"For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are."-Hebrews 4:12.
Have you ever noticed that it's the people that love you the most that are able to cut you deeper and sharper with their words? I can only remember a few times when I actually got grounded (me going to my room was no big deal, I'd just putt in there for hours or watch old golf videos). What hurt more though and really had lasting impact/correction was when I could just tell they were disappointed. If someone that I knew only a little bit was disappointed in me, no big deal. We don't care about those that are out of our "circles," but we do care about those inside our circle, and more importantly what they think about us.
Since we are created by God, for God's purpose, when we are not focusing on Him, we are not actually being ourselves. This verse from Hebrews hit me today in relation to the fact that there is nothing sharper than the conviction that God's word brings upon a person who loves God. This is a very hard thing for many Christians. The more you grow in your faith, the more your eyes are open to the 100% fact that you and all of us need Jesus to cleanse us, the more we see the filth in ourselves. I have known many Christians that get down about this and they focus on their impurity. I have many friends that are Christians that consistently will fall to a vice, or repeatedly try to stay away from a sin only to fall in the future. Failure is a difficult thing if you are not a true believer and receiver of Jesus. I'm going to fill you in on a little secret: If you try to take things into your hands and your control to overcome a constant sin, you will fail. I have seen it with my own eyes with others, and I have experienced it within my own life. This failure on top of everything is a tremendous weapon used by the enemy. There is a massive difference between condemnation and conviction. The enemy wants you to sit in the condemnation of your past. The enemy wants you to think that you can try again next time with another 3 step program, or with a better attitude. The fact is this: You cannot overcome anything unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. For through Him, we are cleansed, we are saved, we are made BRAND NEW!
When you accept Jesus into your heart, receiving and believing, you are no longer yours! You are now His. Many people will call this "Dying to yourself," and that is true, but there is another key factor: Christ living in you!
Conviction is a good thing. You recognize your pitfalls. You recognize that no matter how hard you try, you cannot live a life without sinning. Conviction is meant to point you towards what gives you life, and that is Jesus. It pains you much like in my example of disappointing my parents. It will pain you because you have a heart filled for loving Jesus, yet you failed. Don't let this conviction turn into condemnation. Understand that Jesus loves you and the conviction you feel is to be used to point your focus onto Him and His word so that you can evaluate how you fell and ask God to make you new through the blood of Jesus.
The enemy is the one who says you're not good enough. The enemy is the one who tells you to question God. The enemy is the one who will try and keep you stagnant.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come." -2nd Corinthians 5:17.
The word of God is strong and never failing. It draws hard lines so that you always know the truth line. If you have conviction, use it to point you to the word. Use the word to cut the sin from inside you sharper than any knife and be made new. This gift of grace given by God through Jesus will channel you into knowing that it is not your performance, but His performance on the cross. It is Him that will be in you, and you will want to pursue obedience not to get a crown on your head, but because you love your Heavenly Father, and you know that He loves you. We know this because of His gift. We know this because of our failures. We know this because we can't win taking our lives into our own hands, because it is not our life to take. It is our life to give!
Have a great week!
Amazing Grace: Bagpipes
Have you ever noticed that it's the people that love you the most that are able to cut you deeper and sharper with their words? I can only remember a few times when I actually got grounded (me going to my room was no big deal, I'd just putt in there for hours or watch old golf videos). What hurt more though and really had lasting impact/correction was when I could just tell they were disappointed. If someone that I knew only a little bit was disappointed in me, no big deal. We don't care about those that are out of our "circles," but we do care about those inside our circle, and more importantly what they think about us.
Since we are created by God, for God's purpose, when we are not focusing on Him, we are not actually being ourselves. This verse from Hebrews hit me today in relation to the fact that there is nothing sharper than the conviction that God's word brings upon a person who loves God. This is a very hard thing for many Christians. The more you grow in your faith, the more your eyes are open to the 100% fact that you and all of us need Jesus to cleanse us, the more we see the filth in ourselves. I have known many Christians that get down about this and they focus on their impurity. I have many friends that are Christians that consistently will fall to a vice, or repeatedly try to stay away from a sin only to fall in the future. Failure is a difficult thing if you are not a true believer and receiver of Jesus. I'm going to fill you in on a little secret: If you try to take things into your hands and your control to overcome a constant sin, you will fail. I have seen it with my own eyes with others, and I have experienced it within my own life. This failure on top of everything is a tremendous weapon used by the enemy. There is a massive difference between condemnation and conviction. The enemy wants you to sit in the condemnation of your past. The enemy wants you to think that you can try again next time with another 3 step program, or with a better attitude. The fact is this: You cannot overcome anything unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. For through Him, we are cleansed, we are saved, we are made BRAND NEW!
When you accept Jesus into your heart, receiving and believing, you are no longer yours! You are now His. Many people will call this "Dying to yourself," and that is true, but there is another key factor: Christ living in you!
Conviction is a good thing. You recognize your pitfalls. You recognize that no matter how hard you try, you cannot live a life without sinning. Conviction is meant to point you towards what gives you life, and that is Jesus. It pains you much like in my example of disappointing my parents. It will pain you because you have a heart filled for loving Jesus, yet you failed. Don't let this conviction turn into condemnation. Understand that Jesus loves you and the conviction you feel is to be used to point your focus onto Him and His word so that you can evaluate how you fell and ask God to make you new through the blood of Jesus.
The enemy is the one who says you're not good enough. The enemy is the one who tells you to question God. The enemy is the one who will try and keep you stagnant.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come." -2nd Corinthians 5:17.
The word of God is strong and never failing. It draws hard lines so that you always know the truth line. If you have conviction, use it to point you to the word. Use the word to cut the sin from inside you sharper than any knife and be made new. This gift of grace given by God through Jesus will channel you into knowing that it is not your performance, but His performance on the cross. It is Him that will be in you, and you will want to pursue obedience not to get a crown on your head, but because you love your Heavenly Father, and you know that He loves you. We know this because of His gift. We know this because of our failures. We know this because we can't win taking our lives into our own hands, because it is not our life to take. It is our life to give!
Have a great week!
Amazing Grace: Bagpipes
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