He will not fail you, leave you, or forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)
Therefore you HAVE HOPE because He, 'the God of hope', (Romans 15:13) is with you.
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2). Your mind is the seed-bed of life. What you allow to grow (and what you cultivate there) affects all of life because the way you think inevitably influences the way you live.
Therefore 'think' His TRUTH.
If you have hidden and "treasured" His Word in your heart that you may not sin against Him, you will KNOW truth, (John 8:32) and the truth will make you free to obey.
'Free? to obey? doesn't sound very freeing', you say?
Rebellion to the Word of God, sin, and living in any way that is not according to His truth set forth in His Word, 'handed down once for all to the saints' (Jude 1:3) is actually setting yourself up for slavery. "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience, resulting in righteousness?" Romans 6:16
It is for freedom that Christ has set you free (Gal. 5), freedom from sin, from the power of sin and its devastating consequences, and freedom to walk in obedience to how He 'knows' that it 'works' and how it works well, for peace and abundant life and eternal life. He knows, because He is THE Creator of all of life. He does have the right and rule and reign on how it all correctly functions well, for our good and His glory.
Therefore, freedom, real freedom, is in the Holy Spirit empowered ability to live in obedience to Him alone, not an 'I can do it myself how I want freedom' or in obedience to the "lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, which is not from the Father, but is from the world." (1 John 2:16) No, a freedom to obey God and find LIFE: dead to sin and alive to God (Romans 6:11,13). That is what Jesus has miraculously done for us, Church. God forbid that we ever find ourselves fighting for the right to encourage sin! Do you realize that it is the LEAST LOVING thing we could do! Don't fall into that trap of the enemy.
The TRUTH is...
(and I feel like someone out there may want me to be softer and kinder and not include these next few verses, but I feel like we are in a 'serious' time where God is not calling us to be 'softer' and edge around the truth and allow the enemy to continue deluding and 'creeping into' even the church's thinking, but it IS time to hide, store up, 'treasure His Word'- all of it's truth, not just the easy, feel good- and not only hear it but DO it. -"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord', and do not do what I say?" Luke 6:46- Free to obey. And another honest side note here: I would kind of like to stop there and skip to the last line and verse in my notebook, but I put pen to paper this morning for this assignment-what to put on my blog TODAY- and prayed and asked God what He wanted to talk about, and this is what just came and these are the verses that He brought to mind in this context. This is what He says in His Word. And it is truth that we need to live by and teach and not lower any of His standards for our own lives and the lives of others. And let us NOT listen to the enemy's lie that whispers, 'Well, maybe we don't know how to correctly 'interpret' that. That may not be what it really means.'=LIE!, a pervasive current lie of the enemy. Let's love one another enough to not be part of the 'deluding' (2 Thess. 2:11) problem. Let's not be influenced by the 'persuasive arguments' (Col. 2:4). And honestly, we are so bombarded that to not be negatively influenced, we ALL MUST know His Word like the back of our hands, having it always before us! Are you 'treasuring' it?!)
The truth is:
"Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge." Hebrews 13:4 .."Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor. 6:9-11 That is what we were, and now we are free to obey and live abundant life with the peace that the world is desperately SEARCHING for! That is good news.
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions (heresies), envying, drunken, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:19-24
We live in a society that is fighting for the rights of its citizens to freely live in that first list. And if we come alongside that movement with an attitude of 'live and let live', we are not caring about the eternal consequences nor the peace and fruit of the Spirit that we are able to enjoy but is kept from those who do not know Him as their personal Savior.
Therefore, speak the truth in love. And if I may put that in other words:
Love enough to speak truth! All truth.
"All scripture is inspired by God (God-breathed) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16
Even though this is long and I've probably already lost a lot of you, rather than just writing the reference to that familiar truth of speaking truth, let me close with that verse in its larger context from the Amplified Version Eph. 4:12-15
"...12 [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]; 13 until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity]. 14 So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit]. 15 But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ."
Therefore, speak the truth in love. And if I may put that in other words:
Love enough to speak truth! All truth.
"All scripture is inspired by God (God-breathed) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16
Even though this is long and I've probably already lost a lot of you, rather than just writing the reference to that familiar truth of speaking truth, let me close with that verse in its larger context from the Amplified Version Eph. 4:12-15
"...12 [and He did this] to fully equip and perfect the saints (God’s people) for works of service, to build up the body of Christ [the church]; 13 until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity]. 14 So that we are no longer children [spiritually immature], tossed back and forth [like ships on a stormy sea] and carried about by every wind of [shifting] doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of [unscrupulous] men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything [for personal profit]. 15 But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example] who is the Head—Christ."
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