OBEDIENCE TO PERSONAL PURITY

Greetings in the name of Jesus:



  We as human beings often tend to question the need for obedience to the will of God because it takes the control of our lives away from self, and puts it into the hands of another.  The problem is that we very rarely understand that we tend to do that every day in some way.  We put the control of what we are doing into the hands of an employer each time we go to work. We put the control of our emotions in the hands of someone else whenever we get involved in almost any kind of new relationship.  These are things we rarely stop to think about and yet they are constantly in need of being addressed in life.

  I would like to discuss a different kind of obedience; it is a self-obedience to the commitment that you have made to God.  It starts with your commitment not only to ask God for forgiveness, but it also deals with what it means to repent and (turn around) from when you had been doing that came between you and God in the first place.

  The concept of bringing our own thoughts and mind under the control of God's Spirit has been lessened to the point where we don't even understand it today.  Jesus spoke about this kind of control needed to deal with the temptations physically.  During the time of Christ, men could get by with lusting after a woman as long as they did not act upon it. Many people had hidden sins because of this practice, and the Scribes and Pharisees were the same way with sins they were committing.  As long as they had the appearance of piety no one had reason to call them on these hidden sins, and yet Jesus said even if you think about it in your heart it is as if you have already committed the sin.
Matthew 5:27-28.

  Philippians 4:8 gives us a list of the kinds of things that can be used to replace these temptations by thinking on things that are truthful, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, or lovely, or admirable.  Trying to find things that are excellent or praiseworthy.  We can turn our mind toward God, but only if we work at it.  The mind of man is naturally and physically set on sinful thoughts and so it is not a natural thing for us to think about God or good things first.  Romans 8:7 tells us that naturally our mind is set against control by the Spirit of God.  We are set on sin which leads to our own spiritual death.  Without God, we can not even try to understand the precepts that God has given us about cleaning up our thoughts and our heart.  Jesus has said it is not what goes into a man that defiles him, but what comes from his heart that defiles him.  Any physical thing that comes between you and your relationship with God has a deep effect on your ability to be obedient to Him and to your goal of personal growth in the Spirit of God.

  More than anything else we have been created to be loved by God, and yet in our current state we are also easily deceived by the world around us.  The truth is that no matter how intelligent we may be or how educated we are; no matter what our age is or our position in this life we are all seen by God as His little children.  We would do very well to accept that position in life.  We cannot be strong enough or wise enough by ourselves to deal with the enemy of God, but within the power of the Holy Spirit, there is all power to overcome. We learn personal purity from our parents and family members...isn't it time that we began to cling to our real parent in Heaven, and take counsel from our real brothers and sisters in the faith?  I pray that you will consider these thoughts going forward in Christ. May you richly bless God through your life in Him.



THE UNWORTHY SERVANT