Grace requires a response.....

[gideons300]

Is grace free? Absolutely! But what we as the modern church have been led into error with is teachings that assure us that forgiveness is all we need, the be all-end all of salvation and is totally seperate from what we do thereafter with our knowledge of God. Some will be more yielded than others, some more holy, but all who say the sinners prayer and mean it at the time are heaven bound. But is it true? No, it is not. Grace requires a response

We have defined grace as un-merited favor and forgiveness that somehow allows us to continue living with ourselves in control of our lives, as if we still owned ourselves, but the word tells us clearly, we are not our own if we have asked Him in. We are His. He owns us.

How foreign this way of thinking is to all of us. How this flies in the face of our "American" upbringing, the land of the free, free to live as WE wish. But from Jesus's own mouth, a different gospel comes out, one that we do not much agree with, or want to hear, for it asks something back from us. Jesus tells us that such unmerited grace asks for a response. THAT is where the truth of our salvation is shown to be genuine. Who is our Lord, us or Him? Listen to the words of the one we say we serve.

"He who tries to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it unto eternal life."

This is no isolated scripture, not taken out of context. He says that if we do not hate our own life, we CANNOT be His disciple. Ouch. How can this fit with our modern take on grace? The truth is.....it cannot. How do we know this? Grace requires a response.

We assume grace is free, and requires nothing from us but confession of our sins and acceptance of this "strings-free" salvation. Our ticket to heaven is officially punched, right? But if that is the case, what is Jesus talking about when He says that we need to count the cost of following Him? How can there be a cost if salvation is free?

What does He mean when He says that a wise man will not be content with shallow preparation, but will "dig deep" in making sure the foundation for his faith is a sound one?

What did Paul mean when he told us we must continue in the faith "to make our calling and our election sure"?

Why would he tell us in Romans 12 that it is our calling to present our bodies as living sacrifices and that this radical walk is "our reasonable service" if nothing is asked of us?

There is a scripture that I would be willing to bet any poster here that they have never heard preached on in church. It is found in Luke 19 where Jesus is telling His disciples about the parable of the talents, where various men received different amounts of gold to "invest" for their master. It was not THEIR gold, but the masters. They had a responsibility to make gain with it. Grace requires a response.

When the wicked servant had his turn to explain why he had made no gain with what had been freely given to him, he said that he had hid it in a field and here was the master's original investment, just like he had received it. Perhaps he had expected that would please the Master, as if not losing what was given was the goal, but it was not. Gain was expected. Grace requires a response. Is this not the natural flow where life is.... growth?

The master was angry, not pleased as the lazy sercant expected, and He took from the man what had been entrusted and given to another.

Then the scripture that should wake us up to our danger, should shake us to our core. I pray it does. For this is what the master then said:

"Then bring ALL THOSE who would not have me to reign over them, and slay them before me."

Do we HEAR this? Do we understand that the gentle, meek, full-of-grace lamb of God uttered these words? He asks for a believing ON Him, not just in Him. He asks us to willingly let Him become our Lord as well as our master, and seek with all our hearts how to obey Him in all things, how to let Him have the pre-eminece in our lives. It is our reasonable service, not the lifestyle reserved for preachers and/or religious fanatics who have lost their balance. THIS is Christianity, nothing less. It is not legalism, it is love returned.

To any here who are still in charge of their own being, and would still like to think that when Jesus asks us "Why do you call me "Lord, Lord, and yet not do the things I command you", that these may just receive less attractive mansions in heaven, but their salvation is never in question, think again.

You see, grace requires a response. Please, I beg you, do not confuse this response I speak of with working for our salvation. Do not think this some evil form of legalism. Grace is free. But grace asks, in response, for our hearts, for ALL of our hearts in return, for our devotion, for the singleness of our eye firmly fixed on the one who died for us. It asks us to make Jesus both our savior AND our Lord.

To do this, we must hate our fleshly man, the one in rebellion to His Lordship in our lives. We must yield ourselves to the master potter, totally, unashamedly, snd throw our entire being on the one who paid the ultimate price to buy us back from death. When we do this, we are ready to put on the new man, with a new heart, a heart that Jesus owns, for Jesus is Lord.

God's gift requires a response, giving Him back our hearts to fill. It is the only logical thing to do. It is the only pathway to joy. Ultimtely, it is the only way to hear "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Blessings,

Gideon

 

[hislegacy]

well said

 

[lismore]

Interesting post

 

[jamadan]

It's a covenant. Jesus paid the price for our atonement with His blood - the price we couldn't pay. But we have to pay a price as well - to lay down our lives as a living sacrifice, dying to self and allowing Christ to live through us.

 

[Frogster]

I don't see the power of the Holy Spirit stressed in the op?

Why?


Aren't we better off having God's power do the task?

I thought it is all about power not of my own?


Ephesians 3:16
that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

Sorry Holy Spirit, i guess we take over for you, you lost your ministry.

2 Cor 3:8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?

3:18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[e] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.


Paul stressed Spirit power, I don't see Spirit power stressed in the OP. Walk, live, through, by, led, all Spirit dependancy, not self dependancy.



Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Gal 5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.



5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.



5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,


5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

 

[Frogster]

Is grace free? Absolutely! But what we as the modern church have been led into error with is teachings that assure us that forgiveness is all we need, the be all-end all of salvation and is totally seperate from what we do thereafter with our knowledge of God. Some will be more yielded than others, some more holy, but all who say the sinners prayer and mean it at the time are heaven bound. But is it true? No, it is not. Grace requires a response

We have defined grace as un-merited favor and forgiveness that somehow allows us to continue living with ourselves in control of our lives, as if we still owned ourselves, but the word tells us clearly, we are not our own if we have asked Him in. We are His. He owns us.

How foreign this way of thinking is to all of us. How this flies in the face of our "American" upbringing, the land of the free, free to live as WE wish. But from Jesus's own mouth, a different gospel comes out, one that we do not much agree with, or want to hear, for it asks something back from us. Jesus tells us that such unmerited grace asks for a response. THAT is where the truth of our salvation is shown to be genuine. Who is our Lord, us or Him? Listen to the words of the one we say we serve.

"He who tries to save his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for my sake will find it unto eternal life."

This is no isolated scripture, not taken out of context. He says that if we do not hate our own life, we CANNOT be His disciple. Ouch. How can this fit with our modern take on grace? The truth is.....it cannot. How do we know this? Grace requires a response.

We assume grace is free, and requires nothing from us but confession of our sins and acceptance of this "strings-free" salvation. Our ticket to heaven is officially punched, right? But if that is the case, what is Jesus talking about when He says that we need to count the cost of following Him? How can there be a cost if salvation is free?

What does He mean when He says that a wise man will not be content with shallow preparation, but will "dig deep" in making sure the foundation for his faith is a sound one?

What did Paul mean when he told us we must continue in the faith "to make our calling and our election sure"?

Why would he tell us in Romans 12 that it is our calling to present our bodies as living sacrifices and that this radical walk is "our reasonable service" if nothing is asked of us?

There is a scripture that I would be willing to bet any poster here that they have never heard preached on in church. It is found in Luke 19 where Jesus is telling His disciples about the parable of the talents, where various men received different amounts of gold to "invest" for their master. It was not THEIR gold, but the masters. They had a responsibility to make gain with it. Grace requires a response.

When the wicked servant had his turn to explain why he had made no gain with what had been freely given to him, he said that he had hid it in a field and here was the master's original investment, just like he had received it. Perhaps he had expected that would please the Master, as if not losing what was given was the goal, but it was not. Gain was expected. Grace requires a response. Is this not the natural flow where life is.... growth?

The master was angry, not pleased as the lazy sercant expected, and He took from the man what had been entrusted and given to another.

Then the scripture that should wake us up to our danger, should shake us to our core. I pray it does. For this is what the master then said:

"Then bring ALL THOSE who would not have me to reign over them, and slay them before me."

Do we HEAR this? Do we understand that the gentle, meek, full-of-grace lamb of God uttered these words? He asks for a believing ON Him, not just in Him. He asks us to willingly let Him become our Lord as well as our master, and seek with all our hearts how to obey Him in all things, how to let Him have the pre-eminece in our lives. It is our reasonable service, not the lifestyle reserved for preachers and/or religious fanatics who have lost their balance. THIS is Christianity, nothing less. It is not legalism, it is love returned.

To any here who are still in charge of their own being, and would still like to think that when Jesus asks us "Why do you call me "Lord, Lord, and yet not do the things I command you", that these may just receive less attractive mansions in heaven, but their salvation is never in question, think again.

You see, grace requires a response. Please, I beg you, do not confuse this response I speak of with working for our salvation. Do not think this some evil form of legalism. Grace is free. But grace asks, in response, for our hearts, for ALL of our hearts in return, for our devotion, for the singleness of our eye firmly fixed on the one who died for us. It asks us to make Jesus both our savior AND our Lord.

To do this, we must hate our fleshly man, the one in rebellion to His Lordship in our lives. We must yield ourselves to the master potter, totally, unashamedly, snd throw our entire being on the one who paid the ultimate price to buy us back from death. When we do this, we are ready to put on the new man, with a new heart, a heart that Jesus owns, for Jesus is Lord.

God's gift requires a response, giving Him back our hearts to fill. It is the only logical thing to do. It is the only pathway to joy. Ultimtely, it is the only way to hear "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Blessings,

Gideon

ok, with all due respect, as we chat here, what I hear is an argument with the flesh, (just bringing out as point, no accusation)other people's flesh, my flesh, our flesh, whoever it is, but isn't the enemy in your posts, really the flesh? Aren't you describing the flesh, as far as the bad guy to fear, or not be like, or however u word it?
I am just trying to get to the bottom of this, to find out who this person u speak about is?
There seems to be this free floating guy out there somewhere, and to me, he seems like the flesh in one or more manifestations, as i read about him in alot of your posts.

I am trying to see who this guy is, it sounds like adam, smells like adam, does he have a name, could it be adam?

 

[Frogster]

in other words this person u seem to describe alot, he sounds like he does not love god, he is not willing, or he is this, or not that, or he is lukewarm, lazy, he urgently needs revival, he......

sorry, no offense, but please, don't give me too much to read, i got an amphibian brain, keep it short for me.

then we can get to the bottom of this ever elusive guy floating around out there.

this can be fun, but again, a thought for thought conversation will be more expedient, thanks.

 

[gideons300]

ok, with all due respect, as we chat here, what I hear is an argument with the flesh, (just bringing out as point, no accusation)other people's flesh, my flesh, our flesh, whoever it is, but isn't the enemy in your posts, really the flesh? Aren't you describing the flesh, as far as the bad guy to fear, or not be like, or however u word it?
I am just trying to get to the bottom of this, to find out who this person u speak about is?
There seems to be this free floating guy out there somewhere, and to me, he seems like the flesh in one or more manifestations, as i read about him in alot of your posts.

I am trying to see who this guy is, it sounds like adam, smells like adam, does he have a name, could it be adam?

You are getting closer grasshopper..... er...I mean Froggy.

This "guy" I speak of IS the flesh....bingo! Now the confusion you feel is explainable, and easily.

As a church, as individual members, we are told the we are no longer in the flesh, but in the spirit if the spirit of God dwells in us, amen? So why do I go on and on, ad naseum to some, LOL, continually warning people to examine themselves to see if they are lukewarm, to see if the fruits of the spirit are coming forth?

It is simple. Jesus said "A good tree WILL bear good fruits", amen? Now, if we do not see the likeness of Jesus being imprinted on us, if we see sin still our master, if we see fleshly fruits still abounding in us, if we see our actual experiences contradicting what the promises of God tell us are ours, what is the problem?

Is it not that we simply do not believe the truth, that we are no longer in the flesh, that we owe it nothing as Paul told us? Yes, we are His children, but because of unbelief on our parts, we have empowered satan to still have sway over us. Our lamps remain unlit, for we are not using truth as our shield and thus, the truth, as wonderful as it is, is not profiting us. Why?

"...but it did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."

Want proof?

Do we as a whole believe that we are no longer in the flesh and we owe it nothing?

Do we believe sin no longer has dominion over us?

Do we believe we (our old nature) is dead and our life is hid with Christ in God?

Do we believe that no arrow of the devil will penetrate our shield of faith?

Do we believe God provides a way of escape every time we are tempted to sin....AND a new nature that takes that way of escape?

Do we believe we are NOW light in the Lord?

Do we believe it is no longer we that live, but Christ now lives in us?

Have we put off the old man by faith and put on the new man? Most have no clue they are asked by God to do this, for it is in this way we become overcomers.

Do you see?? Oh, I pray you do. Just like Israel, in refusing to go into the land of promise, we too have been led out of Egypt only to turn back from all God wanted for His children. Was God with His children in the wilderness for 40 years? Indeed. Was He pleased with them? No. We, as His children are called, every single one of us, to fight the good fight of faith. Is it easy to believe the things written above? Not at all. Satan will fight us every step of the way. But God has promised that every step we take as we gird our loins with this truth, will be OURS. He guarantees us victory.

We have been taught that we grow from old man to new man gradually. That is not what the Bible teaches. It tells us we are to grow IN the new man, not into Him. If we do not reckon ourselves dead to the flesh, and stand fast IN the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free, and fight satan IN the victory we already possess, we will wander aimlessly, year after year, and never see real transformation into the likeness of God. So how DO we partake of the divine nature? Peter tells us:

" wherefore are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these, we might be partakers of the divine nature."

This is where the spirit is unleashed, when we believe. Our diligence will not do it. Fleshly effort cannot cast out flesh.
I believe the church is about to re-discover their shields of faith again, and light their lamps, and the empowerment that will come upon us all will transform the sleeping bride into a bride ready to meet her beloved, without spot or wrinkle. This is when the spirit is unleashed, unshackled, and cause us to become all God has planned for us.

Paul told us that nothing profits but a new creature. In Revelation, we are told the saints finally overcame satan. How did they do it? They combined the blood of the lamb with the word of THEIR testimony. They finally grabbed hold of the promises of God.

May faith come alive in our hearts, for our God is not a man that He should lie. His promises are yea and amen, and when we finally believe that, we too will cross over our Jordan and take the promised land, and every step we take will be ours.

Shields up!

Blessings,

Gideon

 

[Frogster]

You are getting closer grasshopper..... er...I mean Froggy.

This "guy" I speak of IS the flesh....bingo! Now the confusion you feel is explainable, and easily.

As a church, as individual members, we are told the we are no longer in the flesh, but in the spirit if the spirit of God dwells in us, amen? So why do I go on and on, ad naseum to some, LOL, continually warning people to examine themselves to see if they are lukewarm, to see if the fruits of the spirit are coming forth?

It is simple. Jesus said "A good tree WILL bear good fruits", amen? Now, if we do not see the likeness of Jesus being imprinted on us, if we see sin still our master, if we see fleshly fruits still abounding in us, if we see our actual experiences contradicting what the promises of God tell us are ours, what is the problem?

Is it not that we simply do not believe the truth, that we are no longer in the flesh, that we owe it nothing as Paul told us? Yes, we are His children, but because of unbelief on our parts, we have empowered satan to still have sway over us. Our lamps remain unlit, for we are not using truth as our shield and thus, the truth, as wonderful as it is, is not profiting us. Why?

"...but it did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it."

Want proof?

Do we as a whole believe that we are no longer in the flesh and we owe it nothing?

Do we believe sin no longer has dominion over us?

Do we believe we (our old nature) is dead and our life is hid with Christ in God?

Do we believe that no arrow of the devil will penetrate our shield of faith?

Do we believe God provides a way of escape every time we are tempted to sin....AND a new nature that takes that way of escape?

Do we believe we are NOW light in the Lord?

Do we believe it is no longer we that live, but Christ now lives in us?

Have we put off the old man by faith and put on the new man? Most have no clue they are asked by God to do this, for it is in this way we become overcomers.

Do you see?? Oh, I pray you do. Just like Israel, in refusing to go into the land of promise, we too have been led out of Egypt only to turn back from all God wanted for His children. Was God with His children in the wilderness for 40 years? Indeed. Was He pleased with them? No. We, as His children are called, every single one of us, to fight the good fight of faith. Is it easy to believe the things written above? Not at all. Satan will fight us every step of the way. But God has promised that every step we take as we gird our loins with this truth, will be OURS. He guarantees us victory.

We have been taught that we grow from old man to new man gradually. That is not what the Bible teaches. It tells us we are to grow IN the new man, not into Him. If we do not reckon ourselves dead to the flesh, and stand fast IN the liberty wherewith Christ has set us free, and fight satan IN the victory we already possess, we will wander aimlessly, year after year, and never see real transformation into the likeness of God. So how DO we partake of the divine nature? Peter tells us:

" wherefore are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these, we might be partakers of the divine nature."

This is where the spirit is unleashed, when we believe. Our diligence will not do it. Fleshly effort cannot cast out flesh.
I believe the church is about to re-discover their shields of faith again, and light their lamps, and the empowerment that will come upon us all will transform the sleeping bride into a bride ready to meet her beloved, without spot or wrinkle. This is when the spirit is unleashed, unshackled, and cause us to become all God has planned for us.

Paul told us that nothing profits but a new creature. In Revelation, we are told the saints finally overcame satan. How did they do it? They combined the blood of the lamb with the word of THEIR testimony. They finally grabbed hold of the promises of God.

May faith come alive in our hearts, for our God is not a man that He should lie. His promises are yea and amen, and when we finally believe that, we too will cross over our Jordan and take the promised land, and every step we take will be ours.

Shields up!

Blessings,

Gideon

yes kipison, bingo, it is the flesh, that's why I pointed it out, and the only victory over flesh scripturally is the Spirit and his power each day, and your op does not mention that is just the power of the Holy Spirit, that is grace, and we can't do his job, in fact, when we start trying to, it is pride, flesh, works, and the very thing you seem to be fighting against in your posts.

So you seem to see a symptom here, of flesh, this bad guy out there, but then you don't word the answer, as the power of the Spirit, so it sounds like you are fighting the flesh, with self centeredness and self strength under the guise of grace, because you don't point to absolute full reliance on Him, so that means it is we or us, or a mixture, and the same old "we", have to do this, we have to do that, me oh my.

Walk in the Spirit, and we are in the fulness, we are complete in Him, Col 2:10.


In other words, when the Spirit is lord, there is freedom, 2 Cor 3:17, whe He reigns, there is power. So you must please point people to the Spirit, or they will be robbed of the most awesome things of all, Christ in us, His resurrection power.

Thanks, be blessed, froggy, rib-it.

 

[probinson]

You see, grace requires a response. Please, I beg you, do not confuse this response I speak of with working for our salvation. Do not think this some evil form of legalism. Grace is free. But grace asks, in response, for our hearts, for ALL of our hearts in return, for our devotion, for the singleness of our eye firmly fixed on the one who died for us. It asks us to make Jesus both our savior AND our Lord.

THANK YOU for bringing Biblical balance to the message of grace. Grace is indeed unmerited favor, and it's absolutely given to us freely when we least deserve it. But it enables us to surrender ourselves to Him. It does not give us license to live as we choose. To the contrary, we have been purchased by the blood of Jesus and we are no longer our own. But thankfully, His yoke and His burden is quite light, and leads to true freedom in Him.

 

[gideons300]

in other words this person u seem to describe alot, he sounds like he does not love god, he is not willing, or he is this, or not that, or he is lukewarm, lazy, he urgently needs revival, he......

sorry, no offense, but please, don't give me too much to read, i got an amphibian brain, keep it short for me.

then we can get to the bottom of this ever elusive guy floating around out there.

this can be fun, but again, a thought for thought conversation will be more expedient, thanks.

Brother, I am going to say something that is not going to make me popular but I feel led to say it anyway.

You ask if I can keep it simple and short. Eternity is a long time. The church is in dire straits, whether or not any want to admit it. Multitudes are not walking in victory, and have been walking their path with the Lord of years, some decades, yet how few are desperate for answers as to how to become an overcomer, rather than overcome.

We have adapted the gospel to make us feel "ok" if we are still worldly, still bound by secret sins, holding fast to the one who said He would set us free indeed, and never actually walk in such liberty. We accomplish this by saying we are, after all, "only human, and no one is perfect, right?"

The consequences of what we accomplish or do not accomplish with be eternal ones. Do we get that?? Obviously, most do not...yet.

This world calls, pulls, tugs, entwines itself around us and much of our time is spoken for by this world. So many come here for "entertainment", a way to pass the time until the demands of the next day and we get back to "the important stuff". I do not. I am led to be here and to share, and what I share cannot be stated in "short posts". Our unbelief in the promises of God lies thick over our souls. It cannot be countered with short posts.We are blind, entrenched in our way of doing things, our skewed view of what the gospel is to do for us, or more accurately, what we are convince it cannot do, promises or no.

Few are searching for answers as to how to walk "in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives." Few are broken, seeking first His righteousness. Few are crushed that their secret and not so decret sins still rule their days. That is blindness.

What I continue to share is important, more than most know. I am not trying to puff up myself, for this is GOD'S truth, backed up by scriptures we refuse to believe. I am nothing but a deck builder trying to walk pleasing to God in the way He prescribed, by believing that He CAN, He WILL keep me from falling. May God forgive me for the times I have doubted myself, I am so thankful He picks me up and encourages me to believe again and my own faith grows even deeper.

What I share, I am conviced beyond a shadow of a doubt, both scripturally and as to what it has accomplished in my heart, is what God is trying to get a very sleepy, very contented, very religious church to see, that there IS a pathway that will bring us victory, IF we continue in His word and faint not.. And what is this pathway? It is the new nature, a nature that wants to and CAN obey all the time, day in and day out.....but it must be put on. This is the good fight of faith waiting for all who are His. We re called to war, not rest on our "assets" with our tickets punched for Heaven carin,g not that billions are walking in darkness and we have the only light that can save them. Our answer? Bushel basket bake sales.

Paul said the the new creature is the ONLY way to profit in our walks with the Lord. Oh, that we might believe him. I do apologize for the length of my posts, I mean that. I pray some of what I share here non-stop sinks in for some, for the results in their walks will amaze them. But it will not come until brokenss surpasses our "contentment without holiness", for it is NOT great gain..

Froggy, at some point, my prayer is that you will join me in walking in, and sharing the truth of "the glorious liberty of the children of God". You have a good spirit, and I know you love the Lord. But hunger, brokenness, even desperation is the main requirement for our faith to be activated so that we might see this as THE truth God is trying tro get His children to see, and some are, well..... just not hungry yet.

Blessings, and much love

Gideon

 

[Frogster]

Brother, I am going to say something that is not going to make me popular but I feel led to say it anyway.

You ask if I can keep it simple and short. Eternity is a long time. The church is in dire straits, whether or not any want to admit it. Multitudes are not walking in victory, and have been walking their path with the Lord of years, some decades, yet how few are desperate for answers as to how to become an overcomer, rather than overcome.

We have adapted the gospel to make us feel "ok" if we are still worldly, still bound by secret sins, holding fast to the one who said He would set us free indeed, and never actually walk in such liberty. We accomplish this by saying we ar, after all, "only human, and no one is perfect, right?"

The consequences of what we accomplish or do not accomplish with be eternal ones. Do we get that?? Obviously, most do not...yet.

This world calls, pulls, tugs, entwines itself around us and much of our time is spoken for by this world. So many come here for "entertainment", a way to pass the time until the demands of the next day and we get back to "the important stuff". I do not. I am led to be here and to share, and what I share cannot be stated in "short posts". Our unbelief in the promises of God lies thick over our souls. It cannot be countered with short posts.We are blind, entrenched in our way of doing things, our skewed view of what the gospel is to do for us, or more accurately, what we are convince it cannot do, promises or no.

Few are searching for answers as to how to walk "in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives." Few are broken, seeking first His righteousness. Few are crushed that their secret and not so decret sins still rule their days. That is blindness.

What I continue to share is important, more than most know. I am not trying to puff up myself, for this is GOD'S truth, backed up by scriptures we refuse to believe. I am nothing but a deck builder trying to walk pleasing to God in the way He prescribed, by believing that He CA, He WILL keep me from falling. May God forgive me for the times I doubt, I am so thankful He picks me up and encourages me to believe again.

What i share, I am conviced beyond a shadow of a doubt, both scripturally and as to what it has accomplished in my heart, is what God is trying to get a very sleepy, very content church to see, that there IS a pathway that will bring us victory, IF we continue in His word and faint not.. And what is this pathway? It is the new nature, nature that wants to and CAN obey all the time, day in and day out.....but it must be put on. This is the good fight of faith waiting for all who are His.

Paul said the the new creature is the ONLY way to profit in our walks with the Lord. Oh, that we might believe him.

Sorry about my posts, and their length, I mean that. I pray some of what I share here non-stop sinks in for some, for the results in their walks will amaze us. But it will not come until brokenss surpasses contentment without holiness.

Froggy, at some point, my prayer is that you will join me in walking in, and sharing the truth of "the glorious liberty of the children of God". You have a good spirit, and I know you love the Lord. But hunger, brokenness, even desperation is the main requirement for our faith to be activated so that we might see this as THE truth God is trying tro get His children to see, and some are, well..... just not hungry yet.

Blessings, and much love

Gideon

well..we just see things differently i guess.

hebrews wanted them to have a cleansed conscience, 10:2, 9:14, 10:22 not a sin centered one, condemantion just enflames that.

in other words, better to intice the little fishies with good bait, not bad bait, because so many are burdened by law, so the rebuke just keeps compounding it even more, it makes people want to give up, but grace builds up.

i know u mean well, but it's good for the heart to be strengthend by grace, heb 13:9.

 

[Frogster]

i do better when confident.

weeees in there bro!

it depends on what vantage point you see it from, done or none.





heb 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

weees in or we yaaaint.

I'm in, i trust the cross.

 

[gideons300]

well..we just see things differently i guess.

hebrews wanted them to have a cleansed conscience, 10:2, 9:14, 10:22 not a sin centered one, condemantion just enflames that.

in other words, better to intice the little fishies with good bait, not bad bait, because so many are burdened by law, so the rebuke just keeps compounding it even more, it makes people want to give up, but grace builds up.

i know u mean well, but it's good for the heart to be strengthend by grace, heb 13:9.

Brother, Hebrews is a GREAT book, one of my personal favorites. And yes, we are to be grace minded, not sin minded. I understand what you are saying. The question we must ask ourseves though, is "Is the way I think I am to walk, is it leading me to holiness and away from sin, or is it leading me into staying as I am, with no evident changes in who i am inside? Just not thinking about sin does NOTHING to insure we remain freed from its influences. This mindset provides no life that offers us safty from sins power. Hebrews has a little more to say on this subject. Consider the writers exhortation in Chapter 3:


Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.


Frogster, can our God make it any plainer for us? If we allow sin to remain, and do not drive it out of our presence by putting on the new man, standing fast in the truth, with our shields of faith up that Christ has made us new creatures and sin and the world and the devil WILL NOT have sway over us, we place ourselves in danger.

One may ask, "But we are covered by the blood. Sin is not a problem for a Christian for we can repent and ask for forgiveness, seventy times seven. Is this not correct?"

Of course it is. We serve a nerciful and forgiving God. So then where is the danger? It is, if we allow sin to remain, and choose to not to walk in holiness, but just forgiveness so we can lead "happy lives", those sins that continue to haunt us and hunt us gradually cool off our hearts and then harden them to truth. We forget that God sanctified us! We stop believing we are light in the Lord. The result? We are left lukewarm, going through the motions a saved person does, but not realizing we are living for ourselves, and not for the Lord who bought us, who owns us. This is exacly what has happened to the bride and why she is in the dire straits we see her in today.

If we were walking in holiness, freed from the grip of the world. I would heartily agree with you, let us be grace conscious. To be sin conscious still would be foolishness at best, if we have been delivered from its grip. It would rob us of our peace and joy. But if we are not possessing that liberty, how can we remain grace conscious, for we have forgotten we were sanctified, and in truth are not walking in what grace has bought for us, freedom from the old man.

Brother, do you not see? Satan has already cooled us off to the truth and few believe they are freed from the influences of the world, the flesh and the devil now. He has us for the most part back in our fleshly natures and we are convinced that by not thinking about sin, we are safe, because grace will somehow overlook our continued self-love and sins, sins we never seem to repent of to the point we actually find deliverance.

We are back to needing repentance and brokenness. You may ask "For what?" For the unbelief in the promises of God that has put us firmly back in the flesh, where we CANNOT please God. In our current condition, we MUST be sin conscious, if there is any hope to get freed from it. We must let the Spirit search out our calloused hearts, convict us for our lukewarm dealings with God and our love affair with a world that will shortly be burnt up with fervent heat, and fall on our faces and ackowledge that we may indeed draw near Him with our mouths but our hearts? They are OURS, not His. We have rebuilt what He destroyed. We are back entrenched in the flesh.

Listen again as the same writer continues:

"If we continue in sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, WHEREWITH HE WAS SANCTIFIED, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

Grace has given us a pathway to follow that assures us we will not be tripped up. It is by us putting off the old man, and running into Jesus, putting on His nature as our own. We have been, past tense, sanctified. We ARE light in the Lorn, now, not after a lifetime of trying to be good.

It is these truths that make up our shield of faith, that gives us weapons to fight the continual barrage of accusations and temptations satan throws at us. But if we abandon this position, if we "relax" in our walk thinking that all will work out no matter how we live, we put ourselves in harms way, big time. Not talking about sin does nothing to keep us free from it, just as thinking that if we stay "grace conscious" we will become free. Has this approach worked so far to keep us red hot for God, holy and unspotted from the world? No, sadly the end result is that we simply remain "me" conscious. How do I know? I walked it for 38 years.
Hebrews finished off in chapter 13 with another strong warning, an exhortation to remind us of the truths of the gospel, and our responsibilities in our part of the covenant. We are to "look diligently", to press with all we have for none will waltz into Heaven.

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: LOOKING DILIGENTLY LEST ANY MAN FAIL OF THE GRACE OF GOD"

Can God's grace ever fail us? Not a chance. Ahhh, but can we fail it? Oh, that we might believe this verse is true and run to put on the robes of righteousness He has provided, the new nature that has a deep desire to look diligently, to run our race as if there is only one prize, to allow Him full Lordship in our lives.

Our flesh and its willpower, its own sureness that it will never deny the Lord, it will fail, but the new man will not. Why do we resist God's gift, a changed heart? How can we remain satisfied with a forgiven heart and not want the fullness of the promise, a heart that lives, eats, breathes Jesus? It is the only safe place on planet earth for what is coming in the next few years. It may have been optional equipment in the days past, but there is a darkness ahead that will demand "us being kept for falling". The new nature, shields up as to who we are in Him, is the method by which we are kept.

You say that we "see things differently". I suppose we do and there is no danger in that. BUT, if we see things differently from God, if we read His admonitions and exhortations and refuse to relent, and dig in our heels, refusing to ackowlefge the truth of these words that cannot be mis-understood, we have drifted into territory that is frought with dangers.

May God open our eyes, so that we can put on the Lord Jesus Christ, who IS our new man, who IS our whole armor of God. We are light,,,,NOW. But if faith is not combined with truth, it lies dead in the street and profits us nothing, and scarily, what was given to set us free, will one day be there in the end, when the books are opened, and become a witness against us. We are told that:

"The name of the Lord is a strong and mighty tower, The righteous runs into Him and is safe."

Now is our day of grace, our day to be led to safety. Now is the time to get our lives on HIS highway of holiness. None of us have tomorrow guaranteed to us. May we all run into Him, by putting old our old man, our wretched un--retrainable flesh, and believe the gospel that He has made us every whit whole, and set us free indeed. May our safety be found in hiding ourselves in the robes of righteousness He has died to give us.

Blessings to all who read these words and believe that our failures, our weakness makes us perfect candidates to put on the ne man, for it will happen just as the scriptures promise, rom the least to the greatest. Amen

Gideon

 

[gideons300]

i do better when confident.

weeees in there bro!

it depends on what vantage point you see it from, done or none.





heb 10:22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

weees in or we yaaaint.

I'm in, i trust the cross.

And does that trust also assure you that sin will not have dominion over you, that you are free indeed, that your shield of faith WILL quench every one of satan;s arrows, that in every temptation, God will give you a way of escape and you WILL take it? Does it assure you that your flesh is dead, and your new man is able to walk in holiness and righteousness ALL the days of your lives?

If so, all I can do is rejoice with you. If not, wees not in...yet.

Thank God we can trust the cross, and yes, we are forgiven! But if properly applied, Hebrews tell us that we will have no more consciousness of sins. May I ask you humbly? Is this your position? Not "legally". Not "positionally" But in real life. Do you think you are still battling a sinful nature, still trying to become light, or did you die once to sin, just as we are told in Romans 6?

I so wish we trusted the ressurection in the same way as we do the cross, for if we obtain forgiveness, it qualifies us to be able to receive new natures, ressurected ones. Yet how few believe this possible... yet.

Change is coming to the body of Christ. There is coming a shaking, a seperating and an awakening. True saints WILL light their lamps and be ashamed for how we have presented the gospel to a lost and dying world with the way they have lived out the truth before their eyes. Only then will we truly be able to see how proud, arrogant and fleshly we have lived, stiffnecked and so sure of ourselves that we are the people of God, that we have His truth, that "wees in"!

God loves us far too much to let us remain sound asleep when He comes, walking in a relaxed lukewarmness, thinking "wees in" when what we truly are in is our fleshly nature. We continue to flirt with sin, dabbling in the world, and with our hearts hardened to the promises of God that give us a pathway to safety. Our pride blinds us to the truth that they that are in the flesh CANNOT please God, that without holiness, no man shall see the Lord, that we are all called to walk as living sacrifies, and that such a life is not for the monks, ascetics, preachers and religiously "unbalanced", it is our calling as children of the most high God.

May God forgive us, and fill us with Himself.


Your friend Gid

 

[Frogster]

Brother, Hebrews is a GREAT book, one of my personal favorites. And yes, we are to be grace minded, not sin minded. I understand what you are saying. The question we must ask ourseves though, is "Is the way I think I am to walk, is it leading me to holiness and away from sin, or is it leading me into staying as I am, with no evident changes in who i am inside? Just not thinking about sin does NOTHING to insure we remain freed from its influences. This mindset provides no life that offers us safty from sins power. Hebrews has a little more to say on this subject. Consider the writers exhortation in Chapter 3:


Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, IF we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end.


Frogster, can our God make it any plainer for us? If we allow sin to remain, and do not drive it out of our presence by putting on the new man, standing fast in the truth, with our shields of faith up that Christ has made us new creatures and sin and the world and the devil WILL NOT have sway over us, we place ourselves in danger.

One may ask, "But we are covered by the blood. Sin is not a problem for a Christian for we can repent and ask for forgiveness, seventy times seven. Is this not correct?"

Of course it is. We serve a nerciful and forgiving God. So then where is the danger? It is, if we allow sin to remain, and choose to not to walk in holiness, but just forgiveness so we can lead "happy lives", those sins that continue to haunt us and hunt us gradually cool off our hearts and then harden them to truth. We forget that God sanctified us! We stop believing we are light in the Lord. The result? We are left lukewarm, going through the motions a saved person does, but not realizing we are living for ourselves, and not for the Lord who bought us, who owns us. This is exacly what has happened to the bride and why she is in the dire straits we see her in today.

If we were walking in holiness, freed from the grip of the world. I would heartily agree with you, let us be grace conscious. To be sin conscious still would be foolishness at best, if we have been delivered from its grip. It would rob us of our peace and joy. But if we are not possessing that liberty, how can we remain grace conscious, for we have forgotten we were sanctified, and in truth are not walking in what grace has bought for us, freedom from the old man.

Brother, do you not see? Satan has already cooled us off to the truth and few believe they are freed from the influences of the world, the flesh and the devil now. He has us for the most part back in our fleshly natures and we are convinced that by not thinking about sin, we are safe, because grace will somehow overlook our continued self-love and sins, sins we never seem to repent of to the point we actually find deliverance.

We are back to needing repentance and brokenness. You may ask "For what?" For the unbelief in the promises of God that has put us firmly back in the flesh, where we CANNOT please God. In our current condition, we MUST be sin conscious, if there is any hope to get freed from it. We must let the Spirit search out our calloused hearts, convict us for our lukewarm dealings with God and our love affair with a world that will shortly be burnt up with fervent heat, and fall on our faces and ackowledge that we may indeed draw near Him with our mouths but our hearts? They are OURS, not His. We have rebuilt what He destroyed. We are back entrenched in the flesh.

Listen again as the same writer continues:

"If we continue in sin after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, WHEREWITH HE WAS SANCTIFIED, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

Grace has given us a pathway to follow that assures us we will not be tripped up. It is by us putting off the old man, and running into Jesus, putting on His nature as our own. We have been, past tense, sanctified. We ARE light in the Lorn, now, not after a lifetime of trying to be good.

It is these truths that make up our shield of faith, that gives us weapons to fight the continual barrage of accusations and temptations satan throws at us. But if we abandon this position, if we "relax" in our walk thinking that all will work out no matter how we live, we put ourselves in harms way, big time. Not talking about sin does nothing to keep us free from it, just as thinking that if we stay "grace conscious" we will become free. Has this approach worked so far to keep us red hot for God, holy and unspotted from the world? No, sadly the end result is that we simply remain "me" conscious. How do I know? I walked it for 38 years.
Hebrews finished off in chapter 13 with another strong warning, an exhortation to remind us of the truths of the gospel, and our responsibilities in our part of the covenant. We are to "look diligently", to press with all we have for none will waltz into Heaven.

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: LOOKING DILIGENTLY LEST ANY MAN FAIL OF THE GRACE OF GOD"

Can God's grace ever fail us? Not a chance. Ahhh, but can we fail it? Oh, that we might believe this verse is true and run to put on the robes of righteousness He has provided, the new nature that has a deep desire to look diligently, to run our race as if there is only one prize, to allow Him full Lordship in our lives.

Our flesh and its willpower, its own sureness that it will never deny the Lord, it will fail, but the new man will not. Why do we resist God's gift, a changed heart? How can we remain satisfied with a forgiven heart and not want the fullness of the promise, a heart that lives, eats, breathes Jesus? It is the only safe place on planet earth for what is coming in the next few years. It may have been optional equipment in the days past, but there is a darkness ahead that will demand "us being kept for falling". The new nature, shields up as to who we are in Him, is the method by which we are kept.

You say that we "see things differently". I suppose we do and there is no danger in that. BUT, if we see things differently from God, if we read His admonitions and exhortations and refuse to relent, and dig in our heels, refusing to ackowlefge the truth of these words that cannot be mis-understood, we have drifted into territory that is frought with dangers.

May God open our eyes, so that we can put on the Lord Jesus Christ, who IS our new man, who IS our whole armor of God. We are light,,,,NOW. But if faith is not combined with truth, it lies dead in the street and profits us nothing, and scarily, what was given to set us free, will one day be there in the end, when the books are opened, and become a witness against us. We are told that:

"The name of the Lord is a strong and mighty tower, The righteous runs into Him and is safe."

Now is our day of grace, our day to be led to safety. Now is the time to get our lives on HIS highway of holiness. None of us have tomorrow guaranteed to us. May we all run into Him, by putting old our old man, our wretched un--retrainable flesh, and believe the gospel that He has made us every whit whole, and set us free indeed. May our safety be found in hiding ourselves in the robes of righteousness He has died to give us.

Blessings to all who read these words and believe that our failures, our weakness makes us perfect candidates to put on the ne man, for it will happen just as the scriptures promise, rom the least to the greatest. Amen

Gideon

well broster gidster.. those people were deliberately choosing to leave the atonement, and that is easily proved, i am not doing that, yes, they were stupid, but that is an extreme case, and even with them, the writer was still confident of grace, look at this verse here>>


6;9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that [h]accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

i recognized people leave or whatever, but u never seem to recognize the power of grace, and a guilt free life, is a better foundation than fear and law guilt. Do u believe in any security that is not based on u, but the power of the spirit?

 

[Frogster]

And does that trust also assure you that sin will not have dominion over you, that you are free indeed, that your shield of faith WILL quench every one of satan;s arrows, that in every temptation, God will give you a way of escape and you WILL take it? Does it assure you that your flesh is dead, and your new man is able to walk in holiness and righteousness ALL the days of your lives?

If so, all I can do is rejoice with you. If not, wees not in...yet.

Thank God we can trust the cross, and yes, we are forgiven! But if properly applied, Hebrews tell us that we will have no more consciousness of sins. May I ask you humbly? Is this your position? Not "legally". Not "positionally" But in real life. Do you think you are still battling a sinful nature, still trying to become light, or did you die once to sin, just as we are told in Romans 6?

I so wish we trusted the ressurection in the same way as we do the cross, for if we obtain forgiveness, it qualifies us to be able to receive new natures, ressurected ones. Yet how few believe this possible... yet.

Change is coming to the body of Christ. There is coming a shaking, a seperating and an awakening. True saints WILL light their lamps and be ashamed for how we have presented the gospel to a lost and dying world with the way they have lived out the truth before their eyes. Only then will we truly be able to see how proud, arrogant and fleshly we have lived, stiffnecked and so sure of ourselves that we are the people of God, that we have His truth, that "wees in"!

God loves us far too much to let us remain sound asleep when He comes, walking in a relaxed lukewarmness, thinking "wees in" when what we truly are in is our fleshly nature. We continue to flirt with sin, dabbling in the world, and with our hearts hardened to the promises of God that give us a pathway to safety. Our pride blinds us to the truth that they that are in the flesh CANNOT please God, that without holiness, no man shall see the Lord, that we are all called to walk as living sacrifies, and that such a life is not for the monks, ascetics, preachers and religiously "unbalanced", it is our calling as children of the most high God.

May God forgive us, and fill us with Himself.


Your friend Gid

sorry, but you are looking through time and space, and you are looking at the old creation too much, it is like looking backwards in salvation history.

does it say to have boldness to enter in?


10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

he went through, we went through..

6:20 where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Gidster..go up into a chopper, and you will have a different vantage point.

 

[Forge3]

The response to love is love. We are comissioned to continue His ministry on earth. And as we love and trust in God we minister. We find Christ in the poor of materials and of the spirit. And grace working within the man ushers those that seek Him in spirit and truth to humility, removing the beam of self-importance from the eye known as the ego. So we me see and hear more clearly. And that we may love more freely. And grace in its measure cascades into works of faith and charity.

And surrender, another response of one working with the grace that works in them, so that the inner man may be forged in the fire and in the wind, tempered and honed to a point that is as the point of a compass hand toward God, His glory and power. And the Lord will send others to us. And we shall be taught in silence and in sound, in the night and in the day. For the light is not hidden and each of us will reflect this light of God each according to their own calling and gifts; As snowflakes are each unique yet make that blanket of snow known as the unity of believers in faith and service.

 

[gideons300]

well broster gidster.. those people were deliberately choosing to leave the atonement, and that is easily proved, i am not doing that, yes, they were stupid, but that is an extreme case, and even with them, the writer was still confident of grace, look at this verse here>>


6;9 But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that [h]accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way.

i recognized people leave or whatever, but u never seem to recognize the power of grace, and a guilt free life, is a better foundation than fear and law guilt. Do u believe in any security that is not based on u, but the power of the spirit?

I pray after all the posts that I have made that I hope you have been reading (maybe that is the problem, LOL) that you have come to believe that I am motivating people to holy walks by guilt, urging THEM to do better! That is the very opposite of what I share.

Does what I post bring conviction? Yes, indeed, and what is the purpose of that conviction? Is it to make us try harder? No. It is to make us see that
a) we are failing to walk as He has promised
b) we cannot "do better" as long as we are in the flesh
c) God has provided a way for us to escape the grip of the old nature, put it to death and walk in newness of life, the ONLY way we can walk as God intended, with single eyes. Our failure is do to unbelief, which is not a weakness, it is a sin, for it limits the Holy one of Israel.

But with our thoughts on salvation, once we say the prayer, no one can convict us of anything. Regardless of how we walk, we are perpetually forgiven, for grace makes us never have to set our affections wholly on Him, for that is the spirit's job. Hey, we can rest, sit back and live our lives like everyone else, but with our names written in Heaven! Halleleuyah!

Praise god for such wonderful grace! We never have to take heed to admonishon, nor do we have to listen to warnings or exhortations! We deem any of that type of nonsense as "putting us back under the law". We are immune to correction, nor do we want any "instruction in righteousness" and that is exactly how the Loadecians thought, and they too thought messages such as this could never be meant for them, for such words are "negative". Brother, I mean no disrespect, but you refuse to even acknowledge there is a problem with how the church is walking, even with our hypocrisy, our shallowness, our fleshliness, our lack of love, love of the world and all that it affords, in full view for all to see..... well, with the exception of ourselves.

God has spoken of us, that we are blaspeming His Holy name wherever we go. I can only agree with Him, and I do it with tears, not judgement. We are content with forgiveness, and have little desire to be changed into His image, to walk as He walked. Too radical. Costs too much. Impossible, right?


Is sin still is what we live with, if we cannot confess that we are truly dead, and instead satisfied with "dying daily", which is an excuse for not being dead at all, and keeping our flesh alive to live another day, we are still in the flesh because of our unbelief. If we are in the flesh, we cannot please God. But for many, they do not care, as long as it does not affect their tickets being punched to heaven... because after all, we are only human, right? The problem is, scripturally, it DOES affect our tickets punched to Heaven, for we must endure to the end, resisting satan, believing the amazing promises of God.

This state we have settled in, one foot in the world, one toe in the kingdom is shameful thinking but how prevelent it is in the body of Christ. We too know not that we are poor and blind and naked. May God awaken us to what he has for us, and whgat satan has for us if we refuse to relent, repent and yield ourselves to believe the good news that WILL set us free.

Blessings,

Gideon

 

[FoundInGrace]

I pray after all the posts that I have made that I hope you have been reading (maybe that is the problem, LOL) that you have come to believe that I am motivating people to holy walks by guilt, urging THEM to do better! That is the very opposite of what I share.

Does what I post bring conviction? Yes, indeed, and what is the purpose of that conviction? Is it to make us try harder? No. It is to make us see that
a) we are failing to walk as He has promised
b) we cannot "do better" as long as we are in the flesh
c) God has provided a way for us to escape the grip of the old nature, put it to death and walk in newness of life, the ONLY way we can walk as God intended, with single eyes. Our failure is do to unbelief, which is not a weakness, it is a sin, for it limits the Holy one of Israel.[/FONT

But with our thoughts on salvation, once we say the prayer, no one can convict us of anything. Regardless of how we walk, we are perpetually forgiven, for grace makes us never have to set our affections wholly on Him, for that is the spirit's job. Hey, we can rest, sit back and live our lives like everyone else, but with our names written in Heaven! Halleleuyah!

Praise god for such wonderful grace! We never have to take heed to admonishon, nor do we have to listen to warnings or exhortations! We deem any of that type of nonsense as "putting us back under the law". We are immune to correction, nor do we want any "instruction in righteousness" and that is exactly how the Loadecians thought, and they too thought messages such as this could never be meant for them, for such words are "negative". Brother, I mean no disrespect, but you refuse to even acknowledge there is a problem with how the church is walking, even with our hypocrisy, our shallowness, our fleshliness, our lack of love, love of the world and all that it affords, in full view for all to see..... well, with the exception of ourselves.

God has spoken of us, that we are blaspeming His Holy name wherever we go. I can only agree with Him, and I do it with tears, not judgement. We are content with forgiveness, and have little desire to be changed into His image, to walk as He walked. Too radical. Costs too much. Impossible, right?


Is sin still is what we live with, if we cannot confess that we are truly dead, and instead satisfied with "dying daily", which is an excuse for not being dead at all, and keeping our flesh alive to live another day, we are still in the flesh because of our unbelief. If we are in the flesh, we cannot please God. But for many, they do not care, as long as it does not affect their tickets being punched to heaven... because after all, we are only human, right? The problem is, scripturally, it DOES affect our tickets punched to Heaven, for we must endure to the end, resisting satan, believing the amazing promises of God.

This state we have settled in, one foot in the world, one toe in the kingdom is shameful thinking but how prevelent it is in the body of Christ. We too know not that we are poor and blind and naked. May God awaken us to what he has for us, and whgat satan has for us if we refuse to relent, repent and yield ourselves to believe the good news that WILL set us free.

Blessings,

Gideon

this is what i find strange about what you post.. anyone who has truely been touched by God will not settle simply for forgiveness