Carnal Christians are not good at making judgments because self/flesh-centered biases, like beams in their eyes, make it impossible to see clearly. However, those that “are spiritual”, those that are mature in Christ, have the light of God coming into their “eyes” and they can see what needs to be done.
It is not that God has difficulty hearing us, it’s that we have difficulty hearing Him. Prayer is really a means by which God prepares our hearts and minds to “hear” Him, i.e., to perceive His will.
If our steps are ordered in God’s Word, we will live by God’s rules. And if we live by God’s rules, then God is our King, our Lord.
Conversely, if our steps are ordered in the world’s value-system, we will live the world’s rules. And, if we live by the world’s rules, then the world is our king, our lord.
God still loves the fool. Even though the fool has rejected God, God desires to rescue the fool from His folly, so that he can know the Truth and be saved.
…the act of faith in accepting the prescription for salvation… in God’s Word, must also mean full acceptance of ALL other prescriptions in His Word: Full acceptance of even those truths that we find uncomfortable.
The modern church does not suffer, primarily, from a lack of teaching: the modern church suffers from a lack of obedience. The failure of the church today is that Believers refuse to practice the teachings of Scripture: we make every excuse to do the opposite of what the Bible teaches. We will only be able to stand up to the fierce storms of life if we have a foundation built on OBEDIENCE to God’s Word.
As long as we try to tackle sinfulness by focusing solely on the sinful acts, rather than the lusts that produce them, we will live in frustration. The only way to stop a weed from sprouting is to kill it at the root. God provided us with the best (and only) sin killer available to man: His Word. God’s Word of truth will transform us inwardly so that our very desires will change. And when the root of a sin is gone, the sin goes with it: No root no sin, no problem.
Other people may discern what we are but their observations and criticisms (even their compliments) carry no power to transform us. So God has ordained that we look into His Word and allow His Spirit to show us our own need and His remedy for character flaws and besetting sins.
The Bible is available to us and every Believer has the Holy Spirit as a guide. The challenge is whether we will use the tools God has provided us with; or if we will continue to refuse to study His Word. The choice is ours. Will we be simple? Or, will we be prudent?
…a Believer grows spiritually as he/she studies God’s Word (the Bible) and is thereby taught by The Holy Spirit. This is the method God has ordained for us to grow into the likeness of His son, Jesus Christ.
