Ephesians 1:1 Amp~ Paul says to the church at Ephesus~ "...to the saints (the consecrated, set-apart ones) at Ephesus who are also faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:"
Followers of Jesus Christ are to be saints, set-apart ones. Set apart for what/from what?
Set apart from the world and its ways...FOR GOD and His kingdom.
Did you know that everything and every choice we make affects our walk with God? There is no standing still or "in place" in our walk. Whatever choices we make in life either draws us closer to Him or lures us away from Him. Next time you watch TV or go to the movies (or anything else you choose to do) ask yourself..."Is this drawing me closer to my King?" If your answer is no, then its certainly luring you away. Satan's been around for a very long time and the Bible assures us he's been perfecting his deceptions, distractions, and traps for the hearts and souls of mankind (that he might even deceive the very elect). He knows how to lure our hearts away from the King. He's very subtle and tricky and very good at his job; and its very rarely obvious.
Do you "miss" Jesus when you are not spending time with Him? If your answer is no, please take a good long look at your heart. Jesus says He's coming back for a pure and holy Bride~ Jesus never minced words and still doesn't. Please go read the Gospels and search to see if Jesus ever said..."blessed are those who have in abundance, or a secure and happy life" or "enjoy your life". Instead you will find "hard" words from our Lord and precious Savior..." the slave is not greater than his master is he, ...if they persecuted Me they WILL also persecute you." (John 15:20); "Whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for MY sake, will find it." (Matt 16:25); "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me." (Matt 16:24) Discipleship (being a saint, a "set apart one" a "lover of Jesus") is costly....also see.... Matt 19:21, Mark 8:34, 10:21, Luke 9:23, 18:22, Matt 6:26, 33...the list could go on and on. :)
Why do we ignore the very words of the One we claim to love? We say instead in our hearts, "Surely He didn't realllly mean that, especially for us here in America, for this is the land of opportunity and abundance. He wants to bless us, He wants us happy!" But that's not the words He spoke in the written Word. Jesus never changes (Heb 13:8) and His words are everlasting (Is 40:8) How can we expect God to "show up" (manifest Himself) in our churches in our lives, when we are filled up with the world and ourselves? We must surrender our hearts and everything we hold dear, to Him. Jesus even goes as far to say, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matt 10:37) He is not interested in hanging out in one little corner of our hearts (content to remain "hidden" there until we finish with "our" lives here on earth and eventually join Him in heaven) ~ He desires all our heart now. He did indeed die and paid the price for it.
These are the kinds of things He's been speaking to my heart for months now, as I've been beseeching Him to draw me into His heart, I want to KNOW HIM. I do believe, I am not the only one whose been hearing these words from the King of Glory ~ there must be many others! For this is His heart and His kingdom. What we "have" and "don't have" in terms of possessions, is not what's on His heart, Beloved. The precious hearts and souls of people are!!! He says, "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few..." (Matt 9:37)
Are we pursuing Him in intimacy and therefore being filled and used by Him for His kingdom? OR... are we pursuing our best life to enjoy now?
Seek Him and to know His heart, He will reveal Himself and His heart to you, IF, you seek Him with all your heart. (Jer 29:13)
Beloved, His kingdom is the opposite of this world, don't believe the lies of the enemy. Jesus is calling forth those who will surrender all in order to find Him, He's the treasure. His plan will go forward, He's calling you to join Him. Time is short, He knocks on the door of your heart, will you choose Him and His kingdom or your own? If you chose your own way/life, He'll go find another that will chose Him.
I was once told by a dearly loved fellow believer...that it was "implied" in the scriptures, the opposite of what I had always believed (on a certain subject to be discussed at a later time). I took that as a challenge and searched the scriptures to see if what that person said was the truth. Guess what I found out? It was wrong, what I had always believed was true. I would have never found that out had I not sought Him in His word to see for myself. I challenge you to seek for yourself, if what I'm saying now is His very words and heart or not? Don't take my word for it, Beloved!
If you were to look at my life, you might say, hey, I don't see you any different than me. Believe me, I have not arrived. The only difference (if there is one), between us, is that the Lord is giving me eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to know Him, because I keep asking Him to. Does an alcoholic or anyone else with an addiction, seek help if they don't see and acknowledge they even have a problem and need help? It's the same here. 1st we seek Him and as we spend time with Him, He shows us our hearts and our sins and our need for Him to cleanse us. And through this process we begin to see as He sees and long for what He longs for. This must happen before we live it. My heart longs for my theology to become my reality. If I keep seeking Him, I believe it will happen. I did not plan on posting to my blog today . As you can plainly see, I'm not a "good" blogger. :) My last post (an amazing experience) was in April!! But as I sat here this morning with my bible open, ready to read, I realized the page had blown back from where I left off yesterday. I thought, OK LORD, what did I miss? I began to re-read it and it was in the very 1st verse that He began to pour all this into me!!! I could hardly write it out fast enough! When He speaks to our hearts, we must be ready and willing to listen and obey. When He spoke all these words to me this morning, I knew I had to obey and blog them.
Do you have ears to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to your heart today?
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