We need to be careful to say someone is not born again because they have sinned, the duration of the sin doesn't matter very much, it is what is going on in the heart.
I became saved at 12 but didn't live for the Lord until my early twenties. I was convicted for every sin I did...ashamed. Finally one day I had had enough of the miserable feeling of it and confessed my sin, never to return to those same sins.
I believe I was saved, but immature, had no encouragement from family to read the Bible, even though I did from church in Sunday School once a week.
When I confessed and asked the Lord to work in my life, questioning myself to see if I was born again, I checked with God. He cleansed me of those sins, after which I became radical about my walk with Him. I believe I was saved while sinning because I always had a desire to please Him, but was weak.
1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:."
If we are sinning and born again God will take us to the woodshed, a good spanking of conviction, illness, loss of things and people, will get our attention, so that we will want to stop that which doesn't please Him.
Hebrews 12:6 "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth."
Those I question whether or not they are born again are the ones who have no shame, fight to justify doing their sin and refuse to pray about it. In short, they like their sin and hate those who expose it.
2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves, whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are counterfeits?"
A born again believer is ashamed when confronted, tormented until they repent and talk about it after they have repented.
Those who will not discuss their sinful nature before they were saved, are very likely not born again. One of the first things we do after we become born again is develop an openness about our sin, to show what God has done for us. All pride and pretense leaves and is replaced by brokenness, humility and great joy, if that makes any sense, then you know what I am talking about.
John 4:28-29 "28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and *said to the men, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not [f]the Christ, is it?” 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him"
Pride about ourselves has no place in the believers life. When we have realized our sinfulness we have no reason to boast about who we are. We begin boasting about Christ.
Galatians 6:14 "But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
I am always saddened and even angered when someone professing to be believers, lie about their sin, making it sound like they had a good reason or it was someone else's fault.
When we meet someone, who refuses to discuss a matter of importance, we know we are dealing with, either a stubborn convicted person or an unsaved person who thinks they are saved. No one will be able to confess if they refuse to admit that they have sin in the first place.
There isn't too much we can do about a stubborn person, telling them the truth and walking away is the best course of action, while praying continually that the Lord would open their eyes and strip away their self righteousness.
James 5:16 "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
The good news is that if we confess to one another, we will be cleansed of the sin and the guilt that comes with it. We grow closer to a brother or sister in the Lord while growing spiritually to be more useful for the kingdom of God.
There is no benefit to holding onto anger and bitterness justifying our sin, it only brings heartache and broken relationships, most of all it brings God's discipline, which truly can be worse than any embarrassment we might feel when we have to be honest and open with our brothers and sisters.
The peace, joy and restoration we have from confessing and forsaking sin is far greater than the hidden bitterness we cling so tightly to, to elevate ourselves in the eyes of men.
What men think of us is of little consequence compared to our relationship with God. We can fool men for awhile, but God sees all the time everything. If we really believe in Christ, we would be more concerned about what God sees than what man thinks.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
Christ's Blood Cleanses Us From Sin
Our thought life is far more important than anything else, because it is what leads us to the actions. The more we ponder the things of the Lord, His principles and what pleases Him, the more we will act like Him. The more we contemplate evil and unholy thoughts the greater our chances of exchanging the thought for an action.
Matthew 15:19
"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:"
Philippians 4:6-9
"6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."
The more we are washed in the Word, the uglier the world looks to us, the more we run to the Savior.
Ecc. 1:18
"For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."
For the believer grief comes when we observe evil all around us, but that never takes away that Spiritual joy we have because we have been taken out of the world and cleansed by God through His "cleansing blood."
1 John 1:7
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Matthew 15:19
"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:"
Philippians 4:6-9
"6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."
The more we are washed in the Word, the uglier the world looks to us, the more we run to the Savior.
Ecc. 1:18
"For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow."
For the believer grief comes when we observe evil all around us, but that never takes away that Spiritual joy we have because we have been taken out of the world and cleansed by God through His "cleansing blood."
1 John 1:7
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Christ is Fully Man and Fully God!
Even the human side of Christ had to learn as He grew up.
Isaiah 7:14-16
"14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
15 He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.
16 For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken."
Isaiah 7:14-16
"14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
15 He will eat curds and honey at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good.
16 For before the boy will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land whose two kings you dread will be forsaken."
"Total Depravity" is Totally Depraved
"Total Depravity" is a lie of the devil to quench evangelism. It relieves those who subscribe to it from any responsibility to speak to their community about Christ.
Jeremiah 29:13 " You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
Isaiah 55:6-7 "
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Psalm 14:2 " The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God."
Hebrews 11:6 "
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
How could we be held accountable for not choosing if God never gave us the ability to choose.
Jeremiah 29:13 " You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
Isaiah 55:6-7 "
6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
Psalm 14:2 " The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men To see if there are any who understand, Who seek after God."
Hebrews 11:6 "
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
How could we be held accountable for not choosing if God never gave us the ability to choose.
Liberals are Controlled by the Wiles of the Devil
When we are controlled by politics based on getting free stuff, we cannot think with good sense.
When we think with the mind of Christ we can make sense without regard to who likes it. Freedom in this country is much more than just doing what we like, but should be the freedom to act the way we believe is right without persecution for it. The freedom to do and believe righteousness comes with it responsibility, however, if we don't understand Biblical responsibility we cannot act correctly, we are at the mercy of cultural attitudes and personal feelings, neither of which offer us much.
"Wrong" tends to get the greece because it is "squeaky", making the most noise. Sadly those who yell the loudest tend to get what they want and even make others believe them. After all, if someone is yelling that loudly they must be right, or so the non-thinking person surmises.
Politics in our country will never be right, because those who strive for the positions in the govenrment are bent on personal power, compromising God's principles to placate the media and non-thinking voters. Yes, even the conservatives are doing this.
I am thankful for young men who understand "good sense", let's not call it common because it is no longer the "moral majority", good sense is not common as it used to be "back in the day", at least more so than now, in previous generations.
When we think with the mind of Christ we can make sense without regard to who likes it. Freedom in this country is much more than just doing what we like, but should be the freedom to act the way we believe is right without persecution for it. The freedom to do and believe righteousness comes with it responsibility, however, if we don't understand Biblical responsibility we cannot act correctly, we are at the mercy of cultural attitudes and personal feelings, neither of which offer us much.
"Wrong" tends to get the greece because it is "squeaky", making the most noise. Sadly those who yell the loudest tend to get what they want and even make others believe them. After all, if someone is yelling that loudly they must be right, or so the non-thinking person surmises.
Politics in our country will never be right, because those who strive for the positions in the govenrment are bent on personal power, compromising God's principles to placate the media and non-thinking voters. Yes, even the conservatives are doing this.
I am thankful for young men who understand "good sense", let's not call it common because it is no longer the "moral majority", good sense is not common as it used to be "back in the day", at least more so than now, in previous generations.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
The Law Giver Lives In Us
Jeremiah 31:31-34
"31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.
33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
There was a day when God dwelt in a temple in Jerusalem, after Christ died and rose from the dead He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in all those believers who trusted in Him.
Now that temple is no longer a building but in many human bodies. This temple possesses the perfect Holy Spirit containing all wisdom, growing and learning every day until Christ returns for us.
This temple contains the law of God, no longer under that law being condemned by it, but rather the possessor of that Law, the holder and protector of it.
Do we have to follow a rule to feed ourselves food? No, I suggest that we don't have to think about whether or not to feed ourselves, it is normal and natural to do so even without thinking much. Similarly, we do not have to work hard to "keep" the Law, it is part of us, redirecting us when we fall, reminding us Who we belong to.
Those who have been changed by Christ into a new creation, once fought against the principles of the law hating them. After we were changed into a new creation we fell in love with God's Law wanting to use it to show others their sinful nature so that they too will desire to be cleansed by Christ.
We were once loved by the world because we enjoyed sin for a season as the world does. After we became born again, we hated sin, so much so that we run from the temptation of it. When we are weak and give in to the urges to sin, we are miserable until we confess it to be cleansed and never want to return to it.
We no longer enjoy those people who are still in the world, living every day for their own pleasure. We enjoy the people of God who encourage us in righteousness, bringing new insight into the Words of God while praying for our well being.
Israel, as written about in Jeremiah, will one day come to Christ experiencing this fullness of salvation though the shed blood of Christ. The nation of Israel is in the process right now, many are finding Christ within the nation, the end times events are falling into place right now.
What a blessing it is to learn that the Jews are going to come to Christ soon, and the times of the Gentiles will be finished, then the nation will trust their Messiah!
"31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.
33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
There was a day when God dwelt in a temple in Jerusalem, after Christ died and rose from the dead He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in all those believers who trusted in Him.
Now that temple is no longer a building but in many human bodies. This temple possesses the perfect Holy Spirit containing all wisdom, growing and learning every day until Christ returns for us.
This temple contains the law of God, no longer under that law being condemned by it, but rather the possessor of that Law, the holder and protector of it.
Do we have to follow a rule to feed ourselves food? No, I suggest that we don't have to think about whether or not to feed ourselves, it is normal and natural to do so even without thinking much. Similarly, we do not have to work hard to "keep" the Law, it is part of us, redirecting us when we fall, reminding us Who we belong to.
Those who have been changed by Christ into a new creation, once fought against the principles of the law hating them. After we were changed into a new creation we fell in love with God's Law wanting to use it to show others their sinful nature so that they too will desire to be cleansed by Christ.
We were once loved by the world because we enjoyed sin for a season as the world does. After we became born again, we hated sin, so much so that we run from the temptation of it. When we are weak and give in to the urges to sin, we are miserable until we confess it to be cleansed and never want to return to it.
We no longer enjoy those people who are still in the world, living every day for their own pleasure. We enjoy the people of God who encourage us in righteousness, bringing new insight into the Words of God while praying for our well being.
Israel, as written about in Jeremiah, will one day come to Christ experiencing this fullness of salvation though the shed blood of Christ. The nation of Israel is in the process right now, many are finding Christ within the nation, the end times events are falling into place right now.
What a blessing it is to learn that the Jews are going to come to Christ soon, and the times of the Gentiles will be finished, then the nation will trust their Messiah!
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