If you're like me, you've probably fallen into temptation... not just once, but over and over again. You've probably spent way too many hours in earthly things. You've probably continually spat in the face of God because you desire your own enjoyment.
I've laid before you a list of practical things you can do to try to focus on Christ more in life. Maybe you've started applying these to your life, and have been getting results! But most likely, if you're like me, you tried, but ultimately failed.
Something helpful to remind you of is that there is no such thing as a Christian who has been made perfect on this earth. David the psalmist, the man credited with the title "A man after God's own heart," committed adultery with a women called Bethsheba, killing her husband, and lying about it for a year. He failed terribly in his own walk! He screwed up.... BIG TIME..
Yet, so do we. We continually mess up, and fall into our own lust, malice, pride, and other sins we keep promising God we won't fall into. We fall hard, and immediately, Satan torments us, whispering in our ears, "Are you really saved? Why would a Christian like you look at that again? Why would you do that again? What kind of a Christian are you? You are definitely one that God must not love, or be able to forgive. Are you even a Christian?"
And oh boy does he tempt us to believe those things! Most likely after failing, you've doubted if you even are saved! You might think of questions such as, "Was I sincere enough when I 'made a decision to follow Christ?' Does God even love me? Is God mad at me?" We've all had these thoughts in our heads at least once before. And that is precisely what Satan wants. He knows of his destruction, and he wants to take us all down with him.
Let me give you the greatest words I could speak to you in this moment, words that are so great I can't speak myself, I'll just give them to you from scripture!
"If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
2 Timothy 2:13 NASB
Praise GOD! When we are continually faithless, mess up, and fall into our sinful muck again, God is faithful, and forgives us, picks us up again and puts us back on our path! In fact, this is the story of our salvation! We were the ones who screwed up, yet God loved us anyway, sending His Son so that we could be forgiven and so that He could declare to us that we are His! And this is the story of our Christian walk as well.
We mess up
God forgives
We repent
We mess up
God forgives
We repent
We mess up
God forgives
You see the cycle? Even Paul struggled with this,
"For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want."
Romans 7:15, 18-19 NASB
Even as a Christian, Paul struggled, and said that nothing good dwells in him.
"Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
You can hear his agony there. But we hear this wonderful promise..
"Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"
Romans 7:24-25 NASB
Christ picks us up again! When we are so wretchedly evil, and resist Him, he chases us down even more, picks us up, and forgives us!
"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
Romans 8:1-4 NASB
There is no more condemnation, you who are saved! Christ has set you free! Stop doubting if you're saved, Jesus died for you! Jesus rose for you! He wants to give this gift to you!
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us."
Romans 8:31-34 NASB
Christ is the one who died for us!! Who is to say to us that we aren't saved? I know that I am saved because of what Christ has done, not because of what I have done.
In fact, salvation does not come to me because of my works, but because of Christ's works. All of salvation and attributed and ascribed to Christ alone. He gets all the glory! So who is to condemn and say that I am not saved? I know I'm saved! Why? Because Christ said that all who believe in His name are His children.
"Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:35, 37-39 NASB
Absolutely nothing on this earth, or outside of this earth, can separate us from the love of God. There is no one who can out-sin God's forgiveness. There is no one who can undo His grace.
You might raise up the question, "But Robert... why don't I feel saved?"
Alas, there are a many a days I do not feel saved. But it's not about feelings. It's about what God's Word says .
"We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things."
1 John 3:19-20 NASB
Our heart and feelings will continually tell us that we are not saved, but God is greater than our heart and our feelings. Even when we don't feel saved, we can take heart in these great promises that He gives us,
"So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed."
John 8:36 NASB
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9 NASB
"for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.""
Romans 10:13 NASB
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
Romans 5:1 NASB
Never forget that you are saved not because of what you do, or what you continually do, but by what Christ did, and continually does FOR YOU.
Amen
YOU ARE READING
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SpiritualThere are 86,400 seconds in one day. What do you do in these 86,400 seconds? This book is a Christian view on how you should spend your time daily, taking verses directly from the Bible!
