Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Sinners or Sons

SINNERS OR SONS OF GOD


Are you a sinner, or WERE you a sinner saved by grace? Are you still walking in sin, and/or confessing that you stay a sinner until death? Although you are saved? If this is your condition, or at least you think this is your lot, you'll be running in circles and never get one step ahead. You are missing God's purpose in your life.
When we received salvation we didn't become perfect, but through Jesus Christ, the Father counts us as righteous, for He is righteous. He has given us the power to BECOME sons of God. This speaks of maturing in Christ.
Be obedient to His word and lay a solid foundation. Follow in water baptism by immersion as in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:16.

Seek the infilling of the Holy Spirit and the speaking in tongues for your personal edification. The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, He teaches and guides us in all truth. John 14:16 + 26.

It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we will conquer this world and sin. Allow the Lord to shape you and develop the Fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life. To overcome sin in your life, first start with laying the correct foundation, as mentioned earlier. Cut off any connection that leads to sin; sinful places, videos, movies, books, TV programs, friends etc.

DO SOME HOUSE CLEANING.

Bring any of your thoughts that lead you to sin, before His feet and leave them there. Bring them under subjection. Allow the Lord to heal and restore your innermost being. Focus on Jesus, not on your own understanding or abilities. Give Him the reins. Being out of control is the best place to be, as long as you give Him the wheel.

Just because of the fact that we are saved, we must not allow the idea that we have never sinned. This is not true. We must never forget where we came from and from what the Lord did save us. We first have to confess
that we have sinned to start with, or else our pride will be in the way.

1 John 1:8... If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
Besides saving us from sin, Jesus also came to set you FREE from the bondage of sin.

John 8:32...And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:36...Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.
Romans 8:2...For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Although it is our "nature" to sin, once we are in Jesus Christ we have received HIS nature and the old "SELF" must be kept in the grave. Jesus Christ must sit on the throne of your heart, He must be the Ruler of your life. In Him there is NO sin.

Salvation is not the end, but the beginning of our walk with God. It is the beginning of our road to perfection in Jesus. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. God is not giving this Gift unless we really want it. We have to ask to receive. Just as we have to ask for forgiveness and salvation. We need the Holy Spirit in order to be OVERCOMERS AND CONQUERORS for His glory and for our benefit.

Study the scriptures to know how to walk. We all stumble once in a while, the Lord will forgive us, if we ask. But, when you start LIVING in sin or wilfully/knowingly sin, that is a different ball game. This way YOU jeopardize your Salvation.

Here are some scriptural measures:

- A believer must change from a sinful behaviour to please God.
- Confessing sin to God and to others. You must acknowledge bad behaviours and sins.
It cannot be excused.
- You must ask for forgiveness to God and people involved.
- You must repent of your sin.


Repentance is a change of mind about one's beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. It involves regret about sin and related issues. It demands a change of lifestyle as outward evidence and of a desire to be different.
Forsaking the sinful way. Abandoning connections which were involved in that sin. Rid yourself of any influence that might lead you back to sin. Stay away as far as possible from the edge.


2 Corinthians 7:1... having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from ALL FILTHINESS of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Jesus Christ died so we may be delivered from sin and death, not for us to keep on sinning.

Romans 8:2... For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Colossians 3:3... For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 
Ephesians 5:1...Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

Whatever the Lord asks from us is attainable, or else it would not be written in His word.
The big question may be HOW we are going to attain it. THIS IS A SECRET.

That which God has promised in His word will come true in our lives, as we respond according to His word.


1 Peter 1:15,16...But as He which hath called you is Holy, so be ye holy in ALL manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

1 John 3:6... Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
Verse 9... Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him, and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.

ABIDE and BE BORN of God are the key words in the above scriptures.
1 John 5:4... For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith.

To say that we are "just" human is NO excuse for walking in sin. It is exactly that HUMAN in us which we suppose to keep crucified and buried, so that this new creation, within us, can develop. To keep the flesh down, crucified and buried does not go unrewarded. I can testify to this. The losing of oneself gives birth to many blessings.

2 Corinthians 5:17...Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Many don't understand the difference between WALKING in sin and stumbling. Walking in sin is intentionally, willfully sinning, in rebellion against God, while stumbling is unintentional, and not willful. 
The first one is living in the old sinful flesh, while the last is living in the Spirit, NOT WANTING to sin. That is quite a difference. NOT WANTING to sin does not mean we may never stumble!

This is where John speaks about in 1 John 1:8-10.
1 John 2:1...Now, IF we stumble (NOT walking in sin), we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous...

1 John 2:6...He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

Once we have entered into the Kingdom of God, through Jesus Christ, we have become a NEW creation. Our sins are forgiven and we are cleansed by His Blood. Our Father sees us as 100% righteous, because we are covered by the Blood of the Lamb. We are not walking anymore after the flesh, with its sinful lusts, but we are walking after the Spirit. That means, we are not WALKING in sin anymore or, rather, not LIVING in sin. Living in sin is what a sinner does, remember?

A HABITUAL SINNER CANNOT BE A FOLLOWER OF JESUS CHRIST.


1 John 1:6-7... If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Matthew 5:48...Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

"NO", you are saying," this is impossible !" That is what YOU think. Why not believe His word, where Jesus said: 
Mark 9:23..."If you can believe, ALL things are possible to him who believes."

A follower of Jesus Christ has to do his/her part of the scripture in order to see the promises of God fulfilled. In the above scripture this means "TO BELIEVE".

Genesis 18:14... Is there anything too hard for the Lord ?

Proverbs 4:4... Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live.
1 Corinthians 15:57...But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus says in Matthew 12: 33... Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad: for a tree is known by its fruit.

Some are followers of Christ only with their mouth, they have never learned to surrender to Him. They have the scriptures in their head, instead of in their heart. They walk their own path, with the Bible in one hand and the world in the other. They are inactive.

James 1:22.. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

Matthew 7:22-23... Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons in Your Name, and done many wonders in Your Name? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; DEPART from Me, you who PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.

The apostle Paul warned the congregations to stay away from sin and wickedness. He knew that Christians who sin continuously will eventually lose their salvation. Playing with sin is playing with fire and one WILL get burned. Let us therefore humble ourselves before the Lord Almighty and willingly surrender our lives to Him.

Romans 6:4,5...Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.

This deeper walk with Him requires discipline and obedience to His word. But isn't it worth all the effort? Isn't it far better to suffer in this life and sacrifice this "old flesh" in exchange for an eternal reward? 
Have you thought about the length of eternity? Hasn't the Lord compared our trials with the pangs of a woman in labour? The labour will soon be forgotten after the birthing. So it is with our present groaning, once replaced by glory. 
Beloved, it is worth our ALL. May I encourage you to reach for HIGHER ground in Jesus Christ, our wonderful Redeemer and soon coming King.
"MAY THE LORD ADD HIS BLESSING TO HIS WORD",
and may you be willing to draw closer to Him.




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