Our Christian Heritage Helps Us To Understand Our Identity

                                                     When The Door Slams 

The Lord says, "Listen to me, those of you who try to live right and follow the Lord. Look at the rock from which you were cut; look at the stone quarry from which you were dug. Look at Abraham, your ancestors, and Sarah, who gave birth to your ancestors. Abraham had no children when I called him, but I blessed him and gave him many descendants.                           Isaiah 51:1-2

        The corrupt politician brought disrespect and great shame to American history, which we continue to relived generations after generations. As Christians, we ought never to overlook our heritage. An awareness of our American heritage helps us to understand our identity, and gives us a sense of where God is leading us.

        The Israelites had a rich heritage. Their nation began as a result of Abraham and Sarah's faithfulness. The generations that followed included Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph as their faithful leaders. God richly blessed His people and made them prosper. God continued to show favor on the Israelites by leading them out of Egypt into a prosperous land of their own. 

        God established His nation through some of the must awesome miracles in history. God continued to provide strong leaders, such as Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Deborah, Samuel, David, and Solomon. He sent mighty prophets such as Elijah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Unfortunately, in Isaiah's day, God's people had reached a point where they had forgotten their heritage. They lived as spiritual charity cases rather than as heirs to a rich heritage and members of a royal priesthood. 

        Think about this: Your spiritual heritage is even richer than that of Isaiah's generation. Your spiritual ancestors include Mary the mother of our Lord Jesus, John the Baptist, the disciples, the apostle Paul, and a host of saints down through the ages. Even more important, you look to Jesus as the author and finisher of your faith through the power of the Holy Spirit. You may have a family of American heritage that goes back several generations.

        Do you see the full picture of God's redemptive work? God's plan involves you and me, just as it has included each Christian throughout the centuries. God wants you and me to participate in his continuing work to redeem a last word. Our obedience today will provide a legacy of faithfulness to the generations that follow. 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passion and desires (Galatians 5:24). I have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, who is being renewed in full knowledge according to the image of its Creator (Colossians 3:9-10). I know that I abide in Christ, and He in me, because He has given me of His Spirit (John 4:13).                       

        

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

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There Are Those Who Continue Living In Their Sin

                                                     When The Door Slams  

    

Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor know Him.                                                                                                                                                        1 John 3:6 

        The Bible makes two things very clear about sin. First, living a life-style of sin indicates that you are not walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, regardless of what you say about your spiritual condition. You cannot regularly spend time studying with the Holy Spirit, and persist in sin. 

        Second, if you do not hate sin the way God does, then you do not truly know Him. There are those who continue in their sin, yet insist that they love God and belong to Him. John make it clear: if you have a lifestyle of sin, (lies) you have not seen Him and do not know Him.

        You may have prayed a "sinner's prayer," or made a commitment in your church, or been baptized, but the evidence of the Holy Spirit's presence in your life is that you are defeating sin. This does not mean that you will never sin, but it does mean that you refuse to make sin a lifestyle and you immediately seek forgiveness when you sin (1 John 1:10). It means that you are opposed to sin, as God is and you allow the Holy Spirit to eradicate every trace of sin in your life. It means that when you sin, you immediately confess it and repent of it and do whatever is necessary to avoid repeating your sin.

        Think about this: If you find yourself falling into sinful habits or not grieving over your sin as you once did, this indicates that you are not abiding in Christ. Return to Him in repentance; restore your fellowship with Him; and you will once again experience victory over your sin.

The heart is deceitful above all things And incurably sick. Who can understand it? You, The Lord, search the heart And test the mind To reward a man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his deeds (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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True Christians Is A Living Offering To God

                                                      When The Door Slams

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Than you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.                     Romans 12:1-2 

        God takes great pleasure in worthy sacrifices. In the Old Testament God gave detailed instructions for how His people were to give their offerings. He declared that these brought a "soothing aroma" to Him (Lev. 1:13, 17). When the Israelites gave an offering to God, it was no longer their own; it belonged entirely to God. God would accept only the best that people could give. It was an insult to almighty God to offer Him animals that were damaged or imperfect in any way. God Himself met the standard for sacrifices when He offered His own Son as the spotless Lamp. Only the death of His perfect Son was a worthy enough offering to atone for the sins of mankind. 

        Think about this: Now God ask us to lay down our lives on His altar as a living offering. Just as it was in the Old Testament, our sacrifice, once offered, cannot be reclaimed. We belong entirely to God. We cannot make a partial sacrifice of our lives; our offering must be wholehearted. Not as weak and sometimes faithful Christians. 

        Therefore, if you are a true Christian, your life is not your own. Rather than dying, however, God asks you to live for Him as a living offering. Every day you are to offer your life to Him for His service. You can not serve Him in your spare time or with your leftover resources. In other words, after you serve your flesh and it's evil desires of the world, than you pray and worship God on Sunday. The way you live your life for God is your offering to Him. True Christians unyielding pursue holiness so that their offering to God is unblemished and acceptable to Him (Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; 1: Thess. 2:12). 

The wisdom that comes from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, submissive, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (James 3:17-18).    

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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Weak Christians Desire Credit For What God Does

                                                     When The Door Slams

Does an ax exalt itself above the one who chops with it? Does a saw magnify itself above the one who saws with it? It would be like a staff waving the one who lifts it! It would be like a rod lifting a man who isn't wood!                                                           Isaiah 10:15

        One of the dangers in the Christian life is to take credit for what God does. This was the Assyrians' problem. They were a weak nation until God chose to bless them in order to use them as an instrument to punish the Israelites. However, the more God blessed them, the more confident they became in their own strength. 

        When the farmers had good crops, they credited their farming skills on their own understanding rather than give God his glory. When their army won a victory, their generals took the credit. When the nation experienced prosperity, the Assyrians attributed it to their military and political might. Finally, God pointed out the absurdity of their conclusions (Isa. 10:5-19). 

        Think about this: It is sometimes easier to handle poverty or weakness than wealth or strength. Poverty causes us to recognize our need for God. Prosperity persuades us that we no longer require God's help. Scripture holds several examples of fools who assumed they were self-sufficient, only to realize their extreme poverty apart from God.

        Samson was the strongest person alive, but he forgot that his strength came from God. Once God removed His strength, Samson was reduced to a pitiful slave. Saul was the first king of Israel; yet when God removed His Spirit from this proud monarch, he became a paranoid, petty man, seeking counsel from the occult. 

        Be careful how you handle the success God gives you! As you enjoy His blessing in your family, your business, or your ministry, keep in mind that you are an instrument in the hand of the Master.

Whoever is wise and understanding will show it by his good conduct and works done in the humility that comes from wisdom. If I harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in my heart, I should not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and ever evil practice (James 3:13-16). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.   

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We Substitute Light For Darkness

                                                        When The Door Slams 

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!                                                  (Isaiah 5:20-21). 

        It is Satan's practice to convince people that what God calls good is actually evil and what God declares evil is, in fact, good. Remember Satan persuaded Adam and Eve that their disobedience, rather than their obedience to God, would guarantee a full life. They believed him and immediately began to experience sin's consequences! Despite the unreasonableness of Satan's logic, he continues to deceive people today into doubting what God has clearly said. 

        King Saul sought Samuel's affirmation for the sacrifice he had offered, even though he had acted in direct disobedience to God's command (1 Sam. 15:13). Ananias and Sapphira expected praise from the early church for their offering, though they were blatantly lying (Acts 5:1-11). An Amalekite solder sought David's gratitude for killing Saul, God's anointed king (2 Sam. 1:1-16). 

        Think about this: We, too, will face the temptation to call something good that God has declared wicked. We may be persuaded that we can accomplish more good by lying than by telling the truth. We may claim that we are mobilizing Christians to pray for someone in sin when, in fact, we are spreading gossip. We may assert that we are following God's will in our life when, in fact, we are trying hard to pursue our own sinful ambitions. We will also be tempted to call evil that which God declares is good. God says it is good to love our enemies, yet we might decide our task is to hold them responsible for their actions. 

    It is so important to hold ourselves accountable to God's Word. God does not need us to find exceptions for His commands. He requires our obedience.

Who among us fears the Lord and obeys the word of His Servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light Trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God (Isaiah 50:10). May I not imitate what is evil but what is good. The one who does good is of God; the one who does evil has not seen God      (3 John 11). I will seek the Lord while He may be found And call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).       

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness. 

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Thorn In The Flesh Painful Reminders Of Sin

                                                       When The Door Slams

Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they had won over the crowds and stoned Paul, they dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.        Acts 14:19

        God has many ways to discourage us from sin. One is to provide reminders for us so that we never take disobedience against Him lightly. Weak Christians try to hide their sins, only to repeat them. Before his conversion, Paul assumed that he was righteous before God. In reality, Paul was so confused to God desire, that he arrested and executed Christians in order to please God! Paul was so blinded to God's will that when he watched Stephen being brutally murdered for his faith, Paul's heart was hardened, and he became even more determined to imprison other Christians. 

        Think about this: It is significant that there are two occurrences of stoning mentioned in the New Testament--Stephen's and Paul's. Was it coincidence that God allowed Paul to be stoned in the same manner as Stephen had been? God had certainly forgiven Paul for his involvement in Stephen's death, but God also left him with a reminder of what his arrogance had led him to do. If pride could blind Paul to God once, pride could do it again. Perhaps Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was a direct result of the stoning. 

       Christians may also ask God, when will You heal me?, Why did You allow my child to die?, Why did You allow the weak minded to lead the church? Why did You allow these painful reminders to stay in my life? Why do You allow the mentally challenged to be guardian over our government? This may have served as a visible reminder to Paul, and others, of the terrible consequences of their sin.

        God is absolutely just. He loves, and He forgives, but He does not compromise His righteousness. God deals with us uniquely. He draws upon our experiences to teach us about Himself. God will forgive us of our sin, but He may provide painful reminders of the ugliness of sin. Let us thank God that He loves us enough to remind us of the destructive consequences of sin in our lives.

I know that the Lord has set apart the godly for Himself; The Lord hears when I call to Him (Psalm 4:3). You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your presence (Psalm 90:8). May I be diligent to present myself approved to God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (Timothy 2:15). 

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the Lord and thank Him for His forgiveness.

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