Quit it! Be Free!
Hello Saints,
Time, money, energy…how do you spend it? Sins, behaviors, words…how do you act? Examine yourself? Ever do a personal inventory of your life? Ever really look at yourself and ask, “What do I need to alter to become more like Jesus?” If Holy Spirit ever convicts you about something, no matter how minute you think it is, do you ever go before the Lord and ask Him to change you; take away the thing that causes people offense; or say, “God! I don’t want to do that anymore, please help me stop”. We probably all have and still do. In the sermon on the mount, rules for kingdom living from the King, Jesus said some pretty strong words to His disciples. These may be the strongest: “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matt. 5:29-30). While the immediate context is about avoiding the sin of adultery, the question remains, ‘what do we need to quit so we stop offending people and honor God with everything He’s given us?’ Let me be more direct as Jesus was, “What causes you to sin? Quit it!”. Deal with it! That’s how He speaks to me; what about you?
As I look at my life, there are areas where I sin by omission and commission. Do I use all the spare time I have for God’s kingdom purposes; to pray, and make disciples, to study His word, and get to know Him more? How much time do I squander in front of a screen? Do I waste energy by doing useless things instead of ministering to my fellow believers? Do I spend my money on acquiring more possessions, rather than helping someone in need? Am I careful with what comes out of my mouth? Do I build up and edify or am I sarcastic and condescending? Do I criticize and slander people behind their back? Does my tongue give life, or start a fire? Do I roll my eyes at things people say? Oh, Lord have mercy on me! Hell? Really? Are there sins that might condemn me to hell if I don’t deal with them? Jesus! Are you for real or is this a scare tactic? Well, we can go through the lists in the Bible and do our own inventory (Gal. 5:19-21; 1Cor. 6:9-10; Eph. 5:5; Rev. 21:8).
As I sought the Lord over last couple of days for what He wanted me to write about, the answer came, as it usually does in the wee hours of the morning. He had laid the Matthew 5 passage on my heart. He had also reminded me that summer is coming, and here in our ‘neck of the woods’ a lot of Christians plan a myriad of summer activities and holidays, often putting God and the things of the Lord on the back burner. As we are enjoying the season and all that the warmer weather offers, there is the possibility of letting our leisure come before our Lord. We can become careless and unaware of the enemy’s schemes to draw us away from God. Like King David who took a break from the battlefield and was drawn into sin with Bathsheba, suffering the numerous consequences for his choices, we want to stay focused on the Lord, the things He would have us do and the way He would have us act, even while enjoying the leisure time and fun He’s given us. He has given us all things for our enjoyment (1Tim. 6:17), but all things are for His glory (Col. 3:17; 1Cor. 10:31). What is God speaking to you about? Where does the enemy have a foothold to bring accusation and condemnation? As we seem to have more time in the warmer months for activities that bring peace and joy, it might also be a good time to do a personal inventory, ‘a spring cleaning’ sort of cleansing of the issues God has been pointing out and wants us to deal with, so we can be that pure, spotless bride for which our King is returning. In the power of Holy Spirit, we can do all the things necessary to be more like Jesus. Let’s throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let’s run into the freedom of the Lord, enjoying all He has given us, living to His glory!
Blessings,
"Advancing the Kingdom of God by releasing Spirit-filled followers to serve Jesus in freedom and joy."
Leave a Comment