"Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord Who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses." (NASB) Nehemiah 4:14. This is MY battle cry! Are you fighting for your family? In this day and age there are so many distractions, so much false truth! What are YOU doing to protect yourself and your loved ones?! Can you look back on your life and say you've left a good legacy behind you? I know I can't say that! However, what I've learned from being in prison is that it's never too late to change! " But I've tried to change and I can't do it" some might say. Shoot, I tried to change also. So many times I'd say this is the last time I'll let this happen, or I'm not gonna look at porn anymore. Yet by our own strength we can't possibly expect to overcome what's in our very nature! Romans 7:18-19 lays it out really well. The Amplified version states "For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]. For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing." Wow y'all! This is Paul talking here! The feller who was walking through life like a blind man, then lost his actual sight, & Glory to God saw Jesus on the road to Damascus Who opened Paul's spiritual and physical eyes. And his life and ours was forever impacted by that encounter! Thank You Father!! Now the Apostle Paul, struggled with the desires of the flesh daily..maybe now someone out there will stop beating themselves up so bad when you stumble?! Look,without the power of the Holy Spirit we are doomed to fail in our sins. And folks, sins ain't just the big ole whoppers like killing, stealing, and raping! We are meant to live holy lives. "Heck Nick, you're crazy! Look at the world around us!? There's no way we can do that!" My answer is, shoot yeah you can! We must strive to live holy lives! Paul says in chapter 6 vs. 5-7 ( I'm paraphrasing here...) As a follower of Christ, we've been crucified with Him. We share in His death. Since we share in His death..Glory to God! We share in His Resurrection! We die to sin. Sin doesn't have dominion, it doesn't have the power, OR authority over the Sons and daughters of the Most High God! If that don't make you wanna shout! Praise be to God!! Verse 6 talks about our old, unrenewed self being nailed to the cross in order for us to die to sin. Verse 7 says When a man dies, he is freed ( loosed, delivered) from [the power of ] sin [ among men]. Shoo buddy! Y'all! The legacy we leave behind, living a holy life in order that our children can say 20 years down the road " Yes, my parents/ Aunt, Uncle/ Grandpa, Grandma, Yes they were Christians and I know this by the way they lived their lives!" Now I know there's so much temptation in the world today. I'm not blind. I also know that Jesus has given us a gift that helps us to stand up to and overcome the world! The Holy Spirit! All God wants is for us to trust in His Son, and to strive to lead holy lives. Will we be holy immediately upon saying "YES" to Jesus? Certainly we are made holy by the blood Jesus shed on that cross! In the eyes of God, our spirit is pure and holy! We are justified (just as if we didn't sin)! However, we also must fight, stay vigilant every day to the schemes of Satan, the accuser of the brethren! Jesus said "Be holy because I am holy" Let's work together, side by side, holding each other accountable daily. Reach out and lift each other up!
No comments:
Post a Comment