being caught up in the unending joyous state of intimacy with God (Philippians 4:4).

What makes this exercise of meditation in God’s shalom even more incredible is that Paul is writing us about having these wonderful experiences while he was incarcerated in a dark, cold prison cell in ancient Rome.

6. Loveliness:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

The Greek word for loveliness is prosphiles (pros: toward, phileo: to love).

The word phileo indicates the sharing of common interests. Common interests engender friendship and “tender affection.”

The preposition pros indicates movement toward another-in-friendship.

Prosphiles is about relational loveliness and friendship with God and others. Such friendship, friendliness serves the cause of peace.

God’s Shalom requires an object-relations approach to others that cherishes others with high veneration, great affection, and constancy.

This high value for the lives of others is what it is to project loveliness into relationships. God’s Shalom is lovely.

When consciously aware of God’s presence the believer should ordinarily feel that he or she is wholly cherished, special, an audience of one.

(However, in the not so exceptional cases of extreme hardship and medical disability it is not medically possible for believers, except by God’s miraculous hand, to experience positive emotions such as those just mentioned. Medical anxiety, medical depression, medical delusions cannot be treated as if they are spiritual shortfalls alone. These afflictions often involve medical hardware (biochemical) problems and are rarely just simple cases of failed spiritual sensitivity. Our Messiah is also the world’s Great Physician. He is the Lord of all Science and Medicine; as well as theology. Therefore, these ailments oftentimes do require medical as well as spiritual assistance).

This word prosphiles, loveliness is quite special and is only found “once” in the entire New Testament (in this passage).

7. Graciousness:

“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”

Shalom continues to provide transcendent insight into what really matters in the eternal scheme of things: relationships.

Relationships that dwell in peace, in shalom are what God is affecting. In every day life it can become disheartening to observe (immature) believers fighting over the most ridiculously small things.

(At least ninety per cent of those who are true believers today are “very immature;” this does not cancel out their salvation, any more than babies making messes cancel out their relationship with their parents. What makes a believer a true believer is their eternal DNA. The Holy Spirit is God’s DNA. No matter how good persons may think they are, if they fail to receive the Gift of the Father that is received through faith in the true Messiah Yeshua, they will not be made perfect on the day of resurrection and they will not dwell forever with God as their Father. In the meanwhile, immature believers continue to be anxious about many things and make big messes; this does not nullify their adoption. Once the Holy Spirit takes residence in your heart you are sealed. You will in good time be perfected. God does not have miscarriages. God does not have abortions. The DNA of God is immortal, invincible and incorruptible. His Seed cannot die. However, it should also be noted that the most miserable people on this planet are not unbelievers. They are believers. Those believers who are behaving disobediently and are not in right fellowship with God are constantly living under the unhappy disciplining hand of God. They are hounded painfully by the interventions of their Righteous Father who will give them no sense of true peace until His discipline yields the peaceable fruit of His righteousness in their lives. Some true believers go to their deaths miserable for the reason of their foolishly and wastefully resisting the wise discipline of our heavenly Father; cf. our articles, “Lot and the City of Fire” and “Heart of David”).

In such cases, it is not a sharing of God’s interests that is present. The immature, bitter, selfish warring believers are defining themselves by their worldly interests.

These believers are temporarily out of right fellowship with their heavenly Father.

The world’s pursuits and disobedience do not bring Shalom.

The world’s pursuits bring enmity, anger, hostility, and discord.

True Shalom brings right thinking.

True Shalom brings gentle consciousness that is grounded in God’s intellect, will and wondrously joyous emotional life.

Rabbi Paul, the Little One, the Humble One is exhorting believers to:

1. Get a grip on their daily thought and behavioral life;

2. Make their life’s central point of reference God and His Shalom;

3. Enter into God’s own cognitive and affective domains;

4. Maintain an eternal perspective;

5. Enjoy forever being satiated with God’s awesome Shalom through abiding in His Spirit.

True Shalom produces God’s truth, nobility, righteousness, purity, loveliness, and graciousness.

The Greek word for graciousness is euphemos (eu: good, phimi: affirm, say).

Euphemos is affirming, saying what is good, as opposed to what is bad in one’s communications within and without the mind.

There is no battle for the mind when God’s Shalom is in charge.

Shalom is present when the battle has been fought and won. Shalom is about good-will and good thoughts toward others.

In the eternal scheme of things shalom among believers is inevitable. Seeing others as God sees them in eternity makes it easier to assign incredible value now to others and speak goodness to them now.

Graciousness supports shalom because it effects righteous treatment to all whom one comes in contact with; this includes efforts to forgive and reconcile with one’s enemies (loving one’s enemies), as well as friends.

What is Excellent and Praiseworthy:

Paul no doubt could have mentioned several more virtues than the six he mentioned. It was sufficient for him to describe for us what he knew to be the dominant virtues associated with shalom.

In summarily addressing all the divine virtues Paul uses the twin Greek terms of excellence (arete) and praiseworthiness (epainos) to describe the whole spectrum of God’s virtues (for more information about God’s divine virtues and attributes cf. our articles, “Perfect Parent I and II,” in the archives).

Paul is declaring that God’s Shalom has transformational power.

God’s Shalom effects complete transformation of every believer’s thinking processes.

The end result is a mature believer who is preoccupied with what is intrinsically excellent (the intellectual, volitional, and emotional life of the Perfect Man, the Messiah) and extrinsically praiseworthy (the behavioral and interpersonal outcomes of abiding in the Holy Spirit).

The intrapersonal and interpersonal life of God, the Messiah, dwelling in and among His people is what is in view in affecting true “forgiveness-reconciliation-peace” in the world.

Almighty God has promised that forgiveness through faith in the Messiah Yeshua will ultimately effect true reconciliation with God and each other for all who will believe in His Torah (His Teaching, His Gospel, New Covenant of Grace).

Then the God of Peace will usher in His kingdom of Eternal Shalom!

CHM

*********

Thank you, Sarah, for your encouraging message. I appreciate it. Praise the Lord!
Greg

I REALLY liked the analogy of having been given a “bag of gifts” from God (reminds me of Christmas). That we are not to look into other people’s bags. But too often, as humans, we do that. Everyone has their own gifts. The key is to maximize the gifts God has given us for His glory. Since we are human, we have weaknesses, so we should work on them to make those weaknesses less weak. If that makes any sense.

Your message yesteday entitled “Majoring on Thee Almighty” was so powerful and thought provoking. My devotion from Streams in the Desert March 1 was taken from Ecc.7:13 “Consider what God has done” I just love it when God confirms and reminds me of the most important thing in life.It helps me to keep the right eternal perspective on life and truly how small my concerns are for Thee Almighty. Thanks Pastor Greg. A great message “for such a time as this.”

“That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection,and the fellowship of His sufferings,being made conformable unto His death.” Phil.3:10

Because of Jesus, Cheryl

Truly you are a blessing to all! My husband, son and I have learned so much from your teaching on Sunday mornings. It is obvious that God has given you this great gift to share the truth with His people. When we leave on Sunday morning, we leave feeling encourage and loved. It is amazing! Anyway, I just wanted you to know how much we appreciate you!

In Christ,
Stephanie

Brother Greg, thanks so much for the many encouragements that come through the Holy Spirit as you speak. It was incredible to think that God loved me and thought about me before He even created the world. That is too lofy for our little human minds, but came through loud and clear in the Spirit. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Jesus. It brings tears of joy to my eyes now while contemplating that very fact!!!

This morning in my study I read and understood Hebrews 12:12-13. It directs the believer to live a life of EXCELLENCE in order to pass Godly living on to others. It is God’s promise to heal our iniquities as we seek His will in our lives daily. This is the true ‘healing’ message of the Gospel that we can claim and cherish for our own lives. Praise God!

I am blessed that the Lord has brought me here as I tread on my own path toward EXCELLENCE. With His help I will surely finish well.

In His Love,
Marilyn