Living By The Credo - It Is Not That Bad

My Utmost For His Highest

 

‘It is only when God has transformed our nature and we have entered into the experience of sanctification that the fight begins. The warfare is not against sin; we can never fight against sin— Jesus Christ conquered that in His redemption of us. The conflict is waged over turning our natural life into a spiritual life. This is never done easily, nor does God intend that it be so. It is accomplished only through a series of moral choices. God does not make us holy in the sense that He makes our character holy. He makes us holy in the sense that He has made us innocent before Him. And then we have to turn that innocence into holy character through the moral choices we make. These choices are continually opposed and hostile to the things of our natural life which have become so deeply entrenched— the very things that raise themselves up as fortified barriers “against the knowledge of God.” We can either turn back, making ourselves of no value to the kingdom of God, or we can determinedly demolish these things, allowing Jesus to bring another son to glory.’ CHAMBERS

 

The conflict that is in each of us is one of obedience.  Who will we obey? The flesh or the Spirit?  Making moral choices means choosing to obey God .. to choose His will over the will of our natural life.  It is so easy to slip back into the natural life, doing what everyone else does.  What we read, what we watch, what we do, what we talk about.  That is not to suggest that every word we speak must include a quote from the Bible.  But every word we speak should be edifying … and consistent with what God has revealed about what we should say in His Word. What we listen to and what we watch on television or in movies should be consistent with who we are in Christ .. not who we are in our community or group of friends.  Philippians 4:8-9 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice." How much time do you spend dwelling on these things?  Is you measure of a good movie that it can only have “X” number of profane words in it? Do you consider casual sex or homosexual relationships as “OK” on screen, even entertaining? What do you allow into your mind and ultimately your heart every day, in the name of “it’s not that bad”.

 

James 1:22-24  “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror  and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” We think about spiritual things .. some of us only on Sundays, but then we turn away and go back to “living”.  God inspired the words that were written, to be written, for our good and for His glory.  Joshua 1:8-9 says that if we obey the Word we will enjoy prosperity and success … this has nothing to do with money.  It has to do with the things that will be important to you when you are lying on your death bed.  Country Music singer Buck Owens sang “All you got to do is act naturally.”  It’s easy to do that, but that is not the life you have been saved to .. it is the life you were saved from …

 

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)