BLESSINGS FROM MENTAL SELF DISCIPLINE

My Dear Precious Child,
     Paul wrote his letters to the people in the church at Corinth as fellow workers in Christ, begging them not to receive My grace in vain.  He told them that the day of salvation was then, and quoted Isaiah as saying that in the future, "In an acceptable time I have heard you. On the day of salvation I have helped you."   He assured them that they were in "the day of salvation" because of My grace delivered through Jesus Christ.  He assured them that there was in no way the desire for him and the other ministers to offend anyone so that their ministry would not be blamed.   He was still trying to justify his ministry as being viable after being accused by the Jewish Christians from Jerusalem of not being a real apostle. (II Corinthians 6:1-3)
    He affirmed several times in his letters to them that in all that they did that they justly presented themselves as ministers of Mine with patient endurance during trials, difficulties, distresses, beatings, imprisonments and riots, as more mortal men familiar with hard work, sleepless nights and fastings, conducting themselves with innocence, knowledge and patience in the Holy Spirit in sincere love as men with a message of truth and My power while wielding the weapons of righteousness with both of their hands whether honored or dishonored, spoken well of or spoken ill of.  He acknowledge that they were called imposters, yet they were truthful; called nobodies when in fact they were well known; called dead yet they were alive; punished but not put to death; sorrowful but always rejoicing; poor yet they enriched many people.  He said they seemed to have nothing while in fact they had everything. (II Corinthians 6:4-10)
    Then he addressed them as the Men of Corinth, writing that he and his fellow ministers had spoken to them frankly by opening their hearts to them.  He wrote that there was no lack of room in the hearts of the ministers for the Corinthians, but in fact that there was narrowness in the Corinthians for Paul and his fellow ministers, saying that he was speaking to them as a father to his children, asking them to open their hearts wide to his writings.
    Then Paul wrote good counsel to them by telling them not to be yoked to unbelievers because righteousness and lawlessness don't have anything in common and because light and darkness cannot exist together.  He told them that there is no fellowship between Christ and the devil, no common interest between the believer and the unbeliever.  He challenged them to tell him if there is any common interest between My temple and the temples of idols.  Then Paul reminded the people at Corinth that they were the temples of the Living God, reminding them that I said, "I will dwell with them and walk among them.  I will be their God and they will be My people.  Therefore, 'Come out from among them and separate yourselves from them,' says the Lord, 'and touch nothing that is unclean.  I will welcome you and be a father to you and you will be My sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty," quoting My words through both the prophet Isaiah and the prophet Jeremiah.
     He went on with his challenge to the Corinthians, telling them that since they have such wonderful promises from Me that they must purify themselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfectly fulfilling their consecration to Me.   He was speaking frankly about the poisons of the false prophets who were endeavoring to introduce an old and powerless gospel of their being bound by Mosaic religious laws. (II Corinthians 6:14-18)
    On occasion Paul had a case of "poor me, other apostles don't respect me."  Those were sent from hell to cause Paul to become self reflective instead of his being focused on Me and My power that was available to him in the Holy Spirit.  He eventually snapped back to rejecting those self defeating thoughts.  (II Corinthians 6)
    Your Father of Rejoicing Thoughts