Think about it... (go back »)

onto my serious note Im going to quote some stuff from devotion book the other day, because to be honest, its amazing. seriously amazing. "A Call To Die" By David Nasser "We think, "shouldn't i struggle less with sin and selfishness as i get closer to God?" Well, yes and no. i believe we struggle with different sins as we grow in our faith. At first, the battle is over the outward sins like cursing, sexual immorality, gossip, violence, etc. He instructed us to be ruthless. Brutal. Show no mercy to sin. "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature"..."For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but f by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live" -Romans 8:13 ILLUSTRATION: If a rabid wolf came in your room right now, you wouldn't pet it. You wouldn't study it. You wouldn't talk sweetly to it. No, You'd kill it because it can't be redeemed. It can only be killed. That's the ruthlessness Paul wants us to have with our sin. How do we kill them? We let the truth of God sink deep into our hearts. We let that truth guide us, encourage us to make good decisions, and remind us of the consequences of our choices. Through the pages of the bible, we understand what honors the Father and what breaks his heart. Then we realize our attitudes and actions are not in a vacuum; they are done in the very presence of the one who rescued us from hell. That realization gives us conviction to act--decisively and ruthlessly--on the truth. ->We need to focus our attention on enjoying God, which leads to doing what is right. *Perceive that you are God's beloved child, and choose to be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. *When people are difficult, bear with them without griping. However, if a difficult person becomes abusive, seek christian counsel immediately." *When they hurt you, Forgive them. How much? "just as the Lord forgave you" *When relationships get frayed by conflict, let your love stitch the relationship back together. *when you're anxious, let Christ's peace rule in your heart...etc These are NOT emotions. THEY ARE CHOICES WE NEED to determine to act in ways that clothe us in Christ's love, strength, and wisdom no matter how we feel--often in spite of how we feel; not emotion, but devotion. That's obedience to the Master. How do we know what needs to be discarded and what needs to be worn? the answer is found in another question: what breaks God's heart and what honors him? "