Monday, September 28, 2009

Highway of Holiness

While reading through the Bible this week, one verse stuck out to me:

“Because My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to worthless idols. And they have caused themselves to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths to walk in pathways and not on a highway.” Jeremiah 18:15

It is this part of the verse I want to highlight: “to walk in pathways and not on a highway”. In Proverbs 2 it is about the seductress who flatters with her words and her house leads down to death and her paths to the dead. The road of a Christian is a narrow road and we are to walk closely with each other so that we are not seduced into taken a side path. Many have been walking to close to the edge and because they are not in fellowship, have stumbled onto the darken paths.

The paths that lead off of the Highway are many: Prosperity, Sexual Sins, Pride and especially Religion, just to name a few. The path is lit by a counterfeit light that draws them away. They have no idea it will lead to death. They also hop from one path to another, whatever is the big crowd pleaser at the moment or what “Star” minister is hot at the moment. What happened to “deny yourself, take up your cross daily and follow Me”?

The Highway of Holiness is narrow because it is not for all! He who endures to the end shall be saved. The salvation is not a one time prayer and you are set for life. It is a daily, a moment by moment; walk with the Lord and with His people. Loving Him more than life itself and loving each other that we would lay down our lives. Jesus left us an example to live by: obedience.

Get out from the sway of the flesh, religion and the world. There is nothing in these that can prepare you for an eternity with God. There is nothing worth an eternity without God. Nothing. Repentance is a key that will open your heart to God. He sent His Son because He loved the world, but now that Jesus has come and gone, He loves only those who obey the Lord. Will you be counted on the Highway of Holiness? I pray that you will.

“If we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the Truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us for all sin.” 1John1:6-7

“A highway shall be there, and a road and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool shall not go astray? No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; it shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:8-10

Walking in His Light with you…MJ

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Who Do You Love

Hear what God is showing one of our teenagers:

1 John 2:15-17~

"Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not in the Father, but is of the world. And the world which will pass away and the lust thereof: but he who does the will of God abides in him forever."

If you have ever heard John Bevere's "Draw Near" sermon, you know he can preach some really good stuff. He talks about: appetite for the Lord, praying, and a lot of other things. But the thing that captures me the most is the part about: When your body is hungry, it will basically scream," I'M HUNGRY!!!" at you. But your soul won't. Now, if your soul is full from youthful lusts like TV, computer, and telephones, it will seem that your soul is whispering,"I am hungry." You will not hear it. Simple. Your appetite is not on the things of Christ, but of the world and what you feed on is what you will end up hungering for. If you feed on TV, or computer or other youthful lusts, you are hungry for the wrong thing. Paul clearly states that you cannot partake from the table of demons and the table of Christ. You will crave one or the other. As David’s words said,” As the deer pants for the water so my soul longs after thee.” But the question is do we long for him that much? If you want to empty yourself from selfish and lustful desires then follow 2 Timothy as it says: "Run away from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. Then, you won't have those youthful lusts filling up all your time that you could have with the Lord."

Some more verses about youthful lust:

Ephesians 4:22-24~
Throw away your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which was corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Holy Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God, - truly righteous and holy.

God created you to be like him, so, why waste your time on the things of this world. He created us to stand out before all others, so why try and be like them and not like God. We might be persecuted, but let us stand through it all, that we might give all the glory to God.


Galatians 5:19-22~
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

As I said before, God created you to be like him and not like the world. In the scriptures it says,” We were made to be in the world but not of it." So why would you want to waste precious time to be seeking the Lord by partying, drinking, and all those things of the sinful nature.

For Christ,

Lauren