JesusMints

1. 1 Peter 2:9 - Live with a sense of nobility (God created me for greatness)
2. Ephesians 5:15-17 - Live with a sense of priority (Good - being "good" - is often a substitute for God. I need to live the God life instead of the good life)
3. Hebrews 3:12-14 - Live with a sense of urgency. The most dangerous word in our language is "someday"
4. 2 Corinthians 4:18 - Live with a sense of eternity

...Live without regrets.

Psalm 119:25-32

My can be built on four foundations:
1. Body (Physical)
2. Emotions
3. Spiritual
4. Intellect

If my foundation is based on emotions (which many are), I will be a complete flake.

Two bad slogans through the years:
1960s - if it feels good, do it
Modern - if it feels right, it must be

Problems with emotion-based foundations:
1. Feelings can be distorted (Prov. 25:28)
2. Feelings can be imported; brought in from past experience (overcome - Rom 12:2)
3. Feelings can be aborted; overcome (Ps 42:11)

Practical strategies:
1. Never make any long-term decision under the influence of strong emotion
2. Never use your emotions to find God's will
3. Never use emotions as a test of God's love
4. Never use emotions to lead, manipulate, or control
5. Never use emotions to determine if God is working

Choose to believe God's word over what we know (intellect) or feel (emotions)!

Phil 1:3-6, I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

The Bible is clear that God is the one who called us out of darkness into the light. He's the one who sanctifies us and keeps us pure:

1 Thess. 5:23-24 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

The Bible even says that God grants us repentance - so we can't repent ourselves:

2 Tim 2:25-26 Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

We are Christ driven, Christ empowered, dependent on Christ for any good thing to come from us. Seems strange that in all this, I could get involved and goof the whole thing up. It definitely seems more logical that I was never empowered, repentant, and forgiven in the first place.

From the Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges:

'Everything is permissible for me,' but not everything is beneficial (1 Cor 6:12). Question 1: Is it helpful - physically, mentally, and spiritually?

'Everything is permissible for me' - but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Cor 6:12). Question 2: Does it bring me under its power?

Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall (1 Cor 8:13). Question 3: Does it hurt others?

So whether you eat or dring or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31) Question 4: Does it glorify God?

"Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done-- burn with no one to quench it." Jeremiah 4:4

 

Basically, consecrate and dedicate your life to the lord, cut out all evil from your hearts and lives or God's wrath will break out and there will be no one to quench out the flames (sounds like the fires of hell to me!). I don't think He's playing around!

God will let evil dwell with evil. As I was looking up scripture references for the word 'evil', I came across a very interesting thing. Here, let me show you:

 

"You must purge the evil from among you." (Deut. 13:5)

"You must purge the evil from among you." (Deut. 17:7)

"You must purge the evil from Israel." (Deut. 17:12)

"You must purge the evil from among you." (Deut. 19:19)

"You must purge the evil from among you." (Deut. 21:21)

Wow - are we doing that? Are we TRULY sitting back and embracing this life we call Christian? Are we truly taking our sin seriously?  Do we really think about what we are doing when we sin, worse yet, what that does to our eternity, and even worse yet, what that does to God? Do we think about how we are breaking the heart of God? Do we think about how we will have to answer to EVERYTHING about our lives to God? He will make the ultimate decision of our destination.  (Script)

 

We are to live a life pleasing to the Lord.

When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

We (as Christians that is) are NOT here to divide the body, to judge others or the way others choose to live their life. Our desires should be to learn more about God, go deeper with God, and apply His truths and principles to our lives. If we are doing that, then what is all the fuss about? 

 

Plain confusion and sensitivity. We are confused about how to respect others while demanding our respect, and quite frankly we get sensitive about it (or for better terms - offended).

 

If we focus in on the scripture from Romans 14:22 which says "So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves."

Romans 1:1-4 says, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One man's faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

 

STRONG IN FAITH: Someone who seeks the heart of God and arrives at a decision point on matters (specifically those not black and white in the Bible), lives that out in their lives, and continually trusts God. They are strong and secure in Christ and his Spirit with the decisions they make and how they live their lives.

WEAK IN FAITH: Someone who seeks the heart of God, but is not at a place to arrive to a decision on matters (specifically those not black and white in the Bible) on their own or with the help of the Holy Spirit. They prefer for someone to tell them what they can and cannot do. They are not strong enough in the Spirit to allow and trust the Spirit to make the decisions and live that out in their lives.

Lord, why are we here? What are you asking of us? What do you expect from your children?

 

Lord we pray ...

 

Please guide us and direct us. Help us not to conform to others and this world, but to you. To seek how you would desire us to "be" and live that out regardless of whom we are around. We ask that you help us develop a hatred for sin in our lives and in our hearts. Not only the obvious sins, but the small, sly, justifiable sins.