B2B Concert of Prayer – Resist the Enemy #945

Posted on April 6, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 945

borg“Resist the Enemy”

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

In a popular science fiction TV series and feature film an evil army travels throughout the universe conquering and assimilating entire species. They inform each new world they encounter that ‘Resistance is futile’. In like manner there is a war waged every day for our souls and the enemy is always there quick to discourage us and tell us that resistance to sin is futile. Paul writes about this struggle in the book of Romans.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!… (Romans 7:21-24)

The truth of God’s Word is that resistance is not futile. Far too many of us resist halfheartedly rather than with zeal for Christ. We must avoid compromising the integrity of our Christian lifestyle with the sinful lifestyle of this world. If we play with fire we will be burned by that fire.

Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? (Proverbs 6:27)

How long does it take for your character to become compromised when you choose to habitually expose yourself to profane and immoral behavior? How long before it ‘gets under your skin’ and it becomes ingrained into your lifestyle character?

A little leaven leavens the whole lump (Galatians 5:9)

The Word of God exhorts us to consider Jesus as our example.

Therefore…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith…Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:1-4)

When we stop fighting we have been conquered.

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

Continue to fight. Continue to resist. In the power of the Name of Jesus resistance is not futile. Take every thought captive and bring it to Him. Pray for the integrity of Christian character to fight the good fight through the power of God’s Word.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – The Comfortable Church #944

Posted on April 1, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 944

dont-get-too-comfortable-31-728“The Comfortable Church”

…And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles…Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (Acts 8:1-4)

Recently a Pastor spoke about an experience he had at an international conference of Pastors. He was having a conversation with a Pastor from a third-world nation where Christians were being murdered for their faith. The third-world Pastor stated that he feared for the church in America and that he kept us in his prayers. His fear was that our comfort has brought on complacency and a diluted, weakened faith that would not be able to withstand great persecution when it comes.

I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. (Revelation 3:15-17)

There are a few signs that indicate we have become too comfortable with church religiosity. Reflect on the following:

Your Bible is a badge that you carry to church rather than your daily workbook for seeking God.

Your mind is everywhere and anywhere during the church service except upon God so that you proclaim ‘I didn’t get anything out of church’.

You attend church services out of a ritual habit, much like your regular golf outing, or other social get-together. There is little to no anticipation and expectancy of entering God’s presence and communion with Him.

You keep your faith to yourself. There is no burden to share the Gospel with the lost.

Your Pastor preaches the hard Truth of God’s Word and you consider it meddling in your affairs.

You question why the ushers let certain people of a certain social classes come to your church.

The early church grew by leaps and bounds because of great persecution. Spurgeon said ‘Untested faith may be true faith, but it is sure to be small faith, and it is likely to remain little as long as it is without trials.’

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3) May the Holy Spirit renew your faith with a depth and breadth sufficient to empower you to withstand all persecution. May you be emboldened to live a visible life of faith in this world making the Light of Christ visible to the lost and drawing them to Jesus.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – A Broad Place #943

Posted on March 22, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 943

the-sound-of-music-1920x10801 “A Broad Place”

I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have known the distress of my soul, and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place. (Psalm 31:7-8)

Whenever I read this Scripture verse I picture the scene from the movie The Sound of Music where Julie Andrews is dancing in a high mountain meadow. For me this is a picture of rejoicing and being glad in the steadfast love of God which He shows to us by delivering us and setting our feet in a broad place.

The root word from the original text translated ‘a broad place’ carries the meaning of liberty, welfare, and freedom. This same root word is found in Psalm 118:5 and in Psalm 18:19.

 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. (Psalm 118:5)

He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. (Psalm 18:19)

God delivers and rescues us and sets us free from our affliction and distress because He delights in us. Why does God delight in us? He delights in us because we respect and revere Him and place our hope in Him.

His delight is not in the strength of the horse…but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psalm 147:10-11)

Many of us are afflicted in one form or another. Some of us are distressed to the point of despair. It is out of our distress that we are to call on the Lord. Our hope must be placed completely in Him.

The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:16-19)

May your trust and hope be in Almighty God and in His Son, Jesus Christ, your Savior. May the Holy Spirit still and quiet your soul as you wait for God’s hand of deliverance. This is His peace that surpasses understanding.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

May rejoicing and gladness burst forth now in praise and thanksgiving for you know that the Lord will indeed deliver you and set your feet in a broad place.

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. (Psalm 33:20-22)

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B2B Concert of Prayer – A Kingdom Divided #942

Posted on March 15, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 942

house divided“A Kingdom Divided”

Knowing their thoughts, he (Jesus) said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. (Matthew 12:25)

‘Divide and Conquer’ is a highly effective military tactic used to weaken an opposing force through disunity. The ‘kingdom’ that Jesus refers to in our reference Scripture can apply to our marriages, homes, corporations and churches as well as our nations and military units.

The seeds of dysfunction and disunity within a corporate entity become a cancer that destroys it from within.  How many children has Satan conquered by dividing a marriage?  How much money, time, and resources are wasted due to conflict and division within your workplace?  How many people has Satan conquered by dividing a church congregation or denomination?

What do these seeds of division and dysfunction look like? Three of these seeds are envy, selfish ambition, and gossip.

For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice; For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife. (James 3:16; Proverbs 26:20-21)

Are you surrounded by strife?  Do you dread going to work or returning home because of the hostile tension that exists there?  Do you dread attending that church council meeting knowing that certain quarrelsome individuals will be there? God has expectations for a Christian believer in these circumstances. First and foremost, we are not to be the source of the strife and secondly, we are not to partake in gossip.

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

Remind them…to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. (Titus 3:1-2)

God does not expect us to flee these areas of conflict. He expects us to discern by His Holy Spirit the root cause of the strife whether it be envy, selfishness or gossip and to prayerfully bring the Light of His Word, Power and Grace into the situation.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:18-21)

Walk away from gossip – let it die with you. In the power of Jesus’ Name pray that God would purge your home, family, church and place of work of envy, selfishness, and malicious gossip. May you be the peacemaker in any strife-filled context you find yourself in.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Walter’s Legacy #941

Posted on March 10, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 941

19 week baby“Walter’s Legacy”

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death.  (Leviticus 20: 1-2)

Molech was an idol god of the Ammonites. It is believed that the idols were giant metal statues of a man with the head of a bull. The idol was a furnace of sorts and its outstretched arms were heated red hot. Babies were sacrificed by placing them on the hot arms of the idol. The sacrifice of a first born child in this manner was believed to ensure financial prosperity for the family.

Abortion in America is not unlike the child sacrifices made to idols. Ninety-five percent of abortions are for the matters of financial and lifestyle convenience. The reality of the murder of innocent children is clouded over by the issues of a woman’s right to choose, and the cases of rape, incest or of a life threatening pregnancy. The term ‘pro-abortion’ has been replaced with the more palatable and politically correct ‘pro-choice’. Abortion clinics counsel that the unborn child is only a blob of flesh and that an abortion is akin to clearing your throat or blowing your nose. Mothers are not allowed to see their aborted children. Sin loves the cover of darkness and shies away from the light of truth.

Walter Joshua Fretz was born at 19 weeks old. Although his life was minutes long, he spoke volumes about our Creator God and he shed light on the truth that abortion is infanticide.

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:13-14)

Walter’s pictures have gone viral over social media.  There are numerous testimonies posted by women who were considering an abortion and changed their mind after seeing him. This is Walter’s legacy. In his short life, he ‘preached a sermon’ that is saving the lives of unborn children – only God knows how many.

Human life, created in the image of God begins at conception. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you… (Jeremiah 1:5)

Abortion is murder of innocent children. God views it as such and prescribes the same penalty for the death of an unborn child as that for murder. When men…hit a pregnant woman…if there is harm (to the child) then you shall pay life for life… (Exodus 21:23)

The debate concerning the legalized murder of unborn children is a political hot potato issue. Most candidates for elected office speak out of both sides of their mouth trying to remain in the middle of the road in order to gain the most votes. We must call them out and hold them accountable to take a stand. We must elect men and women of integrity that will work to stop legalized infanticide in America.

This is not an issue that one can be lukewarm about. We must take a stand and having done so we must boldly shed light on the reality that abortion is the murder of innocent children. The church must mobilize and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves – our unborn children.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – By What Power #940

Posted on March 2, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 940

power-in-the-name“By What Power”

And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7)

In Physics, Potential Energy is defined as the stored energy of position by an object. There is great power waiting to be released in a wrecking ball hoisted high up by a crane. But until it is released it remains only unrealized potential.

Can I submit to you that as Christians, born again by the Holy Spirit, that we possess the enormous power of God in us? But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. (2 Corinthians 4:7) We have this potential power by our position in Christ. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God… (John 1:12)

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we have the fullness of the power of God abiding in us by our position in Jesus. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. (Colossians 2:9-10) and Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (1 John 4:15)

Why then does this power remain as largely unreleased potential in the church body of believers? I believe it stems from a lack of faith. that…he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 16-19) Faith comes through hearing and hearing comes through the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Do you abide in Christ, 24/7? Are you walking with Him, aware of His presence wherever you go and whatever you are doing? Do you place as much emphasis and priority on the food and drink of the Word of God feeding your spirit as you do on the feeding of your body with meat and bread?

I believe that in much of the church in America that we have allowed religion to replace relationship and this has worked to distance our position in Christ which in turns weakens our faith and consequently our ability to exercise the potential power of God in us. Do you have a Sunday to Sunday relationship with a religion or a 24/7 relationship with Jesus? Is the full Gospel of the Truth of the Word of God taught and preached or is diluted to make it ‘more relevant’ to the sinfulness of current societal norms?

There are evil spiritual strongholds established in our society that need to be demolished. Sadly, the church in America has papier-mâché wrecking balls if they have any at all. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

God purposed that His children be made righteous in Jesus and that our prayers in the Name of Jesus would be powerful and effective. 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 5:21) and The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16)

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy… (Colossians 1:11)

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Enough #939

Posted on February 22, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 939

How_much_is_enough_logo“Enough”

Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:7-9)

Our reference Scripture has been called a ‘scary prayer’. Why? Surely there is nothing scary about asking God to keep us from lying and poverty. Oh, but there is that ‘nor riches’ clause in the prayer. Therein lies the scary part. Not many of us are sincere in asking God to keep us from riches. Charles Spurgeon writes: “We cannot eat or drink or wear more than a day’s supply…the surplus gives us the care of storing it, and the anxiety of watching against a thief. One staff aids a traveler, but a bundle of staves is a heavy burden.” The challenging questions for each of us are: ‘How much is enough?’ and ‘Have I learned to be content?’

…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

God’s Word not only exhorts us to be content, but also to be generous in giving. …give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

We need to steer clear of the prosperity doctrine that appeals to our greed: ‘Give big in order to get big.’ Please understand that God is not in the mega millions lottery business. So with what size cup should we measure out our giving? Does this giving include our tithe to the local church? How much is enough to give? These are all good questions. However, consider this: God is not at all concerned about your giving. He is more concerned about your keeping which is an indicator of where your heart is. We cannot buy God’s favor and blessing. The better question we need to answer is ‘How much of the Lord’s provision for me should I keep?’

The bottom line is that giving and contentment with enough are matters of the heart, not legalistic rules of measure and apportionment. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7)

Does the Proverbs 30 prayer scare you? Where is your heart? Look at where your treasure is and you will find it. Are you and can you be content with the enough that God provides?

The size of the cup to define is the size of our keeping. There is no one size fits all. There is no standard, mandated size by law. The size of our keeping is between us and God. The rest is called ‘giving’ as we, as faithful stewards, administer what belongs to God to those in need.

May we learn as Paul learned how to be content with the enough of the Lord. May the Holy Spirit regenerate our hearts to be free from greed and covetous discontentment and to be faithful and cheerful stewards of the Lord’s provision entrusted to us for others.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Fifty Shades of Poison #938

Posted on February 15, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 938

no50shades“Fifty Shades of Poison”

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (Galatians 6:7-8)

I recently changed my whole house water filter. It was disgusting after 90 days of service. I filter my well water for sediments and odor with this filter and purify our drinking water through an additional three stage water purification system. There are more than one hundred harmful impurities found in well water. Many of these impurities are known carcinogens that can literally poison us and make us ill. With this filtration system I choose to not poison my family and I would hazard a guess that all of you reading this blog would also choose to protect your family from poison also.

How is it then that many of us see no harm in poisoning our mind and spirit? How many of us choose to disgrace God’s grace by embracing ungodliness and feeding our worldly passions? For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age. (Titus 2:11-12) How many of us as professing Christians will choose to poison our minds, spirits and marital and family relationships by partaking of the impurity of this world such as are depicted in the book/movie titled Fifty Shades of Grey?

This much talked about book/movie and others like it feed those who embrace it with poison that destroys the holiness of sexual relationships as God intended them to be. Wake up, church! We do not learn to improve our marital relationships and sexual intimacy through pornography. Do not be deceived by the clever marketing of such impurity.

God’s law of sowing and reaping also applies to the spiritual realm. How much poison are you willing to ingest? How much is ‘an acceptable amount’ of profanity, sex, or violence to be entertained by? Just a little poison won’t hurt – will it? Why choose to defile the temple of God? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

A little poison will corrupt you spiritually. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. (Galatians 5:9) It may be gradual but you will reap a poisonous harvest. Your language will become coarser and in certain situations you will find yourself speaking vulgarity. You will one day find that your spouse does not quite live up to the fantasy lover you have poisoned your mind with and you will be dissatisfied. You may even find yourself acting out in violence in certain situations in accordance with the entertainment you have poisoned yourself with. But through God’s grace you can be cleansed.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Psalm 51:10-12, NIV)

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Inquiring of the Lord #937

Posted on February 10, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 937

Seeking-God's-will“Inquiring of the Lord”

…David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” (2 Samuel 5:18-19)

David was a man who experienced much success in life. Scripture tells us of his progression from a shepherd boy, tending his father’s sheep to that of a military leader and then to king. In reading about David in the Bible I was struck by how often Scripture tells us that he ‘inquired of the Lord’. In particular, I was struck by the fact that David continued to inquire of the Lord and did not draw on his past successes as if they were his own independent accomplishments. Picking up on our reference Scripture again in verse 22 we see that David was again faced with the same battle conditions in the Valley of Rephaim where he had just completed a successful campaign. Yet David again inquired of the Lord before venturing out and engaging the enemy.

And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” (2 Samuel 5:20-24)

How many of us continue to inquire of the Lord after we have experienced success? It is an easy trap to fall into to begin to rely upon what we deem to have been our success, worked by our own hand, power, and ability. In my own experience I am convicted of the many times when I have neglected to inquire of the Lord as I had done previously and stepped out guided by my own wisdom and experience from past successes. It is in those times that I have failed.

How do we inquire of the Lord? In a word: patiently. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; (Psalm 130:5) We have to temper our intense desire and need for an immediate answer. We have to curb our impatience and need to act now.

How do we hear from God? Through His Word. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (John 10:27) God’s direction to us will never contradict His Word of Truth. Through prayer, reading, and study of His Word we learn to hear the promptings of His Holy Spirit speaking to our heart clear direction. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17) Sometimes God chooses to speak to us through prophetic gifts He has poured out upon some in the church body. However, we must always test this word against God’s Word of Truth. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)

How do we obey God’s direction? By having a heart after God. …he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ (Acts 13:22) We have to resist our tendency to seek the answer we want to hear – that we have already preconceived. Having a heart after God is to have ears to hear His voice and to obey His direction, stepping out in faith and trusting in Him to see us through our valleys and to give us victory and success.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Grace to Grow #936

Posted on February 4, 2015 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 936

sanctify scrabble (Small)“Grace to Grow”

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… (2 Peter 3:18)

Professionals in many disciplines are expected to continue to grow in their knowledge and skill. Educators and health care as well as other professional workers must complete Continuing Education Units (CEU) to attest to their growth in knowledge and ability. In a similar fashion God also expects us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

We are saved and justified through faith in Jesus Christ by God’s Grace. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law…the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe…and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…to be received by faith. (Romans 3:21-25)

Is that now the end of our Christian experience in this life? Is salvation merely an admission pass into heaven? Once saved by grace are we now free to ‘live like the devil’ in this world? What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? …Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God…and your members to God as instruments for righteousness… (Romans 6:1, 6:12-14)

God wants us to be perfect and holy. You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect...since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (Matthew 5:48 & 1 Peter 1:16) This is an impossible expectation for us apart from God’s Grace. Necessary Grace for living a pure and holy life is always found in the Person of Jesus Christ. It is never found in a religious procedure, process or ritualistic experience.

God expects us to grow in His Grace through growing in our relationship with Jesus. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age… (Titus 2:11-12)

God expects us to remain in the process of sanctification in this life. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God…For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7)

Allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart about the state of your relationship with Jesus. Are you growing in His grace and knowledge every day? Do you follow Him so closely that you can hear his heartbeat or are you on a distant, divergent path of your own choosing where you allow yourself to be subjected to the temptation of the sin of this world?

May you grow in the grace and intimate knowledge of Jesus as you truly seek first His kingdom and righteousness. May you grow in sanctification every day as you continually make choices to follow Jesus over the passions and immorality of this world that can lead you away from purity.

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