Speed isn't necessarily going to be the key or the reality of coming to Christ. Your progress might not even see your progress yourself. But realize the huge importance in what being His workmanship is really all about.
We can hinder the work of sanctification but nobody is strong enough to thwart the work of the Spirit in your life. Our stubborn pride and ego are among the things we lay firm hold of that is contrary to our becoming more like Christ. Our refusal to let go of the things of this world. Our craving to keep things that do nothing to aid in our growth in Jesus.
We are what gets in our way.
We hold onto small and great things.
We hold onto hobbies and jobs.
We hold onto possessions and ideas.
We hold onto even family and friends.
We hold onto things of this world.
Matthew 10:37-39 NASB "The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it."
Isaiah 53:6 NASB "All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all To fall on Him."
Ephesians 2:10 NASB "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
We live in a world that in ever increasing ways is trying to measure everything. We get upset when we don't see results. We get upset when we do see results.
We who are in Christ have a purpose in the body of Christ. We aren't to live lives as freeloaders. We aren't to be busy bodies either, making it only appear as though we were doing something for God.
Galatians 6:7-8 NASB "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit."
I have heard many times from many people that God loves those who come to Christ for salvation to leave them in the state they were found. There's oh so much truth in this!
We often don't see or realize what our frustrations with life are really rooted in. We don't even consider that God's working in us and through us in changing our hearts and minds.
A look at the Gospels show at minimum 12 lives giving up on self and committing to the change that God was doing in their lives.
We also often do not want to really look at the crucifixion. We really don't want to consider the hard truth about seeing Jesus taking up His cross to go to Calvary. He said we are to take up our own cross. Luke 9:23 NASB "And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me."
Are you actually resisting the work of God in you or are you resting in the work of God in you?
Your life in Christ is to be a reflection of Christ. If a Spiritual Mirror were to be put before you, what would it show?
In moving, as I have said in another post, I am being pressed to reconsider elements of my life. I have yet to learn if what's on hold right now will stay on hold. God's not made that clear yet.
Are you hindering the Spirit because of apparent difficulties in what "might be" asked of you?
For a very long time in my life I was afraid of what all God might ask or even command me to do. To be in the place in life that I am now is far and away from that man that I used to be. I had never truly taken a leap of faith before like we did to come here. I was taking a relenting by way of apparent answer to prayer as reason enough to stay where I was. The situation always got worse after this false impression on my views of my life's situations.
I am in a place of taking steps that I never had before.
We are always our own worst enemy. Our sin nature wants nothing to do with God’s plan for us. We believe lies because that's easier to live with than the truth of what God wants to do with us. We know because of God’s constantly repeating Himself of what it is He's trying to do in us but we keep shrinking back. We even take steps to convince ourselves of how our feelings are right and true! We have discussions with ourselves on how we must be wrong about what God's saying. He could be telling you to move as well and you make lists of how that simply couldn't be what He's saying.
I don't know what my future holds, not in the slightest. I just know who holds my future.
We've heard sermons lately on Christmas songs. The classics and their real meaning when they were made. Look at hymns. Trust and Obey. There's Power in the Blood. He Lives! He Lives!.
There's good reason why we are told to think on songs hymns and spiritual songs. Making melody in our hearts to God.
We can create any excuse we want but know that resisting only prolongs the inevitable.
If we persist in resisting He WILL take us out of this world. His name is on the line.
If your life is more about you than it is about Jesus doing things through you, then my Friend you need to rethink life.
Jesus is ready to do exceedingly, abundantly, more than we can ask or think. Ephesians 3:20-21 NASB "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen."
Are you making excuses to stay where you are? Age means nothing to God. Ability means nothing to God. Location means nothing to God. A willing heart is what grows the most in Christ Jesus.
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