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Discernment
Discernment
The man without the Spirit does not understand the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he cannot hear them, because they are spiritually discerned - 1 Corinthians 2:14
God's spirit lives in believers.
I have learned that we should not assume that most people will follow or endorse our commitment to follow Christ. It may seem trivial to others just as a tone-deaf person cannot appreciate quality music. A person who rejects God can not comprehend God's divine message. With the lines of communication broken, it is impossible for a person to hear what God is telling us.No one can comprehend God without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 11:34)Through the Holy Spirit, we could have insight into some of God's plans, thoughts, and actions having the "mind of Christ". We also begin to know God's thoughts, talk with him and await His answers to our prayers.
Do you spend enough time with Jesus to receive his moral sense in you?
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Lukewarm Christians
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not believe it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on stony ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on favourable soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
People within the church who rather have an undeniable love for God, they have an incomplete and lukewarm love for God. A lukewarm Christian is an oxymoron.
Churchgoers who are lukewarm are not Christians. There are people in the church that are labeled "Christian" that are not Christians.
Church is not about the building, it's about the people who represent the body of Christ.
God deserves all of our love, not partial.
Descriptions of what a mediocre person would act in the Christian community.
This list is not a complete list of what the definition of what Lukewarm people are, and it is not intended to be used to assess your fellow believers' salvation. This is for you.
This is to examine yourself, like what 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, to "examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves."
My caution to you is this: Do not believe you are beneficial soil.
Lukewarm People...
- Attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe "true Christians" do, so they go. (Isaiah 29:13)
- Give money to charity and to the church...as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living. If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to do, they do so. After all, God loves a cheerful giver, right? (1 Chronicles 21:24; Luke 21:1-4)
- Choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They want to join in both at church and outside of the church; they want more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what God thinks of their heart and lives. (Luke 6:26; Rev. 3:1; Matt. 23:5-7)
- Don't genuinely want to be saved from their sin; they need only to be saved from the burden of their sin. They don't genuinely hate sin and aren't truly sorry for it; they're just sorry because God is going to hurt them.
- Lukewarm people do not honestly believe that the new life Jesus offers, is better than their "old wicked" one - John 10:10; Rom. 6:1-2.
- Moved by stories about people who do extraordinary things for Christ, yet they do not represent. They believe such action is for "extreme" Christians, not ordinary ones. Lukewarm people call "radical" what Jesus expected of all His followers. (James 1:22; 4:17; Matt. 21:28-31)
- Rarely share their faith with their neighbors, coworkers, or friends. They do not want to be rejected, not do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about personal issues like religion. (Matt. 10:32-33)
- Gauge their morals or "goodness" by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren't as radical for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as intense as the guy down the street. (Luke 18:11-12)
- Say they love Jesus, and He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a fraction. They give Him a portion of their lives, their money, and their thoughts, but He isn't allowed to run their lives. (Luke 9:57-62)
- Love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. They would be able to tell you that they try to love God that much, but that kind of total commitment isn't eminently possible for the average person; it's only for pastors and missionaries and radicals. (Matt. 22:37-38)
- Love others but do not try to love others as much as they love themselves. Their love of others is typically focused on those who love them in return, like family, friends, and other people they know and associate with. There is little love left over for those who cannot love them back, much less for those who intentionally slight them, whose kids are better athletes than theirs, or with whom conversations are inappropriate or uncomfortable. Their love is highly dependent and highly selective, and usually comes with strings attached. (Matt. 5:43-47; Luke 14:12-14)
- Serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will continue or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give. (Luke 18:21-25)
- Think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven. Daily life is primarily focused on today's to-do list, this week's schedule, and next month's vacation. Rarely, if even, do they carefully consider the days to come. Regarding this, C.S. Lewis writes, "If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this." (Phil. 3:18-20; Col. 3:2)
- Grateful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to provide as much as possible to the poor. They are able to point out, "Jesus never said money is the root of all evil, only that the love of money is." Untold numbers of apathetic people feel "called" to minister to the rich; very few feel "called" to minister to the poor. (Matt. 25:34, 40; Isa. 58:6-7)
- Do whatever is necessary to protect themselves from feeling too guilty. They want to do the dead minimum, to be kind enough without requiring too much of them. They ask "How far can I go before it's considered a sin?" instead of "How can I keep myself pure as a temple of the Holy Spirit?" They ask, "How much do I have to give?" instead of "How much can I give?" They ask how much time should they spend praying and reading their Bible, instead of, wishing that they could take longer -1 Chronicles 29:14; Matt. 13:44-46.
- Continually concerned with playing it safe; they are slaves to the god of control. This point on sound life keeps them from sacrificing and risking for God. (1 Tim. 6:17-18; Matt. 10:28)
- Do not live by faith; their lives are structured so they never have to. They don't have to trust God if something unexpected happens--they have their savings account. They don't need God to help them--they have their retirement plan in place. They don't genuinely seek out what being God would have them live--they have life figured and mapped out. They don't depend on God on a daily basis--their refrigerators are rich and, for the most part, they are in excellent health. The truth is, their lives wouldn't look much different if they suddenly stopped believing in God. (Luke 12:16-21; see also Hebrews 11)
- Drink and curse probably less than average, but besides that, they truly aren't distinctly different from your typical unbeliever. They equate their relatively sanitized lives with holiness, but they couldn't be more wrong. (Matthew 23:25-28)
- Feel secure because:
- they attend church
- made a profession of faith at age twelve
- were baptized
- come from a Christian family.
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Fear God
I came upon this verses just now and I want to share it to you...
I just want you to know that we do not have to fear anyone, because once we accept Jesus, God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity but of power, love and self-discipline....
Jesus loved us so much and spare His life for us...
And with that our gratitude for Him is to live a righteous life that will glorify Him...
Righteous meaning not perfect but always improving ourself to be perfect...
With that... We do not need to fear anyone, just like Paul who was a sinner wrote in 1 Corinthians 4...
Fear God and you will fear nothing else or in your case, no one else. 2timothy1:7
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From Glory to Glory
We can stand anything for a little while, but don't give up until His work is complete. As God's chosen ones, we have the power to endure whatever comes. (Romans 8:28) it's part of God's plans to grow us up.
When I accepted Him as my personal savior, it was not an overnight experience that I already live happiliy ever after... And even after my "and they lived happily ever after" moment/s, God has shown me that there are still things that I could improve on, characters that I could develop... And with these, I have come to the realization, that I will always face trials and testings, until I see Him face to face... But I rest upon His word, that He will always cause all things to work for the good of those who love Him who are called according to His purpose..
God dealt with me over the years about the things that needed to change in me. He covered my shortcomings by His grace for a certain period of time, and He let me get by with things...
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Are you disappointed?
Jacob was when he realized his unworthiness of all the love and faithfulness God showed him (Genesis 32:10). When God came to Moses with a mission to lead His people, He got angry at Moses not because of his humble self-opinion but of his lack of confidence in God's power. Exodus 3:11-4:10. When a person is paralyzed by a sense of guilt, unworthiness, uselessness, not self-esteem. He assured Moses of His presence. He asked Moses to look to Him to survive. The biblical key to our helplessness is not arrogance but sovereign grace.
God's way of freeing and mobilizing people is by showing them His presence and power. Do you feel helpless, spiritually bankrupt before God? Do you feel morally tainted, personally unworthy before God? Then you are blessed! Until you realize that there would be no life, success or usefulness, without God's grace, you would never be blessed. You see everybody is poor in spirit, but only those who know their inadequacies, guilt, failures, helplessness, unworthiness and emptiness are driven to the grace of God. My friend, there is no need for you to pretend that you are all sufficient. Do not be too hard on yourself. Your inadequacies are just. God knows us. He created us. He never created us to be self-reliant.
God wants us to rely on Him. He wants us to draw near to Him. You are blessed because you will be comforted. God promised to be with you. So do not hesitate, for He is with you. Do not be dismayed. He will strengthen and help you. He will help you with His moral authority hand(Isaiah41:10). Just remember His holiness and only yield and you will be comforted. Replace self-reliance with childlike God-reliance. Replace self-trust with surrendered God-confidence. Self-determination with sovereign grace. Self-esteem with magnificent mercy for the unworthy. God blesses the poor who perceive their need for him - Matthew 5:3.
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