One of the things Holy Spirit has been showing me lately, is that we have to always make sure that we are tuned into the right frequency. As servants of the Lord and co-heirs to the kingdom of Heaven, we have to make sure that we are diligently listening to the direction of Holy Spirit. In this world we encounter chaos, chaos ALL around us, but if you are a blood bought believer, part of God’s Called Remnant than you are part of God’s army. He has a calling on your life, He has given you gifts to utilize for His purpose. Everything we do should be done keeping in mind of who we are in Christ, and Who it is we belong to. We are not of this world; we are on assignment. It is very easy to fall back into the comfort measure of this world and grow “spiritually fat” and miss the timeline that God has for things He wants us to accomplish in this life that we have committed to Him. We have to make sure that we stay tuned into the voice of the Lord and stay focused on His purpose (and not the seduction of the world’s purpose).
I am a creature of habit, I love routine, a schedule, knowing where I need to be and what I’ve got to do. It is easy to get comfortable in a pattern of life but we can become lulled by a pattern or routine, want to stay in “our comfort zone” instead of stepping out in faith to ALL that God has for us to accomplish. We are not called to live according to the flesh, we are called to live according to the Spirit. We have to make sure that we are diligently listening to the instructions of Holy Spirit and not become “spiritually fat” or transform into a carnal Christian. The carnal Christian lives in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life that is from the world. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us:
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
What is the will of God? The will of God for our lives is written in the Bible (our instructional Book). That is why we need to daily submerge ourselves in the Word of God. Check our actions, check our line of thought, check our priorities – continuously do self-heart checks to make sure that we are living according to the will and heart of God. Ask God to change the things within us that need changing, and to forgive us for our sins, as spiritual growth in Him is a life-long process. We are constantly to be growing in Him and dying to self. What questions should we be asking ourselves? Questions like the following:
How am I living?
How am I treating others?
Am I more concerned with the approval of others or the approval of God?
What is my life’s main focus? Is it focused upon prestige or is it focused upon my calling in Christ Jesus?
Am I more focused on worldly glory, status and approval or am I spiritually minded? Guided by Holy Spirit?
As this world continues to grow darker, Scripture indicates that some will leave the body of Christ verifying that not everyone who seems to be a Christian is actually a Christian. 1 John 2:18-19 says:
“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.”
At this time, the sheep (those who know the voice of Jesus) will be separated from the goats. Jesus spoke of this in John 10:25-30:
“Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Matthew 25:31-46 indicates:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you looked after me, I was in prison, and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? Then did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink, Iwas a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’ They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
If the Carnal Christian is truly saved, they are assured that they will not perish. It is not for us to judge anyone, but to walk in wisdom and discernment and to check our own spirits to make sure that we do not develop a carnal mind in a world that is only concerned about carnality. 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 says:
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Beloved, we have to continuously check our own hearts to make sure that we are seeking God’s approval and direction or not man’s. God shares His glory with NO man and although He uses people (us) as His vessels in life, we often have to direct those around us back to God and not have them focus on us. When people have said to me, “Kelly, I admire you – you are so strong!” I have to look at them with a gentle smile and thank them for the compliment, but let them know that the truth is, my strength is not in and of myself – my strength is my faith in God Who DAILY strengthens me. My trust is in HIM Who directs my path. My focus constantly has to be on Him – My God, My Savior, My Provider, My Father, Who is the transformer of my mind. My desire is to please Him, to walk according to His will for my life. To lead others (as I have been led) to the One Who loved ME enough to die on the cross for forgiveness of MY sins, rose from the dead and Who is seated at the right hand of the Father, interceding on my behalf. My life is His, my desire is to glorify Him with the works of my hands as He deems fit. God uses us as vessels in the lives of others (if we allow the Holy Spirit to do the work in us that He desires to do) but the focus should NOT be on wordly accolades or possessions or people – but on the God we serve. The Bible says in Matthew 6:33:
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all else will follows.”
God’s “All else” is SO much better than ANYTHING the world could promise I will gain if I follow the world’s mindsight. Remember the devil tried to tempt Jesus by telling him all he would give him if he would get down and worship him. Matthew 4:1-11 says:
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. ’Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written, ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, ‘away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
The devil only tempts us with things and ways that are desirable to us. We have got to make sure that we are being guided by Holy Spirit and not by a carnal mind. James 1:17 tells us:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
It is so easy to fall into the routine of the world, but we are not OF this world and this world is NOT our home. James 4:4 tells us:
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
1 John 2:15-17 says:
“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. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
If you call yourself a follower of Christ, a Christian than you must keep in mind that people are watching how you live, what you do, how you treat others. The devil would like NOTHING better than for people to laugh and say, “yeah and they called themselves a Christian.” A negative report. Listen to, live for and serve God that your mind will be free of condemnation because God SEES you, He sees ALL that is going on. And You can TRUST that what is hidden in the darkness WILL be revealed in His light. LIVE for Jesus, SERVE God and honor Him in ALL areas of your life. And HE WILL direct your path. HE will be the lifter of your head. He WILL be your healer and Provider – ALL the days of your life.
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