Disobedience will lead to God’s Chastisement and repentance should always lead to change, but what happens when you continue to disobey? When you become a recurrent sinner? When the fear of God seems to lessen because the love of sin seems to grow. When God’s chastisement makes you bitter instead of bringing you to godly sorrow which brings repentance. What if you become immune to the conviction toward that sin? What if it seems like it’s not really sin at all? What to do then???
There is only one thing one you can do…and that is to cry out to the Lord for mercy. How can one whose been through the transformation of death by sin unto life in Christ allow sin to subtly come in and separate them from the very God who saved and cleansed them from that same sinful lifestyle? We often think “I would never go back to my old ways” but we fail to see that we have no power in and of ourselves to not go back, we can do nothing apart from the grace and mercy of God, apart from the power that comes from Him alone. If we think we’d never entertain a certain sin, if we think we stand we better take heed lest we fall! (1 Cor 10:2)
Sin can creep in unawares to us, it may seem like we compromise just a little over here and a little over there but it’s never ‘just a little’ it keeps growing and growing until it gives birth to death. We must learn to cry out to the Lord for mercy, we must learn that God’s grace is sufficient and that by the power of the almighty we can overcome every temptation that comes our way. (1 Cor 10:13)
Are you in sin? If so have you not noticed God calling you out of such a place? Have you not heard His rebuke? Has conviction not yet come knocking on your door? Have you not noticed a hindrance in your prayers? Has communion with God seemed to have waned? Can’t you hear?? God will not allow his children to live in willful disobedience, he will bring upon you the rod of chastisement and then who will save you? Who can save you from the punishment of God?
If we are unwilling to humble ourselves before Him, He will humble us Himself. If we refuse to admit our faults and confess our sins and truly repent and change our ways, what else can we expect but the judgment of God. Let’s not be so foolish as to allow what we may consider a tiny little molehill of sin to destroy our communion with the Almighty. Let not your heart take delight in worldly pleasures but take pleasure in the Lord. Seek not to fulfill the lust of your flesh but seek to fulfill the will of God. Keep your mind not on the temporal things of this world but on the eternal things which art in heaven.
Temptations are never going to stop coming yet sin is never going to fulfill us. God is all powerful, sovereign, and merciful and there is no temptation that He cannot see you through. It’s amazing how we are so quick to find fault in other people’s lives but we fail to look at how easily we too fall short. Let no one say “I will never fall” for in the very day you say such a thing sin crouches at your door ready to overtake you. Let’s rather say “He who began a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ and although I am weak, He is strong and will see me through every temptation that I might not sin against Him.”
Are you in sin?? Cry out to the Lord who is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins when we confess them, repent, trust in the power of His might. There is freedom in Christ! Call on Him today!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Narrow Minded
Why am I sooo narrow minded? The world wants to know. Why do I always refer to scripture? Why can’t I just go with the flow, follow the crowd, maintain the status quo? I’ll tell you why…but first, of course let’s refer to scripture.
Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)- “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
If this is true that there are ways that seem right but lead to death then it is wise to be cautious, it is wise not to go just any which way you please without first considering the cost. If you are thirsty and someone offers you a nice glass of refreshing water you would take it, but if they offered you a cup of poison I’m pretty sure that no matter how thirsty you are you would not accept the offer. Are you being narrow minded for not drinking the poison?
The same is true of many things…. If I want to live a holy, set apart life for God, I must reject any poison this world offers me. There may be times of thirst, but it is better to thirst than drink that poison that leads to death.
Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV)- “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Yes the crowd carouses around the broad way, they take no thought for the consequences, and the way they walk seems right unto them, there are many on the same path. They know not that they are heading for certain destruction and if you warn them they laugh, they mock and say that surly all roads lead to the same place. Ignorance is bliss to them on the broad way, they do not desire to know the truth. They see the narrow way as restricting, limited, and dull.
John 14:6 (KJV)- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There is only one way….His name is Jesus Christ! All roads do not lead to the same place!!!!!
There I go again…. Being narrow minded you say. Yes, I am narrow minded, Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life and I am not departing from it. The narrow way leads to life, it doesn’t limit me, but gives me freedom from the power of sin and death, it isn’t restrictive but liberating, it isn’t dull but amazing and there is nothing the broad way can offer that compares to what I’ve found walking along the narrow way.
Yes I am narrow minded, but that’s because I understand that being narrow minded means leaving behind all my worldly, foolish ways of thinking and turning to the truth revealed through God’s word. I don’t mind being narrow minded if it pleases my Father in heaven, I know what the broad way offers, I tasted of it, I had my part in those things that dishonored God and brought condemnation upon myself, but now this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. I say yes… I’m narrow minded!!!!
Proverbs 14:12 (KJV)- “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
If this is true that there are ways that seem right but lead to death then it is wise to be cautious, it is wise not to go just any which way you please without first considering the cost. If you are thirsty and someone offers you a nice glass of refreshing water you would take it, but if they offered you a cup of poison I’m pretty sure that no matter how thirsty you are you would not accept the offer. Are you being narrow minded for not drinking the poison?
The same is true of many things…. If I want to live a holy, set apart life for God, I must reject any poison this world offers me. There may be times of thirst, but it is better to thirst than drink that poison that leads to death.
Matthew 7:13-14 (KJV)- “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Yes the crowd carouses around the broad way, they take no thought for the consequences, and the way they walk seems right unto them, there are many on the same path. They know not that they are heading for certain destruction and if you warn them they laugh, they mock and say that surly all roads lead to the same place. Ignorance is bliss to them on the broad way, they do not desire to know the truth. They see the narrow way as restricting, limited, and dull.
John 14:6 (KJV)- Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There is only one way….His name is Jesus Christ! All roads do not lead to the same place!!!!!
There I go again…. Being narrow minded you say. Yes, I am narrow minded, Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life and I am not departing from it. The narrow way leads to life, it doesn’t limit me, but gives me freedom from the power of sin and death, it isn’t restrictive but liberating, it isn’t dull but amazing and there is nothing the broad way can offer that compares to what I’ve found walking along the narrow way.
Yes I am narrow minded, but that’s because I understand that being narrow minded means leaving behind all my worldly, foolish ways of thinking and turning to the truth revealed through God’s word. I don’t mind being narrow minded if it pleases my Father in heaven, I know what the broad way offers, I tasted of it, I had my part in those things that dishonored God and brought condemnation upon myself, but now this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. I say yes… I’m narrow minded!!!!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
God is Good!
God is so good! I have been seeking the Lord and trusting in Him for everything these past few years of my life. I have been surrendering things, seeking holiness, and desiring to honor God in all things. There have been times I’ve worried and had to repent because the word of God tells us not to worry, but to trust God. There have been times I’ve seen God move on my behalf and have stood in awe of His awesome mercy and love. There have been times I’ve had to wage spiritual warfare, times I was exhausted and just wanted to give up, times I just praised the Lord through the storms, and times I just rested in Him. Today I just sit back and reflect, before I knew the Lord life had no meaning, no true significance… I sought after my own desires, my own lust and was never truly fulfilled. Every trial and storm I went through before I knew God… just felt so unbearable and hopeless. Relationships were so superficial and unstable. My moral system was based merely upon my own opinions and my own standards instead of the word of God. I was unstable in all of my ways, I blasphemed the Lord without even knowing it. I was an idolater, believing in a god that I made up in my mind… a god that didn’t care that I was living in willful sin and disobedience. I was a lost little girl…and so now that I have been experiencing the power of the true and living God, I can’t help but proclaim His goodness to all! “He has been Good”!
It more than a common phrase or some spiritual cliché, He has truly been so good to me. He opened my eyes, He showed me my exceeding sinfulness, He drew me unto Himself, He died for me, He showed me grace, He led me to repentance, He saved me from the wrath to come, He had extreme mercy upon me, He filled me with His Holy Spirit, He has provided all my needs, He has healed all my hurts, He has made me a new creation, He has delivered me from the bondage of sin and death, He has put a new heart within me, He has revealed the mysteries of His word unto me, He has lead me and strengthened me, He has ordered my steps and seen me through every moment…. God is good! I can go on and on and on about God’s goodness… yet now I rather go and pray and sincerely thank the Lord for all He is in my life!
It more than a common phrase or some spiritual cliché, He has truly been so good to me. He opened my eyes, He showed me my exceeding sinfulness, He drew me unto Himself, He died for me, He showed me grace, He led me to repentance, He saved me from the wrath to come, He had extreme mercy upon me, He filled me with His Holy Spirit, He has provided all my needs, He has healed all my hurts, He has made me a new creation, He has delivered me from the bondage of sin and death, He has put a new heart within me, He has revealed the mysteries of His word unto me, He has lead me and strengthened me, He has ordered my steps and seen me through every moment…. God is good! I can go on and on and on about God’s goodness… yet now I rather go and pray and sincerely thank the Lord for all He is in my life!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
On that day....
Matthew 7:21-23 (KJV)
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Not everyone that says Lord, Lord…. There are so many professing Christians these days yet when we look at “so-called Christendom” today; it seems that many who are professing faith in the Lord are still living like the world (those who reject Christ)! Jesus warned us in this scripture that a profession (the act of professing; avowal; a declaration) of faith is not enough.
Many will say Lord, Lord…How many people have you met who claim to know Jesus yet live in open sin? 2 Timothy 3:5, Tells us to stay away from those who have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. It’s not enough to say you know Christ… for example if you go to the white house and try to get in by saying you know President Bush, will they let you in? No, but if President Bush comes forth and says he knows you, surly you will enter and so it is with the kingdom of God. We need to be sure we are known of the Lord Jesus Christ!
James 1:22(KJV) “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Remember not every one that saith unto Him, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of the Father which is in heaven. Faith produces action, a faith that hasn’t produced change in your life, has not produced true conversion. So many times people profess the Lord, but what they are truly having faith in is a God they have made up in their own minds, a God who does not punish disobedience and who does not judge sin. This is called idolatry and the word of God says that Idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9).
Romans 12:1-2 (KJV) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” We need to live holy, set apart lives for the Lord. Hebrews 12:14(KJV) “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”. Whatever happened to holiness? How can “Christians” look like the word, talk like the world, and live like the world and still inherit the kingdom of God? We know that salvation comes by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) yet we also know that faith, if it hath not works, is dead (James 2:17).
Is your faith producing works? Are you producing good fruits? Matthew 7:18 (KJV) “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” What fruits are you producing? We need to examine ourselves! 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith.We who profess Lord, Lord…let’s examine ourselves, let’s look to the word of God as our standard. As Luke 6:42 says that one needs to pull out the beam in their own eye before beholding the mote in their brother’s eye, I write to you that I myself am examining my own life, I write not from my own judgments or of my own standards, but that from which I find in the word of God. I do not want to be told in that day … “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Do you?????
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Not everyone that says Lord, Lord…. There are so many professing Christians these days yet when we look at “so-called Christendom” today; it seems that many who are professing faith in the Lord are still living like the world (those who reject Christ)! Jesus warned us in this scripture that a profession (the act of professing; avowal; a declaration) of faith is not enough.
Many will say Lord, Lord…How many people have you met who claim to know Jesus yet live in open sin? 2 Timothy 3:5, Tells us to stay away from those who have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof. It’s not enough to say you know Christ… for example if you go to the white house and try to get in by saying you know President Bush, will they let you in? No, but if President Bush comes forth and says he knows you, surly you will enter and so it is with the kingdom of God. We need to be sure we are known of the Lord Jesus Christ!
James 1:22(KJV) “Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Remember not every one that saith unto Him, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of the Father which is in heaven. Faith produces action, a faith that hasn’t produced change in your life, has not produced true conversion. So many times people profess the Lord, but what they are truly having faith in is a God they have made up in their own minds, a God who does not punish disobedience and who does not judge sin. This is called idolatry and the word of God says that Idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9).
Romans 12:1-2 (KJV) “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” We need to live holy, set apart lives for the Lord. Hebrews 12:14(KJV) “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”. Whatever happened to holiness? How can “Christians” look like the word, talk like the world, and live like the world and still inherit the kingdom of God? We know that salvation comes by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) yet we also know that faith, if it hath not works, is dead (James 2:17).
Is your faith producing works? Are you producing good fruits? Matthew 7:18 (KJV) “A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” What fruits are you producing? We need to examine ourselves! 2 Corinthians 13:5 tells us to examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith.We who profess Lord, Lord…let’s examine ourselves, let’s look to the word of God as our standard. As Luke 6:42 says that one needs to pull out the beam in their own eye before beholding the mote in their brother’s eye, I write to you that I myself am examining my own life, I write not from my own judgments or of my own standards, but that from which I find in the word of God. I do not want to be told in that day … “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Do you?????
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