If all matter is made of energy, then even if you believe that thought is physical matter, thought would be energy. If all physical matter is made of spirit then, even if you believe that thought is physical matter, thought would be spirit. Energy is the ability to do something. Force is any interaction that, when not hindered, changes the motion of an object; even from a state of rest. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power (energy) and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Power is the ability to do something or to act in a particular way.
We have been given a spirit of action; a force submitting us into action. What is being put into action is physical matter made of energy that was dormant or moving in an undesired direction. We might call it a correction, an adjustment to put something back on a desired course; moving in a desired direction. But an opposing force can move us off course and stop or delay the course correction. We might call one a good course change and the other a bad course change, and see one force as good and one force as evil. We would see the evil force as the one stopping us, slowing us down, or moving us in an undesired direction.
In the thought process, anything causing our thoughts to go in an undesired direction we might call evil. Anything that would cause our thoughts to go in a desired direction we would call good. So good and evil would depend on our desires. “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). To say, God will put desires in your heart. “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5). Together the verses say, God gives us the desired direction and He also, “will bring it to pass.” God will be the force causing it to work.
Mankind took it upon themselves to know good and evil, but we changed good and evil when we stopped depending on God for the desires of our heart. We do not simply call good evil. We have changed our desires which changed our desired direction. We have changed what we consider to be good and evil. The desire of God’s heart is that none should perish. His work is that we believe in His direction (Way) and His commandment is that we love one another, as the Way has commanded. One desire that God puts in our heart is to love.
What does it mean, “delight yourself in the Lord,” isn’t that us doing something first? Delight is find pleasure in or to please. Find pleasure in the Lord and seek to please yourself in Him. So, no. God gives us the desire first, before we delight in the Lord. God gives us faith to believe, we must believe before we delight ourselves in the Lord. God gave us Christ Jesus, our Lord, to delight ourselves in. God gave us the Way, a desired direction. God did that without taking away choice. He gave us the ability to do something or to act in a particular way, even if that something or action changes our desired direction. We have the ability to choose our own desires. One desire God puts in our heart is love, but the choice is ours.
© 2018 Tim D. Coulter Sr.