Tag Archives: Galatians 5:16-25

Skipping Rocks??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #446

21 Wednesday Mar 2018

Posted by in Approved Unto God, Compromise, Follow Me, For Such A Time As This

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #446 Skipping Rocks???

 

As a child I never could “skip rocks” like other kids did. I never could get the knack of throwing those rocks across the top of the water so that they would skip/hop across the water, making rings of ripples as it went. While I couldn’t skip rocks, we do all make ripples! And that’s what I want us to consider this morning. Our actions are like those rocks that children (and even adults who can do it) throw across the surface of the puddle, pond, or lake—for you see it doesn’t matter how big or small the body of water is, when you set the ripples to rolling, they continue on across the way; and our actions have the same potential in cause and effect! As an old adage says, “Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, it will keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and it will cost you more than you wanted to pay!” And friends our choices in life can cause ripples for good or harm—choices for right and truth, or choices to sin.

Our choices are like investments, sometimes they reap good benefits, and sometimes they cost us dearly! Jesus told us that our direction of investment would determine the yield.

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures

upon earth,

where moth

and rust

doth corrupt,

and where thieves

break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures

in heaven,

where neither moth

nor rust

doth corrupt,

and where thieves

do not break through

nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is,

there will your heart be also.”   Matthew 6:19-21

Our choices will be motivated from either earthly desires or heavenly ones, so we must direct our hearts toward heaven? We must keep our heart and mind set on Jesus. We must lay aside the things of the flesh and the world and cling to HIM! We must walk in His power by yielding to HIS Spirit and not our greedy, lustful flesh. We can learn what that looks like from Paul’s letter to the Galatians.

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust

of the flesh……..

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;

Adultery,

fornication,

uncleanness,

lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry,

witchcraft,

hatred,

variance,

emulations,

wrath,

strife,

seditions,

heresies,

21 Envyings,

murders,

drunkenness,

revellings,

and such like:

of the which I tell you before,

as I have also told you in time past,

that they which do such things

shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is

love,

joy,

peace,

longsuffering,

gentleness,

goodness,

faith,

23 Meekness,

temperance:

against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s

have crucified the flesh

with the affections

and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”    Portions of Galatians 5:16-25

We have a choice as to how we ‘throw our rocks’! As I am often want to say, “Saying so, doesn’t make it so”! Knowing Jesus and belonging to Him is a matter of a new heart, not just ‘saying’ you “love Jesus” while living like the world. Paul describes a life that is walking “in the Spirit” in another portion of this same letter—a reminder that we all need!

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”Gal. 2:20

Being “crucified with Christ” means that I die to “me” and live to “Jesus”—by the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit, which is the wonder and beauty of the New Covenant into which Christ births those who believe! Dead sinners, being made “alive” in Jesus — HIS life within me!

“Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations,

but now is made manifest to his saints:

27 To whom God would make known

what is the riches of the glory

of this mystery

among the Gentiles;

which is Christ in you,

the hope of glory:” Colossians 1:26-27 

The presence of Jesus within me—enabling me to spread ripples of His love, joy and peace and all of the “fruit of the Spirit”!!! So as the television ad asks, “what’s in your wallet?” my question for us is “what’s in your heart?” Are your ripples leading others to the cross or the world; are you full of His Spirit or fleshly lusts? Are we spreading the truth of the gospel, or the lies of the enemy? Questions that only you can answer, all worth pondering today; for our ripples can’t be brought back—once they are set in motion and we can’t control where they go! Are you ‘saying’ or ‘being’?

“Wherefore by their fruits

ye shall know them.

21 Not every one that saith unto me,

Lord, Lord,

shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:20-21

Only by HIS saving blood, for “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:5

Dignity Or Dishonor??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 11 No. 03

11 Sunday Feb 2018

Posted by in Abundant Life In Jesus, Choices And Consequences, Dignity, Dishonor, Follow Me, I Can Do All Things?, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Salvation, The Only Way, Thy Kingdom Come, Trials, Vision

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 11 No.03 Dignity Or Dishonor???

 

Dignity: “bearing, conduct, or speech indicative of self-respect or appreciation of the formality or gravity of a situation or occasion…”

Antonyms of Dignity: “dishonor, indecency, bad manners, worthlessness….”

Dishonor: “lack or loss of honor; disgraceful or dishonest character or conduct… a cause of shame or disgrace….”

We hear a lot these days about dignity or the lack of it around us, particularly in the public arena, and while it is often connected with ‘pomp’ or ‘ceremony’, it is also something that we ought to practice in our everyday living. One of the songs that I sing regularly in my private time with God (And yes I think singing is a wonderful way to worship God privately as well as corporately—it’s amazing what singing privately to God will do to create an atmosphere of intimacy with HIM!) has a verse I’d like us to consider today; “Be Thou My Vision”, by Dallon Forgaill.

“Be Thou my battle Shield,

Sword for the fight;


Be Thou my Dignity,

Thou my Delight;


Thou my soul’s Shelter,

Thou my high Tower:


Raise Thou me heavenward,

O Power of my power.”

The first two verses talk about God being our “vision” and our “wisdom” and then it comes to this third verse and talks about God being not only our “vision”—how I see and look at things; and our “wisdom”—the truth of the “Word” put into action in our daily lives; bur also when we come to the third verse we can call on God to “be” our “battle Shield” and our “Sword for the fight”! Like Paul mentions in his call to take up the “armor of God” in Ephesians 6, we are in a spiritual battle whether we realize it or not. There is an enemy of our souls who desires to destroy our usefulness to God—but when we put on the armor of God we have the Spiritual power to live abundant life through Jesus!!!

“Then said Jesus unto them again,

Verily, verily, I say unto you,

I am the door of the sheep.

8 All that ever came before me

are thieves

and robbers:

but the sheep did not hear them.

9 I am the door:

by me if any man enter in,

he shall be saved,

and shall go in and out,

and find pasture.

10 The thief cometh not,

but for to steal,

and to kill,

and to destroy:

I am come

that they might have life,

and that they might have it

more abundantly.

11 I am the good shepherd:

the good shepherd giveth his life

for the sheep.” John 10:7-11

Jesus came to give “eternal life” to those who will come to Him in repentance and faith, and He said that He would not only give us “life”, but that we would “have it more abundantly”! Amen! Life that’s all about Jesus—not about me! He is the One who supplies our every need, and without Him we are working in fleshly vanity. Paul helps us understand that we must lean on Jesus, to walk “in the Spirit” not the flesh!

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust

of the flesh……..

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”    Galatians 5:16 & 25

Walking in the Spirit is where our victory is, because we are His and He is ours, but we must take up our armor and walk in HIS power, not our own! Jesus clearly calls us to “abide” in HIM!!

“I am the true vine,

and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me

that beareth not fruit

he taketh away:

and every branch

that beareth fruit,

he purgeth it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean

through the word which I have spoken

unto you.

4 Abide in me,

and I in you.

As the branch

cannot bear fruit of itself,

except it abide in the vine;

no more can ye,

except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth much fruit:

for without me ye can do nothing.”    John 15:1-5

Pretty plain isn’t it? Jesus said, “without me ye can do nothing”, and yet there is a reverse side to this equation that Paul boldly proclaimed to the Philippians.

“I know both how to be abased,

and I know how to abound:

every where

and in all things

I am instructed both to be full

and to be hungry,

both to abound

and to suffer need.

13 I can do all things

through Christ

which strengtheneth me.”    Philippians 4:12-13

I can—but only “through Christ”–not on my own! And that is the whole idea behind the third verse of the song that I shared earlier, Jesus will be our “Battle shield”, and when He is my Lord and my defender, He will “Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight”, because HE is my all in all! Apart from Him, I can do nothing, but in, through and by HIM; I can do anything He calls me to do. I thank HIM for His faithful provision when those trials and difficult times come—and they will come, they do come; but our God is always faithful to the task! And when we “walk in the Spirit” we will find victory in HIM!!! Always! Even when it doesn’t look like we think it ought to look—remember it’s about Jesus, not me! “Thy Kingdom come….Thy will be done…”

“And have put on the new man,

which is renewed

in knowledge

after the image of him

that created him:

11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew,

circumcision nor uncircumcision,

Barbarian, Scythian,

bond nor free:

but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3:10-11

It is by His life in me that I can live victoriously—and for Him to live, I must die to “self”—each day, every day, just as Paul testified to the Galatians so long ago—true then—still true now!

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by the faith

of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”     Galatians 2:20

As I learn to walk with The Lord Jesus, yielding to His Spirit, resting in His grace and provision, trusting to His care; then I can truly learn to rely upon Him who “is all, and in all”! In Him I can find the strength and courage to respond to trials with dignity and not dishonor—dishonor to my Lord, or those to whom I am to be a witness and reflection of the glory of Jesus. And as that third verse of our song says, we can truly proclaim to the world that we desire HIM to:

“Be Thou my vision…….

Be Thou my wisdom……

Be Thou my battle Shield,

Sword for the fight;


Be Thou my Dignity,

Thou my Delight;


Thou my soul’s Shelter,

Thou my high Tower:


Raise Thou me heavenward,

O Power of my power.”

The “Power of my power”, the One who gives that victory, is also my:

 battle Shield—

Sword—

Dignity—

Delight—

Shelter—

Tower—

Power!

The choice is yours—will you walk in victory with Jesus, and reflect His power and Dignity to the world? Or will you go your own way and find that you’re wallowing in dishonor and disgrace? Jesus is calling—will you respond to His call? Questions only you can answer. But remember there is a test at the end!

“Behold, I stand at the door,

and knock:

if any man hear my voice,

and open the door,

I will come in to him,

and will sup with him,

and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

Amen and Amen!!!

Be Ye Holy, But How??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No. 23

31 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by in Confidence, Dare To Be Different!, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Jesus Is The Only Way!

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No.23 Be Ye Holy, But How???

 

As we think about this New Year’s Eve and going into 2018, I just want to share a brief word with you today, that I hope will challenge us all to approach this time of new beginnings with a hope and a goal for pleasing God. May that my friends, be our hearts desire for each day—today and into each tomorrow!

“And he said unto them,

It is not for you to know the times

or the seasons,

which the Father

hath put in his own power.

8 But ye shall receive power,

after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses

unto me

both in Jerusalem,

and in all Judaea,

and in Samaria,

and unto the uttermost part

of the earth.” Acts 1:7-8

Jesus reminded his disciples that they were to wait before they went out—wait for the promised indwelling Holy Spirit! They were to wait and not go in their own power, but to go after they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then go forth being “witnesses unto me”! And to be His witnesses, we must walk in the power of HIS Spirit, not our own flesh. That is what enables us to “be” Holy as God calls us to be.

“Then Peter said unto them,

Repent,

and be baptized every one of you

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the remission of sins,

and ye shall receive

the gift of the Holy Ghost.

39 For the promise is unto you,

and to your children,

and to all that are afar off,

even as many

as the Lord our God shall call.”    Acts 2:38-39

We can only do God’s work God’s way—by the power of His Holy Spirit. It’s one of the reasons that Paul calls us to “walk in the Spirit” not the flesh, to allow the holiness of God working within us to be seen by the world.

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust

of the flesh……….

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”    Galatians 5:16 & 25

When we walk in Jesus’ Holy Spirit, we are enabled to be a reflection of God’s holiness and glory before a world of darkness and corruption. It won’t be very popular, but it will be noticed—and it will make a difference, whether we ‘see’ that difference or not! We are to do God’s work as we go from day to day, everywhere we go, in all we do—we are to “be” holy!

“Wherefore, my beloved,

as ye have always obeyed,

not as in my presence only,

but now much more in my absence,

work out your own salvation

with fear

and trembling.

13 For it is God which worketh in you

both to will

and to do

of his good pleasure.”    Philippians 2:12-13

Paul isn’t calling us to work “for” our salvation, but to “work out” what God has put within us—His Spirit! Just as he told the Galatians, when we will “Walk in the Spirit” and “live in the Spirit” we will be living in God’s power and not our own, and we can join Paul in declaring one of my favorite principles of living out a ‘holy’ life before those around us.

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live

by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”   Galatians 2:20

And when we come to live the crucified life, we will find that we are walking and living a life that is pleasing to our God!

“But as he which hath called you

is holy,

so be ye

holy

in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written,

Be ye holy;

for I am holy.”   1 Peter 1:15-16

Amen and Amen. And in closing I’d like to share some thoughts that I wrote down earlier this year, and they seem to be an appropriate way to bring this year to a close and go forward in hope, confidence and the power of our God, living lives that will make a difference in HIS Kingdom.

       Real “Holiness”

              isn’t a denomination– 

              or even a church—

              but it is the expression, the manifestation—

                      of a mind set on Jesus–

                      of a heart yielded to God—

                      of a life lived in pursuit of

                             the pleasure and

                             the approval of God!

It is a life lived in humble obedience to The One who holds our affection, devotion and gratitude— 

Not because we have to — 

              but because we love God—

                     and we love making HIM smile!     Blanche Brittain 2017

May you have a blessed and Holy New Year pursuing God?

Amen and Amen!

 

 

 

A Little Dab Or A Drenching??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #417

06 Wednesday Dec 2017

Posted by in Abundant Life In Jesus, Follow Me, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Salvation, The Only Way, The Word, The Word Or The World?, Thy Will Be Done, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #417 A Little Dab Or A Drenching???

 

I heard a pastor recently make the comparison of wanting just a little bit of “Jesus” or do we want to be “drenched” in Him, His Word and His Spirit, and it just struck a chord with me. In fact, I remembered two old advertisements; “A little dab’ll do ya!” and “Fill’er Up”! And I think these two can describe the choice that we face in life; do we want to be “filled” or are we just seeking a “dab” of goodness or religion? Jesus calls us to “take up your cross” and that isn’t just a “little dab”!

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples,

If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross,

and follow me.

25 For whosoever will save his life

shall lose it:

and whosoever will lose his life

for my sake

shall find it.

26 For what is a man profited,

if he shall gain the whole world,

and lose his own soul?

or what shall a man give

in exchange for his soul?”   Matthew 16:24-26

When Jesus calls us to “take up his cross”, He is talking about the same thing that the Apostle Paul was calling the Galatian Christians to consider.

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by the faith

of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”    Galatians 2:20

We are to die to ourselves and live by faith unto Jesus in “all” we are and all we do! And this isn’t talking about simply self-denial—but learning to victoriously live “by the faith of the Son of God” through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, and yielding to His work and direction in all of our ways. It is the only thing that will give us victory and spiritual maturity. It’s Jesus’ call to us every moment of every day—not part-time; not just a ‘little dab’.

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil

the lust of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth

against the Spirit,

and the Spirit

against the flesh:

and these are contrary

the one to the other:

so that ye cannot do the things

that ye would…

… 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is

love,

joy,

peace,

longsuffering,

gentleness,

goodness,

faith,

23 Meekness,

temperance:

against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ’s

have crucified the flesh

with the affections

and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”    Portions of Galatians 5:16-25

We must choose to hear and obey the voice of God speaking to our hearts, and order our steps accordingly; or we will find ourselves listening to our flesh and settling for that “little dab”. May we truly seek to be ‘drenched’ in HIS Spirit, and filled with HIS Word, understanding Isaiah’s call to listen!

“And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying,

This is the way,

walk ye in it,

when ye turn to the right hand,

and when ye turn to the left.”    Isaiah 30:21

Jesus reminds us that His own will hear His voice—what are you choosing to listen to today?

“I am the good shepherd,

and know my sheep,

and am known of mine……

…16 And other sheep I have,

which are not of this fold:

them also I must bring,

and they shall hear my voice;

and there shall be one fold,

and one shepherd….

26 But ye believe not,

because ye are not of my sheep,

as I said unto you.

27 My sheep hear my voice,

and I know them,

and they follow me:

28 And I give unto them

eternal life;

and they shall never perish,

neither shall any man

pluck them

out of my hand.” John 10:14, 16 & 26-28

May we examine our hearts today and see if we are HIS sheep, if we are hearing HIS voice, if we are known of HIM, if we are following Jesus or someone or something else? Just as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, no one can see the kingdom except they are “born again”, and when we are “born again” we are “born” of God’s/Jesus’ Holy Spirit and are known of HIM, and the same Holy Spirit then comes to dwell within those who receive Jesus. And by the Holy Spirit we can live holy, victorious lives in a world of darkness and corruption; and the Spirit is the evidence of whose we are.

“But ye are not in the flesh,

but in the Spirit,

if so be that the Spirit of God

dwell in you.

Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,

he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you,

the body is dead

because of sin;

but the Spirit is life

because of righteousness.”   Romans 8:9-10

Will you settle for a “little dab” or seek the “filling” of The Spirit? Choose wisely—there is a test at the end!

That’s NOT Compromise Is It? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No. 16

29 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by in Changed Lives, Compromise, Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Knowing God's Word, Living Right, Salvation, The Word, The Word Or The World?, TODAY

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No.16 That’s NOT Compromise Is It?

 

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by

the faith

of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”    Galatians 2:20

Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ”, and many find that an extreme idea. What is Paul calling us to do? He, along with our Savior, has called us to live a life that is “crucified with Christ”—a life that is lived in the power of the cross! The cross, an instrument of death; a method of execution that our Savior endured for you and me! Yet we so easily disregard this call to the crucified life, believing that God is more concerned about our “happiness” than our “holiness”! God is concerned with working in our lives that we will be “conformed to the image of His Son”! And my friends, that isn’t a painless journey!

Even Jesus addressed this idea of the “crucified” life.

“Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes,

and be slain,

and be raised the third day.

23 And he said to them all,

If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross

daily,

and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life

shall lose it:

but whosoever will lose his life

for my sake,

the same shall shall save it.

25 For what is a man advantaged,

if he gain the whole world,

and lose himself, or be cast away?”    Luke 9:22-25

Jesus clearly tells us that anyone who will “come after me” must “take up his cross daily” to follow Jesus! And taking up “your” cross means dying to self, because “Christ liveth in me”! And if Jesus lives “in me”, then I can trust Him to enable me to live out my faith in HIM, because I now can “live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”! Jesus gave it all on the cross for you and me, He brought in the “New Covenant”, which is the imparting of the indwelling Holy Spirit to every believer. And if I will yield to HIS work and directing in my heart, I can walk in obedience and victory by HIS power!

So what does this have to do with “compromise”? Well, compromise has many meanings, but the one that we will consider today is:

Compromise: to make a dishonorable or shameful concession.

When we settle for anything less than that which The Holy Spirit is leading us to know, be or do, it is a concession to something less than God’s best for us. Paul reminded us of the high calling of the cross.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren,

by the mercies of God,

that ye present your bodies

a living sacrifice,

holy,

acceptable unto God,

which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world:

but be ye transformed

by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove

what is that good,

and acceptable,

and perfect,

will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

God calls us to be a “living sacrifice” unto HIM!!! That is the crucified life, which we can only live successfully through the “mercies of God”—His power working in us by HIS Holy Spirit, our “reasonable service”! He also calls us to “be not conformed to this world”! Conformed means shaped like, in other words, we not to allow the world to make us into its image—because we are being “conformed” to the image of Jesus! You can’t do both!!! Anything less than the “transformed” life IS compromise, for transformed means “made new”—it’s from the Greek word that we know as “metamorphosis”, a caterpillar being “transformed” into a butterfly! Are we renewing our minds with God’s Word? Are we yielding to His Spirit and dying to our fleshly desires? Not easy, but by God’s mercies and His Holy Spirit we can live a crucified life victoriously!

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust

of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth

against the Spirit,

and the Spirit

against the flesh:

and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would……

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”    Galatians 5:16-17 & 25

We are to walk in the Spirit not the flesh, because the flesh will compromise every time! But when we die to ourselves and live unto Jesus, we can have HIS power for every day living, we can live daily in “newness of life”!

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him

by baptism

into death:

that like as Christ was raised up

from the dead

by the glory of the Father,

even so we also should walk

in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together

in the likeness of his death,

we shall be also

in the likeness

of his resurrection:” Romans 6:3-5.   (This whole chapter would be beneficial to read!)

We can walk in resurrection power, when we yield to The Holy Spirit of God/Jesus. We can walk in that newness of “life”—the “life” of Jesus in us.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

So our question for today is, “Are we living the crucified life—the new life in Jesus Christ?” Or are we so caught up in the compromise of the world that we’ve missed the crucified life? Are you following Jesus or your flesh; Jesus or the world; Jesus of popular opinion? Only you can answer these questions, but I’d like to leave you with a few scriptures to think on this week, a few verses to help you assess your living by The Word Of God.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”    Romans 8:28-31

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds😉 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”   2 Corinthians 10:3-5

“Finally, brethren,

whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue,

and if there be any praise,

think on these things.”    Philippians 4:8

If you will “think on these things” you will find that you will grow and learn to recognize “compromise” which you may not be seeing now. God calls us to live the crucified life because it is a wonderful life to live in union with His Holy Spirit, who dwells within every genuine believer. Are you following Jesus? Are you following the world? Are you allowing the world to shape your life into its mold? Satan is busy in these last days, but we can have victory IN JESUS!

“Ye are of God, little children,

and have overcome them:

because greater is he that is in you,

than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world:

therefore speak they of the world,

and the world heareth them.

6 We are of God:

he that knoweth God

heareth us;

he that is not of God

heareth not us.

Hereby know we the spirit of truth,

and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another:

for love is of God;

and every one that loveth

is born of God,

and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:4-7

Blessings on your week as your pursue the crucified life instead of compromise! For “greater is he”!!!