Ephesians 4:22 To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
This post is not for everyone♥️🙏♥️
(A little long but it is for SELF-EXAMINATION)
It is for us Christians or those who have already been babtized and have decided to dedicate their life to God. Are we experiencing true joy, freedom and peace that surpasses all understanding regardless of our trials or tribulations?
Can Religion or Ministry become an idol?
Yes! The enemy can be sneaky! He can use what we do for God or how we serve, sing or preach to determine our spiritual growth but real growth is found in overcoming character defects.Real spiritual growth and maturity happens when we surrender and die to self daily! It is revealed in the toughest seasons or everyday situations of life. Real growth is revealed in trials when your character is exposed and then you realize everything you have been doing is good and all but it does not equal to growth although serving can lead to growth depending on your motives behind what you do and why you do it.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
What we do is not who we are but should be the fruits of who He is within us.God will give us moments of reflection when we He allows challenges to serve as a way to expose to us that our character is still the same! We have not fully changed to be like Christ. We are still allowing old self to reign! There are still thorns hindering our growth.We find ourselves stuck!
It can be discouraging but Sop says the closer we get to Jesus the more we will see our own character flaws in comparison to Christ but the key to growth is not in dwelling on our imperfections but beholding His perfection because whatever we behold we become and Satan would rather keep us depressed in our sin or struggle but Jesus wants to give us new victories!
Acts 3:19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,
Something to contemplate on!
It is important to do a heart search in our walk with God daily in order to grow in the Lord. It can be easy to fall in satans trap of complacency when we are not real or transparent about ourselves to God and it is dangerous to partake of a form of godliness godliness denying His a Power vs. true conversion.Because it takes so much humility to do this we need to be prayerful and be real with ourselves as we give it to God.A form of godliness is void and empty because it is superficial and fake. It is slavery. You care too much what people think vs what God truly thinks.Yet, true conversion takes courage because you see your own condition daily and you humble yourself and surrender daily because you truly love and want to please God (not impress men).
James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded
Are we Christians cause we are enslaved to how people view us or label us so much that we have made religion an idol?
As a way to paint a picture to cover who we really are? The pain, the brokeness, the scars, the struggles are still there but we have hidden them behind Christianity instead of exposing it because we are afraid to be judged or condemned? The Bible says He who covers their sin shall not prosper..Are we in bondage to people’s condemning mentality? So much...that we have changed ourselves on the outside but not surrendered the inside to God? Therefore, we are empty because religious idolatry does that to you.You have been trying to win others approval and acceptance rather than trusting Gods approval and acceptance is enough? God takes us as we are but because He loves us so much He will not leave us there but it is up to us to surrender daily in order for Him to take us higher in our walk toward eternity?
John 8:32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Or are we Christian because we are inlove with Jesus? And want to truly obey His will because we truly fear (reverence) Him & this is motivated by our love for Him.We are real about ourselves including the hard parts because we know and understand that in order to be like Christ we must humble ourselves daily and surrender to His leading?
In our walk with God these are the hard questions we need to ask ourselves? In our walk with God it is a journey and there will be good and hard seasons? Do we depend on circumstances and even church folks or church leaders to guide us or do we depend 100% on the Holy Spirit? Are we still in bondage to sin or experiencing true freedom? Are we complacent or are we growing?
These are hard questions we as believers need to ask ourselves & examine our hearts daily.Are we truly dead to self or are we still allowing self to reign rather than the character of Jesus? Are we truly focusing on eternal things or earthly things? Are we in bondage to fear rather than walking in faith ? Are we trusting God prayerfully in our trials or are we taking vengeance in our own hands? Are we truly connected to His Spirit or disconnected? I don’t know about you all but lately I have been asking myself these very hard questions because I love God and really care to please Him and I am ashamed that I have been too focused on the wrong things but I am recommitting myself to focus on Him alone again with no more distractions. Fully trusting Him even in those moments when we are tempted to question Him. He knows best and He is always in control.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Dear Father, thank you for loving us unconditionally. For accepting us as we are and for never giving up on us eventhough you know our every defect, struggle and true intentions of why we do the things we do. Help us not to live in fear of what others may think or how they view us. Help us die to self and surrender daily those things that offend you because we love you and fear you. You said fear is the beginning of wisdom. Teach us how to fear you. Fulfill your purpose in our lives nomatter what it takes save us daily and help us die to self that you may reign and surround us with compassionate and loving Christians that speak life in dead situations. Help us be a light in the darkness. Help us to forgive others even ourselves and speak life as well. Help us to reconnect and grow to the stature of Christ. In Jesus name forgive our sins and give us the mind of Christ. Amen!
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