Jesus digs out a glowing heart inside a stone heart caused by sin.
Sin causes a world of trouble. God absolutely abhors sin. I have been one of the unfortunate ones who have continuously gotten caught up in the snare the devil has set out for me. By the time I realize that I’ve gotten caught in habitual sin, the hold becomes incredibly strong on me and God sometimes has to step in to rescue me. Fortunately, I get released from the grip of sin. Unfortunately, by the time I get released, my heart is extremely hard and resentful towards God. It’s not fair to Him that I feel like that, but I do and my feelings don’t surprise Him. It’s painful for me to even admit that it’s how I feel, but this is why He is so serious about us staying away from sin and keeping our hands clean and our hearts pure.
Hardness of heart is no joke. This is why God hates us walking in unrepentant sin. It puts a wedge in between us and God and it takes time for God to soften the heart sin has hardened. One of the quickest ways to soften it is to fast from food. It crucifies your flesh and helps Holy Spirit to remove demons that came and got access to you from continuing in sin.
Fasting is what He always seems to have me do when I get caught in the snare of the enemy from sinning against Him. Another fruitful way to soften your heart is to devote time to prayer and just making time to be with Him and letting His glory pass over you to soften your heart. Praying also in tongues helps bring your spirit man to the surface.
A woman finds solace as Jesus offers gentle support of her returning to Him.
I am not proud to say it, but I have experienced just how detrimental sin can be to our walk with God. I know that He will use my experience for good to warn others when He can trust me enough to walk in obedience. We gain God’s trust by choosing to walk in obedience to His written word and specific things He tells us to do and not to do.
I have gained and lost His trust multiple times. I feel like such an idiot for the number of times that I have risen and fallen. I have been tossed back and forth by deceitful spirits getting the best of my ignorance. Not only that, they tell me what I want to hear and sometimes my heart really knows that it’s not God, but I go ahead and do it anyway because it’s easier. Anything gained the easy way is probably a step away from God. God knows the uphill battle is hard and the downhill fall is easy.
God gave me the analogy one time as I was going down a hill, then later I went back up the same hill. He told me that it’s a lot easier to go downhill than it is to go uphill. It’s the truth in the physical realm and in the spiritual realm. Sin seems so much easier to get away with in the beginning, until it starts to consume you and God must step in and help you quit. Think about it. It’s easier to say yes to what your flesh wants over what your spirit wants, as long as you keep indulging your flesh.
But it gets easier to do what the Spirit wants than the flesh when you continue to strengthen your spirit man. It’s a battle that will go on for the rest of your life. It is always good to make sure that your spirit man gets fed over your flesh, otherwise your heart will harden towards God and you might get stuck in the trap the devil sets for you.
When you pursue Jesus and keep Him at the center of your life, things will fall into place. Your spirit will get fed and your flesh will stay crucified. You may lose some battles, but as long as your trust is in Jesus Christ and His precious blood, you can be guaranteed that you will win the war.
Jesus and a woman share a warm, peaceful hug beneath an olive tree in a rustic countryside setting.
“Look with wonder at the depth of the Father’s marvelous love that he has lavished on us! He has called us and made us his very own beloved children. The reason the world doesn’t recognize who we are is that they didn’t recognize him. Beloved, we are God’s children right now; however, it is not yet apparent what we will become. But we do know that when it is finally made visible, we will be just like him, for we will see him as he truly is. And all who focus their hope on him will always be purifying themselves, just as Jesus is pure.” 1 John 3:1-3 (TPT)
Truth is relevant. Sometimes it feels like a teeter totter, but ultimately God’s truth stands the test of time. God’s ways are not our ways and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts but when we live in Christ, we slowly and radically become like Him. We have the mind of Christ when we are walking in the Spirit and rest on the assurance that His love covers a multitude of sins: past, present and future.
With the love of God, we have assurance. The things we know, we need to drill down on. We need to really lock into the idea of what the love of God can do for us and through us. Whoever knows God, the love of God is perfected in him. Whatever we ask, He hears us. When we believe in the love of God and receive it, we change from the inside out and start to walk in a godly manner that others start to take note of.
“This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in His presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him. And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as He commanded us.” 1 John 3:19-23 (ESV)
We tend to condemn ourselves for any of the many mistakes we make. Condemn means to be legally unfit for habitation. When we walk in condemnation, we are not walking in the love of Christ. We make our problems and our sins bigger than His love and His grace and mercy. We cannot keep on walking in condemnation when we come to realize just how big the love of God is towards us. We can’t keep walking in unrepentant sin either. It gets too uncomfortable to the point we turn back from our wicked ways and turn back to Him.
“Those who have been born into God’s family do to make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.” 1 John 3:9 (NLT)
Jesus comforts a young man discarding pills into a trash can
When we fellowship with God and other believers, we are comforted and our hearts feel lighter because we’re accepted by God and by other people. We are made for significance. We are made to reign and have dominion. Our significance gets out of alignment when our belonging to God gets out of sight. Sinning can and will do that if we continue in it. It’s like a huge warning beacon goes off reminding us to return to our heavenly Father in sincere repentance and change our way of thinking to align with His way of thinking. We are His and sinning doesn’t change that, but it can wage war on our souls if we continue in it.
“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your souls.” 1 Peter 2:11 (ESV)
“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” 2 Timothy 2:22 (ESV)
Significance is solved when our hearts are clear about belonging, not only to God as His beloved children, but fellowshipping with other believers. We are in a world that doesn’t accept us and rejects the way God sees and thinks about people. We need other children of God to edify and correct us when we go off the beaten path. God will always chase us down and bring us back home, even when we are walking in shame. His character would have no one be lost to the darkness and that all would seek repentance and turn back towards His marvelous light.
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own special possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 (ESV)
Abiding is to actively receive and trust in His unfailing love. Abiding also means participating and sitting at His feet and can also mean when we are moved to compassion by other people.
To behold Him is to be riveted by His love. The love we’re talking about is worth beholding and modeling after. What if we’re approaching it out of a work mindset instead of a love mindset? That means we are working and doing for the kingdom to get His love when it is already there for us to receive.
“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore, the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” 1 John 3:1, 2 (KJV)
Jesus warmly invites young and old to be His children.
God bestows His love on us freely. It’s not out of striving or anything that we’ve done, God’s love is a free gift, with no stipulations. He made this love accessible when Jesus Christ chose the cross and died a horrific death for our sins. He was then raised back to life to show that He was truly the Son of God. He did all of this from the love He felt for all humanity. When you grasp the love of God and receive His love, you receive a gift. Living with the assurance of the Father’s love is paramount to living a life surrendered to Him. What would happen if you were overshadowed by the love of God?
Seeing someone and knowing they love God is not by what they say but by how they carry themselves. Are they walking in love? You can’t really walk in love when you don’t feel like you are loved and wanted. Believe me, I have tried. When I fully grasp the Father’s love, it is so much easier to carry myself with the love He does. Fear has been a major hindrance to me receiving the love of the Father.
“But those who embraced Him and took hold of His name were given authority to become the children of God!” John 1:12 (TPT)
This love is miracle love! This is a love that makes the violent sinner clean, changes the heart of our enemies, pours out oil on the feet of Jesus. It is expansive, inclusive and filled with precious gifts and promises. It persuades the world that Jesus was sent by His Father to save us! When the world sees that love, there’s hope for the world… There’s a difference between quoting the love of God and being bestowed with the love of God. Quoting the love of God means you know it in your head but being bestowed means knowing it and receiving it in your heart.
For too long I have quoted the love of God and gotten nowhere. It is time to dig deep into the recesses of my soul and believe and receive His love. Then and only then can I live a life surrendered to Him, walking in the truth of His love so that I’m able to receive it and bestow it on other people. We are not meant to keep this love to ourselves. It was meant to be shared, but you can’t share what you don’t believe you have. So receive the Father’s love and let it consume your heart!
Isaiah 62:4 ESV: “You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.”
A heartwarming scene of Jesus laughing with a young child in a peaceful olive grove.
“What Is Love? Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me no more…” That song gives a horribly wrong interpretation of what love is. Love was never meant to hurt. It was meant to heal. It was meant to protect and nurture. It was meant to sacrifice and save. It was meant to defend and defy logic. It was meant to know the One who created the heavens and the earth and us and be known by Him. So many people nowadays have lost the idea and the concept of what love really is. Many people have confused love with desire, want with attraction and rather than building a relationship with someone, they rush right in with sex and create a toxic idea of what love is and how it’s supposed to be expressed.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 exactly what love is. It is the character of God. The Passion Translation puts it beautifully:
“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up.”
The way the Bible describes it is beautiful and totally encompasses the character or God, because “God is love” as it states in 1 John 4:8. He is gentle and kind without being a pushover. He will never get jealous of someone else’s achievements but will instead celebrate them. God will never condemn you or make you feel ashamed of yourself, even if what He says is correction that cuts to the heart. He is in the conviction business, not the condemnation business. “God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” (Numbers 14:18) He doesn’t get angry nearly as easily or quickly as the world has made Him out to be. I used to think that anytime I made a mistake, He would be furious with me because of how my earthly father reacted but that’s far from the truth of God’s character. Hollywood movies have also portrayed God to have a short fuse too, and I used to watch a lot of Hollywood movies that brainwashed me. You can’t believe everything you hear, especially if it’s coming from Hollywood.
God loves honesty and people keeping their word and detests it when people do things that are evil, but it doesn’t mean He detests the person or stops loving them. God is a strong tower and a shelter for those who call on Him and take refuge in Him and is always full of hope that everyone will one day come to a knowledge of the truth of who He is and who they are to Him. He never stops fighting for His children, the ones who know Him personally and is always leaving breadcrumbs in the lives of His lost children to find Him. If they really want a relationship with God, they will see the clues and seek Him out for themselves. I used to think that was nonsense and that God wasn’t in every situation, but now having looked back at my past, I see Him in the details.
The world would describe love as an act of sexual intercourse or hooking up with someone because they like you and you like them. Most people say “I love you” without putting any action behind it. The term love is taken way too loosely nowadays, and most people walk around with a skewed and distorted version of what it truly means. But love is sacrificial at times. Love doesn’t seek its own. However, that doesn’t mean that you should just completely disregard your needs above everyone else’s. There must be balance. Self-love is important too. You cannot love your neighbor as yourself if you are neglecting to take care of yourself first. You take care of yourself by making sure your basic needs are met, which includes spending time with Abba in the secret place. It also includes making sure that you have slept enough, ate enough and have enough money to take care of yourself. Sometimes God will ask you to look out for others’ needs above your own comfort, but He doesn’t expect that of you all the time and it really shouldn’t be done like that unless you are being led by the Holy Spirit.
Love is complicated yet simple at the same time. It is easy to understand when you talk about it and most people would agree unanimously that 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 is an accurate description of what love is. The only problem is acting on it. I have found for me that it’s almost impossible for me to walk in love if I’m not abiding in God’s love first. Some people are naturally loving but I am not. My childhood left me shell-shocked and traumatized and my adulthood did too, but when I am abiding in Christ and walking in the Spirit, it’s almost like none of what I went through matters. My old nature takes a back seat, and my new nature takes the wheel and bursts forth.
“Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
However, there are times when someone triggers me from an old trauma or an event triggers me and it causes me to react like the old me. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in and helps to heal those areas so that I don’t continue to act like the old me would. Sometimes, I am also completely at a loss for what to say and that is an important time to practice silence because it’s better not to say something than say something stupid or hurtful.
With the help of the Holy Spirit, walking in love and being love is more than possible. Knowing that you are loved and accepted by the One who created the heavens and the earth makes loving people like Jesus loved people just a little bit easier. Without Him to lead me onward, I would be lost and would most definitely not respond in a loving way like I’m learning to do now. Abba’s love has helped me live better, act better, and feel better. He can and will do the same for you. All you have to do is surrender to His love.
Righteousness is not found in checking off the boxes of the fruit of the Spirit. It is found in a state of being where love pours out of you and the fruit of the Spirit grows on its own. It is found in the simplicity of the gospel, knowing that Christ died to give you His righteousness, that once you say “yes” to Jesus, you have the ability to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” and “have the mind of Christ.” It is a matter of believing. The more you believe that you are righteous through Christ, the more you become the righteousness of Christ. The more you believe that you are holy, the more you become set apart and dedicated for Christ. The more you believe you are His beloved, the more you become love and walk in love and the Spirit.
“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7 (ESV)
His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. It is not our righteous deeds, but His own blood that continually cleanses us from unrighteousness as He daily renews and conforms us to His image and likeness. We are His precious children and the more time we spend with Him, the more we start to imitate Him and become “imitators of God.” We stop believing in our own abilities and our own strength and start trusting in God and His strength.
“But he answered me, ‘My grace is always more than enough for you, and my power finds its full expression through your weakness.’ So, I will celebrate my weaknesses, for when I’m weak, I sense more deeply the mighty power of Christ living in me. So, I’m not defeated by my weakness, but delighted! For when I feel my weakness and endure mistreatment—when I’m surrounded with troubles on every side and face persecution because of my love for Christ—I am made yet stronger. For my weakness becomes a portal to God’s power.” 2 Corinthians 12-9, 10 (TPT)
I have come to find that some of my greatest weaknesses are starting to become some of my greatest strengths. My Abba has taken someone who was anxiety-ridden, fearful of the world and the future, fearful of being sober into someone who is learning to walk in a boldness I could only dream of. Jesus has transformed me from being a pitiful person into a powerful person. I am not where I want to be but I’m also not where I was.
“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it on my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lied ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13, 14 (ESV)
The devil has been constantly trying to kill my confidence and making me second guess myself and the right standing that I have with God. The other day, I was tempted to go back to my old ways with someone I have known for almost 20 years. They are still stuck in that lifestyle, and they wanted to bring me down with them. I genuinely care for and love them and wanted to show them the light of Jesus, but they didn’t want to hear it. They were trying to get me to do drugs and other things, but I refused and it brought on a confidence that I’ve never felt before. It let me know that the reverential fear of the Lord can help me to abstain from anything that is no longer suiting me.
But Christ established me in righteousness, and I will not go back to that lifestyle, no matter how tempting the high is. There is nothing good about that life. It is full of every kind of evil. I will continue to pray for that individual and Christ told me that He will bring this person to know Christ as his Lord and Savior. I know God will keep His word as long as I walk in His ways.
“They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—” Ephesians 4:18-20
No one is too far gone. Everyone has the opportunity to experience and know eternal life. If you know anyone who is deep in darkness, deep in drugs, or deep in anything that is not of God, don’t stop praying for them. It is about pursuing righteousness and knowing that people are not the enemy. It’s the demons living inside of them feeding off their trauma that is the enemy. It is the righteous thing to do to pray for the wicked, especially our friends and family, in the hope that one day God will get a hold of them and turn them into His righteous, adopted children.
My knight in shining armor isn’t man or even human He is seated upon the praise of a thousand generations Abba picked me up out of the miry clay And set me on a solid rock, that rock being His Son The sacrifice He gave me was immense Too immense for most to even consider or believe Because love nowadays in the world doesn’t sacrifice It just takes and takes until there’s no more left But God doesn’t take away in a negative way He prunes us, so that we can learn to be more fruitful than before He took away my addictions. He took away my self-hate. He took away my shame. He took away my guilt. He is currently taking away my fears, one at a time. My list of fears is immense But God is so gentle and kind. He is willing to knock down one at a time Because that’s just who He is. He is True Love, My First Love. Your First Love. He is Yahweh, the name everyone breathes
I caught a glimpse of you for a moment The real you that was able to connect with me Then I exposed your vulnerabilities And you hid behind a cloud of demons and insecurities Your depravity now knows no limits Consumed completely by your lusts and desires You’re not in control of yourself anymore Your demons give you the illusion of dominion I pray for the day God will bring you to your knees Before death and destruction brings you to hell
Underneath the layers of worthlessness, God sees your worth. He was there in the delivery room as your mom was giving birth. He saw the pain people inflicted on you over the years and the repeated abuse and trauma that drove you to tears. He saw you struggling with the needle in your arm trying to get high and wonder why you were born just to be tormented and die. For every tear you shed, He was there collecting them to heal you one day the moment you decided enough was enough and turned to Him and pray. Turn to God and plead with Him that He would fix your life and give it meaning. It may not be easy but it is nothing compared to the eternal life you’ll be receiving. Abba God promises to give you beauty for ashes and joy for mourning. A new life and new joy is what you’ll be adorning. You are not worthless. You are priceless.
I made a big mistake last week. I took kratom for the first time in 33 days. I didn’t think it was going to be that bad, but it was, like it really was. I have spent the last 4 days recovering from it mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Good news that came from taking it though: I have been completely turned off from wanting to take it again. I don’t think about it with desire anymore, but with pure disdain and disgust. So, despite my mental recovery taking longer than I wanted it to, this mistake got the job done in dispelling my cravings for kratom completely.
I thought that this mistake would just cause more mistakes, but it was the mindset that I was a failure and weak that kept causing me to slip up and make more mistakes. When we don’t think highly enough of ourselves and God’s ability to make us successful, we become unfruitful, miserable, and fall into the trap of self-pity. The desires of our old man create these downfalls that cause us to revert back to our old way of thinking.
“But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:20-24 (ESV)
It also says in God’s Word to not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to. This means that we don’t think in pride and arrogance that we are better than everyone else, but to think honestly about ourselves and to see ourselves ultimately the way Christ sees us. We are not meant to use our own gifts for selfish gain but for the benefit of others. That doesn’t mean we can’t pray or use our gifts to help ourselves, but it means that we should be more focused on the needs of others rather than our own.
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” Romans 12:1-3 (NLT)
The only way that we can come to a new level of wholeness and walk in love is to renew our minds. We can only do that by repeating the things God says about us. We come into agreement with whatever we think about ourselves, whether it be the truth of what God says about us or the lies the enemy implanted in us when we were young and/or as we got older. Whatever we believe in our hearts will be brought out to the surface
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
“For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he…” Proverbs 23:7 (NKJV)
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34 (ESV)
It is possible to have bitterness towards yourself when you make a mistake, especially if you don’t receive forgiveness from God. We tend to be our own worst critics, especially if you struggle with perfectionism and are performance-driven. Sometimes, God will let you make mistakes just to show you these things about yourself. One who is comfortable making mistakes and doesn’t hold onto them for too long is one who is starting to see themselves the way God sees them: human and His child. I used to dwell on my mistakes for weeks and stay stuck in the past. The simple fact that I have allowed myself to receive God’s forgiveness and let things go this quickly is leaps and bounds in my walk with Christ.
I am hopeful that one day I will not take longer than a day to linger on my mistakes, but walk in true repentance and receive His forgiveness the same day I made the mistake to begin with. None of us are perfect and we have all fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness. The best thing we can do is walk in love and put on Christ so that when we make mistakes, we don’t dwell on them, but put them behind us and move forward into the future.
“…I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13, 14 (NIV)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1, 2 (NIV)
How can one keep from evil and maintain righteousness with God? Obedience…. This has been something that has been particularly hard for me to do. I have repeatedly been given bad advice by my earthly father and others, so when my heavenly Father gives me advice, I second guess it and think my way is better. My own advice is what has helped me survive, but God’s advice is meant to help me thrive. It’s like He is just trying to beckon me to come, but I am just so apprehensive to believe that what He is telling me to do, I don’t believe it, so I don’t do it, and there are consequences to disobedience and not trusting God.
The devil has been betting on me doing things my way, but I tell you this one thing, that “He who started a good work in me will see it through to completion” (Philippians 1:6)… WHEN I DILLIGENTLY OBEY HIS VOICE. You must do it God’s way if you want everlasting life.
“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for He is your life and length of days.” Deuteronomy 30:19, 20
He knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows what builds us up and what breaks us down. For me personally, I have had a lot of vices that have kept me from being the person He created me to be. I must surrender those things so that I can do all God created me to do and help those who He predestined me to help.
I am no stranger to the discipline, correction, and the rebuke of God. Unfortunately for me, I am very stubborn. Fortunately for me, once my submission is complete, there is nothing that can stop me. My stubbornness has actually kept me from turning away from God completely even in my rebellion. So many people turn away from God and I just couldn’t do it. With my disobedience, I had to learn the hard way. I’ve been very gullible and naïve and for most of my life, which is why I have had such a struggle with learning to discern God’s voice from that of the enemy. I had demonic spirits using my mind and infusing my thoughts with ideas that seemed sweet and innocent but in hindsight, were actually meant for my destruction. The voices sounded so sweet and loving but they were actually demons trying to get me to “jump off of a cliff” by holding onto an idol and telling me that God would still welcome me into His kingdom even if I struggled with addiction. That IS NOT what the Bible says.
The Bible says:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.’” Matthew 16:24 (NLT)
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 (ESV)
“You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.” Exodus 20:3-5 (NLT)
When you decide to do things your own way and don’t listen to God, you are rejecting Him. When you decide to “live your truth” and not “HIS TRUTH,” you are rejecting God. Surrender is not easy and God doesn’t demand perfection but progress. He just wants what is best for us to live the life He planned for us before the beginning of time. He is looking for complete surrender of our lives over to Him.
“For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 16:25
It doesn’t mean we won’t stumble and fall at times. That’s where God’s grace comes in, but as long as we don’t give up and keep turning to Him, we will walk in victory despite our mistakes. If we don’t lose heart and stick close to Him when we feel faint, He will bring forth our righteousness so we can experience eternal life.
“He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” Psalm 37:6
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” John 17:3
Rise Of The Pheonix 