“Our Daily Bread”
http://odb.org/2013/01/07/fully-equipped/
The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie
http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht
Numbers 12:3… (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.) (NKJV)
The opposite of being “humble”, is being filled with pride… God chose the perfect human being in Moses, to write the first 5 books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch… It is also call the Torah… Here is a link to learn more… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah
It is impossible for any human being to become a Christian in the eyes of God; and then to become a useful Spirit filled servant of the Lord…until their self-centered pride vanishes from their personality… Becoming a Christian is God’s work; and nothing that we as humans can accomplish ourselves…Titus 3:5… not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, (NKJV)
It is God’s pure grace and His mercy, because of God’s will that is given to the unredeemed sinner…that allows them to understand that they are a sinner in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ… And it is by God’s grace, that the sinner is born again (John 3:3-6), as a child of God…John 1:11-13… He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. 12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (NKJV)
This “regeneration” of the sinner’s heart is God’s grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ…Ephesians 2:8-9… Here is a link for this most important days writing about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes, through obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ… https://godsmanforever.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/gods-group-thoughts-for-10202012-gods-grace-through-obedience-to-the-gospel-of-christ/
When pride shows back up in the life of a Spirit filled Christian, there is a war between their flesh and the Holy Spirit… I see this in some graduated youth group young adults, which are now in their late teens or early twenties… The world and its powerful lusts of the flesh (like drinking and partying and sex outside of marriage), have them rebelling against the Holy Spirit…
Galatians 5:17-18… For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (NKJV)
The Apostle John warns Christians about falling back into the grips of Satan and the world, in… 1 John 2:15-16… Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (NKJV)
As I sit back and observe the lives of young adults (actually all people) that I believe are Christians…I see those that are obviously living in sin, having seemingly more struggles with life, than those who (at least on the outside)…seem to be living for the Lord… My thoughts go back to the Scriptures, with the warnings penned by the writer of Hebrews; who tells us that believers will be chastised or even scourged by God, to hopefully bring them back into submission to the leading of the Holy Spirit and the fullness of God…Ephesians 3:16-19…
Hebrews 12:5b-8… “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” (taken from…Proverbs 3:11-12) 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. (NKJV)
God has much patience for His children, known as longsuffering… Those believing they are Christians, who are living in sin, may find life is going along great… But the writer of Hebrews gives us two possibilities… Either they “are illegitimate and not sons”… Or the writer goes on to say this, in…Hebrews 12:11… Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (NKJV)
Living in sin as a Christian, will ultimately catch up to the sinner… But absolute peace and joy will eventually be returned to the Christian, who confesses their sins and turns from them…1 John 1:9…
I have personally found that the abundance of blessings and the absolute peace and joy of a Spirit filled Christian, who is living in the will of God…far outweighs the temporary pleasures of not living for the Lord, because of un-confessed sins or pride, which is fulfilling the selfish desires of the flesh…
Heavenly Father, help all Your children understand, that living for You is a far better pleasing experience…that the short lived pleasure received from engaging in the lusts of the world… Help Your children to choose the peace, joy, and love, that the fullness of the Holy Spirit will bring to Your children living in Your will and Your ways… I pray for this fullness in Christ, that only You can provide…in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…
written by bruce r mills
God's group 