Stop Pulling The Not Under The Law Card

“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom.” Galatians 5:13-14 – The Message Bible

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the misuse of our freedom in Christ and how some Christians will use the "not under the law" verse to justify something that we want to do, that may technically be legal, permissible (allowable and lawful) for us; but may not be spiritually appropriate or helpful (good for us to do, expedient and profitable when considered with other things). (1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23-24)

So often times the Christian will say as a means of justification for something that they want to do, that may not be the best thing for them or others around them, “We are free. We are not under the law we are under grace”, instead of truly praying and seeking God about whether it is HIS WILL for them to do whatever it is that they are contemplating, even if it is technically legal.

"[Many things] are not specifically condemned by the Scriptures, and thus we must apply other criteria. For example, would these matters cause us to sin, or harm our bodies, or cause a brother to stumble, or tempt us to fall into a pattern we could not control? Clearly if those things occurred, then it would be wrong for us to do them. If not, then we have the liberty to enjoy these activities" - Curtis C. Thomas

I love how The Message Bible translates 1 Corinthians 6:12,

“If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims.”

Will You Be Obedient & Tell Them?

“When the watchmen sees the enemy coming, he sounds the alarm to warn the people. Then if those who hear the alarm refuse to take action, it is their own fault if they die. They heard the alarm but ignored it, so the responsibility is theirs. If they had listened to the warning, they could have saved their lives. But if the watchman sees the enemy coming and doesn't sound the alarm to warn the people, he is responsible for their captivity. They will die in their sins, but I will hold the watchman responsible for their deaths." Ezekiel 33:3-6

There will be times that the Lord will prompt you to speak a loving word of correction, warning, or even rebuke to others. Perhaps it is a brother or sister in the Lord that is not living a life worthy of their calling or has strayed off the narrow path. It could be a lost soul that needs to know that Jesus died for their sins and if they do not confess and repent of their sins and believe in Christ they will die and go to hell. My question to you is will you be obedient and tell them or will you say it’s none of my business Lord? It's not my place.

Don’t allow yourself to be conformed to the world’s way and its customs. (Romans 12:2)The world does not care about the eternal souls of men. They do not have the Spirit of God and the love of Christ in them so they do not understand the things of the Spirit. But we do and we must watch out for one another and also hold each other accountable. We must speak the truth of God’s Word to each other. It is our responsibility as servants of the Most of God to be watchmen and watchwomen for one another, helping each other to stay on the narrow road. This does not mean that we are to become sin spotters going around trying to spot sin in our brothers and sisters lives to call them out on it. No..what I am talking about is lovingly watching each others back. If you see your brother or sister slipping away from the truth, being drawn into sin or disobedience and the Lord tells you to talk to them then go quickly and address the situation in love. Don't wait when the Lord tells you to go.

We all know it is not easy to give someone a word of correction, warning, or rebuke but our heavenly Father said through Ezekiel that we are to warn others when we see the enemy coming. We are to sound an alarm to warn the people. The alarm is our mouth. I plead with you don’t turn your back on your brother or sister when you see that they are heading down the wrong path and are in disobedience to God. Don’t say it is not your business, because IT IS! Lovingly remind them what the Word of God says about their situation, circumstances, attitude or actions. If they refuse to listen and ignore the warning then they will suffer the consequences. But if we see that someone is surely headed for destruction or is even only ‘a little’ involved in sin or disobedience and we don’t warn them then we are responsible for their bondage and even their spiritual death. (Ezekiel 33:6) Remember also that it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. (James 4:17)

Imagine how the prophet Nathan felt when the Lord had him go to King David and talk to him about the murder of Uriah. He presented a story to the king about an injustice that was done to a poor man and King David became angry at the offender in the story and said that he deserved to die. He ordered for the poor man to be repayed for what was stolen. The Prophet Nathan immediately revealed that the man in the story was King David himself. He rebuked King David and told him that his sins were rooted in dissatisfaction with God's blessings. David just couldn't be satisfied with what God had given him (his own wives) he had to take more (another man's wife). King David repented immediately and Nathan the Prophet encouraged him by saying his sins were forgiven, although there would still be consequences for his disobedience and sin (the death of their unborn child and rebellion in his household). (2 Samuel 12:1-15)

It’s not easy to tell another believer that they are sin or are compromising their faith. Perhaps it is not easy because we don’t want to offend anyone. We want to be liked. We may even fear that the person will get angry with us, but we can not fear what man will say or do, instead we must fear the Lord and do His will at all times. We can not try to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people is our goal then we will not be able to be Christ’s servants and responsible watchmen. (Galatians 1:10)

If our Lord says, "Please tell them that their foul and abusive language, telling obscene stories and coarse jokes and foolish talk are not for them", then tell them in love.(Ephesians 5:4). If our Lord says, "Please tell your sister that her life of fornication and adulterous relationships is not pleasing to Me. This sin is against her own body and Me. Leave this lifestyle and turn back to Me", then do it promptly. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, 7:1-2) Do it immediately when the Lord says, "Share the love of Christ and tell this thirsty soul about the life giving water of Jesus Christ. Tell them that they will thirst no more if they will drink from the Living Water, but if they continue down this destructive path they will surely die in their sin."

Do not hesitate trust the Lord. We can be sure that whoever brings a sinner back will have saved that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. (James 5:19-20)An open rebuke is better than hidden love! (Proverbs 27:5) Love will move you to point out a person’s failings because you know the consequences. Your love for them will want to see them living in the light. The rebuke will benefit the recipient, whether they seem to have received it or not. Our job as watchmen is to sound the alarm. It’s up to them if they heed the warning or not. (Ezekiel 33:4-5)

May our Lord help us to watch out for one another. May we be obedient and go at once when prompted by the Spirit to speak the truth in love. Give us eyes to see when we and others are under attack. Help us to sound the alarm with all the Love that you have put in our hearts for the truth of God’s Word. Help us to do your will even if that means being rejected or persecuted. In Jesus name..Amen.

Journaling Your Journey With Christ

As you can see the last two postings are from the archives. As many of you know I have been really busy lately. I have not been able to write as frequently for Consecrated to Him. I have been praying about it and I have asked the Lord to help me restructure my schedule where I can get back to sharing and teaching here. Writing on this blog has helped me to grow tremendously. Many times what I share on Consecrated to Him are things that the Lord is taking me through and teaching me personally through my study with the Holy Spirit. Other times He gives me a Word for some of the Consecrated To Him readers. Whatever the situation I have found this blog to be a personal journey for me.

The Lord reminded me to do postings from the archives while I try to implement my new schedule and finish up some projects. I agreed because I love going through the archives to see what the Lord has been saying through Consecrated to Him. So I went to the articles listed by title page. The first two postings I felt lead to revisit I believe were postings that the Lord wanted specific readers to see that are still struggling in those areas. I don’t know who they are but I know that I felt lead to share those postings again. May the Lord give you a heart to receive His Word and not reject His correction.

I prayed and said Lord lead me to the right articles for ME to read. I wanted to know what the Lord wanted to show me. The third posting was exactly what I needed to hear. The next one encouraged me even more. Then on to the next title and again I saw another title that caught my attention. Once I read it I began to realize that the Holy Spirit was truly leading me through each article. By the time I was done scheduling the postings I was filled with emotion because I knew that our Lord cares so much about my need for affirmation from Him that He is willing to quickly give it to me. He confirmed what He has already said to me. He stuck by His Word and once again reminded me that this is nothing, He has already spoken it to me. How could I forget? Thank God I was lead to write these postings.

It was at that moment that I truly began to realize how important it is to journal. Consecrated to Him is very much like a journal to me. I can look back and see what the Lord was teaching me during different seasons in my life. I see His faithfulness and His compassion towards me and others. I see His consistent love. I even see his correction and rebuke, but for some reason it brings me comfort. Maybe because I know that He corrects me because He loves me.

I have private journals also. This is where I write my prayers, complaints, petitions, poems, concerns, notes from private bible studies with the Holy Spirit, and even written worship is there. My journals have become ministry tools of God. He uses them to show me that He has been with me all along. It’s amazing to see the changes that He has taken me through or too see my prayers answered in writing. I love it! I love Him for putting it on my heart to journal.

I want to encourage you to get a note book and start journaling your prayers, studies, and whatever else the Lord lays on your heart to write. You will see how the Holy Spirit will speak to you and your spirit will be encouraged and your faith in the Lord will increase.

Your journal will be a record of:

• How the Lord has instructed you. You will be recording His Words for your life. (Exodus 24:4)
• The history of Jesus Christ in your life, your own accounts and revelations, testimonies, stories of deliverance in your own words inspired by God. (Luke 1:23)
• Dictation from the Lord. Don’t think that for a minute that the Lord won’t speak a Word to you and through you. He will use anyone who is willing to be used by Him. It doesn’t matter if you are a trained prophet or not. Just be prepared to write whatever He dictates to you. (Amos 7:14-15, Jeremiah 36:2, 27, 28)
• Your God given visions of the future things that He has called you to do. Written plainly for you to see and remember to help you stay on track. (Habakkuk 2:2-3)
• Songs and poems expressing your deepest emotions both in good times and bad. Words of encouragement and praise to our Lord. (All the Psalms)

I challenge you to do this faithfully and you will see how the Word of God will rise up in you when you sit down to write. It will be amazing! Your journal will become a treasure full of wisdom from God. Don’t hesitate start journaling your journey with Christ right away!