Don’t Be Disqualified

Paul was a man of God, a great missionary, a great leader and overseer and he also wrote about three quarters of the New Testament.  Paul was used by God in tremendous ways; healing the sick plus speaking the good news to many, many people and I have no idea how many were converted because of his ministry and faithful testimony.  Paul was not only faithful, but he was even willing to suffer for Christ and because he had no fear of man God used him in mighty ways and blessed him mightily also.  I think Paul walked humbly before his God, not puffed up and proud, very seldom boasting about himself and what he had accomplished.  Paul knew and seemed to keep in the back of his mind that everything he accomplished was done through the Lord.  Paul knew that this was true, and he lived it.  Unless the Lord build the house, we labor in vain that build it.  Read Psalms 127:1, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

With everything that the Lord had accomplished through Paul he still knew that it was possible to be disqualified.  Paul talked about running a race in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

Paul was so determined to honor God that he beat his body into submission, in other words, he did not give into his fleshly desires because he determined not to be disqualified after preaching to others, like so many had in his day, and also today.  He knew that unless the Lord continued to bless him and anoint him and use him, he would just be spinning his wheels, so to speak.

How many pastors have you heard of, that were mightily used of God in the past, that have lost the confidence of the people because of yielding to the flesh and lost the anointing of the Lord?  I don’t believe this only happens to pastors, I believe this could happen to any believer such as a teacher or a lay person that is being used mightily of the Lord!!  

Think about Judas, he was used of the Lord also, but he lost it because he yielded to the flesh and betrayed the Lord for money, which he never got to spend, as far as I know.  So be very careful with pride and arrogance and yield to the Spirit and not to the flesh.  I think this is a good reminder for all of us.  I think you got the message and I hope this will help you to resist temptation and to walk humbly before your God.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super, super day!!

Walking In The Spirit

How does one know if they are walking in the Spirit?  If they are not gratifying the flesh, in other words, if they are not carrying out the desires of the flesh. Please read Galatians 5:16-17, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”

Remember this, if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law, you are under grace, but we need to be very careful that we don’t use our freedom from the law as a license to sin.  Shall we sin so that grace shall abound, heaven forbid.  I had a pastor years ago that said this, “Of course not stupid.”  The way that some people teach, or preach, grace, many may get the idea that they have a license to sin, although I have never heard them say that, it sure seems to be applied.

Please read the next verse, what verse 18 says about this, “But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

What are some of the desires of the flesh, and the warning not to walk according to the flesh?  Please read from that same chapter verses 19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Note the key word, it is practice, if we sin and truly repent which means to turn from our sin to the Lord and confess our sin and ask for forgiveness we can find forgiveness, but if we just practice sin like we did before our confession of faith then we better examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith at all.  We know that if we walk in the Spirit, we will have the power to overcome the desires of the flesh and the evil one, if we will resist him!!

Please read James 4:7-8, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

If we are walking in the Spirit, we should have these things evident in our lives. Please read Galatians 5:22-24, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

I would like to say if we sin we can blame no one else but ourselves, passing the buck, so to speak, will never ever work.  Please read 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

So, we have no excuse, there is always a way out of temptation, but we don’t look for the way out at times in the heat of the battle with temptation and sin, and that is why we need to repent and confess our sins and seek the Lord’s forgiveness.  The good news is we have a promise in God’s Word in 1 John 1:9 and it is this, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

What happens when we live by the Spirit?  Please read verse 25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

So how important is it to walk in the Spirit?  It is very, very important.  I think I said enough, praise the good Lord for grace and His precious Spirit who convicts us when we sin so that we can make things right; who also empowers us to walk as we should, not gratifying the desires of the flesh!!  I hope this has been a blessing and a help, may the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!

Who Blocked You from the Race

I talked about running a worldly and spiritual race and some of the things that would be helpful in accomplishing those races in my previous Tidbit.  It seems like there are far too many people that don’t want to hear the truth, plus I also want to mention something else that would be a real problem also.  Deception and lies being taught as truth; be careful that you are not deceived brothers and sisters, not everything you are being taught can be taken as truth, but you need to look into the scriptures to see what is true and what is not instead of just taking someone else’s word for it.  While you are seeking the truth don’t be afraid to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you the truth and bring the truth back to you when you need it, after all He is the true teacher.  

Many in the end times will not put up with sound doctrine, and we are living in the end times, but they will only listen to what their itching ears want to hear.  The Word of God backs this up, read 2 Timothy 4:1-5, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”  

Paul knew this very well, read 1 Timothy 4:1-2, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.”  

Today we have many preaching and teaching what should not be taught, think about this, how many ‘water down’ their sermons so they won’t offend others.  There are many that put up with this in the communities because they like what they hear, is it the itching ear syndrome?  I will let you make that call.  Not everyone that claims to know the truth does, or if they do, they don’t proclaim it for various reasons.  In fact, don’t take my word for anything, look in the Word, pray about it and seek it out.  I will always make it a point to bring forth the truth, I would never want to lead anyone astray purposely; but I am far from perfect.

Be like the Bereans they didn’t take what they heard at face value, they checked it out to see if it was the truth.  Read Acts 17:10 -12, “Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore, many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.”     

Every believer should take a lesson from the Bereans and search the scriptures daily to find out whether what you are being taught is the truth.  Be careful that you are not deceived.  Do you ever hear about godly sorrow?  Is the word repentance ever explained, or ever talked about?  Do you hear about Hell or the consequences of sin?  What about the crucifixion, death and resurrection of the Lord and the reason why it took place, outside of Easter?  What about the consequences of sin or not receiving Christ by faith?  What about the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin after you have been born-again, if you do sin?   

Watering your sermons down so as not to offend anybody is not preaching the true gospel.  Jesus offended people at times, but the truth will inevitably offend somebody.  People will either be offended by the truth or be set free by the truth depending on their response to it.  Let’s face it, the truth can hurt if not accepted with a teachable spirit or heart.

Enough said, I think you got the message.  Be careful what you believe; study and pray and do your homework!!  I hope this has been an encouragement and a blessing to you.  May you all have a very blessed day, and may the good Lord bless you all with His perfect peace, love, joy, health and happiness!!

PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord, for He is worthy!!