“The merciful man doeth good to his own soul: But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh. The wicked worketh a deceitful work: But to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward. As righteousness tendeth to life: So he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his own death. They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: But such as are upright in their way are his delight. Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be unpunished: But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered. As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, So is a fair woman which is without discretion.”
Proverbs 11:17-22 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/pro.11.17-22.KJV
Power, Love, and Discipline
One of the miracles of salvation is that when we have faith in Christ, God not only saves us—He also gives us the power to live according to His will. Your life in Christ is one that is empowered by the Holy Spirit living within you.
This is a great gift, but a big shift. It often takes time to change how we think and act. We may have bad habits that take hard work to correct, or patterns of thought that are challenging to break.
Thankfully, God promises to be with us and to empower us to make these changes in our life. When Paul is writing to his mentee Timothy, he encourages him to continue to develop the gift that God has given to him. While we are saved in an instant, it takes a lifetime to develop and work out what God is doing inside of us.
Paul reminds Timothy that God’s Spirit does not give us fear or cowardice. Those things are tools of the devil who is trying to keep us from God. But the Spirit of God empowers us with confidence in Him. He gives us the ...