Monday, June 20, 2016

You Can't Approach God With Muddy Shoes On

My Utmost For His Highest
 
The Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. —Job 42:10
 
I cannot make myself right with God; I cannot make my life perfect. I can only be right with God if I accept the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ as an absolute gift. Am I humble enough to accept it? I have to surrender all my rights and demands, and cease from every self-effort. I must leave myself completely alone in His hands, and then I can begin to pour my life out in the priestly work of intercession. […] As a saved soul, the real business of your life is intercessory prayer. Whatever circumstances God may place you in, always pray immediately that His atonement may be recognized and as fully understood in the lives of others as it has been in yours. Pray for your friends now, and pray for those with whom you come in contact now.”  CHAMBERS
 
We must always be mindful of who we are in Jesus and remember who we were without Jesus.  What I am about to write may give you pause, but, then, I want it to.  Do you continue to sin? Let me help you out, the answer is “yes”.  Does your sinning affect your salvation? The answer is no.  Then does it matter if you sin? The answer is “yes”.  Isn’t this an easy quiz?  Most often when you read a “how to” book or devotion, it speaks to the point of what you should do, the actions you should take to achieve the particular goal.  But rarely does it speak to the heart condition that is necessary to accomplish those steps.  That is if those actions are spiritually dependent.  There is nothing that we do for God or at the direction of God that is not spiritual in its nature.  When you witness.  When you pray.  When you relate to others. It must be in the context of our spiritual nature, and not our worldly wisdom or concern.
 
There are some who think that once they are saved, the sins that they commit have nothing to do with their accomplishing any spiritual work that they might engage in. In other words, my sins and those sins’ presence in my heart have no effect on my spiritual effectiveness.  Sin quenches the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)  Which is to say, if you have submitted to the flesh, you cannot submit to the Spirit at the same time.  And, if you are not submitted to the Spirit, then you are spiritually impotent.  And, if you are spiritually impotent, then anything that you might try to do that requires the Spirit, will be of no effect. What kind of things are affected?  Prayer for one.  (James 5:16) “The prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective.”  We should not enter the throne room of grace with muddy shoes.  God can have no part of sin.  (Exodus 3:4-5) “And Moses said, “Here I am.” “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.””  Why do you think that it is “OK” to approach God in prayer with unconfessed sin on your heart.  (Psalm 24: 3-4) “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart.”   Be careful that you don’t discard the significance of needing to be clean before God.  (1 John 1:6-9) “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” CHARLEY
 

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