God in us

[TamaraLynne]

I know when altar calls are made in church for those who want to make Jesus their Lord and savior ...when they go up to be prayed for and to accept the free gift Jesus offers...well everyone tells them that all their sins from the past will be wiped away and they do not have to become perfect first in order for God to accept them into the kingdom..."come as you are!"

Well I've been thinking about this for awhile now....and I probably will have more thoughts on this in the future and hopfully more revelation...but my thoughts on this from what I see is that after they become Christians ...something happens...now they are told to become perfect...to be without sin and sin is the main focus....and they spend a lifetime of overcoming the sins...I know others will pray...worship...go to church...read many books...but its all in trying to please God and become perfect so that God will use them...I don't know about all this...


I think that when we know that God can use us no matter what place we are in....that the biggest gift we can give is ourselves knowing God can use us right where we are...that keeping our eyes on him and with fear and trembling know that he is in us and he is God!

That in keeping our focus on who he is...in us...that many of those sins we tried so hard to overcome will vanish and in its place love will fill us...love for God and others and yes even ourselves because we will feel Gods love for us...

Sometimes......I wonder if the church over the years has made the gotta get perfect first before God can use you...which is a great contrast to what we are told in the beginning....

I don't know...I just think sometimes the perfecting of the saints has gone about things kinda backwards...I think it is God that perfects us...and keeping our eyes on him is the main part ...knowing who he is and who he is in us.

I'm kinda rambling a bit...getting my thoughts out there...does not mean I think I'm 100 percent right...these thoughts just keep coming back to me...over and over again.

 

[bornofGod888]

"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his, And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart." - II Timothy 2:19-22

 

[TamaraLynne]

Yes I know I also know that in our busy lives sometimes we can be distracted and do things in our own strength...then realizing we are weak and he is strong...it always comes down to us realizing we were trying all by ourselves ....it is easy to do when we are so distracted by the world....but in order for us to do the above things you talk of...it is about knowing God is in us and focusing on him and letting him ...letting God do his thing.

I have found that the more I think on him the easier things get...

Just that so many people sit in the pew year after year and then one day they find that they are older and then the desire to do something...something for Gods kingdom comes full force...when I think God could have been working through them to heal or prophesy or however God wanted to move through them...


anyways its about people not only getting scared...thinking.."no I gotta learn more" "no I'm not perfect yet" yes fleeing youthful lust and many things are done with God right there helping us...

I don't know....bornofGod you have been to churches where you have let God work through you...you know things like deliverance...I have never yet been in a church were demons were cast out...I have seen people pray and lay hands on others for healing though...but it is like everyone lines up for a certain person to do it...when I think God can move through those who think they are not perfected...

my thoughts are kinda mixed up...at the moment...

Just it seems like when I think about how God can work through us it is like God fills me to overflowing with his agreement...but for years even I thought..."got to become perfect first" I think it is a mindset of many.

This post is in answer to bornofGod...I forgot to quote first...not sure if anyone else has tried to post while I was typing this.

 

[Albion]

This is one of the reasons why altar calls are often criticized. While they are OK in themselves, they necessarily take non-believers and make them into Christians in a flash without adequate instruction in the faith. To be fair to those preachers who use altar calls, it is normally the case that the new converts are then given some guidance and, more important, either incorporated into that congregation or directed to other good Christian congregations where they are expected to grow in wisdom and understanding. BUT it's easy for such people not to follow through and, instead, to go their own ways, holding many confused ideas about what has just occurred.

 

[bornofGod888]

TamaraLynne:

Well, I can assure you that I'm far from perfect, but I do seek God daily and I also genuinely strive, God helping me, of course, to obey whatever it is that He speaks to me on any given day which is called "Today"...just as we've been discussing in our Hebrews study.

Anyhow, when it comes to such things as deliverance and the like, that's more an issue of understanding who we are in Christ and the power that is found in His Name than it is an issue regarding "perfection", so I understand what you mean about being focused upon God as opposed to ourselves at times. However, at the same time, God does desire for us to be "one" with Him, so it can be dangerous to try to separate the two (us and God) when the two need to be one...if you understand what I'm saying.

 

[TamaraLynne]

right..I agree
sometimes as we work our jobs and deal with people who are hard to deal with we sometimes forget in minutes seconds hours...that God is right there...right there to help...sometimes we just forget only to realize we did forget ...not that we were seperated from God literally but that we forgot that he was there to help us all along...we sometimes get caught up in trying in our own strength.

 

[bornofGod888]

I once heard somebody say that a piece of thread is very weak, but if it is wrapped around one of those giant cables which hold up a bridge, then it becomes very strong. That's basically how we need to be with God.

 

[Yab Yum]

1 Peter 1:15 No, it is a holy God who has called you, and you too must be holy in all the ordering of your lives; 16 You must be holy, the scripture says, because I am holy.

 

[TamaraLynne]

1 Peter 1:15 No, it is a holy God who has called you, and you too must be holy in all the ordering of your lives; 16 You must be holy, the scripture says, because I am holy.

Thank you for posting the scripture

my bible said this



1pe 1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

1pe 1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.


I'm not saying that we should sin...not at all...not one bit...

What is Holy....I guess when I think of Holy I think of everything that is God...everything. In loving him and ourselves and others we are doing what God wants...sometimes I wonder if my love and peace and joy and patience are even my doing...many times I think it is Gods doing....

Also I wonder about the burning bush where God told Moses to take his shoes off because he was on Holy ground...I know that piece of ground was not trying by works to become Holy....it became Holy because God made it Holy....Where God is...is Holy

okay my thoughts just stopped...just my thoughts in this thread...I'm not pushing anyone to believe what I do...

As far as temptations ....by keeping our eyes on God and the renewing of our mind it helps to resist.

something is just nagging at me though.....that I keep thinking I'm not ready...even laying hands on others has been hard for me because I think I got to get perfect first...does anyone else go through this?

 

[Joykins]

Yes I know I also know that in our busy lives sometimes we can be distracted and do things in our own strength...then realizing we are weak and he is strong...it always comes down to us realizing we were trying all by ourselves ....it is easy to do when we are so distracted by the world....but in order for us to do the above things you talk of...it is about knowing God is in us and focusing on him and letting him ...letting God do his thing.

I have found that the more I think on him the easier things get...

Just that so many people sit in the pew year after year and then one day they find that they are older and then the desire to do something...something for Gods kingdom comes full force...when I think God could have been working through them to heal or prophesy or however God wanted to move through them...


anyways its about people not only getting scared...thinking.."no I gotta learn more" "no I'm not perfect yet" yes fleeing youthful lust and many things are done with God right there helping us...

I don't know....bornofGod you have been to churches where you have let God work through you...you know things like deliverance...I have never yet been in a church were demons were cast out...I have seen people pray and lay hands on others for healing though...but it is like everyone lines up for a certain person to do it...when I think God can move through those who think they are not perfected...

my thoughts are kinda mixed up...at the moment...

Just it seems like when I think about how God can work through us it is like God fills me to overflowing with his agreement...but for years even I thought..."got to become perfect first" I think it is a mindset of many.

This post is in answer to bornofGod...I forgot to quote first...not sure if anyone else has tried to post while I was typing this.

I agree.

This is why I think it's a shame to quote Eph. 2:8-9 without including verse 10:

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Salvation is not BY works but it is FOR THE PURPOSE of good works.

 

[bornofGod888]

something is just nagging at me though.....that I keep thinking I'm not ready...even laying hands on others has been hard for me because I think I got to get perfect first...does anyone else go through this?

I honestly believe that the Only One Who can Rightly address your nagging doubts is God Almighty. IOW, I believe that your doubts could either be the result of God dealing with you about things which you need to repent of or they could just be the result of Satan seeking to unjustly condemn you. I cannot make the call for you, but God can. Believe me, I'm not dismissing what you're going through as I've gone through it many times myself. In my case, sometimes it was God and I needed to repent of and/or deal with certain things and other times it was Satan and I needed to resist him in Jesus' Name. Your best bet is to just bring it to God in prayer until you receive an answer. Even then, each consequent situation might be different, so prayer really needs to be a way of life for each and every one of us. I'm sorry, but Jesus had to pray daily and so do we. There are no shortcuts.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Sometimes......I wonder if the church over the years has made the gotta get perfect first before God can use you...which is a great contrast to what we are told in the beginning....

that's probably why such gospels are compared to a sales pitch

but yeah . it is important to remember . that God is pleased with his children before man would even think he'd crack a smile .

 

[TamaraLynne]

I honestly believe that the Only One Who can Rightly address your nagging doubts is God Almighty. IOW, I believe that your doubts could either be the result of God dealing with you about things which you need to repent of or they could just be the result of Satan seeking to unjustly condemn you. I cannot make the call for you, but God can. Believe me, I'm not dismissing what you're going through as I've gone through it many times myself. In my case, sometimes it was God and I needed to repent of and/or deal with certain things and other times it was Satan and I needed to resist him in Jesus' Name. Your best bet is to just bring it to God in prayer until you receive an answer. Even then, each consequent situation might be different, so prayer really needs to be a way of life for each and every one of us. I'm sorry, but Jesus had to pray daily and so do we. There are no shortcuts.

)))hug((( I will meditate on this.

 

[TamaraLynne]

I agree.

This is why I think it's a shame to quote Eph. 2:8-9 without including verse 10:



Salvation is not BY works but it is FOR THE PURPOSE of good works.

This really spoke to me and fits quite nicely into the things I've been thinking of.

 

[TamaraLynne]

that's probably why such gospels are compared to a sales pitch

but yeah . it is important to remember . that God is pleased with his children before man would even think he'd crack a smile .