To him who overcomes…
—Revelation 2:7
“Anything that does not
strengthen me morally is the enemy of virtue within me. Whether I overcome,
thereby producing virtue, depends on the level of moral excellence in my life.
But we must fight to be moral. Morality does not happen by accident; moral
virtue is acquired. And spiritually it is also the same. Jesus said, “In the
world you will have tribulation…” (John 16:33). This means that anything which is not spiritual leads to my
downfall. Jesus went on to say, “…but be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.” I must learn to fight against and overcome the things that come against
me, and in that way produce the balance of holiness. Then it becomes a delight
to meet opposition. Holiness is the balance between my nature and the law of
God as expressed in Jesus Christ.” CHAMBERS
(Philippians 4:5-9) “Let your gentleness be evident to all. … Do
not be anxious about anything… And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. …. 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 … put it into practice. And the
God of peace will be with you.”
What leads to our spiritual
downfall … it starts and ends with us.
Be careful that you don’t accept the idea that you can live in the
world, enjoy what it has to offer, and there not be a negative effect on you
spiritually. You are in a battle. The things of this world will neutralize your
spiritual life and will drive a wedge in your relationship with the Lord. This country struggles with abortion, which
for the most part is a function of the acceptance and even promotion of an
immoral lifestyle. Sexuality is promoted
everywhere … in schools, in entertainment, on the internet … the culture’s
answer is “more of the same”. The
message is, immorality is OK, you decide for yourself what is right and what is
wrong. In Romans 7, Paul wrote about the futility of trying to resist in his
own strength and finally he cries out “Who will save me from this body of
death!” We see terrible acts of violence
and wonder why .. is it the guns? Then we fill the hours on television with
violence … the most popular television is about violence and death, we fill our
children’s heads with violence in computer games .. numbing them to the reality of what violence really is …. we flock
to movies that promote violence ….
Our culture is filled with that which is
counter to the Gospel. And you face that
every day. Friend, resistance is not
futile, if you are using the right weapons … when it gets down to it here it
what you need to do .. .every day … (Ephesians
6:12-13) “For our struggle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when
the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have
done everything, to stand.”
Since returning from Haiti, I
have been shocked at how spiritually dark the United States has become. I knew that belief in Biblical values was
eroding, but I did not know that it has accelerated. So I find myself in a different culture and
very aware that I am an alien in this land.
That my culture .. my beliefs .. are based upon a set of principles that
were once embraced but now are rejected by most .. at minimum be the ones who
make the rules … and at most by the majority of the people in this
country. The problem is that we don’t
mind embracing the culture so long as it does not affect us negatively … sin
without consequence. There is always a
consequence .. but there is also forgiveness and restoration if we will only
confess and repent. (2 Chronicles 7:14) “if my people, who are called by my name,
will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked
ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal
their land.” ELGIN
Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)
Charley Elgin
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