Wednesday, July 19
Identify Yourself
Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you are disqualified.
2 Corinthians 13:5
Recommended Reading
2 Corinthians 5:12-17
In Iraq, a current strategy of the anti-government insurgents is to dress as Iraqi soldiers or policemen in order to infiltrate high-security zones. The mere profession of authority - even possession of uniforms and badges - is no longer sufficient to establish identity.
Jesus warned about spiritual imposters - wolves dressed in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). He was referring to the danger of judging spirituality based on external appearances. Christians need to take these words to heart and follow Paul's admonition to examine ourselves to see if we are indeed in the faith. The goal is not to create doubt but to create confidence! But confidence cannot be enjoyed without a thorough examination to see whether one has truly been born again. Has your life changed? Do you have an increasing sensitivity to sin? Is pleasing Christ daily your chief pursuit?
Don't be afraid to look closely at your spiritual life so that you may rest confidently in your eternal life.
We need to rediscover the almost lost discipline of self-examination; and then a reawakened sense of sin will beget a reawakened sense of wonder.
Andrew Murray
Read-Thru-the-Bible
Isaiah 14:1 - 18:7
Turning Point Online
Dear Real Deal,
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful that Christ came into your life and you became "a new creation" through the power of the Holy Spirit's leading. His timing is always perfect and it appears that your life with your wife and baby is much more satisfying than participating in fornication. God's Word tells us to "flee sexual immorality." There are good reasons to obey this command. The epidemic of STD's is only one reason why the abstinence you chose to follow at the time that you did is probably a blessing! One in every two teenagers today has an STD! That's truly frightening... Back when I was a teen (ya know...back in the olden days of the 70's), the statistic was one in every 50 teens contracted an STD and I thought that was high!
When we put Christ first, family second and job third in our lives everything works for the better. At least that has been my experience.
God bless you that you have such keen awareness of sin in your life and all around you. Living for Christ is the best way to live. But to get there, we must repent of our sin and let Him take over the "throne" of our lives. You have done this and it's a great thing. Thanks for sharing!
In Him,
Christine
Billy - You stopped cursing? That is the one thing I am still working on - Lord help me. (maybe it's too much Eminem – you think?)
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I were convicted by the Lord when we were living together before we were married and we moved out and lived separately until we married. Since then the Lord has really blessed our union and we now warn others of the danger of sexual immorality.
Hi Christine -
ReplyDeleteStatistically speaking, the divorce rate is 50% higher for those who live together prior to marriage.
Anna
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteStatistically speaking, the divorce rate is 50% higher for those who live together prior to marriage.
According to what statistics?