"If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall." - 1 Cor. 10:12
This is me...no not really, but this is what I do...I fall on my face. Sometimes I think I fall on my face more than I stand. All it takes is one moment of weakness & BAM! the Devil moves in. He throws that temptation your way...whatever it is that gets you. It might be your temper or attitude, drugs or alcohol, or sexual temptation.
"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. " - 1 Peter 5:8
The devil is a stalker. He watches us & waits until we are at our weakest and most vulnerable point & he pounces! I hate the devil! He can't make us sin by giving into temptation, but he sure can throw the temptation at us. Then we find ourselves face down after a hard fall. I am so thankful for God's great mercy and his amazing Love. He is so patient with me even though I don't deserve it.
I'm so ready for heaven! No more falling on my face.
"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness."- 1 John 1:9
I'm so glad that all I have to do is ask God for his forgiveness & really be sorry for what I've done & he will forgive me. & if he'll do it for me, he will most definately do it for you. (Although that doesn't give us a license to sin)
So if you're like me, an imperfect human trying to be like a perfect God & you find yourself falling on your face more than you're willing to admit, just remember God is faithful & he is more than willing to forgive us, pick us up, set our feet on the right path, & give us the strength to fight against temptation. I am so thankful! Aren't you?
2 Peter 1:3-11
3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.
8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.
10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. 11 Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God has equipped us with everything we need to live a godly life. (Through the Holy Spirit) We received it when we were called to him & believed through his "marvelous glory and excellence."
That "glory and excellence" came with a promise of Christ's divine nature. (He lived as a man and was tempted in every way, but he overcame.) The promise given is that we can be overcomers too and will "escape the world's corruption."
Knowing that God has given this promise to overcome and has given us all we need to do that;we have to do our part and TRY!! "Make every effort to respond to God's promises" and he goes on to take us step by step through that process...the growth process-growing to be more Christ-like.
The more you grow, the more effective you'll be in the kingdom(that makes complete sense).
If you don't grow you'll die (spiritually)
"Work hard"...This growth & the process required takes time. It won't be easy. Temptations may get harder, but he won't put more on us than we can stand and he always offers an escape (1 Cor. 10:13). It's up to you to use that escape. But if you're trying and working hard "you will never fall away". (BTW-trying isn't living however you want and going to church and asking forgiveness just to walk out and do it again)
Then the prize! HEAVEN!!!! AN ETERNITY WITH JESUS!!! It's gonna be worth every struggle and fight...every laugh or mocking remark from those around us. Heaven- JESUS is worth it!
Just like when you have a job and work hard all week to get that paycheck on Friday...Heaven is our paycheck, but on a much larger scale.
"Work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen."
It's not always easy but when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and received his Holy Spirit, you were equipped with the power to work hard and overcome the sin and corruptions of this world. You've got the power...you just gotta us it!!!
This year is past it's halfway point & I already know this is a year I will NEVER forget. I've made my share of mistakes (& plenty more than my share), but God is so good. I've learned alot about God's love for me & I am so thankful that there is nothing that can seperate me from his love...no matter what I have done he always will love me. There's no such thing as going too far that God can't reach you...God has an unlimited long distance plan with his love lol :)
I've learned so much about what true friendship is & I'm so blessed. Some people go through their whole life never knowing what it is to have a true friend....a friend who is there no matter what...praises with you in the good times and prays with you & for you in the bad times...a friend who shows the kinda love that only God could show...I AM BLESSED!
And I've learned alot about family. You may not agree with everything and everyone but no matter what you do, they're still your family & God has trusted you to that family for some reason. We may not understand it, but God doesn't make mistakes so yeah your family is your family for some reason lol...just accept it haha. But seriously you can run away, change your name, etc but you won't erase the fact that they are still your family & whether you believe it or see it all the time they do love you.
Yeah that's just a little bit of what I've learned. But the most important is that I've learned about Forgiveness. God has forgiven so many times & I just took it for granted...I took his grace for granted, but I see now just how amazing his grace really is! It's not just an insurance policy for heaven so that when I "mess up" I can make things right with God. Grace is a priviledge...not a right! God doesn't have to pour his grace out on us but he chooses to because he loves us & boy, am I ever thankful for that! Without God's grace I would be in an eternal burning hell, but through his grace I am forgiven, and by his grace I can overcome the temptations of this world and one day enter into an eternity of God's presence...HEAVEN! So I think about that song "Amazing Grace" alot lately & I am humbled. I don't deserve it...I'm so not worthy, but he loves me anyways. & he wants to be with me & have a relationship with me so badly that he is willing to forgive me...a sinner & teach me how to do what pleases him. I'm not perfect, far from it really. Like the old saying says..."I'm just a sinner saved by grace"..."not perfect, just forgiven" So to bring all my rambling to an end...
"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.
Through many dangers toils and snares, I have already come. Tis grace that brought me safe this far and grace will lead me on.
When we've been there ten-thousand years, bright shining as the sun. We know less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun."
I had to write this one in red b/c it reminds me of the blood of Jesus & without that blood...this Forgiveness and Grace wouldn't be possible. Thank you, Jesus for the sacrifice you gave so that I could be saved.
