"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." ~ Paul, 1 Cor. 10:12
How are you doing spiritually today? Got hope? Got some goals and direction from the Lord? Got a sound local church and some growing Christian friends as close buddies?
I want to encourage you to trust in God today, instead of trusting in yourself or in another.
I want to encourage you ask him for..and to look to Him for victory. The battle is His ya know.
Man, it's so much better to serve Him than any other. The Psalmist said, "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!" These words impact me. Yeah, that is how I feel inside, I would rather be a doorkeeper in God's abode than take up residence in whatever elegant or not ..that the world has to offer me. How 'bout you?
Please walk in victory and in holy fear today..yup, in Jesus. Put off the old man, and put on the new. It can be full-on worship and that's how to present a good witness to those who still have crusty scales on their eyes.
I mean walk in a tight relationship with Jesus today – He is your victory. Be confident in what God can do through you, but don't be presumptuous or self-confident at all.. like you're so skilled or gifted that you can any day of the week "pull it off" whenever you want to.
"Come thou Fount...
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander—Lord, I feel it—
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart—O take a seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above." ~ Anon
Go it ..according to God's Way. Too many have said faith instead of saving faith, goin' it according to their own way. Not good. It's just far better to do it His way in holiness, righteousness, and biblical faith, not according to your plans independently which would only lead to misery. Yup, choose to.
The Bible cautions all of us, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12). Is "falling" spiritual still a possibility for you or for me? Sure, it could happen. Don't let it.
Sow to the Spirit daily, resist the devil, deny your flesh refusing to sow to your old nature. Where God's Spirit guides you, His grace can keep you.
Being a Christian calls for dying to self, not over-loving or believing in one's self. There are times of suffering, but God will comfort and provide.
Sometimes the areas in which a believer falls... those are the very areas in which they think they are strongest in.. or couldn't fall in. Pete didn't think he could.
Think of the prophet Elijah a minute. You remember him for his great courage don't you. That was the man who marched right into king Ahab and queen Jezebel's hangout in Israel, and then told them that all rain would stop falling… except at his word. That was the man who went up against the wickedness of the prophets of Baal to contest them about which god was the the living God. He called upon the name of the Lord and a miracle happened. But this is the same guy who later on ran away ..sprinted away fast.. from a weak girl (how embarrassing is that?) and was so scared inside of this twisted lady, that he went and hid in a dark cave trembling or so. Elijah actually let a worldly female, who made one verbal threat about taking his life ..get him so down.
You who think you are strong.. you who think you are weak.. you who think you are somewhere in-between.. draw away from the crowd for a time. Do it regularly. Go be alone with the Lord daily so females and others don't scare you off. Pray and listen to God's Word, asking for His strength and wisdom. There are individuals around you perhaps who are needing you to go the distance with Christ. Eyes are on you, so please be cautious and careful.. leaning on the Lord not on your own devices or understanding. You know that when you think that you are not going to stumble or fall, that's when you are in the greatest danger of falling. But you don't have to fall. Remember Pete warming himself at the fire of the world after boasting about how loyal he would remain to Jesus Christ.. even if all the others bailed on Christ? Pride! Don't view yourself like that or brag. Don't talk trash or boast in the flesh. Smart is as smart does.
"But for the grace of God go I" I wanna think like that. "Lord Jesus, I need you today ..gobs. Set a guard at the door of my mouth so my words aren't stupid, and help me watch my heart for out of it flow the issues of life. Don't need even one idol. Hold my hand and please be glorified in and through me. I'm Yours and available. Please keep me all the way through. Don't wanna go AWOL wandering off like a mule, Lord. Too many are taking a stride from their Master's side. Fill me again with Your loyal Spirit. Thanks God." Why would I want to think of myself as being so gifted or strong or born differently from other ordinary people to the point where it could never happen? Anyone can blow it. Any of us can falter with our faith. You and I ain't Jesus. Some say you can become a God, but they're false. Elijah was a person like any other person. You are too. Personally; I need Christ as much or more today as when I first started out with Him in the Spring of 1977… while trying to get free from the whole party-lifestyle that had held me so tight.
You know...it's so popular for people in the world to tell you that your heart is good, that you are good, and guess what.. you might even be pretty moral in comparison with your neighbors who party hardy. People in the world say that you should trust in your own heart, but that's not what God says. Do you know how wicked your heart actually is? Do you know that we all ..including born again Christians.. have the propensity for doing the wrong thing? We all need Christ today! Let Him live the Christian life through you. We can't do it alone.
When we are tempted by Mr. Lu-Cifer or any of his creepy minions, our inner fleshly nature is right there saying go for it, dude. Tell your flesh to shut up. Listen to the Holy Spirit instead.
Falling is serious. Man, it could happen to any of us and that should simply motivate us to seek the Lord diligently in advance. What's your preventative medicine of sorts? We need His strength, we need to appropriate the power of His resurrection and anointing each day.
For sure, cuz you know how an unguarded strength is a double weakness. You know it's best not to trust in yourself. Deep down you do. You know that you still have a fleshly nature to deny and contend with, believer. Mortify the works of the flesh. That doesn't mean make provision for the flesh to do as it pleases. Please be cautious in your areas of vulnerability and in the other areas too. If ya lower your guard in an area of vulnerability …in an area in which you think that you are strong, then you could actually lose your victory ..and lose it so fast it could make your head swim. There's too much at stake - too much to lose. People are still deciding where they'll go and God won't make em go where it's best for em. You and I have seen it happen before with others huh. One Spiritual leader is up, and then BAM.. one bad decision and he is down. I don't want to wander away or become a spiritual shipwreck. Yes, this could be the area in which you stumble or fall - the area where you see yourself as spiritually strong. Don't let it happen.
Be a light in your dark world instead, as you say "No" to sin, "No" to your old nature, "Yes" to the Spirit and then ..."Yes" to allowing Christ to use you. Gain personal victory now, so others can learn to gain it later on. Overcome evil with good. Hey, do ya need to start a relationship with Christ? Not a prob. Now is as good a time as any.
