Some may say we are negative all the time for our warnings and scripture quoting. It does sound that way to those who are stubborn. However to the one who loves to obey and the one who is searching to learn truth it is music to their ears.
Correction is a blessing to those who learn from it. Those who despise correction cannot and will not grow, they remain stagnant in their walk because growing in holiness is not nearly as important as appearing right.
Romans 12:1 "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."
There is no need to correct or respond when someone is walking the right road except to say, "good keep going."
The most urgent warnings are for those who might not be saved or who are walking in disobedience to their own destructions. Its amazing to me when people are hostile toward correction that would grow them or save them from the fires of hell.
A doctor might tell you the bad news first about cancer in your body, then the good news is "we have to cut it out." Both things could sound negative to the hearer but both are designed to inform for the solution of healing.
No one wants to hear that they have cancer, and no one likes to hear that it must be cut out but they must hear it.
The cancer of sin in our hearts must be exposed and cut out. The only way this can happen is if the patient first admits there is a cancer of sin dwelling within them. Then they must seek Christ to have it removed through prayer and hatred for that sin.
Everyone has to do this from time to time in order to grow in holiness. The more we refuse to face our sin and the more we resist confessing it the less we grow and in many cases there is regression.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The reverse of this verse is, "if we do not confess our sins we will not be cleansed." Sin grows when it is not confessed and removed.
James 1:15 "Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death."
The more someone refuses to confess, the more often they ignore their own sin the more they regress into it and even other sins. What strides were made for a while will diminish the longer one waits to confess. If ignored long enough there is a hardening of the heart.
Ephesians 4:18
"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."
Hebrews 3:8
"Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,"
To live a healthy and Spirit-filled life one must confess every single time they have a conviction of the Holy Spirit that they have sinned or when the Holy Spirit uses someone else to expose that sin.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
1 Corinthians 11:29-31 "…29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.…"
No comments:
Post a Comment