G
gideons300
Guest
It is sad indeed that we as "believers" are so afraid of appearing proud to say that we are freed from the grip of sin, even if it contradicts what Jesus has plainly said. It is sad to think ourselves as humble in saying that we are still only miserable sinners, saved by grace. In truth, the opposite is true!
Who do we truly want to approve of us, our friends, our family, our church mates, the world? Or do we want to please God, no matter what anyone eles thinks or says? At the judgement seat of Christ, there will be God, there will be us, and the books will be opened. What an amazing miracle to be able to walk in in confidence, knowing that we walked as God wanted, as living sacrifices, with single eyes, having run our race as if there is only one prize and we have the blessed assurance that we will hear the sweetest words man can ever hear.....
"Well done, thou good and faithful (faith-filled) servant."
Is this even possible for us? Can any truly say that they are God's, walking as living sacrifices, 100%? Oh, yes, it is YOUR heritage. If we walk in the Spirit, God promises us that we WILL NOT fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
So why are we not walking there? What is the problem in our theology that is allowing this to not be seen in His children, even if they are earnest in their desire to be obedient and flee evil?
Unbelief is at the root of this lukewarm state, causing us to walk with one foot in the world and one in God's kingdom thinking it normal to bring forth both sweet and brackish water, both sin and good works.
Unbelief is why we think it near heresy for any to say they are kept by the power of God through faith and that the power of sin is broken in their hearts and now is working its way outward. If we are to be honest with one another, we are just like the children of Israel, wandering in the desert of Sinai, refusing to hope, even for a minute, that we can indeed escape the grasp of the old nature.
Bit listen! God has told us plainly that unlike the law, which leaned strongly on OUR strength, OUR resolves, OUR self efforts, the glorious truth of the new covenant is to be on HIS shoulders to keep us from falling, and that it is sure for He will actually CAUSE US to walk as obedient, holy children, despite our weaknesses.
May I ask all here a question? How can we ever walk as living sacrifices as long as the battle rages within us? How can we ever be expected to bring every thought into subjection to the obedience of Christ, if we cannot do it with our bodies? How shall we ever convince an unbelieving world of the amazing delivering power of our God from the grip of the old wretched man if we cannot stare them in the eyes and tell them: "The Gospel works! Jesus set me free indeed!"
Look, I know it is hard to grasp what I am sharing, for we have all thought for so long that it is on our shoulders to stop sinning and start acting like sons and daughters of God. Heck, I walked that road, and HARD, for 38 years. I understand the temptation to just "trust in God" and relax, still short of the promised land. But let us beware resting short of our deliverance, hollowing out a "contentment" that does not ally itself with godliness. Forgiveness is the way out of Egypt and praise God for it. But now God wants us to take the next step in grace, to believe that it will teach us how to live as obedient, holy, JOY-FILLED children.
In these final days, God is not going to let satan triumph over His children. The church of Jesus Christ wil not start with a bang and go out with a whimper. NEVER! He is going to restore that which the cankerworm has eaten. He is going to pour out the latter rain, and it shall dwarf even the former rain in the book of Acts. It is coming for us and if He has to chase us down from behind to love us into our full deliverance for sin and the old nature, He will do exactly that.
He is going to have a people who see that they can NEVER walk as He desires, until they abandon their trying as futile and fall into the loving arms of their God, as they plead with Him to "do it for them". THAT is the amazing new covenant. New hearts, new minds, Christ IN us, causing us to walk pleasing to Him. Can God ne THAT good? You bet He can.... and is!
Do we really "get it"? He is the potter. We have labored in vain who have tried, after the grace of forgiveness, to clean ourselves up, to be "good children", to walk in anything even approaching holiness. We have tried to build our own house, but God must be the builder of our house. It must be on His shoulders, and we must see again how strong He wants to be IN us. He will do amazing things in us, when we finally tell Him it is our only hope that He does exactly that!
We have an enemy, one besides satan. and he is a traitor, someone who will let satan in to reek havoc whenever he desires.
What good are walls of protection if we have an evil Rehab the harlot, betraying us, opening the gates for the enemy to pull us back into darkness?
What good is armor, even if it is crafted by God Himself, if there dwells inside the armor a traitor, refusing to hold up the shield of faith, refusing to wield the sword of "It is written..." against the enemy of our souls?
What good is it if God indeed makes sure that we will never be tempted above our ability to resist, and instead even provides us with a way of escape so that we do NOT take the bait, if when He does, we refuse to take that escape so that we do not sin?
Jesus said that if our hand offends us, CUT IT OFF. He said that if our eye offends us, CUT IT OUT. Do you know the eye that keeps offending us? Our "I". There is the culprit, our old man. Oh, we may be saved, but we are certainly not safe, not yet.
God has spoken:
"The name of the Lord is a strong and mighty tower, and the righteous runs in and is SAFE."
Until we clothe ourselves with His righteousness, we remain prey for the enemy. We remain vulnerable, and sin stiull has an opportunity to harden our hearts, and keep us from enduring to the end.
Look back at the heroes of faith, urging us on today to believe our God. These were men just as we are. Weak, easily swayed by this world, able to be tempted and fall. But there was one difference. They looked away from their sin, their sickness, their weakness, to the God of all comfort, the God of all grace, the God who has promised to cause us to will AND to do of HIS good pleasure. By their faith alone, they pleased their God and allowed His power to make them overcomers.
I beseech you, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let all of us abandon our efforts to be good enough for God. Admit your total powerlessness and then look up to our amazing God. He simply wants us to acknowledge that our walk will never lead to true holiness and that He can (and WILL!) do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Let us go back to Romans 6 and KNOW the things He told us that we must know.
KNOW that when Christ died, just as surely did your old nature.
KNOW that when Christ rose again, making an open shame of satan, He took us with Him and led captivity captive. He made us new creatures, light, not a mixture of darkness and light, and delivered us from the hand of the one who hates us.
Now, KNOWING these things are true, we have a foothold to stand on in our weak, wavering faith, Gods footholds of truth. God now asks us something we must do. It is not a "work". It requires no "effort". God asks that we come into agreement with Him. He asks that we simply exercise that little bitty seed faith He has given to every child of His. Do not fear that you do not have enough. Do not fear that you are not "ready enough". LOL, that is the point in our doing this! We will NEVER be ready if it is up to us!
Now, do what He said. Reckon yourself as dead to sin. Divest yourself of your old filthy garments, your flesh. Make sure you close the door behind you. You are new. You are free. Believe that in the same way that jesus died to sin, so did you! And how did Jesus die to sin? ONCE. That is our heritage...once. Not a lifetime of trying. We must have NOW faith. Believe that you receive it, and you shall have it! Amen?
It died, remember? If you are dead, the law has no more sway over you. The strength of sin is what? The law! Put ON the new garment He has provided for you, the new man. Clothe yourself with the wedding garment, the whole armor of God, the new nature. PUT ON the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that easy. Believe you are new, not the old struggler you once were. Let the promises of God begin to take hold, for we serve a God who cannot...CANNOT lie. If as you are being established in this new amazing faith, where we have no more sin consciousness, we do slip? IF (not when, IF) we slip, we confess it, we acknowledge that it happened for one reason, our faith is not yet complete, and we believe again. We hold up our shield of faith again. God WILL establish us in the faith. it is called the highway OF holiness, and we are told that a man, though he be a fool shall not err therein! We qualify!
May God open our eyes with the eyesalve of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God. This covenant is on HIS shoulders, and always was. He simply asks that we agree with Him, and please Him simply by being bold enough, audacious enough, desperate enough, wise enough, to make our tree good by reckoning it so, and stop trying to do God's job of producing fruits on it.
I love you all. You can do this, I know it.
Blessings to all.
Gideon
Who do we truly want to approve of us, our friends, our family, our church mates, the world? Or do we want to please God, no matter what anyone eles thinks or says? At the judgement seat of Christ, there will be God, there will be us, and the books will be opened. What an amazing miracle to be able to walk in in confidence, knowing that we walked as God wanted, as living sacrifices, with single eyes, having run our race as if there is only one prize and we have the blessed assurance that we will hear the sweetest words man can ever hear.....
"Well done, thou good and faithful (faith-filled) servant."
Is this even possible for us? Can any truly say that they are God's, walking as living sacrifices, 100%? Oh, yes, it is YOUR heritage. If we walk in the Spirit, God promises us that we WILL NOT fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
So why are we not walking there? What is the problem in our theology that is allowing this to not be seen in His children, even if they are earnest in their desire to be obedient and flee evil?
Unbelief is at the root of this lukewarm state, causing us to walk with one foot in the world and one in God's kingdom thinking it normal to bring forth both sweet and brackish water, both sin and good works.
Unbelief is why we think it near heresy for any to say they are kept by the power of God through faith and that the power of sin is broken in their hearts and now is working its way outward. If we are to be honest with one another, we are just like the children of Israel, wandering in the desert of Sinai, refusing to hope, even for a minute, that we can indeed escape the grasp of the old nature.
Bit listen! God has told us plainly that unlike the law, which leaned strongly on OUR strength, OUR resolves, OUR self efforts, the glorious truth of the new covenant is to be on HIS shoulders to keep us from falling, and that it is sure for He will actually CAUSE US to walk as obedient, holy children, despite our weaknesses.
May I ask all here a question? How can we ever walk as living sacrifices as long as the battle rages within us? How can we ever be expected to bring every thought into subjection to the obedience of Christ, if we cannot do it with our bodies? How shall we ever convince an unbelieving world of the amazing delivering power of our God from the grip of the old wretched man if we cannot stare them in the eyes and tell them: "The Gospel works! Jesus set me free indeed!"
Look, I know it is hard to grasp what I am sharing, for we have all thought for so long that it is on our shoulders to stop sinning and start acting like sons and daughters of God. Heck, I walked that road, and HARD, for 38 years. I understand the temptation to just "trust in God" and relax, still short of the promised land. But let us beware resting short of our deliverance, hollowing out a "contentment" that does not ally itself with godliness. Forgiveness is the way out of Egypt and praise God for it. But now God wants us to take the next step in grace, to believe that it will teach us how to live as obedient, holy, JOY-FILLED children.
In these final days, God is not going to let satan triumph over His children. The church of Jesus Christ wil not start with a bang and go out with a whimper. NEVER! He is going to restore that which the cankerworm has eaten. He is going to pour out the latter rain, and it shall dwarf even the former rain in the book of Acts. It is coming for us and if He has to chase us down from behind to love us into our full deliverance for sin and the old nature, He will do exactly that.
He is going to have a people who see that they can NEVER walk as He desires, until they abandon their trying as futile and fall into the loving arms of their God, as they plead with Him to "do it for them". THAT is the amazing new covenant. New hearts, new minds, Christ IN us, causing us to walk pleasing to Him. Can God ne THAT good? You bet He can.... and is!
Do we really "get it"? He is the potter. We have labored in vain who have tried, after the grace of forgiveness, to clean ourselves up, to be "good children", to walk in anything even approaching holiness. We have tried to build our own house, but God must be the builder of our house. It must be on His shoulders, and we must see again how strong He wants to be IN us. He will do amazing things in us, when we finally tell Him it is our only hope that He does exactly that!
We have an enemy, one besides satan. and he is a traitor, someone who will let satan in to reek havoc whenever he desires.
What good are walls of protection if we have an evil Rehab the harlot, betraying us, opening the gates for the enemy to pull us back into darkness?
What good is armor, even if it is crafted by God Himself, if there dwells inside the armor a traitor, refusing to hold up the shield of faith, refusing to wield the sword of "It is written..." against the enemy of our souls?
What good is it if God indeed makes sure that we will never be tempted above our ability to resist, and instead even provides us with a way of escape so that we do NOT take the bait, if when He does, we refuse to take that escape so that we do not sin?
Jesus said that if our hand offends us, CUT IT OFF. He said that if our eye offends us, CUT IT OUT. Do you know the eye that keeps offending us? Our "I". There is the culprit, our old man. Oh, we may be saved, but we are certainly not safe, not yet.
God has spoken:
"The name of the Lord is a strong and mighty tower, and the righteous runs in and is SAFE."
Until we clothe ourselves with His righteousness, we remain prey for the enemy. We remain vulnerable, and sin stiull has an opportunity to harden our hearts, and keep us from enduring to the end.
Look back at the heroes of faith, urging us on today to believe our God. These were men just as we are. Weak, easily swayed by this world, able to be tempted and fall. But there was one difference. They looked away from their sin, their sickness, their weakness, to the God of all comfort, the God of all grace, the God who has promised to cause us to will AND to do of HIS good pleasure. By their faith alone, they pleased their God and allowed His power to make them overcomers.
I beseech you, dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let all of us abandon our efforts to be good enough for God. Admit your total powerlessness and then look up to our amazing God. He simply wants us to acknowledge that our walk will never lead to true holiness and that He can (and WILL!) do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Let us go back to Romans 6 and KNOW the things He told us that we must know.
KNOW that when Christ died, just as surely did your old nature.
KNOW that when Christ rose again, making an open shame of satan, He took us with Him and led captivity captive. He made us new creatures, light, not a mixture of darkness and light, and delivered us from the hand of the one who hates us.
Now, KNOWING these things are true, we have a foothold to stand on in our weak, wavering faith, Gods footholds of truth. God now asks us something we must do. It is not a "work". It requires no "effort". God asks that we come into agreement with Him. He asks that we simply exercise that little bitty seed faith He has given to every child of His. Do not fear that you do not have enough. Do not fear that you are not "ready enough". LOL, that is the point in our doing this! We will NEVER be ready if it is up to us!
Now, do what He said. Reckon yourself as dead to sin. Divest yourself of your old filthy garments, your flesh. Make sure you close the door behind you. You are new. You are free. Believe that in the same way that jesus died to sin, so did you! And how did Jesus die to sin? ONCE. That is our heritage...once. Not a lifetime of trying. We must have NOW faith. Believe that you receive it, and you shall have it! Amen?
It died, remember? If you are dead, the law has no more sway over you. The strength of sin is what? The law! Put ON the new garment He has provided for you, the new man. Clothe yourself with the wedding garment, the whole armor of God, the new nature. PUT ON the Lord Jesus Christ. It is that easy. Believe you are new, not the old struggler you once were. Let the promises of God begin to take hold, for we serve a God who cannot...CANNOT lie. If as you are being established in this new amazing faith, where we have no more sin consciousness, we do slip? IF (not when, IF) we slip, we confess it, we acknowledge that it happened for one reason, our faith is not yet complete, and we believe again. We hold up our shield of faith again. God WILL establish us in the faith. it is called the highway OF holiness, and we are told that a man, though he be a fool shall not err therein! We qualify!
May God open our eyes with the eyesalve of repentance from dead works and of faith towards God. This covenant is on HIS shoulders, and always was. He simply asks that we agree with Him, and please Him simply by being bold enough, audacious enough, desperate enough, wise enough, to make our tree good by reckoning it so, and stop trying to do God's job of producing fruits on it.
I love you all. You can do this, I know it.
Blessings to all.
Gideon
