All Christians wrestle against sin ?

 

All Christians wrestle with sin?

Every Christian in the world wrestles with sin every single day of his or her life. Even the apostle Paul complained, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (Romans 7:15).

None of us is conformed to the image of Christ overnight. Sanctification is a moment-by-moment challenge. It’s a process that won’t be complete until we leave this world and see the Lord face to face. Until then, our responsibility is to trust God and walk with His Spirit (Galatians 5:16).

Because of the sin nature that dwells within us, there is a very real sense in which we often sin against our own wills (Romans 7). In other words, every sin is “wilful sin.” If it was not then we would not be responsible; and if we are not responsible for our own actions, sin cannot be sin at all. As James says, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).

So, if every sin is wilful sin, it does not make sense to say that “wilful sin” causes us to lose our salvation. What hope would there be for any of us?! No, the apostle John assures us of something quite different and encouraging:

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:7-9 ).

Again, it is a day-by-day, moment-by-moment process.

So, what about deliberate sin?

Hebrews 10:26-31. Let’s start with what the passage says:

For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.  How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Heb.10:31)

As we see it, there is good reason to suppose that the “deliberate sin” of verse 26 is the same as the “unforgiveable sin” that Jesus mentions in Matthew 12:31. To be specific, it is the sin of rejecting Christ altogether (otherwise known as blasphemy of the Holy Spirit).

We could also call this the sin of persistent self-hardening. It is the process where an individual sears his conscience (ignores the voice of the Holy Spirit) and stiffens his neck against God.

If it goes on long enough, the person eventually reaches the point where genuine repentance is impossible.

How is your heart?

If someone is determined to live an unchristian life even after “receiving the knowledge of the truth” (Hebrews 10:26), we might assume that they never really accepted Christ in the first place. If they wilfully commit the same sin over and over again without remorse and without showing any evidence of genuine desire to change, we would have every reason to doubt the sincerity of their faith.

That person is like the demons mentioned in James 2:19: They “believe” the truth but refuse to give it their personal devotion. In a case like this, it is absolutely true to say that “there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:26) because Jesus Himself is that sacrifice.

Considering all these things, it is possible to argue that Hebrews 10:26-31 does not refer to struggling Christians like yourself at all. The passage might be aimed at hardened, bitter people who only seem to be Christians.

“Yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things — things that belong to salvation” (Hebrews 6:9). The fact that you are wrestling with doubts and fears about your standing with God leads us to think that you cannot be guilty of rejecting Christ. If you were, you would not be worried about it.

Walk in Christ ..Satan is at work

 To the true believers:-

Satan and his team are looking to destroy the True Christians, and those who will be converted, through seeds of doubt, through fleshly temptation, through  sending ungodly people in your life, through intense Spiritual Warfare and through various methods of warfare in the natural realm which we sometimes do not understand.

We who are awake know and understand what this is, know the word of God and also know how to fight it with the word of God cannot lose. 

Don't get lost in the battle. Keep focused on the finish line. 

Do not allow unwanted things,circumstances, worng decision and people in your life ...

Keep your eyes fixed on our Lord Jesus who is victorious on all the above and do not turn right and lift so that He can take us in that victory which he has already achieved 2000 years back.

God Knows Your Heart

 God Knows Your Heart

A person’s innermost desires are oftentimes difficult to decipher. Yet, it’s no secret that God knows your heart, but what do we really mean when we say that? Let’s explore this very interesting topic.

• 1.What Does the Bible Say About God Knowing Your Heart?

• 2.God Knows Your Heart Meaning

o 2.1 God knows our hearts and thoughts

• 3.God judges the intent of the heart

1.What Does the Bible Say About God Knowing Your Heart?

The Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind. Yet throughout the centuries, human beings have continuously tried to design a god for themselves. Interestingly, none of the things we do come as a surprise to God who knows our hearts.

Over and over again, He shows us that we cannot hide from Him. The verses below offer just a glimpse into the miraculous fact that God knows the heart. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2 

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Romans 8:27. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, Acts 15:8 

Would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart. Psalm 44:21 

And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. Luke 16:15 

2.God Knows Your Heart Meaning

Usually, when someone says “God knows your heart” the speaker is thinking of one of these two verses:

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” 

1 Samuel 16:7 .

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:9-10. 

These passages of Scripture teach us that God looks at things a little differently than we do. People tend to look at the surface: how a person looks, acts, or dresses. We look at a person’s qualifications, accomplishments, or possessions and think we know their character.

2.1 God knows our hearts and thoughts

Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful and that no one can know it. But God, through the prophet, goes on to say He understands the heart. Let’s spend a little time unpacking Jeremiah 17:9-10 to see if we can get a better understanding of this seemingly contradictory statement.

The word translated as the heart is also used figuratively to represent feelings, will, and even one’s intellect. The l heart is considered to be the centre of anything.

If we think about that for a second, we would see that it is the truth. The heart is often hard to figure out.  Just think about those times when what you wanted was so hidden you couldn’t figure it out. Or maybe you can remember a time when someone’s intentions towards you were so hidden it came as a complete surprise when they were finally revealed. We don’t know the heart, but God does. Let’s look at the second verse that we are unpacking.

“But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.” Jeremiah 19:10.

But God knows the desires of your heart. Not only that, God knows our hearts better than we do.

3.God judges the intent of the heart

Sometimes, because we know that our desires are hidden from people (or because we have done such a great job of not acknowledging them to ourselves). we think no one can figure out our secret intentions.

The truth is that even if no one ever figured it out, God knows your heart. He knows the things you keep hidden, the things you hope no one ever finds out. Not only that, but He also judges the intent of your heart.

He understands your motivation and why you want what you want. He also knows what you would do if you got all that you wanted. Now that can be a scary thought, especially if you have some less than admirable desires and intentions.

But my friend, you don’t have to be scared because God knows your heart. You can ask Him to create new desires in you. God is capable of changing your heart. We can pray, as David did, for God to create a clean heart in us. We can ask Him to renew our spirits (Psalm 51:10).

Let’s is pray: -

Father, you know our hearts. You know those secret things that we keep hidden from everyone and even those things we don’t want to admit to ourselves. Remove anything that is unlike You. Restore Your image in us and give us the desires of Your heart. Create in us clean hearts and renew right spirits within us for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

God knows your heart. As a Christian, that’s a reason to celebrate. He knows everything about you and still, He chose to send His Son to die for you.

Be Careful about drifting: -

 Be Careful about drifting: -

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Hebrews 2:1 says, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”

Even if huge ships ,if do not have anchor, can drift away: -

God has a “plan” for us that is to develop us into mature disciples, people of power and faith. His “place” for us is in his perfect will. His “purpose” in us is to make us like Christ, and make us to be a blessing to others.

But we need to realize, as Christians, we can drift away from God when we are not careful: -

If this is you, you may not realize you are drifting. A person drifts away from God a little at a time. He starts missing one of the main services of the church each week, then he starts neglecting his daily Bible study and prayer, then the offering use to pay. He/she turns towards the world/the people of the world and starts learning and doing things to have their acceptance so that do feel not isolated/neglected. The he/she begins to feel and use to obey old self from were lifted away by the grace of God. And at last happiness of the world and worldly things absorb him or her in itself.  That is the stage of drifting away because we have left the anchor of our life Jesus Christ. It is difficult to understand to the one drifted away at this stage.

Have you noticed that one always drifts downward? No one ever drifts up the river or against the tide. Jonah went “down” toward Joppa, “down” into the ship, “down” into the sea, “down” into the fish. Drifting is also easy – no worry required. It also looks better somewhere else.

To have a successful Christian walk with the Lord calls for paddling upstream. As long as we have the old flesh to deal with, you will be tempted to drift and relax. You must not do it! Be on your guard, stay fresh in the word.

Also, when we find that we have drifted, we realize we have drifted further than we meant to go. The prodigal son reached the bottom and was feeding pigs before he realized he needed to go back to his father (Luke 15:18) and repent and humbly submit himself to his father.

So, have you drifted? If so, return to God’s plan and place and purpose for your life. Don’t wait until the new year to make a turnaround or else slipped like rich man (Luke 16:23). That me be very late and the one would not an opportunity to repent, as repentance in hades has not purpose.

 He (Jesus) was God in the flesh, born of a virgin, grew up a sinless life and gave himself as the ultimate sacrifice on a cross for your sin and mine. He died but three days later he rose again from the dead to give us eternal life to whomever puts their faith and trust in him (1 Peter 1:3). 

Dear brothers and sisters be careful not to drift away as Jesus came for you, died on the cross and also rose from the dead to make you walk like the living as He is.

God bless you.

Whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him

 “Whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him”.           

 (Ecclesiastes 10:8)

To be bitten by a snake can be deadly; the poison, if not treated, can be lethal. 

God puts His hedge of protection around your life; however, you can cause little breaks to appear, little holes through which the enemy of souls can come in by his cunning craftiness, then fix his poisoned fangs onto you, sinking into the very fabric of your spiritual life.

How can you break a hedge?

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You can break a hedge by wrong ungodly attitudes.

You can break a hedge by having sinful thoughts and ways

You can break a hedge by having unforgiveness

You can break a hedge by backsliding

You can break a hedge through disobedience to the will of God.

There is a story in the Old Testament of the people of Israel who, because of their sinful ways, were bitten by poisonous snakes. This is what God told Moses what to do in Numbers 21:7 to 8, “The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.’ 

So, Moses prayed for the people. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’”

Look upon the cross of Calvary and live, look to Jesus, by faith, and live.

 If the serpent has bitten you, if sin has had a hold on your life, the cure is found in Jesus Christ.

 Someone once said, “Life is short, death is sure, sin the cause, Christ the cure.”

My friend, how can you fix up the hedge? How do you restore His protection over your life? Repent before the Lord, and ask His forgiveness if you have sinned. 

Let Him restore the broad wall, let Him repair your spiritual hedge, and let Him fill the break in the hedge by His love, mercy and grace. 

Walk in the spirit and you will not gratify the sinful desires of the flesh. As you do so you will walk in His victory. 

Today, may God cover you with His love, and may He restore your hedge of protection. So instead of the serpents of sin fixing their fangs on you and biting you because of the breakage in the hedge because of sin, embrace God’s forgiveness, so you may walk in victory over sin and crush the enemy ( the serpent of sin) under your feet.

God bless you

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Blessing and curse

 Blessing and Curse 

Exodus 23:32-33 “You shall make no [a]covenant with them, nor with their gods.  They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

1. Here we find that God is informing Th Israel when He was taking them to Canon (promised Land), God gave them a clearcut direction to not to make covenant with the people of Canaan. Covenant here means (covenant is a relationship between two partners who make binding promises to each other). Friendship with unbeliever means to have some emotional binding, some sort of binding or liking because of which one make friends and share with him/her themselves their emotions/feelings and have friendly talk and vice versa. That way we automatically share with them not only our feeling, emotion but their faith and gods and this way exchange our feeling, emotions. If we do that, we automatically share with them their gods also. 

2. We are in the kingdom of God and unbelievers are in the kingdom of darkness and hence not match.

3. Bible says we are called to have “Ephesians 5:11 – "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness…" II Corinthians 6:14 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers..."

4. What is the cause of curse in believer’s life mentioned in “Deuteronomy 28:15 “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:

5. There are 54 curses mentioned in the Deuteronomy 28:15. We must read and identify if any curse is there and if it is there we must confess (say as it and give up such relation) to Lord and ask for His forgiveness. 

6. Moreover, we cannot walk in the territory of God and in the same time in the territory of Satan and if we are doing the same then it would be very dangerous. 

7. We are now children of light and we are to share only our faith without contaminating ourselves with the faith of unbelievers. And our God will change them and make them children of light like ourselves.

8. Many things we decided that it is good and bad with our mind but that may not be true. We have to see good and bad in the light of the word of God (Bible) and then decide. 

1:19 says. “Peter Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked”.

Our walk is to line up with our calling. We are to walk in unity (4:1-16), we are to walk in holiness (4:17-32), we are to walk in love (5:1-6).

May God bless you richly 

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Should saved have friendship with unsaved

                         Should saved have friendship with unsaved

 1 John 5:19, We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one, In 1 Corinthians 4:4 devil is mentioned as god of this age, John 12:31 ruler of this world and accuser in Revelation 12:9-10, He is our “adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8) , the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).

  This shows that this world is full of unrighteousness and infirmities. World here means people of this world which are not saved / re-generated by our Lord Jesus.

 The “good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18) is that which includes the daily resistance of this enemy (1 Peter 5:9; James 4:7), the daily refusal to give him an opportunity (Ephesians 4:27), and the daily stand against his schemes (Ephesians 6:11).

 The purpose of the wicked one mentioned in John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

 As mentioned above Devil is called wicked, God of this age, ruler of the world, accuser and the adversary and that means we are living in the land of the wicked one and land of our enemy. We are saved from the wicked world which is under the power of the wicked one and we now do not belong to this world.

 Should we have friendship with the world/ people of this world which would means un-equally yoked, unequally joined with the power of darkness then we are in danger.

 The book of Proverbs has a few wise verses on believers befriending non-believers: "The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray" (Proverbs 12:26). We should stay away from foolish people (Proverbs 13:20, 14:7), from people who lose their temper easily (Proverbs 22:24), and from the rebellious (Proverbs 24:21). All these things represent those who have not been saved. "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). First Corinthians 15:33 tells us that bad company corrupts good character. Unbelievers are slaves to sin being under the power of wicked one (John 8:34), and Christians are slaves to God (1 Corinthians 7:22).

If we become deeply involved (either by friendship or a romantic relationship) with non-Christians, we are setting ourselves up for turmoil. It can (and does often) cause the Christian to stumble in his walk, fall back into a sinful life, and also turn others away from God (by misrepresenting God and Christianity).

Another detrimental effect of closeness with unbelievers is our tendency to water down the truths of Scripture so as to not offend them. There are difficult truths in the Word of God, truths such as judgment and hell. When we minimize or ignore these doctrines or try to “soft pedal” them, in essence we are calling God a liar for the sake of those already in the grasp of Satan. This is not evangelism.

Although these close relationships are not recommended, it does not mean we turn our noses up and ignore unbelievers, either. Second Timothy 2:24-26 tells us that as servants of the Lord, we are to be kind. We should gently teach those who oppose the truth, and be patient with difficult people but not friends. Matthew 5:16 tells us, “Let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly father.” So walk as children of light and so shine that they also see the light.

God Bless you.