Thursday, December 26, 2019

The Holy Spirit Changes the Shriveled Mess

Don't be a pitiful shriveled mess of anger, hate and jealousy, confess your sinfulness before God and allow Him to change you into a new creation full of hope and joy.

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 "…16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:…"

Only those who place their trust in Christ will be changed into a new creation. Only those who confess their sinfulness and ask to be changed will be by Christ.

Revelation 3:20
"20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me."

The Holy Spirit comes to live in those who trust in Christ. He is the One Who changes us, He is the One who guides and trains us. He never does anything against our will but will give us all we need when we ask for it.

James 4:2-4 "…2 You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.…"

To be born again we must want to be cleansed by Christ through the Holy Spirit through our faith in Him.

Hebrews 11:6-7 " 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. 7
By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in godly fear built an ark to save his family. By faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith."

It was the faith that caused men of God to trust Him in obedience. Without the step to obey there is no faith. Someone who claims to have faith in Christ but disobeys His Word constantly is lying, they only say or think they have faith but they do not because they do not obey Him.

James 2:4-26 "14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;
23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.
24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

The obedience and works are evidence of the faith, they do not save anyone but they are the proof that there is faith in Christ.





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