“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2012/08/05/totally-clean/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht  

Isaiah 41:13… “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ ” (NKJV)

Asking for help in life is just not something that is inherent in the human mentality…  Ever since we were toddlers, we have wanted to try and do things for ourselves… This is pride or stubbornness, which is part of every human’s sin nature that they are born with…

Pride is something an un-saved sinner has to swallow, in order to become a Christian…  They have to admit that they are sinners… They have to acknowledge that they can in no way save themselves from eternal damnation…  And then they have to look to Jesus Christ, as they seek Him through saving faith alone, to become their personal Lord, their Master, and their Savior (Ephesians 2:8-9)…

But remaining humble to the leading of the Holy Spirit that is given to all Christian’s, seems to be easier said than done…  Our own flesh gets in the way, trying to take back the control we once had of our own lives, before we became Christian’s… We used to be able to do what we want…when we wanted to do it… But this “me first” attitude, is something that we have to put behind us, as we humbly look to the Lord for His help and guidance…

The apostle Paul writes this; part of the whole chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, he devotes to love (the greatest gift), in…1 Corinthians 13:11… When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (NKJV)

I used to believe that becoming a mature, Spirit filled Christian would only happen after teens’, professing to be Christian’s, got past that young adult stage of life; where living for the Lord finally becomes more important than the partying and the socializing that goes on in the young adults life…

But I wasn’t saved until I was 52…and somehow, I still took back control from the Holy Spirit… I am sure the temptations of partying and fornication don’t help the young Christian in their quest to live for the Lord… The desire to fit in with unsaved friends; and to not have them walk away, as the young Christian decides that the Lord is most important in their lives…is surely Satan’s way of holding onto young Christian’s for as long as possible…

I now believe that Christian’s of all ages must go through a period of training; using the tools God has given to them to help them grow in their knowledge and wisdom of the Lord…  Spiritual maturity doesn’t just happen in the life of a Christian…  A Christian can’t just go to church on Sunday, feeling that their obligations have been fulfilled for the week…and expect to remain Spirit filled, with very little or no other interaction with the Lord for the rest of the week…

The Lord must become the focal point in the life of the Christian, each and every day…This is where spending time in God’s Word every day…and dare I remind readers, that putting on God’s full set of armor (Ephesians 6:10-20)…is what’s needed to keep Satan and his temptations at bay… This is also where going to a Bible believing and teaching church (where the Christian becomes part of the body of Christ)…and getting involved with good works done for the Lord (with the right heart)…will help the Christian in their steady growth process known as sanctification…

Some may say that living for the Lord, to remain a Spirit filled Christian, is too much work… I say that once a Christian experiences the blessings…and the joy…and the peace that all Spirit filled Christian’s will have as they live for the Lord…they will in no way want to go back to a life with the “me first” attitude… The closer a Christian gets to God…the closer God gets to them, and the easier it becomes to live for the Lord…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.  (NKJV)

God wants us to come to Him… God is always right there behind the scenes, in a Christian’s life…Hebrews 13:5-6… Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” ⁶ So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”  (NKJV)

We as Christian’s just have to get out of our own way, and humbly seek the Lord as our “helper”…

Heavenly Father, help all of Your children with their “pride problem”, that lies with-in each and every Christian’s heart, just waiting to expose itself… Help us Lord, to confess and repent of our sins (1 John 1:9), so that we can experience the blessings that being filled with the Holy Spirit will bring… I pray for this “keep me humble” attitude for all of us…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills