Deny Youself

[themessenger]

Ponder these scriptures and decide if my reasoning is accurate:

"Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world." [1 John 2:15-15]


Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
[Galatians 5:24]

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me
[Matthew 16:24]

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to its lustful desires.
[Romans 6:12]
"Don't you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master?"
[Romans 6:16]

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct, and devotion to God.
[Titus 2:12]

............> Pleasure=Sin=Evil=Death

IF this is what is being said, then how can we live in this world, but with the help of Christ Jesus. Does this mean that you cannot eat chocolate, junk food, dessert, listen to music other than worship (Christian), etc...
the implications are huge. Does the true Christian follow such guidelines?
I am trying and praying to follow Christ. Yet, it is tough to conquer those thorns from my past.

For the true beleiver/follower/diciple there lies a form of self-abnegation and asceticism that I never knew existed in the Christian Church. I beleive that many never take it to this level, but just take the easy road.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
[Matthew 7:21]

 

[Rafael]

Your right. There is no easy believeism, but also consider that the work of God is to have faith in the work of Jesus Christ and that love covers a multitude of sins.

Truly dying to self is something you could never do by yourself, and Jesus is the Author and Finisher of your faith. We have to trust in Him completely to do this. When we ponder the world system of greed and materialism, don't you feel that the Bible is true in its assessment? I do. It is unjust, and it does appeal more to our flesh than our spirit, but it does not mean we are lost for having a chocolate bar every now or then. We learn moderation and truth as we go through life and seek God's will like sheep among wolves.

The bigger issues are what God is concerned about...not the small ones. Jesus got all over the Pharisees for nit-picking instead of truly displaying love in their lives with service to others. He called it "straining knats and swallowing camels". Yeah, you would be wasting you time being guilty over a chocolate bar, but we should examine our lives and see if we are a light to the world and if it sees our good deeds and they glorfy God.
Within our communities, the Church should be a place of ministering to the poor and needy, as this is what Jesus asks about when He returns - "did you feed me, clothe me, give me shelter when a stranger, or visit me when sick." All these things help us examine our lives and see what is truly our treasure in life. If our treasure is in the world, then that is where our heart lies. So yes, we must chose between the world or God and which one we will serve in our hearts and then try to walk towards that goal. We may stumble and fall and appear as complete failures, but only Jesus sees the heart and knows what is truly going on.
Don't be condemned by the Word, but encouraged. Condemnation runs us away from the truth, but conviction of the Holy Spirit draws us to come and continue to fight the good fight and win over our lives from the flesh.
We each receive gifts from God to use in the Church, and we need to find that gift and use it. Perhaps some service in the Church would help you find peace with the scriptures. Organizing visitation to nursing homes or going into the highways and byways to pick up the lame, the deaf, and the poor - to bring them into God's house and table so that they can be fed spiritually. We have to be servants of God or servants of the world. I even speak to myself on this issue as I spend way too much time in front of a television set watching idols flashed at me at 60 frames persecond....! The world is a dangerous place of death for our spirits, and only God can save us, but we have to try, and these words from God spur us on to stir up the gifts we have inside us from God - to use them. The Word of God is a light to our feet and points us to the path that leads to life. So keep renewing your mind with the truth, pray that God will enable you, forgive you your sins, and open doors in your life to be His servant/messenger of love to the dying world. A light to the world, not just in words, but in action and deeds. We overcome by the blood of the lamb, Jesus, and the word of our testimnoy - that we have fought the good fight of faith. That faith rests in Jesus. Keep fighting the good fight and don't cast away your confidence in Him - allowing yourself to grow in His grace.
We will never be saved by our own righteousness, only His - which is imputed to us, but our new nature will naturally go against our old nature of the flesh and want to follow the Lord in His service. Don't be discouraged by the Word, but be encouraged that through Christ you can do more than you think, as it His Spirit inside you that will causes you to do His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

I JOHN 3:16-19 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with ACTIONS and TRUTH. This then is how we KNOW that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Matthew 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Timothy 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.

 

[Kehaar]

Hi there, welcome to the forums!

I hope what I have to say will be useful to you. This is my own personal experience, I can't speak for anyone else.

I am a new Christian, and when I was first converted I was overwhelmed by the amount of Sin there was in my life. I was suddenly re-evaluating everything - the books I read, how I took care of myself, the kinds of friends I hung out with, my attitudes towards life, my relationship...there didn't seem to be an area of my life that wasn't affected.

Initially, I was quite afraid. There seemed to be so much about the way I lived that needed to change and I didn't know where to start. At the time I didn't have anyone close to me that I could ask for guidance and I found this very frustrating - I had a thirst for knowledge and I had no Christian friends I could go to for advice.

Instead I read, I did Bible study and I prayed for God for guidance and for Christian friends to come into my life. This has taken time - over a month for these things to come into effect, but God has granted them to me and I feel that I am starting to make headway.

Regarding sin: when I first came to Christ I had an intense feeling of love, being comforted, being forgiven and suddenly feeling very 'new'. I pray to God to change me, to perfect me into what he would wish me to be, and I have done that since I was saved. I notice changes in myself, in my path, in my desires and in my discipline - I know God is at work in me.

My advice to you would be not to become discouraged - God will help you, but it takes time! When you pray, ask God to show you areas of your life that you should change (remember to listen for a reply - that was one of my major faults, I never listened for Gods anwers!) or any areas of unresolved sin so that you may repent and gain forgivness. I believe God will guide you as he did, and is continuing to do with me.
I believe the battle with sin is ongoing - I certainly find sin to confess when I pray! Please don't be discouraged!

"Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Jesus Christ who has freed us by taking away our sins."
(Romans 3:24)

Be wary also of spiritual attack - Satan loves to remind us of our faults and failings, to drag us down. He likes to make us feel bad about ourselves. Know that you are forgiven and don't believe the negative thoughts and feelings that come to mind. Satan hasn't gained his titles of 'Deciever' and 'Father of Lies' for no reason.

"My sheep know my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them from me."
(John 10:27-29)

Astral

 

[Sketcher]

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." - Phillipians 4:8 (emphasis mine)

This verse is an encouragement to be joyful. It didn't come from an angry dad. Yes, there is a dimension to it where we must police our thoughts, but God created everything for our enjoyment. (1 Tim 6:17)

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." - Colossians 3:15-16

"If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?" - 1 Corinthians 10:30

God's plan for the life of a Christian is not so we can become grumpy old men and women shaking our canes at anything that seems pleasurable for the sake of "holiness". He wants us to enjoy the gifts He has given us and be thankful to Him.

 

[rogsr]

Hello,
When we give our lives to God at first we are badly damaged little flowers. Slowly, by God's wonderful grace, He eradicates our sin and turns it into virtue, and then we bare good fruit for Him. The best thing to do is love God with every fiber of your being and work hard to end the sufferings of others by telling them about God and Jesus Christ and doing good things for them. If you do these things as best as you can God will do the rest.

When I was a new Christian I was very sinful and over time(not that much time) God changed me. I am not perfect now, but am way better then what I used to be. These things happen slowly for a reason. So that you can grow together with God and have a wonderful relationship with Him. We should want to deny ourselves the things of this world for the glory of God. Example, in Luke when Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on the first palm sunday a wealthy man came to Him with great joy because he had given half of all that he had to the poor. Jesus blessed the man for this good work. This is how we should be too. Jesus said, Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Very simply put being meek is living a simple life. Not living in a ten million dollar mansion when others are homeless. Also, don't make yourself miserable either. Jesus drank wine and had fun with His disciples and friends at the wedding in cana. The Holy Spirit is the Wonderful Counselor, the Lord, and He will guide you in what is good for you and what is bad for you. Seek the Lord's counsel in all things and you will be ok...I hope that this will help you my friend

PS- you are very right in saying that there is no easy road in being an authentic Christian and that many take the wide road believing they are good to go. Jesus said to take the narrow road and to pick up our cross and carry in next to Him. This seems hard until you realize that Jesus is offering friendship to us by inviting us to walk next to Him. How heavy of a burden are you willing to carry in this world to walk next to our Lord?