Gideon Posted January 10, 2019 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 14 Topic Count: 79 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,177 Content Per Day: 0.31 Reputation: 826 Days Won: 1 Joined: 10/04/2013 Status: Offline Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) If your church or your pastor is not instructing you as to the how of holiness... how to walk in victory over the world, the flesh and the devil.... how to see your entire nature changed from sinner to obedient child of God.... how to please God in all things... then you are being shortchanged. I know this sounds a bit harsh, but it is not meant to be. It is simply trying to get our attention to a problem in the vast number of churches across all denominations.... yes, yours as well. Ouch, huh? Here is what I see going on. People are led to the Lord, and are sincere in their hunger for the Lord. But as Leonard Ravenhill once stated, we are so anxious to see them get saved that we uank them out of the womb before their time. This we fail to tell them critical details. For instance, being saved is a “transaction”. Between God and us. A covenant. We give Him all of us, and all our little gods, and in exchange we get the pearl of great price. I have heard people say that to tell them that such an approach will put people off. But is this not exactly what Jesus taught us? Another example. We tell people that God is now ours. And He is! But we fail to tell them that the opposite is true even more so. We are God’s! You see, the word tells us that we are not our own, we are bought with a price and we are to glorify God with our new lives. But one of the greatest oversights in our take on Christianity is that living pure, peaceful lives, keeping our bodies under is the calling of every believer. Getting saved is not the end of our race, but rather it is the beginning! And we are to run with a single eye, Jesus above all, and to do so with vigilance, for we have an enemy who wants to steal from us before our newly sprouted seed puts out deep roots. But herein lies the problem. New believers are to be instructed in righteousness.... How to get the upper hand over their fleshly desires. How to bring every thought.... wow..... every thought into subjection to the Lord. They are to be told how to escape the trap of Romans 7 so that they can truly flourish in Romans 8. What do we give them? Read your Bible. Pray. Go to church. Do good. Don’t do bad. Is it not any wonder why we are languishing, and drifting ever so gradually into worldliness and lukewarmness, and a lot of guilt. And what does God think of this? He says that H is astonished. Did He not plant us wholly a noble vine? How have we turned into a degenerate plant to Him? We may start out on fire and excited, but are warned that this is common for it is our honeymoon period, but marriage is hard work. Sadly, that seems to be a common state of affairs in our marriages as well. Should not our love and excitement for God grow exponentially as we continue on the path? Yes, it should. Sadly, with great regularity however, it does not. And why? Why do we settle in for Sunday services as the best God can do. Throw in a prayer chain, some sort of helps ministry and think this is Christianity, because after all, no one is perfect. Right? But you see, when we really read the words God has given us to stand on, His promises, we see something is truly amiss. Consider: 1) He said that He would not allow us to be tempted above our ability to resist. Our response is that we are only human, so that voids that promise. But we always have forgiveness, Yes, we do, but God’s will is that we finally learn how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honor. Forgiveness is wonderful IF we slip, but evidently there is a way to walk with sin under our feet. Hmmmmmm..... 2) God tells us that our shields of faith will quench... WILL.... all.... ALL..... the fiery arrows of the enemy. Listen, Peter tells us that we are given these amazing promises because it is through our believing them as OUR promises that the change God promises to perform in us will occur. As we first start out, stumbling is normal. But if we have been walking with God for years, and still willfully sinning, leaning on His forgiveness but with no desire to walk as overcomes, giving glory to God, our Christianity has been gutted of its goal, that we bring forth fruit unto God. How many churches today preach every single service on forgiveness,but never on how to walk pleasing to God, how to overcome fleshly appetites, how to be changed into fruit bearing saints. Here is the danger, and it cannot be overstated. When we sin the same sins over and over, we are told that the real danger is that our hearts get hardened towards God. Oh, we keep up our words,our core beliefs, but our prayer life becomes dead... hollow... lifeless. So we settle for learning ABOUT God, rather than learning from Him and living IN Him as new creatures. We end up religious, but not righteous, and this, my friends, is what the vast number of believers have settled for. Why are pastors letting such things happen to their sheep? They too have lost sight of victory as our birthright and have succumbed to the pressure to become CEO’s. The concept of giving themselves continually to prayer and ministry of the Word so that their sheep thrive and draw other sheep with their light of life... Jesus in their hearts.... filling them... changing* them.... is lost. Holiness is not preached because it is thought impossible anyway. But I am here to tell any who will listen that there IS a path prepared for us to walk on, where we walk as overcomes, not as the forgiven overcome. This amazing highway does not lead to holiness... it IS the highway of holiness! Praise God, He tells us that on this highway, a man may be a fool and STILL will not err there in. Glory! I qualify! And so do you! If you find this encouraging, I ask that you keep reading the blog as I add to it. What God has given me to share is truly amazing.... and it works.... HE works! Blessings to you all. Gideon Edited January 10, 2019 by Gideon 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frienduff thaylorde Posted January 10, 2019 Group: Mars Hill Followers: 17 Topic Count: 18 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 13,256 Content Per Day: 5.34 Reputation: 1 Days Won: 62 Joined: 07/07/2017 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/25/1972 Share Posted January 10, 2019 Reckon yourselves indeed DEAD unto sin , BUT ALIVE UNTO RIGHTEOUNESS . OH let it just sink in . Did I just say RECKON . you better believe it . THIER IS POWER in the blood . Walk after the SPIRIT and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh . Hands up and let each one sound out a mighty praise to the LORD > 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Not me Posted January 10, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 14 Topic Count: 512 Topics Per Day: 0.23 Content Count: 3,187 Content Per Day: 1.44 Reputation: 3,350 Days Won: 1 Joined: 04/06/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) 5 hours ago, Gideon said: If your church or your pastor is not instructing you as to the how of holiness... how to walk in victory over the world, the flesh and the devil.... how to see your entire nature changed from sinner to obedient child of God.... how to please God in all things... then you are being shortchanged. I know this sounds a bit harsh, but it is not meant to be. It is simply trying to get our attention to a problem in the vast number of churches across all denominations.... yes, yours as well. Ouch, huh? Here is what I see going on. People are led to the Lord, and are sincere in their hunger for the Lord. But as Leonard Ravenhill once stated, we are so anxious to see them get saved that we uank them out of the womb before their time. This we fail to tell them critical details. For instance, being saved is a “transaction”. Between God and us. A covenant. We give Him all of us, and all our little gods, and in exchange we get the pearl of great price. I have heard people say that to tell them that such an approach will put people off. But is this not exactly what Jesus taught us? Another example. We tell people that God is now ours. And He is! But we fail to tell them that the opposite is true even more so. We are God’s! You see, the word tells us that we are not our own, we are bought with a price and we are to glorify God with our new lives. But one of the greatest oversights in our take on Christianity is that living pure, peaceful lives, keeping our bodies under is the calling of every believer. Getting saved is not the end of our race, but rather it is the beginning! And we are to run with a single eye, Jesus above all, and to do so with vigilance, for we have an enemy who wants to steal from us before our newly sprouted seed puts out deep roots. But herein lies the problem. New believers are to be instructed in righteousness.... How to get the upper hand over their fleshly desires. How to bring every thought.... wow..... every thought into subjection to the Lord. They are to be told how to escape the trap of Romans 7 so that they can truly flourish in Romans 8. What do we give them? Read your Bible. Pray. Go to church. Do good. Don’t do bad. Is it not any wonder why we are languishing, and drifting ever so gradually into worldliness and lukewarmness, and a lot of guilt. And what does God think of this? He says that H is astonished. Did He not plant us wholly a noble vine? How have we turned into a degenerate plant to Him? We may start out on fire and excited, but are warned that this is common for it is our honeymoon period, but marriage is hard work. Sadly, that seems to be a common state of affairs in our marriages as well. Should not our love and excitement for God grow exponentially as we continue on the path? Yes, it should. Sadly, with great regularity however, it does not. And why? Why do we settle in for Sunday services as the best God can do. Throw in a prayer chain, some sort of helps ministry and think this is Christianity, because after all, no one is perfect. Right? But you see, when we really read the words God has given us to stand on, His promises, we see something is truly amiss. Consider: 1) He said that He would not allow us to be tempted above our ability to resist. Our response is that we are only human, so that voids that promise. But we always have forgiveness, Yes, we do, but God’s will is that we finally learn how to possess our vessels in sanctification and honor. Forgiveness is wonderful IF we slip, but evidently there is a way to walk with sin under our feet. Hmmmmmm..... 2) God tells us that our shields of faith will quench... WILL.... all.... ALL..... the fiery arrows of the enemy. Listen, Peter tells us that we are given these amazing promises because it is through our believing them as OUR promises that the change God promises to perform in us will occur. As we first start out, stumbling is normal. But if we have been walking with God for years, and still willfully sinning, leaning on His forgiveness but with no desire to walk as overcomes, giving glory to God, our Christianity has been gutted of its goal, that we bring forth fruit unto God. How many churches today preach every single service on forgiveness,but never on how to walk pleasing to God, how to overcome fleshly appetites, how to be changed into fruit bearing saints. Here is the danger, and it cannot be overstated. When we sin the same sins over and over, we are told that the real danger is that our hearts get hardened towards God. Oh, we keep up our words,our core beliefs, but our prayer life becomes dead... hollow... lifeless. So we settle for learning ABOUT God, rather than learning from Him and living IN Him as new creatures. We end up religious, but not righteous, and this, my friends, is what the vast number of believers have settled for. Why are pastors letting such things happen to their sheep? They too have lost sight of victory as our birthright and have succumbed to the pressure to become CEO’s. The concept of giving themselves continually to prayer and ministry of the Word so that their sheep thrive and draw other sheep with their light of life... Jesus in their hearts.... filling them... changing* them.... is lost. Holiness is not preached because it is thought impossible anyway. But I am here to tell any who will listen that there IS a path prepared for us to walk on, where we walk as overcomes, not as the forgiven overcome. This amazing highway does not lead to holiness... it IS the highway of holiness! Praise God, He tells us that on this highway, a man may be a fool and STILL will not err there in. Glory! I qualify! And so do you! If you find this encouraging, I ask that you keep reading the blog as I add to it. What God has given me to share is truly amazing.... and it works.... HE works! Blessings to you all. Gideon The simplicity of the Gospel of Christ. Which is; 2 Peter 1:4 (NASB) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of [the] divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. for most assuredly; “the just shall live by faith” To be willing to hear the voice of God in our innermost being, and to be willing to answer that call. Which is to walk in righteousness before Him all the days of our life’s. Blessings, much love in Christ, Not me ps, welcome back Gids, missed ya. Edited January 10, 2019 by Not me 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AgedLace Posted January 10, 2019 Share Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) I agree there is a total lack of teaching about living victorious lives in Christ ... after many years and much praying and asking God the Father about this, I have come to the conclusion / understanding that our christian leadership does not preach these things because they have never been taught how to live in victory ... they cannot teach what they have not learned themselves. That being said, I can attest that I am seeing that God the Father is putting a deep hunger and thirst for righteousness into the hearts of those who truly seek Him. In fact, over the past month He has been doing this exact same thing with me, too. Here is just a little of what He's been sharing with me over the past month or so ... PRIESTHOOD 1. Sent out to prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight 2. Sent out to preach repentance with the result of lives exhibiting fruits of repentance 3. Sent out to preach about the Blood of Christ [which witnesses to the redemption in Christ 1 Jn 5:8] 4. Sent out to heal and deliver from demons / unclean spirits Luke 9 and 10 5. Sent out to baptize in water [baptism unto repentance and the laying aside of sin; aka 'the baptism of John the Baptist'] and the Holy Spirit [He Who supplies power to the water and the Blood; apostles were told to wait in Jerusalem until you receive power from on high] Call forth the "called out ones" to the Highway of Holiness --------------------------- THE HIGHWAY of HOLINESS 1. Repentance --> produces fruits in the life [Baptism in water] 2. Redemption --> through the Blood of Christ [Freedom from the power of sin, death, satan] 3. Life of Power --> through the Spirit [Baptism in the Spirit] ----------------------------- With respect to the "called out ones" ... 1. Jhn 6:44 NASB "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 2. Jhn 17:6 NASB "I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Jhn 17:12 NASB "While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. Jhn 10:27 NASB "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; Jhn 10:28 NASB and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. Jhn 10:29 NASB "My Father, who has given [them] to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand. The take away from these verses is this ... No amount of preaching / teaching / arguments / debates / signs / wonders / miracles is able to convince anyone of anything. It is only hearts which have been prepared by the Father through the planting of His Word as living seed in those hearts which can produce the faith to receive what has been provided. Now that being said ... He has also given me this ... Mat 9:37 NKJV Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly [is] plentiful, but the laborers [are] few. Mat 9:38 NKJV "Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Luk 10:2 NKJV Then He said to them, "The harvest truly [is] great, but the laborers [are] few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. and this ... Mat 13:39 NKJV "The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. The time is now ... the fields are ripe / white / ready for harvesting now ... He has prepared the hearts of those who are His called out ones ... it is to these that we are being sent out. Edited January 10, 2019 by AgedLace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AgedLace Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 One of my daily devotionals dove-tails perfectly with this thread. ----------- TODAY IS THE DAY FOR THE HARVEST David Wilkerson (1931-2011) January 11, 2019 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). The apostle Paul gives us this very simple instruction in plain terms, “If the Holy Spirit is living in you, let him have full control of your life.” We are all to be led by the Spirit. He was sent to be our constant, infallible guide, and he abides in all who confess Christ as Lord and Savior. Most Christians have no trouble accepting that the Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus, and we have no problem believing that the Spirit is continually at work in us at every moment. We give honor to the Spirit, we preach about him, we teach on his gifts and fruit, and most of us have called on him for comfort in times of crisis. We pray to him, seek, him, beseech him to rend the heavens and revive his church, and experience genuine manifestations of his indwelling. But it seems we know very little about what it means to walk in the Spirit. Understanding the truth about walking in the Spirit could deliver many from confusion, strife, distress, indecision, even lusts of the flesh. So, what is this truth? Paul has summed it up clearly: Surrender your will to the Holy Spirit and trust his still, small voice to direct you in all things. In fact, the Word of God says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” (Psalm 37:23). And who does the ordering? The Holy Spirit! The flesh has its own stubborn will and acts as it pleases. It does whatever it chooses and then asks God to bless those choices, declaring, “God gave me a sound mind and I can make intelligent choices. I don’t have to wait on him for direction.” But even Christ himself said, “I can of Myself do nothing … because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me” (John 5:30). Just as Jesus waited on the Father, always seeking to have his mind, we are to follow his perfect example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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