Nurturing Thoughts, Feelings, and Behaviors

1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

To have the power to form a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors would be an extreme help in the process of counseling someone on how to live their life. I know my mom and dad would have been thrilled to have my thoughts, feelings, and behaviors aligned with their advice. Unfortunately, it was just the opposite. When they said something, my inner processes were to the contrary. It was rebellion and conflict at home, and that same rebellion and conflict is on a global scale today.

The internal presence of the mark of the beast is not using its power to form thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a constructive way. They are nothing like a mother who nurtures her children. The way the world is filled with turbulence, it’s obvious that human beings are not feeling loved. That’s because the mark of the beast is sin, and it is evil. It blasphemes God, mocks Jesus Christ, corrupts the Bible, and persecutes Christians. People need the love of God, to know that their sins are forgivable, and that Jesus Christ is the One who forgives those sins.

Every human being needs to have thoughts, feelings, and behaviors formed by a loving presence. That loving presence is the Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ. Christians do not conform to the image of the inner presence of the mark of the beast.

“Instead, we were gentle among you. Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, 
so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted
to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.”
1 Thessalonians 2:7-8

Having a fatherly spirit is also something that the Spirit of Jesus Christ gives to those who live for God through Jesus. It’s a Spirit that wants to encourage, comfort, and urge others to live a life for God who calls us into the New Jerusalem. In Him is the glory of Salvation from the sin rooted in the mark of the beast. The society that lives for the mark brings discouragement, pain, sorrow, and is hostile to those who live a life for God through Jesus Christ. The lives of Paul, Silas, and Timothy are an example for Christians,

“Surely you remember, brothers and sisters, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you. You are witnesses, and so is God, of how Holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 
For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory.”
1 Thessalonians 2:9-12