I Want To Do What Is Right, But I Can’t

“And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.” Romans 7:18-21

Recently a sister wrote into to WeUsed2bu.com who was born again about a year ago. Her concern was that she did not feel like a new creation because she was still having a lot struggles with sin. She said that like Paul in Romans chapter seven, she wants to do right but can’t seem to. She keeps doing what she does not want to do. I am sure that we can all relate to what this sister is going through because all though we are saved we still battle the sin nature that lives in us. So I wanted to take some time and share what the Lord has laid on my heart about this. More importantly I want to share what His Word says about our struggle with sin and how to overcome it.

Let me begin by first addressing the first part of this sisters comment, “not feeling like a new creation”. She is referring to 2 Corinthians 5:17 which says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.” I believe to get a better understanding of this verse we need to go back up a couple verses to 14 & 15.

“Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.”

When we believe in Jesus we are born again in our spirit man, but our mind doesn’t automatically become new. We still have to go through a process of dying to our old life. We have to CHOOSE to no longer live for our own selfish desires and sinful nature. We have to CHOOSE instead to live for Christ Jesus who died for us.

“Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you CHOOSE to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can CHOOSE to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey his teachings we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.” (Romans 6:16-18)

We have a choice to submit to our sinful desires or to submit and obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is in our obedience to the Word that we find freedom from our slavery to sin. It is our love for Him that moves us to give up our old life and selfish ways to follow Him and live a new life in Christ. I am reminded of when our Lord said to His disciples,

“If any of you wants to be My follower, you MUST turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.” (Matthew 16:24-25)

Set Free? Only As Completely As The Word Is Applied

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. 35 A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. 37 Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there’s no room in your hearts for my message. 38 I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father.” John 8:34-38

Yesterday day I started this new bible study with the women in the work release center where I do studies and it referred to these verses above. I just want to share with you this one paragraph from the study.

We’ve heard and gained hope from this verse: “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Why, then, do many of us-even though we know the truth-not walk in the freedom that is available to us? Later in the passage, Jesus tells us why: “I know that ye are Abraham’s seed [those entrusted with God’s Word]; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you” (John 8:38, italics added). When we know the truth (His Word), but it has no place in us, we are not set free by it. We must apply the truth to our lives, taking it into ourselves. We’ll be set free only as completely as the truth is applied in our lives. (Exert from Uprooting Anger- by Kay W. Camenisch)

These verses and this paragraph above ministered to my heart deeply because of certain struggles that I am seeing other believers go through, as well as myself. These verses remind me that no matter what we are facing, no matter what our struggle or vices are as children of God we have been set free. We are no longer slaves to sin or our old sin nature. However, many of us have not allowed the Word of God to truly have a place in our heart regarding whatever that struggle or hindrance is. Therefore we can not experience the freedom from that bondage because we have not applied the Word of God to our situation. So we continue to be dominated or enslaved by it.

What I find awesome about serving Christ and overcoming the battle against my fleshly sin nature and the battle in my mind is that I do not have to do it on my own and neither do you. God is working in us, giving us the desire AND the power to do what pleases Him. He equips us with everything we need to do His will and produces in us everything good that is pleasing to Him through the power of Christ Jesus. Our heavenly Father is faithful! He will not ever allow the temptations and struggles in our life to be more than we can stand. When we are tempted, He WILL show us a way out so that we can endure through the power of the Holy Spirit and the application of the truth of God’s Word in our life. The choice is ours daily, to abide in Christ or to go it alone. (Philippians 2:13, Hebrews 13:21, 1 Corinthians 10:13)

As I sat preparing and studying for lasts night’s study with my sister in the Lord and dear friend she said, “As we go over this I am reminded again that Christianity is a choice.” She’s right! Our daily Christian walk is a choice to walk on the narrow road that leads to life and freedom or on the broad road that leads to bondage, destruction, and death. Will we serve our selfish and sinful desires or will we chose to be doers of the Word, applying the truth of God’s Word to every area of our lives? Every area? Yes...especially the ones that we want to keep control of. We have to choose to allow God’s Word to have dominion in our hearts and life.

We are foolish if we ignore the Holy Spirit when He ministers to us about specific concerns that He has about our lives. He will gently, patiently, and lovingly prompt us to change or leave something behind that will hinder our walk and chip away at our testimony. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to set us free. The Word of God was given to us as a gift from God to help teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepares and equip His people to do every good work. However, it’s not enough for us to know the Word or hear the Word, we MUST DO whatever the Word says if we are going to live our life more abundantly here and now. (2 Timothy 3:16)

James 1: 22-25 “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”

My prayer for us…

Lord, as we draw closer to you through reading your Word and prayer help us to not just read or listen but to apply the truth of Your Word to our lives. We want to live free from anything that will prevent our light from shining bright for You. Let us always remember that we can do nothing of fruitful eternal value apart from the Word of God. We need you now more than ever in this world full of sin and evil. Thank you for your power and grace which is sufficient to help us in our time of need. We will run to you daily not just in our times of crisis. In Jesus name…Amen

What's Holding You Back?

Last night I attended our Out of the Miry Clay monthly support group meeting. Out of the Miry Clay is a ministry formed by ex-offenders for ex-offenders. The ministry’s vision is to provide a place of refuge and accountability for ex-offenders. We are meeting, mentoring, and encouraging one another that we can overcome our battles by faith and hope in Christ Jesus.

Last night’s topic was ‘What’s holding you back?’ As I listened to some of the others share I truly asked God to help me see what has been holding me back or hindering my walk. Then I realized that lately I have been attacked with fear. Fear has tried to creep in and hinder my progress. I shared that the fear has been affecting me the way the wind affects me when I am running in the morning. When we are jogging and we turn onto a new block often times the wind is pushing against us. It slows me down me for a second but then I find that I just have to press forward harder. It’s like that when fear attacks me. The fear slows me down for a second mentally and emotionally, but I know that I have the power of Christ that is more powerful so I learn to do it afraid.

I sat back and listened as our wise mentors of the group lovingly gave their godly counsel. I humbly received their wods of encouragement and edification. I will treasure them and remember them, but most of all I will apply the counsel received to my walk with Christ. I do not want anything to hinder me from fulfilling the visions that our Lord has given me.

Through attending this support group, which of course I thought I did not need, I realized that if we are going to accomplish what our Lord has planned for us we have to constantly evaluate ourselves. That is the only way that we can truly progress in our Christian walk. If we try to pretend that nothing is wrong with us and that we have arrived then we are only lying to ourselves. If we ignore our shortcomings, temptations, or fears these will most certainly become the hindrances that cause us to stumble and more than likely cause us to become entangled in sin again. So we must keep it real with ourselves.

“Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles”– Hebrew 12:1

Today I want to encourage you to honestly ask yourself ‘What’s holding you back?’ Better yet, ask the Holy Spirit. Heed the Holy Spirit and throw off that hindrance. Is it your attitude, fear, hidden or unconfessed sin, lust, sexual immorality, denial, feelings of unworthiness, pride, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, or doubt? What ever it is don’t allow yourself to try to carry these burdens on your own. Go to a strong believer and follower of Christ that you can trust and confess this hindrance. Ask them to pray with you and help keep you accountable to overcoming this issue. Be prepared to receive their words of encouragement, concern, and instruction.

Most importantly confess your need for help to the Lord. I believe that when we confess our hindrances or sins to the Lord that He not only forgives us but He gives us an increase of power and determination, through the Holy Spirit to overcome our battles with these shortcomings. He promised that He would continue the good work that He started in us; therefore He will not abandon us to deal with these things on our own. But first we must start by taking a look at ourselves and making an honest evaluation of whether we are in complete surrender and obedience to the will of God. Keep it real..

Lord please show us anything in us that is hindering our walk with Christ and affecting our testimony. We long to be hindrance free. We do not want to be entangled in any sin. Help us Lord. If there is anything hidden in our hearts shine the light of Your Word on it and let us not deny the Truth. Help us to confess our sins to not only to You but to someone we know that loves You and loves us too. We want to godly counsel and true constructive criticism. We receive correction and instruction with a wiliness to change. Thank You for loving us so much and changing us daily. In Jesus name I pray..amen.

Do Not Let Sin Control You

“Do not let sin control your puny bodies any longer; do not give in to its sinful desires. Do not let any part of your bodies become tools of wickedness, to be used for sinning; but give yourselves completely to God-every part of you-for you are back from death and you want to be tools in the hands of God, to be used for his good purposes.” Romans 6:12-13

A couple of postings back I wrote on how our Lord gives us 'Do Overs'‘ when we mess up and sin. I feel the need to follow up that posting by clarifying that all though we know that our Lord Jesus is merciful, quick to forgive us, and gives us ‘Do Overs’ when we sin, that does not mean that we are to take advantage of that. His kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. We are Christians saved to be living testimonies for the world to see Christ. We are the walking Gospel. Our lives will either be an encouragement and inspiration to others, drawing them to Christ or our lives will be a hindrance to others faith and could possibly be the reason why they stumble and fall away.

We must stay away from sin. We are not to make plans to sin doing things that we know are unpleasing to our Lord. We are called to live holy and pure lives. This is not an impossible request from our Lord. He would never ask us do something that He has not empowered us to do. It is by His power, the power of the Holy Spirit that we can resist the temptation to sin. It is by reading and hearing the Word of God that our minds are renewed and our desires are changed. When we are constantly in the Word we will desire to please our Lord instead of gratifying our own sinful desires. The secret is staying close to the Lord, being in the Word of God consistently because our Lord promises that if we keep looking steadily into His Word that we will not only remember it but we will do what it says, and God will greatly bless us in everything that we do. (1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1:25)

But those who keep on sinning are against God, for every sin is done against the will of God. So if we stay close to him, obedient to him, we won’t be sinning either; but as for those who keep on sinning, they should realize this: They sin because they have never really known him or become his. Oh, dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: if you are constantly doing what is good, it is because you are good, even as he is. But if you keep on sinning, it shows that you belong to Satan, who since he first began to sin has kept steadily at it. But the Son of God came to destroy these works of the devil. The person who has been born into God’s family does not make a practice of sinning. Because now God’s life is in him; so he can’t keep on sinning, for this new life has been born into him and controls him, he has been born again. (1 John 3:4, 6-9, 1 John 5:18)

There should never be an area of our lives that is reserved and devoted to sinful practices. We are to give ourselves completely to God. Instead of being defensive and self excusing, we must acknowledge our sins and renounce them. We should continually look at all areas of our lives asking our Lord to reveal to us anything in us that is unpleasing to Him. By not exempting any part of our life from continuous self-scrutiny I believe the Holy Spirit will show us any hidden sin that hinders us and may even be a stumbling block to others around us.

Just as you used to be slaves to all kinds of sin, so now you must let yourselves be slaves to all that is right and holy. You choose your master. You can choose sin (with death) or else obedience (with acquittal). The one to whom you offer yourself-he will take you and be your master and you will be his slave. (Romans 6)

Holy Spirit search us through and through. Show us any unconfessed sin that we need to renounce. We long to be slaves of righteousness. We do not want to be slaves to sin. Thank you for the power to resist temptation and sin. May our lives bring you glory and draw others to your Son, in Jesus name. Amen..

Read the posting "Do Over!" now

"Do Over!"

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23

Recently I have been thinking about how many believers allow themselves to be tormented by feelings of guilt and condemnation when they sin and fall short of our God’s glorious standard. They get so down on their selves when they realize that they are still susceptible to sin. We must remember that we are going to make mistakes as long as we are here in these sinful bodies living in this world full of sin and temptation.

Satan and his demonic forces are determined to keep us bogged down under feelings of condemnation and guilt when we sin. These forces immediately try to attack our minds with negatives thoughts like..

“Do you think God is really going to keep forgiving you when you’re always messing up.”

“Real Christians would never say or do that. You’re not a real Christian.”

“See you’re not good enough, smart enough, or know enough for God to use you. You can’t even stop sinning.”

I seriously doubt that I am the only one that enemy attacks with thoughts like the ones above. I know this because the Word of God says that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. (Revelation 12:10) These accusing thoughts and words are straight from the pits of hell. The Accuser wants us to have a “woe is me” attitude and give up. He knows that if we are busy beating ourselves up, feeling guilty, condemned, and unworthy we will not want to enter God’s presence to receive His forgiveness, mercy, and grace when we need it most. We will be bound by these emotions, unable to be used by our Lord.

Instead of sitting and meditating on our mistakes and our shortcomings we need to remember what 1 John 2: 1-2 says.

“My little children, I am telling you this so that you will stay away from sin. But if you sin, there is someone to plead for you before the Father. His name is Jesus Christ, the one who is all that is good and who pleases God completely.”

You see our Heavenly Father knows that we are not perfect and that we will sin, so He has given us Jesus Christ to be our Advocate. So we can go boldly before the throne to ask forgiveness and healing. Our joy and peace will be restored because we know that all is well between us and our God.

I remember when we were kids we used to love playing kickball. For those of you that don’t know kickball, it is a mixture of baseball and dodge ball, only the ball is much bigger and softer and you kick the ball. When the pitcher rolls the ball if you miss it or kicked a foul everyone would yell “BALL!” or “FOUL!”, “DO OVER!” You then were given another try, a ‘Do Over’ to kick the ball as far as you could.

That is how it is when we fall short of God’s glorious standard and sin. As followers of Christ Jesus we are trying to live each day pleasing to God, avoiding sin, but sometimes we just miss it and mess up. But if we confess our sin and repent He is faithful to let us try again. So rebuke those negative thoughts and reject that “woe is me” attitude and remember that our Advocate, Jesus Christ gives us ‘Do Overs’. Thank God for that!

p.s.

I suggest also reading Don't Let Sin Control You

Let It Roll Off Your Back

" An angry person starts fights; a hot-tempered person commits all types of sins.” Proverbs 29:22

I used to be full of anger, easily offended, and constantly fighting. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the renewing of my mind with the Word of God over the years, I have conquered anger issues that used to control my moods and emotions. However, I find myself still getting bent out of shape over situations that I just can’t change or people who don’t change. Although I do not react the way I used to, I hate that I still get so angry.

Let me clarify, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I am not a time bomb waiting to go off. For the most part I am a pretty chill and easy going person. I’m the first to make excuses for others offenses, trying to see the best in them, and trying to see their point of view. I am also very long suffering and patient. I really don’t care if I am talked about or persecuted because I know that my Lord was too, so I don’t take it personal.

However, recently the enemy has attacked me where it hurts the most, with my family. I see my children facing situations that they don’t deserve. I see my loved ones being tempted and persecuted. My first reaction is anger. Then there is an internal battle between my old nature and my new nature. They war within me each wanting to resolve the situation in their own way. I wish I could say that all the time the new nature wins, but that would be a lie. Sometimes I quickly retort with words of anger, without even thinking.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” James 1:19-20

I have learned by experience that if I am lead by the emotion of anger I will only make matters worse. Instead of acting out foolishly I have learned and am still learning to give the situation to the Lord and I trust Him to have His way.

Through tears I pray for God’s mercy and grace. Then I sit back and I pray for those that hurt me or those I love. My prayer is always for God to have mercy on them, to help them, and draw them to Jesus. He gives me the power and the willingness to want to forgive them. Then I am full of peace as I trust Him to work it out for our good and for His glory. It is always so amazing to me that He turns my anger into sorrow and compassion for our offender. I KNOW that is a God thing for sure.

Anger is a natural emotion. We will get angry sometimes, but what matters is that when we are angry that we do not sin and that we do not go to bed with that anger still lurking inside of us.

“Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil.” Ephesians 4:26-27

Recently my pastor taught on anger. The two things that still stand out in my mind that he said are, “Don’t be angry about the things you can’t change. You’re angry for no reason. And don’t get angry about the things you CAN change.”

When I heard him say this I chuckled to myself because is just makes so much sense to me. It’s so simple and yet so profound. It was an on time Word that I needed to hear. I am determined to apply these words of wisdom to my own life and would encourage you to do the same. We will avoid so much unnecessary drama if we do not react in anger but instead we learn to let things roll right off our backs.

Harboring anger will only lead to malice, wrath, bitterness, clamor, slander, resentment, and unforgivness. It will have a huge snowball affect in our lives and will hinder our relationship with God and others. If we sit and really think about it, it’s silly and pointless to get angry about things that we can’t change because what’s done is done. You can’t change it and getting angry isn’t going to help the situation. Getting angry will usually make the situation worse. We may say things that we don’t mean or we may do something that can’t be undone. Dealing with our problems in anger most certainly will have regrettable repercussions.


However, in some situations we have the power to change the problem. Rather than getting angry and adding to the problem we can make a difference and seek change. Instead of anger being our guiding emotion let us be inspired by the Holy Spirit and full of determination to transform our problems.

Anger is pointless. Let it roll of your back and don’t allow anything to steal your joy and peace.

Slavery To The Deadly Lower Nature

“I know that I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned.” (Romans 7:25)

“I love to do God’s will so far as my new nature is concerned; but there is something else deep within me, in my lower nature, that is at war with my mind and wins the fight and makes me slave to the sin that is still within me. In my mind I want to be God’s willing servant but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin.” (Romans 7:22-25)

“Now if I am doing what I don’t want to, it is plain where the trouble is; sin still has me in its evil grasp.” (Romans 7:20)

“My new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament I’m in! Who will free me from my slavery to the deadly lower nature? Thank God! It has been done by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set me free.” (Romans 7:25)

I am quite sure that I am not the only one that can relate to Paul’s words regarding the struggle within. I have to battle daily with the old Lisa that was enslaved to sin who loved to gratify the lust of the flesh. She still lives in me and wants to lead me away from everything that is good, away from God. That sinful nature makes me want to react to certain situtions or people the wrong way. I am not that old person any more who was full of anger, nasty, bitter, spiteful, selfish, and vengeful. That person was being lead around by a hook in her mouth, enslaved to sin. I don’t ever want to be her again.

Although we are new creations in Christ Jesus we still live in these sinful bodies with our old nature that is still inside of us who loves to sin. It battles with the new nature that lives inside of us that desires to please God. Paul says it is a terrible predicament and I agree. However he goes on to say the best part, that we have been freed from our slavery to the lower nature by Jesus Christ our Lord. He has set us free. It has been done! We don’t have to be slaves any more to the old us and its desires. We have the power through the Holy Spirit to put our lower nature in its place.

“So, dear brothers and sister, we have no obligations whatever to our old sinful nature to do what it begs us to do. For if you keep on following it you are lost and will perish, but if through the power of the Holy Spirit you crush it and its evil deeds, you shall live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (Romans 8:12-14)

I want to walk in love all the time, control my tongue, be kind, patient, and not gratify my lusts. My desire is to please and obey God. There are times when I fall short that I get so discouraged, full of shame, and guilt. If I begin to meditate on my failures, mess ups, and sins I want to give up. I forget that the battle has been won. However we can not give up when we fall down.

“But if we confess our sins to Him, He can be depended on to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong. And it is perfectly proper for God to do this for us because Christ died to wash away our sins.” 1 John 1:9

As I am writing this the song “We Fall Down” starts playing and I am hearing the chorus in the background saying “A saint is just a sinner that falls down and then gets up.” That is so true! As children of the Most High God when we fall we must we get up. We can not allow condemnation, shame, and feelings of unworthiness to rule over us. They will keep us from entering God’s prescience to seek His forgiveness, mercy, and grace when we need it most. No..we have to be quick to confess our sin and repent so that we may be forgiven. God will not reject a broken spirit that is full of remorse and penitence. A broken and contrite heart God will not ignore. When we accept God’s forgiveness He can heal us. Then we can grow becoming stronger in our faith. (Psalm 51:17)

Let us remember that there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed us from the vicious circle of sin and death. We can obey God if we follow the Holy Spirit and no longer obey the old nature within us. We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus and it is in Him that we are made strong. (Romans 8:1-2 & 4)

From the Archives: Temptation-Our Daily Battle

Temptation is something that we will battle everyday of our lives. The enemy is constantly using bait such as physical desires, possessions, power, and pride to lure us into disobedience. He knows that our spirit is willing but our body is weak. The enemy knows that sin leads to death so he will be determined to deceive us and get us to disobey God. But if we resist the devil he will flee from us. (James 4:7) But how do we do that?

Jesus set the example for us when we he was tempted in the wilderness by satan. (Matt. 4:1-11) Christ defeated the enemy by responding with the truth of God’s Word. Every time satan spoke to Jesus our Lord responded saying “It is written”. This is the same as saying the "Word of God says". We need to know what the Word of God says in order to withstand the attack of the enemy. He knows what the Word says also and he will try to manipulate it and twist it so that we are confused and unsure. It is in spending time with God in prayer and in studying the bible that we will be equipped and alert ready to defeat temptation.

Jesus is also there to help us when we are being tempted. He knows what we go through and how we are tempted because he was tempted too, although he never sinned. So we can go to God and receive mercy and grace to help us in our times of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16) The temptations in our lives are no different from what others experience. God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than we can stand. When we are tempted, he will show us a way out so that we can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

God has given us common sense so let us properly evaluate our situations and avoid temptation. Recognize what people or situations cause us temptation and stay away so that we do not stumble. We need to run from anything that gives us evil thoughts and stay close to anything that makes us want to do right. It is good to enjoy the companionships of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts. These are the types of friends that we can trust to help keep us accountable and encourage us not to sin. (2 Timothy 2:22)

Remember that the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us is more powerful than anything in this world and you can defeat temptation because you are no longer a slave to sin. Walk in the wisdom that comes from knowing the Word of God and you will truly begin to comprehend and experience that the Word is truly sharper than any doubled-edged sword. You CAN win this daily battle against temptation in Jesus name! Amen..

Is It Right In God's Eyes or Your Eyes?

My spirit is grieved within me. All day yesterday I kept hearing the Lord saying to me “In the end day’s people will do what they think is right in their own eyes.” I searched the Word until I found Judges 17:6 which says, “For in those days Israel had no king, so everyone did whatever he wanted to-whatever seemed right in his own eyes.”

God’s people did not care about their God and his standards for living. They had an attitude of doing whatever they wanted, not what God wanted for them. They had His laws and His directions but they still wanted to have their own way disregarding His Word. This sounds so familiar to the attitude that infuses our culture today. This mind-set does not just permeate the world but has also leaked into the church.

There are believers doing what they think is best for themselves, compromising God’s Word, ignoring what the Word (Jesus) says and hardening their hearts to the Truth. Have we forgotten that we are to be Christ like desiring God’s will for our life and not our own? Lord please have mercy on us.

We must be careful to not become like the children of Israel who constantly hardened their hearts against God and His will for their life. They did not believe Him, did not trust Him, and complained against Him. That generation of unbelieving, disobedient and rebellious people sealed their own fate and did not enter into the Promised Land.

“But,” God says, “I was very angry with them, for their hearts were always looking somewhere else instead of up to me, and they never found the paths I wanted them to follow.” Hebrews 3:10

“Beware then of your own hearts, dear brothers, lest you find that they, too, are evil and unbelieving and are leading you away from the living God. Speak to each other about these things every day while there is still time, so that none of you will become hardened against God, being blinded by the glamour of sin. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as we did when we first became Christians, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.

But now is the time. Never forget this warning, “Today if you hear God’s voice speaking to you, do not harden your hearts against him..” Hebrews 3:12-15

The children of Israel had no king but we have the King of Kings, Jesus Christ. He is the Word of God. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the standard that we as Christians are to follow. Our conduct and our opinions should be based on the Word of God. We can not allow ourselves to be conformed to this world, society’s attitudes, and ways of doing things. We are children of light and we must let our light shine for all to see by living the Word of God and standing for truth at all times. There is no room for compromise. These are perilous times. Everything we say and do counts.

“The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right. It is God’s way of making us well prepared at every point, fully equipped to do good to everyone.” 2 Timothy 3:16

The Word of God must be our standard for living and making all decisions in our lives because His Word stands firm like a great rock, and nothing can shake it. His Word must be our guide not our own selfish desires or our own way of thinking. The Word (Jesus) is the only way. When making decisions we should ask ourselves is this right in God's eyes? Then see if it lines up with the Word of God.

Lord help us to stay on the narrow road. Gives us courage and faith to stand for truth. Let us not follow our own agenda or man’s agenda, but let us follow you. Our faith is in You alone..In Jesus name.. Amen.

The Old Me

I know I said I wasn't going to write this week, but I just have to share this..

Saturday night was movie date night. We went on a triple date with my brother in law and his wife, and one of our best friends and his date. We arrived at the mall where the movie was playing more than an hour early. The plaza was full of teenagers. I thought to myself this is the perfect place to hand out WeUsed2bu cards. I quickly pulled out about twenty cards that I had in my bag and immediately headed toward the first group of girls that I spotted.

I walked up all happy and said, “Hey girls check out our site! Visit out MySpace.” The first girl I handed the card to read it and said, “O this Christian ****! **** this!” She crumbled the card. I seriously thought she was going to throw it at my face. There was a young boy near by taunting and also making rude comments. I became so bothered. I immediately felt my old nature rise up inside of me. The old me tried to resurrect herself. I wanted to retaliate so badly! I managed to maintain my composure while I passed out the rest of the cards.

I walked back to our group so shocked, not only by the way the girls reacted but by how I internally reacted. The love that I felt when I walked up to them was overcome now by emotions of anger, rejection, hurt, confusion, disappointment, and nervousness. What happened to me? Here I am giving them cards that say WeUsed2bu; however what used to be me wanted to present its self all over again. Although I did not retaliate I wanted to. I hated that feeling. I felt guilty and ashamed within myself. This was a reality check for me that the old me will try to come back any time if I allow it to. I have to be careful of it.

We must never let our guard down because our enemies are real, the devil and our old sin nature. The enemy will try to set traps along the way to trip us up. He provokes the war within us between our old sinful nature and our new nature Christ gave us. If given the opportunity he knows that our old sinful nature will rise up and attempt to enslave us all over again. When we give in to our old nature we can make a mess of everything that God is trying to do in our lives. I do not need any unnecessary set backs because of lack of self control and submission to the Spirit of Love.

Thank God for the Holy Spirit who reminds us that we are new creations in Christ Jesus, the old has gone, and the new has come. We are no longer slaves to sin or our old sin nature. Therefore we don’t have to surrender to those sinful desires. We are living a brand new kind of life that is continually learning more and more what is right, and trying constantly to be more and more like Christ who created this new life within us. Through the power of Christ we can live and act in a way worthy of those called to such blessings. (Romans 6, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 3:10)

I thank God for giving me strength in my moment of weakness. It was truly by His power that I did not act out in foolishness. To God be the glory.

Lord, thank you for power to help us overcome our old sinful nature and desires. Without You we are weak and small. You make us strong and powerful. We are glad to be slaves of righteousness. May our lives always bring your glory. In Jesus name..Amen.

God's Discipline

Those of us who have children know and understand that when we give our children instruction and direction we expect them to be obedient. We try to be good leaders and guide them along the right path for their life and hope that they make the right decisions. We warn them of danger because we know the consequences that await them. There will be times when our children are disobedient or make the wrong choices. Sometimes we are merciful and lenient when disciplining them. Then there are other times where the offense requires a more serious punishment. Either way we know that as parents, if we love our children, then we will not spare the rod of discipline. We must be diligent to discipline and punish them while they are young for their own good. (Proverbs 13:24)

Almighty God is our Heavenly Father who lovingly leads and guides us down the right path for our lives. He has given us His Word which gives us direction and instruction on how to live successful Christian lives and bring glory to His name. His Word teaches us about His grace and mercy. We have seen for ourselves how truly awesome, loving, merciful, and forgiving our Heavenly Father is. We know that He is patient and slow to anger. However, we must not forget or be ignorant to the truth that God will discipline us if we are repeatedly disobedient to His Word.

“My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when He corrects you. For the Lord corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)

“Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.” (Deuteronomy 8:5)

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5-11)

God’s Word is not to be taken lightly. We are not only to meditate on how merciful and forgiving our Lord is, but we must think about how sovereign and holy He is. We must have a reverential fear for God and obey his commands. We are called to be holy in all that we do.

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written; ‘Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

Lord, we long to please you. Please forgive us if we have been ignoring your Word. Create in us a clean heart. We know that you discipline us because you love us and want to keep us on the narrow road. Thank you forgiving us. Thank you for your mercy and grace. In Jesus name..Amen.

Do You Love God?

Jesus said, “If you [really] love Me, you will (obey) My commands.” (John 14:15) I believe that many people have been deceived by the enemy of our souls into thinking that because we sin we are incapable of truly obeying God. That is a lie! God is at work in us helping us to want to obey Him, and then helping us to do what He wants. Every child of God can obey him, defeating sin and evil pleasure by trusting Christ to help them. The only true way to fight and win is by believing that Jesus is truly the Son of God! He knows that we need His help and so He has equipped us with everything we need to fulfill this calling to obedience. (Philippians 2:12-13, 1 John 5:4-5)

He has equipped us by giving us:

 His Word which renews our minds and transforms us into new people by changing the way we think. It is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are in error and teaches us to do what is right. (Romans 12:2, 2 Timothy 3:16)
 His Holy Spirit to instruct, teach, reveal, comfort, counsel, and guide us. He will intercede and assist in prayer, convict of sin, give us power and boldness, empower us to have victory over the flesh, and remind us of everything that the Lord has told us.
(Nehemiah 9:20, Job 32:8, Luke 12:12, 1 Corinthians 2:10, 1 John 2:27, John 16:13, Acts 11:12; 16:6-7; 20:22-23, Romans, 8:13-14, Galatians 5:16-18, Romans 8:26-27, Ephesians 2:18, Jude 1:20, John 15:26, 16:17, Acts 9:31, John 16:8-11, Acts 1:8, Acts 4:31, Ephesians 3:16, Romans 8:4, Galatians 5:25, John 14:26)
 A way out of temptation. He promised to never allow temptation to be more than we can stand. When we are tempted, he will show us a way out so that we can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

As long as we are in this fallen earth we will always battle the temptation to sin and yes there will be times where we will sin. However, as servants of Christ we are not to make a practice of sinning or make plans to sin because now God’s life is in us. We are called to be an example to others. So we can’t keep sinning, for this new life has been born into us and controls us. We have been born again. (1 John 3:9, 5:18) The truth is that we can obey Our Lord because we are no longer slaves to sin. We don’t have to give into sin! There is not condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because we belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed us from the power of sin that leads to death. (Romans 8:1-2)

Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to sin and death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.” (Romans 8:5-8) The more we do what God tells us to the more we will learn to really love God.

Holy Spirit, help us daily to be obedient to our Savior. Remind us that we are equipped with your power and your Word to overcome sin and the attacks of the enemy. We long to love the Lord with all of our hearts, mind, and soul. Help us Lord! In Jesus name..Amen!

"I Will Not Be Mocked"

With much heaviness and concern I write this posting to the believer who claims to love the Lord but continues to go back to the pig pen. (Luke 15:11-32)

The Lord says, “If you love me you will obey me. My kindness was meant to lead you to repentance. I delivered you from your old ways so that you could live free from the bondage that you were in. Why do continue to visit Egypt. Don’t you see that there is nothing there for you any more? You are my child. You bear my name, but you don’t understand that yet. I see everything..there is no place that you can go that can hide you from my love. I will not allow you to be plucked out of my hand because you are mine and I love you. My mercy and kindness endure forever. I am loving and forgiving, but you must remember that I am a Just God and I will not be mocked! You can not continue to sin because you know that I will forgive you. Your sin will bring you shame and judgment. Serve me with your whole heart so that I can use you to spread the Gospel. Surrender completely and your whole household will be saved! I am coming soon. Do not be deceived by those who say that it is not so. I will return for my children soon! Listen to the Words of my Son..

“Blessings on you if I return and find you faithfully doing your work. I will put such faithful ones in charge of everything I own! But if you are evil and say to yourself, ‘My Lord won’t be coming for a while,’ and begin oppressing your fellow servants, partying and getting drunk, your Lord will arrive unannounced and unexpected, and severely whip you and send you off to the judgment of the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 24:46-50)

Brothers and Sister these are the end days. We are called to be diligent servants of the Lord. I am pleading with you take these words seriously. Happy and fortunate is the man who God reproves; so do not despise or reject the correction of the Almighty. (Job 5:17)

Lord please help us to be obedient to your Word. Teach us to reverence you. Please forgive us for our sins. Change and mold us to be vessels of honor that you can use to be win souls for your kingdom. In Jesus name.. Amen!

Temptation - Our Daily Battle

Temptation is something that we will battle everyday of our lives. The enemy is constantly using bait such as physical desires, possessions, power, and pride to lure us into disobedience. He knows that our spirit is willing but our body is weak. The enemy knows that sin leads to death so he will be determined to deceive us and get us to disobey God. But if we resist the devil he will flee from us. (James 4:7) But how do we do that?

Jesus set the example for us when we he was tempted in the wilderness by satan. (Matt. 4:1-11) Christ defeated the enemy by responding with the truth of God’s Word. Every time satan spoke to Jesus our Lord responded saying “It is written”. This is the same as saying the "Word of God says". We need to know what the Word of God says in order to withstand the attack of the enemy. He knows what the Word says also and he will try to manipulate it and twist it so that we are confused and unsure. It is in spending time with God in prayer and in studying the bible that we will be equipped and alert ready to defeat temptation.

Jesus is also there to help us when we are being tempted. He knows what we go through and how we are tempted because he was tempted too, although he never sinned. So we can go to God and receive mercy and grace to help us in our times of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16) The temptations in our lives are no different from what others experience. God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than we can stand. When we are tempted, he will show us a way out so that we can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

God has given us common sense so let us properly evaluate our situations and avoid temptation. Recognize what people or situations cause us temptation and stay away so that we do not stumble. We need to run from anything that gives us evil thoughts and stay close to anything that makes us want to do right. It is good to enjoy the companionships of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts. These are the types of friends that we can trust to help keep us accountable and encourage us not to sin. (2 Timothy 2:22)

Remember that the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us is more powerful than anything in this world and you can defeat temptation because you are no longer a slave to sin. Walk in the wisdom that comes from knowing the Word of God and you will truly begin to comprehend and experience that the Word is truly sharper than any doubled-edged sword. You CAN win this daily battle against temptation in Jesus name! Amen..

Kirk Cameron & John MacArthur on Salvation

Please take the next 10 minutes to listen to Kirk Cameron and John MacAuther on the subject of salvation.




Kirk Cameron has a ministry called Way of the Master It is an awesome ministry that teaches believers how to seek and save the lost the way Jesus did. Visit Way of The Master now to learn more on how to share your faith.

Are You A Christian?

We have so many ideas of what a Christian is suppose to be. So many people call themselves Christian but are they really? The Word tells us that we can be sure that we belong to him by looking in ourselves and asking, “Are we really trying to do what he wants us to? Those who do right are His children. 1 John 2: 4 says, Whoever says, I know Him [I perceive, recognize, understand, and am acquainted with Him] but fails to keep and obey His commandments (teachings) is a liar, and the Truth [of the Gospel] is not in him.

We have got to stay close to God so that we are obedient to him. The more you spend time with God in prayer and reading the Word you will begin to love God more and more. You will also begin to obey him. So if we stay close to him, obedient to him, we won’t be sinning either; but as for those who keep on sinning, they should realize this; they sin because they have never really known him or become his. (1 John 3:6)

Being a Christian and loving God means doing what he tells us to do. This is not really that hard because He has given us is Holy Spirit and faith which helps to defeat sin. He will not allow the temptation in our lives to become more powerful than we can stand. He always provides a way out, but the choice is ours. We must practice self control in our lives and resist sin.

Whoever is living a life of sin and doesn’t love his brother shows that he is not in God’s family; for the message to us from the beginning has been that we should love one another. (1 John 3:10) If a person is not loving and kind it shows that they do not really know God. We must not just say that we love one another but show it with our actions. We need to reach out to our brothers and sisters in the Lord and help them when they are in need. We need to comfort one another when we are hurting. Sometimes a person just needs us to listen. If you have more than enough financially to help someone else then don’t hold back what God has given you, bless someone else.

So let us be true Christians showing our love for God by obeying Him and loving our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let us practice being kind and loving one another because God is love.

Scripture Reference: The entire book of 1 John


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Take Responsibility

As Christians we are suppose to be different from the world. We are not supposed to act the way the world does. We are not supposed to react the way the world does when things do not go our way.

As along as we are here in this world full of sin we may fall but we must not make a practice of ignoring the Holy Spirit in us and sin because we know that God will continue to forgive us. God has called us to be holy. He never tells us to do something that He himself will not equip us to do.

Do not ignore your sin. Take responsibility for your actions. Don’t try to blame it on the devil all the time. He can only be blamed for trying to influence us. He does not control us any longer. So that your prayers will continue to be answered, learn to quickly repent and ask forgiveness from God and from those you may have hurt or offended. Constantly evaluate yourself. Ask God to examine your heart and motives. Our heavenly Father will be faithful to lovingly show us areas of immediate concern that He would like us to submit to Him.

Others are constantly looking at us and trying to determine are we really different. The way we present ourselves will either positively or negatively affect those around us who may be searching for the Truth.

What will they say when they see you Christian. Will they see the fruit of the Spirit in your life? Will they see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control? What about the ones that know the real you? Your family what fruit do they see?

May our Lord Jesus help us to walk in love and be a light in this dark world. Amen.

Galatians 5:16-23, Romans Chapters 6-8 Explains how we are free from the power of sin.

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Your temptation isn't new or different

Did you know that the wrong desires in your life aren’t anything new or different? Many others have experienced or are experiencing the same temptations in their lives. In fact the bible documented many of the lessons that the children of Israel went through so that we could read them and learn from them. They are a warning to us to not do the same things.

We should not let our guards down thinking that we are incapable of committing the same mistakes that others have made. I personally remember a time in my life where I said to myself, looking in on someone else’s life, “I would never do that”. I then found myself just months later committing that same sin. I was so foolish.

Often times we try to blame it on the devil or our flesh but NO temptation is irresistible. We are all able to adapt and adjust so that we can overcome temptation. We do not have to be overtaken by wrong desires or sin as the bible calls it. We can trust God to help overcome temptation. In fact our faithful Heavenly Father promises to keep the desires from becoming stronger than our ability to resist and endure.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “11 These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.
12If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.

Let’s remember that we are not alone in our struggles and just as God has delivered and helped others just like us, He will be faithful to bring us through our personal battles too. Our strength comes from God and we overcome thru faith in Christ Jesus. God be with you all.

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