On this journey I have been on, I have disappointed people and worried others. I have come to that fork in the road where I need to go right or left. Which direction is the right one?
Many people would love to tell what they think is the right answer but when it comes down to it, you are the one that puts the foot in front of the other and pivots in the direction you feel led to go.
Would it be a path that is wide or a path that is narrow? The path to the left is wider and many walk that path. That path is the world. The narrower path is the road less traveled. Why? Because it isn’t popular. It is a road that doesn’t put you first. It puts God first. Why? Because He should be all that matters.
How do you choose the path to be on?
I would have to say from my experience so far, that the best way to choose the path is by being in prayer and under a Pastor that can teach you how to live a holy and godly life unto our Lord. You might fight against it, as I did, for reasons that could be due to life experiences.
For me, I have had a major problem letting men tell me what to do. I haven’t trusted their intentions of telling me what I shouldn’t or should do. Is it for my best interest or theirs? It has been very humbling to realize that the men that have hurt me in my life so far have been on the same path as I was. Could I expect them to be any different if they are on the road of the world? No. A man on the narrow path would cherish, honor, love me as Christ loves His bride.
I know I have said this before but I will say it again. We are here to be reconciled to God. Our souls came from Him and the clothes that cover the soul are dirty. We are God’s dirty laundry (which is the title of my book I am writing). To start this walk toward reconciliation we must understand what Holiness, Separation and being a living sacrifice means. In a study I did yesterday I would like to share my notes of what these three words that seem so hard to grasp mean.
Holiness.
When this word is applied to us, it means separation or set apart for God. Wow! Can you see yourself as being set apart FOR God? How does that happen? “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. This verse is another that talks about being born again. To truly be born again, you have to receive the Holy Ghost and the proof is speaking in other tongues. I know what you might be thinking…
WHAT?
I was raised Southern Baptist and in my upbringing we were told that speaking in tongues was not good because you don’t know what you are saying and it is of the devil. But then I read the scripture where it says no one knows, not even Satan, only God knows. That made me want to search this out a little more. It is God’s language. 1 Cor. 14:2 “For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.” Paul thanked God that he spoke in tongues more than us all. 1 Cor. 14:18. No wonder others think it is of the devil. That is what Satan wants everyone to think so that you won’t experience God in one of the most intimacy times you could ever have. I experienced this on April 14, 2011. I want the Comforter every time I pray. To be renewed in the Spirit.
Separation.
Ahhhh. That road that we must decide to take. This separation is between sin and God. Separation is black or white, not gray. You pick sin or God. The world or heaven. We see the world, we don’t see heaven. So it is a battle to live for something you don’t see when you are living in a world you can see. That is the battle. We constantly battle temptations that the eyes see. BUT we can do (and overcome) all things through Christ who gives us strength. Philippians 4:13.
What does separation look like? If we are to separate from the world of sin, which is Satan’s world, then we must not look like it or have the resemblance of it. Can you see Jesus with earrings in his ears? Walking with his pants down around his thighs? Can you see Jesus looking like the world? No, Jesus is Holy and Separate from the world that leads us to temptation and everlasting death…
A Living Sacrifice.
Even after Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, we are still told to be a LIVING sacrifice. Huh? Sacrifices are usually dead. At least that is what I think of. When you sacrifice something you are doing away with it, whether for a good cause or not. The definition of sacrifice is the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim. Or giving to a deity, as in homage, which means something giving in acknowledgment or consideration of the worth of another. So, we are to be a sacrifice that is still living. That is mind boggling to me.
Romans 12:1-2 says, “And do not be conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Here you have separation and sacrifice of yourself. You are separating because you are told not to be conformed to this world. You are sacrificing your will and your sinful desires by the renewing of your mind. To be able to sacrifice and still live, to not be conformed to this world, to be transformed by the renewing of your mind you MUST be surrounded by people that are doing the same. If not, you will have a hard time living a life of separation. You will be in constant battle, strength being drained, flesh being challenged because you are still in the world trying to live a holy and separated life.
Holiness includes a sacrifice of our desires and wills. That is what Holiness is. It’s separating us from the old man, the old desires and wills. BUT now we should have new desires and wills in the heavenly realm of thinking, not the worldly. There is NOTHING wrong with desire and wills that are prayerfully considered and measured with the Word of God. We come to the conclusion of what is acceptable to God when we come to Him by the Holy Ghost and a Holy Ghost filled Pastor. Your Pastor watches over your soul and your blood is on his hands. He wants you to be protected and in his calling, he suggests things that would help you. Someone that you can trust and see in flesh that God appointed over us. His job is very important because it involves our soul.
The beginning to Holiness is sanctification (separation) and that begins with the hearing of the gospel and continues through faith. Then comes Repentance, and water baptism in Jesus Name; but it’s accomplished by the infilling and indwelling of the Holy Ghost in 1 Peter 1:2.
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26
Philippians 2:12 says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
We must endure to the end. Hebrews 3:14
Remember that we all have our own personal convictions but we cannot rely on the convictions or lack of convictions of others. We must seek an answer for ourselves on specific issues. We should be taught by Spirit filled teachers that God has placed over us in our Church. Any definite teaching of Scripture is enough conviction in itself, and a person cannot avoid it by saying he does not feel convicted. It’s there in your hands, written on the pages that are bound inside the leather cover.
In conclusion, do not imitate the world of sin. Be a holy people. Separate by being a living sacrifice. The closer you get to God, you won’t need those things. It won’t be easy at first but it will be sooner than you think. Be reconciled to the One who loved you so much that He gave His only Son that if you would believe in Him you should not perish but have everlasting life. Amen.
So, which road will you take? The wide or the narrow?
- posted by Thea
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- filed under: Half Baked
