The Holy Spirit is Given to Them That Obey God

Obey God rather than men.

Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Act 5:30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

Act 5:31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

The Holy Spirit is given to them that OBEY GOD.

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How many people pervert the word of God and use this truth 'Obey God Rather Than Men'  to get away with horrific acts because they believe God would have them enact pain upon unbelieving people?  Using this truth wrongly is extremely sinful, but using it as God intended is a blessing. When people create traditions that seem to be commands of God they are in danger of leading people astray.  What people might call harmless traditions geared to bring people closer to God is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about those who claim traditions to be commands. Recognizing a tradition for what it is, and not necessarily God commanded is something we need to do. We can't afford to confuse tradition with commands. Does that mean we can't keep traditions? No. It means we have to realize that traditions come second to the commands of God and when traditions begin to supersede the commandments of God we are in grave danger. 

When our Savior came to earth, God in the flesh, and died for us He fulfilled all the commands that pointed to His sacrifice. How could the sacrifice of a lamb, bull, dove, or any such sacrifice ever portray the actual death of our Savior ever again?  The ULTIMATE sacrifice was made and it is this sacrifice we remember in the act of communion- of the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine- the broken body of our Savior, the spilled blood of our Redeemer, this is a constant reminder we have.  Never again would an animal's blood, and animal's death suffice, it couldn't.  It had it's place in teaching of the coming sacrifice that God would make, but once that was fulfilled it lost all of its meaning.  Still, many held fast to the past, refusing to realize the truth. Even today all of the strictly Jewish people believe in the ceremonial commandments that found complete fulfilment in Christ. They do not recognize Christ as God's Son, they do not believe His sacrifice was the ultimate sacrifice.  And they obey MEN rather than GOD. 

Many traditions had worked their way into the religion of the Jewish people and Jesus called the Jewish leaders on some of them.

Mat 15:1  Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,

Mat 15:2  Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.

Mat 15:3  But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?

Mat 15:4  For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.

Mat 15:5  But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

Mat 15:6  And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.

Mat 15:7  Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

Mat 15:8  This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Mat 15:9  But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

We are in DANGER when we dare to keep our own traditions before God's commands.

Read this again-

Act 5:29  Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Act 5:30  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

Act 5:31  Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Act 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

We've been talking a lot about the Holy Spirit, living in the Spirit, being given the Holy Spirit by God and we cannot ignore the following truth-  'The HOLY SPIRIT- whom GOD HATH GIVEN TO THEM THAT OBEY HIM.' 

We can't let ourselves believe that the Holy Spirit is given to everyone automatically. God will not allow the Holy Spirit to go to those who blatantly disobey Him, why would He? What would the purpose be? How could the Holy Spirit work in someone who doesn't desire to obey God, believing in God?

Satan would have us NOT desire to obey God, He disobeyed God.  Satan was self-exalted in the day He caused human kind to disobey God. His fate was sealed in that same day, but He had to be overwhelmed with joy for having caused this unique creation of God's, man, made in God's own image, to DISOBEY the Creator.

Disobedience is not a trivial matter, it is something we have to be very aware of. Obeying God, this must be our desire! If we truly want the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, our willingness to be obedient to God is paramount.  We must OBEY GOD.  In order to obey someone You have to know what they are commanding you to do, and God has not left us without a clue. God has told us what His commands are in no uncertain terms, will we obey?

Forgive us, Father, for we have sinned! We err so often when we would obey! Help us to obey! We are sinners, Lord, and do NOT deserve in any way to have the Holy Spirit reside in us, but we plead for You to give the Holy Spirit to us, teaching us, convicting us, keeping us in YOU. Please, Father, we would have the Holy Spirit in us. Please.

All by the grace of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!

Amen.

It wasn't easy for Jesus and it won't be easy for us.

It isn't a sacrifice if it is easy.

Do we dare to imagine it was EASY for our Savior to suffer the things He suffered just because He was God born into flesh?

Do we dare believe as He felt the slap of a hard calloused hand against His bearded cheek, and the inside of His mouth slammed into the unrelenting hardness of His teeth and He tasted His own blood, that it was EASY for Him?

As that horrid torture device shaped in a crown yet made of long, thick, very sharp thorns was hard pressed into his head and the needle tipped points of the severest kind dug deep tearing through flesh until stopped only by the hard bone of our Savior's skull, that it was EASY for Him?

As the hot, slimy spittle came at His face from all sides and it filled His eyes, sliding down His cheeks, as He tasted another's spit on His own lips, do you really, truly imagine it was EASY for Him?

When the rough hands hardened by years of training grabbed up His arms and squeezed - bruising His flesh, injuring muscles as He was yanked and dragged about, that was EASY for Him to endure?

Then, when His garments were torn from His body exposing His bare flesh and He was fastened to a whipping post, the awful anticipation, the humiliation rendered to Him- this was EASY as well?

For those of us who have felt the strike of a belt across our bodies, or endured the painful sting of a thin willow branch on our flesh, we know minutely the pain of a brief whipping given by the hand of a chastising parent. Our Savior was not being chastised by a loving, yet firm, guiding hand for His own learning, His own good. Our Savior was being brutally whipped by a weapon created to inflict the harshest of pains. The whips used upon criminals were forged to tear open the flesh upon impact as it sank into the muscle beneath and when yanked backwards out of that bed of flesh and blood, it took bits and pieces of skin and muscle with its horrific release- it was this sort of whip that was used upon our Savior- do we dare in the least manner believe this was EASY for Him?

He felt the agony of that whip over and over until the flesh of His body hung from him in bloody, raw strips. The hands wielding the whip were well practiced in the art of this torture and spared nothing because before him was God in the flesh. He didn't recognize our Savior as God in flesh, he had orders to follow and he knew to do  his job to the fullest or face his own punishment. Our Savior felt every single strike of that whip, and the pain went far beyond any light, barely mark inducing whippings we might have endured.

Most certainly as our tortured Savior was placed upon the wooden beams in the form of a cross and the nails pierced His flesh, IT WAS NOT EASY FOR HIM! 

And now, do you imagine on another avenue of thought that before He was taken captive by the soldiers at the behest of the Jewish hierarchy, that His three years of ministry were pain free? We all know there are pains that are not induced physically. Do we imagine it was EASY for our Savior to see all the evil about Him, to endure the knowledge that so many would be lost to Him? Yes, many were saved, many were brought to Him, many were healed by Him, many listened to Him, and yet many more drew back away from Him. Remember we've read where five to seven thousand people were following Him witnessing His miracles, listening to His preaching of the gospel of the kingdom and yet all of them left when they realized He didn't want to be made an earthly king, and His sayings grew hard for them to comprehend.  This was not EASY for Him, how could it be?

Sacrifice is not easy, if it were, it would not be called sacrifice.

1Co 10:1  Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;

1Co 10:2  And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;

1Co 10:3  And did all eat the same spiritual meat;

1Co 10:4  And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

The story of the great exodus from Egypt, how amazing and wonderful to be freed from bondage, from enslavement to others, from the inability to worship your God. ALL the people freed ate the same SPIRITUAL meat. ALL the people drank the same SPIRITUAL drink-  the source- CHRIST OUR SAVIOR in His SPIRITUAL GOD FORM before He was born into flesh becoming the only begotten Son of the Father God.  ALL of them freed from bondage were given the same SPIRITUAL access to their SALVATION.  However--

1Co 10:5  But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

With MANY of them God wasn't well pleased. These people who were given access to all they needed Spiritually were OVERTHROWN in the wilderness. They weren't overthrown by God, but of their OWN LUSTS. They were NOT willing to sacrifice, to suffer privation, to suffer in any way at all!

1Co 10:6  Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

They are now our EXAMPLES, they are held up in front of us and we are made to see that we, like them, should NOT lust after EVIL THINGS!  Yes, we will be tempted of evil for that is the nature of evil - to tempt, but we should not LUST after the evil- giving in to the temptation. And THIS requires SACRIFICE, do not let anyone try to tell you differently!  Suffering, sacrifice, painful agonizing denial of our fleshy lusts. Why do we imagine we shouldn't have to sacrifice? That somehow it's not of God if we are called to painful sacrificing? That a loving God would not ask us to suffer the agony of sacrifice. Why do we believe those things, those lies of Satan?

1Co 10:7  Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

1Co 10:8  Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.

Twenty-three THOUSAND people died in one day because of their evil lusts.  And what do a lot of people today say to this? They say that only proves God is evil and not a God they want to serve.  They are claiming God is the evil one for destroying innocent people who only want to live in pleasure and happiness.  They say God hates people having a good time. This is what the world is saying today, this is what the world is claiming because they, like the twenty-three thousand are only concerned with being able to indulge their passions and pleasures and care nothing of true love which is selfless, which is not self-servicing in any way. We are a very, very incredibly self-serving people- even using our seeming selflessness in a very selfish way.

Twenty-three thousand perish because of their self-serving, their inability to truly love. Self-absorbed, pleasure seeking, thrill seeking, self-seeking people- and today this is taught as a good thing. Long gone are the days of true discipline, where working hard and helping others  is the goal of a person. We are taught to work hard only so we can play even harder. I'm not talking wild partying alone either. I'm talking about being able to take our ease, to relax we long for these things. We long for rest and relaxation, to not have to concern ourselves with anything but what we desire to do. These are what we call good. Seeking to help others, we call that work, or at the least we think of it as an intrusion on our self time. We talk about how we had to do this and that, we felt obligated to do this and that, and how put upon we are. In the next breath we might claim not to mind, but the mere fact we aren't actively seeking to help, and have even a sliver of dread when called to help reveals that we are not selfless, but more concerned with self than others. This is one of the biggest problems we have - selfishness.  We do not live to happily serve.  Notice I said "HAPPILY" serve. 

Twenty-three thousand people perished because of their selfish lusts.

1Co 10:9  Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.

Again, they tempted Christ because of their self-serving. They wanted more than to be simply sustained by God.  They wanted God to prove Himself. They were NOT dying of thirst or hunger, but they were thirsty and hungry.  They believed God had brought them away from their water and food only let them die rather than believe He would sustain them. They doubted God. How often do we doubt? We cannot doubt, but rather believe! We do not want to be numbered among those who tempt Christ. We must believe.

1Co 10:10  Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

To murmur, to complain that God is not the God we know He is. To murmur, to complain that God will not save us as promised. To no longer believe.  We MUST believe! The unbelieving will be destroyed, not because God forces obedience, but because love commands obedience. The unbelieving do NOT desire to live eternally with God, and because God promised to do away with all evil they cannot be allowed to live. They believe they can live without God, but that isn't true. Without God they cannot live. If they choose NOT to believe in God, they are choosing to no longer be sustained by God. There isn't a single innocent, loving, selfless person who will perish.  To say there are many people who do not believe in God but are wonderful selfless, caring people is to say there are many people who are not truly selfless, but believe they are selfless and caring of their own accord, therefore they cannot be selfless all the while they might be seemingly selfless. Is it any wonder those who seek to prove, to tempt, to murmur against our Savior are destroyed? They aren't destroyed out of pleasure to destroy, but out of mercy. None who choose not to believe will be forced to believe. If you choose to not believe in God you cannot expect Him to save you with eternal life.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

We must study these things and comprehend people of all ages have the same tendencies towards sin, towards selfishness. No one time period had it easier than another we all face the inward battle of selfishness.

1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

TAKE HEED!  Pay attention! We have to pay attention especially if we think we are standing, it is when we believe we might be closest to our God that we might be on the brink of falling!

1Co 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

TRUTH! We have to believe this is truth. You may be called to SACRIFICE, to SUFFER so that you can escape, but a way is made for you to escape. It doesn't read that an easy way will be given you so you can escape falling into temptation. We want an easy way but that's foolishness on our part. To believe that we have to have it easy in order to comply, that we shouldn't have to outwardly, consciously work in any way, shape, or form to escape. As soon as we begin to realize that we have to suffer and sacrifice Satan is right there taunting us telling us that we are trying to work for our salvation.  God's word says this--

Php_2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

No, salvation will not come by our WORKING as if we earn grace, but the Christian life is a WORK in and of itself and Satan would have us believe otherwise. The WAR we all fight in, this battle between God and Evil, is a real FIGHT and that fight is a work. You can't fight by laying down and doing nothing and expect to be victorious. We are told to put on armor and pick up a sword- all Spiritual, all REAL.  Just because they are spiritual does not mean they are pretend!  Perhaps that's where we go wrong some, playing pretend war when it is a REAL battle!  Yes, we will be tried and tempted but we are given all we need by God to overcome, and we must work, suffer, sacrifice in a very real way.

1Co 10:14  Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.

Flee from anything that would take God's rightful place in our lives! And you know what? Fleeing is an ACTION! Fleeing is a WORK! Fleeing is a sacrifice and suffering in that sacrifice!

Please Father in heaven, please help us as we struggle in this horrific world dominated by Satan and his followers on all sides. We do NOT want to belong to Satan, we would be YOURS and only YOURS, help us towards this end! We don't want to be numbered among the twenty-three thousand who chose selfish indulgence in our lusts rather than choosing to live for YOU, serving YOU, and following YOUR will in all things! HELP US! SAVE US FROM OURSELVES! Please, by the love and grace, through the mercy of YOUR SON, Jesus Christ our Lord, now and forever!

Amen!

Cherished Yet Despised

Cherished Yet Despised Sins.

Do you have any cherished yet despised sins?  Cherished because you cling to them and hold them dear to yourself refusing to give them up but at the same time you hate that you cherish them. You despise that you cherish any sin at all. We war against the sin in our lives. We feel shame, regret, and heartache over the sins that plague us.  And our Savior tells us this...

Mar 9:43  And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched

So tell me, just how important is it that we in recognizing the cherished yet despised sin in our lives, give them up? Strive, resisting unto blood to give up these sins, isn't this what we are called to do? Confess to one another. Pray for one another. These are the things we need to do. And if we simply cannot seem to 'cut off' the sin in order to live for our Savior, we'd better NEVER EVER stop striving to do so!

Do NOT become complacent with cherished yet despised sin.  Do NOT let the cherished yet despised sin become accepted to the point you no longer strive against it.  When we become complacent with our sins arguing that it's pointless to strive, we are in grave danger. When we tell ourselves that 'God understands' and then simply embrace the sin, we LIE to ourselves!

Sin SEPARATES us from God, so when we accept sin we are accepting the separation and we will NOT be forced to be with God.

Satan wants us to call evil good, to call our sins good, to make excuses for our sins. Satan absolutely does NOT want us to 'cut it off' in any way!  Satan doesn't want us to be serious about sin. Satan would do away with the fact sin even exists if it gains him the single destruction of one person.  How many millions and millions, possibly billions of people does Satan have deceived?

Remember Sodom and Gomorrah and how desperately Abraham tried to get God to spare those cities? But in the end they couldn't be spared because--

Gen 18:20  And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous

Isa_3:9  The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Jer_23:14  I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah.

2Pe_2:6  And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly

And now read this---

Jud 1:1  Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:

Jud 1:2  Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.

Jud 1:3  Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Jud 1:4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jud 1:5  I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.

Jud 1:6  And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Jud 1:7  Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Jud 1:8  Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Jud 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Jud 1:10  But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

Jud 1:11  Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

Jud 1:13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

Jud 1:14  And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

Jud 1:15  To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Jud 1:16  These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

Jud 1:17  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Jud 1:18  How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Jud 1:19  These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.

Jud 1:20  But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,

Jud 1:21  Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Jud 1:22  And of some have compassion, making a difference:

Jud 1:23  And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.

Jud 1:24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Jud 1:25  To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Are you walking after your own ungodly lusts?  Are you sensual, not spiritual?  Are your cherished yet despised sins fulfilled because you are tempted and drawn away by lusting after those sins?

We cannot forget these words of our Savior--

Luk 17:26  And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

Luk 17:27  They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.

Luk 17:28  Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;

Luk 17:29  But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.

Luk 17:30  Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

We MUST remember this--

Heb 3:13  But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Sin is deceitful! Sin WILL harden us! We live in the days where sin is accepted without any qualms.  We live in the days where sin is celebrated.  We live in the days when it is wrong to even call sin- sin.

Jesus proved that many of those caught up tight in sins embrace were angry that He dare rebuke them and their sin- because their hearts were so hardened they couldn't even see sin for what it was anymore least of all in their own lives. We MUST NOT allow this to happen to us!  We must strive against SIN! We have to NOT let sin deceive us!

2Co_13:5  Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.

By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior, through the power of the Holy Spirit may we strive against all the sin in our lives, never giving place to it, never calling it good, never accepting it in our lives but forever and always seeking true repentance, forgiveness and overcoming through our LORD.

Amen.

Christ Suffered - Christians Will Suffer

Misconception- that Christians are supposed to be upbeat and happy at all times, and if they're not, there is something wrong with them.

How can anyone believe this when our Savior Himself cried and suffered throughout His ministry.

To pipe up and say that He only ever cried for others and suffered for others and not Himself leads us right up to the end chapter of His life here on earth. He asked for the cup to be taken from Him, and then on that cross as the life ebbed from Him, He cried out to God the Father asking Him why He had forsaken Him.

Mat_27:46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Who says those words, who cries out such words without being in despair, without being in agony of spirit?  Jesus was HUMAN! We humans caught up in this world of sin as we cling to the promises of our Savior as Jesus was clinging to the same promises through His Father, are in a battle that will try us to the utmost! It won't always be pleasant! Sometimes it will be downright awful!

There is a reason our Savior tells us to worry about ONE day at a time.

Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Truth.

It's enough to deal with each day's evils as it comes.

We can't sugarcoat things either. It is the evil in our lives that causes our problems. Evil.  It's not something to be taken lightly, but something to be recognized. When we belittle life's problems as being minor inconveniences and not true evil, then we are really giving the devil what he desire-  for us to call evil good.  How much of the little cherished sins in our lives do we call good by excusing them as not being really sin, you know, the big sins?

Ask yourself this question- Can Jesus walk with you throughout your entire day? Is there ANYTHING you'd change if He were your companion in the Flesh? Stop and think about it seriously.  And if you're tempted to say you'd change nothing right off the bat, filling yourself with pride saying He can like me the way I am or not, it's His problem, then maybe, just maybe you need to stop and pray before taking the time to truly review.

I'm not saying we can be totally perfect, but it's NOT up to us to do anything but have a willingness to be perfect for Christ. The willingness must be there!

Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

1Jn 3:2  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

1Jn 3:3  And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

We have HOPE of being purified, when we RECOGNIZE our sins we MUST repent and seek forgiveness. Our repenting means striving against the sin.

Luk_13:24  Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able

Heb 12:4  Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Striving against sin.

Please, Father help us strive against sin. By the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, bless us, keep us, love us, help us!

Amen.

Don't resist the Holy Spirit!

Act 7:51  Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.

Resisting the Holy Spirit.

Do you resist the Holy Spirit?   Do you feel Spirit led to do something and then not do it? Do feel the leading of the Holy Spirit and turn your back on it?  Is your conscience pricked about things and you override your conscience? The Holy Spirit will lead us into truth but there can be NO forcefulness in that leading.  If we're waiting to have the will of God forced on us so we have no choice but to follow that will, then we are NOT truly looking to follow God at all.  We need to willingly submit to our Savior through the Holy Spirit, and live our lives in that submission.   That submission knowingly, intelligently follows Christ.

We can resist the Holy Spirit.

We can fight against the Holy Spirit and that will only succeed in pulling us away from our Savior.

Satan however, will lead us to believe that we're fine, when the truth is, we KNOW, we really KNOW that as we resist the Lord's truth, as we resist the Holy Spirit's guidance, we're putting our walk with Christ in grave jeopardy.  There is no ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED!

There is repentance, there is forgiveness, there is hope, there is mercy and grace, and submission. 

This is truth-

Gen_6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man…

We have to stop resisting, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit!

Please, Father, please help us be Spirit led! We don't want to resist the Holy Spirit, we want to be YOURS wholly! Please, bless us, keep us, save us!

Through the LOVE of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST!

Amen. 

Jesus wants us to have the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is given to us by the Heaven Father.

We can ASK for the HOLY SPIRIT.

Luk 11:13  ... shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him

God, our Heavenly Father, is more willing to GIVE us the Holy Spirit, than we are to give gifts to our own children and you know as a rule how easy it is for us to desire to give gifts to our children.

Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Jesus WANTS us to have the Holy Spirit!

Joh 7:37  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Joh 7:39  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Jesus spoke of the SPIRIT and us RECEIVING the SPIRIT.

Remember this--

Joh 3:3  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:5  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Joh 3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Joh 3:8  The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

WE CANNOT truly comprehend our Savior without the Holy Spirit.  We are born again into a NEW life, a SPIRITUAL LIFE by the Holy Spirit that our Heavenly Father will give to us if we ask! And we will SEE the kingdom of God.

A spiritual life. RECOGNIZE your spiritual life! ACKNOWLEDGE your spiritual life.  Our spiritual life is REAL, as real as the Holy Spirit who is given to us. 

Please, Heavenly Father, please give us the Holy Spirit. Daily give us the Spirit so we have all our spiritual needs filled for YOUR GLORY!  Forgive us, Lord, bless us, love us!

All in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Amen.

Neither give place to the devil

Eph 4:27  Neither give place to the devil.

Eph 4:28  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Eph 4:29  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

Eph 4:30  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Eph 4:32  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Grieve NOT the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit SEALS us for redemption.

We do NOT want to GRIEVE the Holy Spirit.

We are NOT to purposefully allow the devil in our lives in any way. If we KNOW there is a way for the devil to use us, to work in us, to get to us in any way and we have the ability to stop this- we HAVE to stop it! There are so many evil tricks the devil uses on us to catch us unaware and lead us into sin. When the ways aren't so subtle and we can clearly see His evil, we need to do all in our ability to keep from falling to his ways! We can't give place to the devil, we can't welcome the evil in our lives. We can't encourage the evil in our lives. We need to repent of the evil, we need to seek forgiveness for it, not embrace it.

If you steal- steal no more.

If you speak evil, if you speak in ways that aren't conducive towards others seeing Christ in you and thereby be exposed to the grace of our Savior.

We have to PUT AWAY from us ALL bitterness, ALL wrath, ALL anger, ALL clamor, ALL evil speaking, ALL malice.

Bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice- how often we use these very things in our day to day lives in ways Satan would tell us are fine, are normal, are perfectly acceptable because after all we are only human.  Satan LIES!

We need to BE kind, BE tenderhearted, BE forgiving of one another.   These are the traits we need to encourage!  If we are NOT being tenderhearted, if we are not being forgiving, ie we are not being kind…. We need to really take a look at ourselves and our walk with Christ.

Please, Lord, please bless us! Help us, Lord, help us be filled with the Holy Spirit and all that entails!  We don't want to do the things of the devil, we want to do the things of YOU. Help us! Save us! Let us live in YOU!

All by Your GRACE, Your LOVE!

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ!