- Jun 26, 2015
- 1,697
- 1,275
- 74
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
- Politics
- US-Others
In our fleshly bodies, we produce bad fruits. All of us. Some will struggle with easy-to-spot sins that ‘go before them’. Many others carry around sins that are not as easy to spot.... socially acceptable sins.... but sins none the less. Worldliness, greed, lack of love and compassion, unforgiveness, these are sins of the average everyday believer, and they are afflicted with sins ‘that go behind them’. Many will be shocked on the day of judgment when they hear the dreaded “Depart from me, all He that work iniquity” because following them into the throne room are all the sins they thought were minor ones. There are NO minor sins.
You see, if you are one of the first type, and you have struggled with drugs, or alcohol, or inappropriate content and sexual promiscuity, you are going to be surprised when I tell you you are blessed. Why? Because you are sick.... sin sick..... and you KNOW it. Do you remember the story about Jesus when He was questioned about why He hung around with people like ....well... you and me? What was His reply?
“The healthy have no need of a physician.”
Was He telling His audience that they had no need of Him, that they were spiritually well, and thus did not need a physician? Not at all. How do we know this to be true? Because ALL of our righteousness is as filthy rags. Because ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No, what God was saying to us is that those with those hated outer sins, they are blessed! They KNOW that they need help!
God is fixing to do something to us, to all who love the Lord. He is about to awaken us to who we are in Christ..... new creatures.... and finally understand that because He lives in us, and the ‘old us’ is dead (read Romans 6), that sin no longer has authority over us. In the days to come, men and women who have struggled and been defeated by even the most addictive of sins are going to see their feet planted on the highway of holiness. They will experience the promise of God where He tells us that He will actually ‘cause us’ to walk as obedient children. (Ezekiel 36:27)
Let me explain. Our sins are bad fruits, fruits of our old nature. We have thus directed our efforts at fighting against the bad fruits. Alcoholicsa try to stop drinking. Drug addicts try to stop shooting up. inappropriate content addicts try to steer clear of the internet. As fast as the bad fruits appear, we try to knock off the bad fruit, thinking that if we have no bad fruits, we will ‘be good trees’. Is this not pretty much the truth?
First, let’s face it. Bad fruit cannot be stopped. We may experience temporary victory for a day or two, maybe even longer. But they always come back, don’t they? Why, if we are bad trees, what does a bad tree do? It grows bad fruit! That is its nature. A bad tree without any bad fruit is still a bad tree, amen? And if we are walking in our flesh, our old nature, no amount of abstinence will make our tree good.
So what is the solution? What does the Word tell us? The ax must be laid to the root of the tree. How do we begin to produce good fruits? We do exactly what God has told us to do. We make our tree good! Can a good tree without good fruit still be a good tree? Absolutely! You see, the job of bearing good fruit is God’s job, not ours. Our job is quite simple. We are to make our tree good by our believing that God is not a man that He might lie. In fact, He CANNOT lie! And what does He tell us if we have accepted His Son as our savior?
.”You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
Glory to God! Did you read what I read? Paul goes on in Romans 8 to tell us that in truth, we owe the flesh nothing! Those who tell us we will always sin, that we will never be free from its grip until we die are right. But listen! We ARE dead! We died when Jesus died. We are, right now, new creatures in Christ. E may not feel like new creatures. We certainly may not look like new creatures. We might have shot up earlier this morning. It makes ZERO difference. If we are Christians, we are His children and are NEW creatures.
So if we find ourselves overwhelmed with defeat, and feel the devil hanging over us, tellig is He owns us, then we have but one recourse. We fight him with truth. And the truth is, dear struggling but extremely blessed child of God, that God will grow good fruit on you if you simply do one thing..
BELIEVE.
There is a remarkable scripture found in Revelation that talks about the saints in the last days. It is talking about US:
“...and they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb AND the word of THEIR testimony.”.
We have tried to live as good children simply by believing in the blood of the lamb, never understanding that it only works when we take our stand of faith and believe that what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection IS therefore OURS, right now, that Satan ceases to keep us chained up.
If you have been struggling, first, realize you are blessed. You KNOW you are weak. You KNOW
that you need a miracle. Cry out to God to cause the small hard kernel of faith that He has given you, that He has never taken back, to sprout..... and GROW! You are about to be amazed when God steps in and causes you to walk as you have always longed to do. He will not disappoint you.
Blessings,
Gideon
You see, if you are one of the first type, and you have struggled with drugs, or alcohol, or inappropriate content and sexual promiscuity, you are going to be surprised when I tell you you are blessed. Why? Because you are sick.... sin sick..... and you KNOW it. Do you remember the story about Jesus when He was questioned about why He hung around with people like ....well... you and me? What was His reply?
“The healthy have no need of a physician.”
Was He telling His audience that they had no need of Him, that they were spiritually well, and thus did not need a physician? Not at all. How do we know this to be true? Because ALL of our righteousness is as filthy rags. Because ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. No, what God was saying to us is that those with those hated outer sins, they are blessed! They KNOW that they need help!
God is fixing to do something to us, to all who love the Lord. He is about to awaken us to who we are in Christ..... new creatures.... and finally understand that because He lives in us, and the ‘old us’ is dead (read Romans 6), that sin no longer has authority over us. In the days to come, men and women who have struggled and been defeated by even the most addictive of sins are going to see their feet planted on the highway of holiness. They will experience the promise of God where He tells us that He will actually ‘cause us’ to walk as obedient children. (Ezekiel 36:27)
Let me explain. Our sins are bad fruits, fruits of our old nature. We have thus directed our efforts at fighting against the bad fruits. Alcoholicsa try to stop drinking. Drug addicts try to stop shooting up. inappropriate content addicts try to steer clear of the internet. As fast as the bad fruits appear, we try to knock off the bad fruit, thinking that if we have no bad fruits, we will ‘be good trees’. Is this not pretty much the truth?
First, let’s face it. Bad fruit cannot be stopped. We may experience temporary victory for a day or two, maybe even longer. But they always come back, don’t they? Why, if we are bad trees, what does a bad tree do? It grows bad fruit! That is its nature. A bad tree without any bad fruit is still a bad tree, amen? And if we are walking in our flesh, our old nature, no amount of abstinence will make our tree good.
So what is the solution? What does the Word tell us? The ax must be laid to the root of the tree. How do we begin to produce good fruits? We do exactly what God has told us to do. We make our tree good! Can a good tree without good fruit still be a good tree? Absolutely! You see, the job of bearing good fruit is God’s job, not ours. Our job is quite simple. We are to make our tree good by our believing that God is not a man that He might lie. In fact, He CANNOT lie! And what does He tell us if we have accepted His Son as our savior?
.”You are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
Glory to God! Did you read what I read? Paul goes on in Romans 8 to tell us that in truth, we owe the flesh nothing! Those who tell us we will always sin, that we will never be free from its grip until we die are right. But listen! We ARE dead! We died when Jesus died. We are, right now, new creatures in Christ. E may not feel like new creatures. We certainly may not look like new creatures. We might have shot up earlier this morning. It makes ZERO difference. If we are Christians, we are His children and are NEW creatures.
So if we find ourselves overwhelmed with defeat, and feel the devil hanging over us, tellig is He owns us, then we have but one recourse. We fight him with truth. And the truth is, dear struggling but extremely blessed child of God, that God will grow good fruit on you if you simply do one thing..
BELIEVE.
There is a remarkable scripture found in Revelation that talks about the saints in the last days. It is talking about US:
“...and they overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb AND the word of THEIR testimony.”.
We have tried to live as good children simply by believing in the blood of the lamb, never understanding that it only works when we take our stand of faith and believe that what Jesus accomplished by His death and resurrection IS therefore OURS, right now, that Satan ceases to keep us chained up.
If you have been struggling, first, realize you are blessed. You KNOW you are weak. You KNOW
that you need a miracle. Cry out to God to cause the small hard kernel of faith that He has given you, that He has never taken back, to sprout..... and GROW! You are about to be amazed when God steps in and causes you to walk as you have always longed to do. He will not disappoint you.
Blessings,
Gideon
