Love God and Live Free
You know the feeling..”I’m failing”…”I’m falling”…”I’m losing the fight”. A huge chunk of the foundation of your life is sliding into the ocean like the State of California (or bigger) separating from the continent. You look and see it sinking …and sliding. . It could be a friendship, a marriage of 15 years, your work…title..function, your youth, your health, a son, a daughter, a wife. Slipping slipping..moving..changing. If the present conditions continue, you know it will eventually sink beneath the water’s surface and disappear forever. And you don’t seem to have what it takes to prevent it. You wonder, Where is this thing going? What will the outcome be? What will it look like when I, or we, get to the end of the road..when there is no more road…just water?
Next comes the stress, the sleepless nights, the off and on low grade pain: headaches, backaches, inflammatory responses throughout your body..first here …then there with no real origin or reason followed by a sinking feeling of sadness, oppression…perhaps depression.
Perhaps you are courageous enough to admit to yourself: I don’t have the faith, the strength, the experience, holiness, selflessness, or the wisdom..whatever… to meet the need and change the course. By default you think, If I were emotionally, spiritually, or temperamentally equipped enough, then, somehow I would be able to stop the sand from slipping through my fist.
He stalks us day and night (1 Peter 5:8). Have you ever felt spiritually stalked? What is it made of?…and what are the “hooks” inside of our hearts that permit this “stalking” to latch on to, and then spew the deadly poison into our spiritual / emotional blood steam and take effect against us? We cannot stop the fact that we are stalked. We must accept that as part of life. We are stalked, and we will be stalked. However, we do have a choice not to buy what the enemy is telling and selling. In order for us not to “buy” we must seek God. He will show us the hook and the poison. We have in our hands and hearts the most powerful thing known to man on earth and in heaven: the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. We are able to take action by applying the truth, experience relief from ourselves and be FREE again. We have a choice available for the asking and receiving. “LOVE GOD AND LIVE FREE”
In my own life I have found the “hook” involves pride and the “poison” is legalism, the law, right / wrong, good / bad, judgment….condemnation
1 Corinthians 4
2Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].
3But it matters very little to me that I should be put on trial by you [on this point], and that you or any other human tribunal should investigate and question and cross-question me. I do not even put myself on trial and judge myself.
4I am not conscious of anything against myself, and I feel blameless; but I am not vindicated and acquitted before God on that account. It is the Lord [Himself] Who examines and judges me.
5So do not make any hasty or premature judgments before the time when the Lord comes [again], for He will both bring to light the secret things that are [now hidden] in darkness and disclose and expose the [secret] aims (motives and purposes) of hearts. Then every man will receive his [due] commendation from God.
6Now I have applied all this [about parties and factions] to myself and Apollos for your sakes, brethren, so that from what I have said of us [as illustrations], you may learn [to think of men in accordance with Scripture and] not to go beyond that which is written, that none of you may be puffed up and inflated with pride and boast in favor of one [minister and teacher] against another.
7For who separates you from the others [as a faction leader]? [Who makes you superior and sets you apart from another, giving you the preeminence?] What have you that was not given to you? If then you received it [from someone], why do you boast as if you had not received [but had gained it by your own efforts]?
You know the feeling..”I’m failing”…”I’m falling”…”I’m losing the fight”. A huge chunk of the foundation of your life is sliding into the ocean like the State of California (or bigger) separating from the continent. You look and see it sinking …and sliding. . It could be a friendship, a marriage of 15 years, your work…title..function, your youth, your health, a son, a daughter, a wife. Slipping slipping..moving..changing. If the present conditions continue, you know it will eventually sink beneath the water’s surface and disappear forever. And you don’t seem to have what it takes to prevent it. You wonder, Where is this thing going? What will the outcome be? What will it look like when I, or we, get to the end of the road..when there is no more road…just water?
Next comes the stress, the sleepless nights, the off and on low grade pain: headaches, backaches, inflammatory responses throughout your body..first here …then there with no real origin or reason followed by a sinking feeling of sadness, oppression…perhaps depression.
Perhaps you are courageous enough to admit to yourself: I don’t have the faith, the strength, the experience, holiness, selflessness, or the wisdom..whatever… to meet the need and change the course. By default you think, If I were emotionally, spiritually, or temperamentally equipped enough, then, somehow I would be able to stop the sand from slipping through my fist.
He stalks us day and night (1 Peter 5:8). Have you ever felt spiritually stalked? What is it made of?…and what are the “hooks” inside of our hearts that permit this “stalking” to latch on to, and then spew the deadly poison into our spiritual / emotional blood steam and take effect against us? We cannot stop the fact that we are stalked. We must accept that as part of life. We are stalked, and we will be stalked. However, we do have a choice not to buy what the enemy is telling and selling. In order for us not to “buy” we must seek God. He will show us the hook and the poison. We have in our hands and hearts the most powerful thing known to man on earth and in heaven: the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. We are able to take action by applying the truth, experience relief from ourselves and be FREE again. We have a choice available for the asking and receiving. “LOVE GOD AND LIVE FREE”
In my own life I have found the “hook” involves pride and the “poison” is legalism, the law, right / wrong, good / bad, judgment….condemnation
1 Corinthians 4
2Moreover, it is [essentially] required of stewards that a man should be found faithful [proving himself worthy of trust].
3But it matters very little to me that I should be put on trial by you [on this point], and that you or any other human tribunal should investigate and question and cross-question me. I do not even put myself on trial and judge myself.
4I am not conscious of anything against myself, and I feel blameless; but I am not vindicated and acquitted before God on that account. It is the Lord [Himself] Who examines and judges me.
5So do not make any hasty or premature judgments before the time when the Lord comes [again], for He will both bring to light the secret things that are [now hidden] in darkness and disclose and expose the [secret] aims (motives and purposes) of hearts. Then every man will receive his [due] commendation from God.
6Now I have applied all this [about parties and factions] to myself and Apollos for your sakes, brethren, so that from what I have said of us [as illustrations], you may learn [to think of men in accordance with Scripture and] not to go beyond that which is written, that none of you may be puffed up and inflated with pride and boast in favor of one [minister and teacher] against another.
7For who separates you from the others [as a faction leader]? [Who makes you superior and sets you apart from another, giving you the preeminence?] What have you that was not given to you? If then you received it [from someone], why do you boast as if you had not received [but had gained it by your own efforts]?
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