Lingering in sin.

Sin, a word we are all familiar with. But it is more than a word it is a heart condition. It is a silent killer that daily destroys lives, marriages, and families

It dwells in each of us, we are born with it by nature and there is only one cure. Jesus Christ and His atonement, redemption and reconciliation with God the Father through Faith and Grace.

But we are resistant and we are stubborn and hooked on our sins. Like Lot in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we want to stay where we are we linger when God says run, we negotiate with sinful desires when God says to stay away, we are blinded by our desire to please our selfish ways.

Read Genesis 19 today look at the entire picture here of how far sin will take a person, at some point people go beyond response and God turns them over to their gods, themselves.

Are you lingering around a certain sin today that God has told you to flee from? No matter how big or small it is , sin will hold you back from what God is doing, it will take you further than you ever thought you would go, and it will leave you for dead once it has used you as it's slave.

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord , and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my Lords. Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die.

Genesis 19:12-13, 15-19

What is your favorite sin?

What is your favorite sin? Is it big or little? Is it doubt, fear, gossip, lying, stealing, anger, lust, murder, pride, oh the list could go on forever.

Each of us are born into a sin nature, but in Christ we are not held there anymore. When we sin we choose to, and each of us are hounded by different sins, yet they all come from the same place, our wicked ways, we choose nothing and no one makes us except our own pride and selfishness.

But scripture is clear, about sin. Being one with Christ we pull Him into our sin, the bible says He who knew no sin became sin, that means every time we sin we are just as responsible for the death of Christ as those who stood and yelled crucify Him.

Knowing this when given the opportunity to make the right choice will you pull Christ with you into your sins for a moment of self seeking pleasure , or will you look to Him for help and ask Him to lead you from temptations and deliver you from evil?

He leaves this up to each of us, we must choose to trust and obey or keep looking the other way when we take Him back to our sins.

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!

1 Corinthians 6:15

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Galatians 3:27

and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.

1 Corinthians 3:23

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Where will your journey take you?

58 days ago God drew me into His word with a hunger to pursue Him deeper. November 25th I prayed and started reading the Bible in Genesis. I have read through His word many times but not with this kind of hunger God has put in me, today I finished reading the Bible again ,5 ballpoint pens later, pages of notes in His word and a deeper understanding and intimate walk with Him have been given to me.

He has woken me every morning by 5:30 am drawn me in and my time has become His.

God is so gracious and good, His plans are far greater than we can imagine. If we will surrender to Him , He will take care of every detail in our lives.

This is something I know first hand.

The word of God is so fulfilling, every word. If you have never read through His word or only part of it you are missing out on who God is.

God is speaking , I pray we all start listening.

And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”   “And behold,  I am coming soon.  Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”   “Behold,  I am coming soon,  bringing my recompense with me,  to repay each one for what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”  The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.  He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Revelation 22:6-7, 12-13, 17, 20-21

A work in progress

We are all a work in progress, God is not done with any of us yet for He has a greater purpose than wake, eat, work, rest, repeat.

He has called us to a higher calling to glorify Him and worship Him in all we say and do. To love Him with all our hearts, minds, body and souls, and to love those around us as ourselves.

Now this is not obtainable on our own, so He has put His Holy Spirit in us to accomplish this task.

Start seeking 1st the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and watch what God will do, step out of His way today and walk in obedience and faith and behold His glory.

Let brotherly love continue. Don’t neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.  Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily.  Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers.  Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.   Therefore, we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?  Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by foods, since those involved in them have not benefited.

Hebrews 13:1-9

The state of the world.

The state of our world is not good, morality is being redefined daily into whatever people feel like. World leaders believe themselves to be above their people, above the laws, above God.

War, death, hate, famine, disasters, terror rule the headlines daily. Men and women gather around the alters 24/7 daily to hear the priest of perversion spread the message of propaganda from the world, leaders say they know how to fix this , as they lie to our faces and empty the coffers of treasure.

Man is clueless, believing in himself as the answer.

There is no hope in this world outside of Jesus Christ, this world for each of us will be soon be gone, what matters today is who we live for.

Ourselves or Jesus, whose kingdom will you build today the one that will soon be burnt away or the one that will last forever?

Put off the past, do not focus on man seek God above, love those around you. See people and things in light of eternity not the here and now, for soon here and now will be yesterday and gone.

Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus.  Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained. Join in imitating me, brothers, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.
Philippians 3:13-21

How will they know?

There are so many who have no hope, who are discouraged and weak. The ways of the world are not the ways of God. Each day we wake with the choice to serve God out of love and obedience and face the world, or serve our own self interest.

When we serve with compassion we will speak with love, kindness and gentleness a lesson I need to relearn each day at times, I can be quick to lash out in my flesh. But the more time I spend with God ,I see I need to confront our world with His passion and love.

God reminds me that the world does not have His Spirit in them, they see things differently because they walk in the darkness, not the light. He says to let the Holy Spirit speak out of gentleness, kindness, peace, and love knowing that He is long-suffering not willing that any should perish. And that if they reject His message it is Him they reject and that truly breaks my heart.

I can do nothing to change that, I can speak , pray and be obedient, today as I read ,God gently reminded me this is how we are to live, I pray His words encourage you today to share the gospel message out of love with someone,for the same gospel that changed me, can change you or someone today, but unless they hear it how will they know?

1st Thessalonians 5:12 Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition  to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace  among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brothers:  warn those who are irresponsible,  comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient  with everyone. 15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil  to anyone,  but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
16 Rejoice  always!
17 Pray constantly.
18 Give thanks in everything,
for this is God’s will  for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Don’t stifle the Spirit.
20 Don’t despise prophecies,
21 but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
22 Stay away  from every kind of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace  Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit,  soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord  Jesus Christ.  24 He who calls  you  is faithful, who also will do it.

A higher calling!

As Christians we are called out of the world, we are soldiers in the army of the Lord, our weapons are used not to kill but to set free those held captive.

We must engage our culture on the issues that they do not want to engage God on, for they know right from wrong.

Poverty, same sex marriage, racism, sex slavery, immigration, persecution, abortion, orphans, pornography, these are issues the world embraces but we as Christians can not be in line with the world.

We are called to to be steadfast and immovable speaking the truth out of love, showing them the way.

Do not disengage in the heat of battle, engage armed with the word of God and in His Spirit.

Here is a great quote.

If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I AM NOT confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity,

Where the battle rages the loyalty of the soldier is proved ; and to be steady on ALL the battle-field besides is mere flight and disgrace to him if he flinches at that point.

Elizabeth Rundle Charles

“And I say to you, My friends, don’t fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies?   Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.   Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! “And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God,   but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.”

Luke 12:4-12