I have been seeing a lot of conversations online of recent, from self proclaiming Christians who confess faith in Jesus, but seem to be so out of line with His teachings, that it has caused me to question what exactly does it mean to be a believer? What I have begun to understand is that some people genuinely believe that it’s enough to just say I believe in Jesus, and then go about their business living life as they please. When you ask them a question about it, they are quick to tell you that they have their own personal relationship with God, and only God can judge!… blah, blah, blah! I get that we all have our own personal relationship with God, but we are all meant to be operating under one spirit, so I don’t understand these people who are clearly living opposed to the spirit, pointing a finger, like those challenging their behaviour are the real problems within Christianity. They even go as far as removing themselves from the body of Christ altogether. We all know that a big part of being a believer is servitude and relationship. We know that we can’t be lone ranger christians. Although there are plenty of churches that should be avoided because they have nothing to do with Jesus, a lot of people removing themselves from church has more to do with not wanting accountability or correction. We can not pick and choose what to submit to in the bible. It’s all or nothing! Choosing to follow the things that make you feel good and leaving out the other parts is a very dangerous game you play with your soul. You are in danger of creating a false god, an idol, something that has no power in your life! There is a cost that comes with following Christ. People always say that nothing worth having is easy to come by. Well, the same can be said for Jesus. If following Jesus hasn’t cost you anything, then I have to ask, are you truly following Christ?
I’m not trying to be dramatic, but ask anyone who has found life in Jesus what they lost? It could be relationships, it could even be a job. When you live in a world that rejects Jesus, its natural that you will experience division or some sort of lost. Jesus himself said in MATTHEW 10:34 “DON’T IMAGINE THAT I CAME TO BRING PEACE TO THE EARTH! I CAME NOT TO BRING PEACE, BUT A SWORD.” When you live in a world where truth is relative, the absolute truth that comes from God will always be rejected. I know that Christians are far from perfect, and I don’t think any Christian should claim to be, because while we have this body which is in a fallen state, we will always have to fight the flesh against the power of sin. There is a dying to self and denying of the flesh that happens daily once you become a believer. We have to pick up our cross and follow Jesus, because if we don’t, He says we are not worthy of being His. To follow Jesus is to be obedient. Our love for Him should result in our obedience to Him. His ways are not burdensome, they are meant to bring us freedom, releasing us from our slavery to sin. But unfortunely some of us have grown to love our sin so much that we stay shackled to it, choosing it as the better thing. It’s so bad that people don’t even like the word “sin” it’s become a dirty word. But what is sin? Sin is missing the mark when we measure it to the standard of God. So, to be in sin is not meeting God’s standard, not the worlds standard! The world tells you to do whatever you please, do whatever feels good! Live your truth! But God calls us to be set apart from the world, to be holy. We end up looking so different from the world, the world considers us weird, like aliens from another planet. This is why the bible constantly reminds us that this isn’t our home. Sin may feel good right now, but the after affects are terminal, they lead to the grave, for the wages of sin is death!
ROMANS 12:2 “DON’T COPY THE BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMS OF THIS WORLD, BUT LET GOD TRANSFORM YOU INTO A NEW PERSON BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK. THEN YOU WILL LEARN TO KNOW GOD’S WILL FOR YOU, WHICH IS GOOD AND PLEASING AND PERFECT.” I see so many Christians who compromise their faith to fit into culture. They have become friends with the world and love the the things of the world, that their love for the Father has grown cold. Love of the world shows a lack of love for God, making you an enemy of Him. This world and everything it stands for is evil and full of darkness. The Light and dark have nothing in common with each other. This is why we are called out of darkness and into the light. Now is not the time to be luke warm Christians! We are closer now than we were before to His return, and when Jesus comes back, we won’t have time to get right. We won’t be able to plead for one more chance, for the time of grace will be over! It’s time to get back into our bibles and get off social media. Social media has been such an influence to this generation. There are so many doctrines of demons being pushed out, that people have grown to have itching ears, listening to the things that affirm the desires of their flesh. They have lost the spirit of discernment because they don’t seek the word for themselves. Christians are losing true intimacy with God because they no longer worship God in spirit and in truth, instead, they determine everything spiritual by how it makes them feel! Well, your feelings are not facts!
When Jesus said “You will know them from their fruit” when talking about true disciples, He wasn’t lying! So many people claim Jesus now, but you really have to discern them from their actions, not by what they say. People have a different understanding of who Jesus is and what He says. Don’t let your lack of knowledge lead you to perish! There is a reason why the bible says to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, because so many people assume that they are saved, when the reality is that they are not. If Jesus says many will say to God at the end “Lord, Lord, didn’t I prophesy in your name? Didn’t I cast demons out in your name?” and be turned away and called workers of inequity, that should leave you in fear and trembling because God wasn’t talking to unbelievers, He was talking to Christians! I am sure these same people would have sworn they were saved, they were even working in ministry! That is such a scary thought!
Faith without works is dead. Our faith should cause action, we should be doing things differently, looking more like Jesus day by day. It’s a heart change; it’s supernatural because it is guided by the Holy Spirit. When we truly have the Holy Spirit within us, He causes us to please God, to love the things He loves, and hate the things He hates. God hates sin! So we can’t choose the sin that feels good, and think that is pleasing to God, that is a lie from the enemy! We all know that the enemy hates the truth because he is the father of lies, so if you have become someone who is convinced that certain sin is ok because its not hurting anyone, look in the mirror and ask yourself, who is your father?
JOHN 8:31-32 JESUS SAID TO THE PEOPLE WHO BELIEVED IN HIM, “YOU ARE TRULY MY DISCIPLES IF YOU REMAIN FAITHFUL TO MY TEACHINGS. AND YOU WILL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE.” To be a true disciple of Jesus is to obey his teachings, not some of them, but all of them! True freedom from sin is knowing the truth of God found in His word. I am not talking about an odd slip into sin, because lets face it, we are all guilty. What I am talking about is habitual sin, the sin that has become part of your life, so much so that it no longer convicts you when you do it, because you have reasoned your way into it. I truy believe that conviction from sin comes from the Holy spirit, and to grieve the Spirit is such a bad thing, I would start to wonder what spirit was in operation. Whether it’s sexual sin, which seems to be common amongst the body of Christ, or some form of addiction, this shows that you are still a slave to sin and have not been set free from it. God is the one who can change our desires, and I speak from personal experience that God has given me a new heart! Because the things I onced loved, I no longer have a taste for it, for nothing is impossible with God! Hallelujah!
When you keep your eyes on the signs of the times, it’s pretty clear that the kingdom is near. I don’t want to be left behind, and if you have placed your faith in Jesus, you shouldn’t either! Now is the time to get serious with the Lord. Rededicate your hearts back to Christ before it’s too late! While you have breath in your body, God’s mercy is still upon you, so don’t waste it. It’s time to seek God for ourselves; to draw nearer to him; to seek true intimacy with Him. He is talking to His children, calling us back to Him. There is still a shaking happening amongst the body of Christ, and He is making His bride spotless! Keep your eyes focused on the kingdom and the things of God. Don’t get swept up by the things of this world, because it offers you nothing but a foreshadow of what is to come, and what is to come is more glorious and majestic than anything you could ever begin to imagine here on this earth! All the things that this world offers is dust, compared to the treasures that await us in heaven. Remain faithful my brothers and sisters, pray for strength to turn away from sin, and choose God first over everything and everyone. This is the time of endurance, it will be more difficult if we don’t keep near to Jesus. For He is the way, the truth, and the life!
JOHN 8:47 “ANYONE WHO BELONGS TO GOD LISTENS GLADLY TO THE WORDS OF GOD. BUT YOU DON’T LISTEN BECAUSE YOU DON’T BELONG TO GOD.”
MY CONVICTIONS 