Standing Out Or Blending In?

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

"Just like Abraham was asked to sacrifice his own flesh and blood, Isaac his only son, we have an altar of death that we must face as well.  And the sacrifice we must bring to the altar is our flesh.  These two verses describe it well.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1)

God is asking for our crucified flesh when He urges us to be living sacrifices.  You might be asking what your flesh actually is.  What is God really asking for?  Your flesh is made up of the body , the mind , our intent,  and our thoughts.  Our flesh is anything that stands in opposition to what God says.  And this is what God asks of us:  to put to death anything that is unacceptable to Him.  This crucifixion of our flesh unto death, given up as a sacrifice of our living being, is what God defines as worship.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

This a a huge problem with Christians today.  We don't look any different, in most cases, than those who are not believers.  The world can barely tell the difference, if at all.  We do not stand out; we blend in.  We are conformed to the world when we watch the same television shows and movies that the world watches.  We are conformed to the world when our CD's, iPods, and radios pump the same kind of music into our minds and hearts that the world listens to.  We dress like the world. talk like the world, and think like the world.  We take firm hold o the reins of our lives every morning when we wake up, and we don't lay them down until we fall into bed at night.  We continue doing what we know is wrong to do.  We want the same things that the godless want--more money, bigger homes, all the newest toys--security in all the wrong things.  We often are independent, self-sufficient, multi-taskers who have no need for a God who wants to take away our control."

In order for God to have His rightful title of Lord of our lives, we must crucify our flesh.  We will make the choice to blend in or stand out.  So which one are you?  Are you a chameleon who changes with every situation, always protecting himself by blending in?  Or are one who, moment by moment, is courageously crucifying your fleshly and worldly drives in order to be the stand out Christian God desires you to be?

God's Call To Surrender--Part 2

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

"If you have ever wondered what it is that you have to do when you surrender , verse 14 [of the well-known verse of 2 Chronicles 7: 13-14] will clear up any any confusion you may have experienced.

If . . . My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

God is not asking you to just simply say a prayer in which you tell Him that you are surrendering a sin or idol to Him.  He expects you to live out 2 Chronicles 7:14 by humbling yourself before the Creator of the universe.  You are to talk to Him about your sins and idols.  You are to seek His face by surrendering your will to His.  As you seek Him, you will discover afresh and anew the call to obey Him.  If you constantly gaze into the eyes of the Savior who offered Himself as the ultimate sacrifice and model of surrender, how could your response be anything other than repentance?  Turning away from what is sinful in your life is entirely different than merely telling God how sorry you are that you have sinned and asking His forgiveness.  To repentantly turn away from your sin is to do a 180-degree turn, away from the direction you had been heading.  This is surrender!  This is true worship!

God has called us to a repentant, heart-surrendering concert of prayer, to be on our faces before Him, the One whose very face we seek.  Until we find ourselves prostrate before Him, we will likely continue to wander in our self-made wildernesses, stagnant and unfulfilled, never reaching the 'land' that He has promised us.  Surrender is the key to passing through the 'veil' and into the daily presence and will of God, dwelling in the Holy of Holies!"

Second Chronicles 7:13-14 is written as a conditional statement--'If My people will....then I will....' The way God states this clearly shows us that if we desire for Him to respond to our prayers for forgiveness of our sinful ways, and to bring spiritual healing of our hearts where our sin and idols dwell, then we must respond to God's call to repentance by actively humbling ourselves before Him, praying diligently for the removal of sin, seeking His face by searching out what the Scriptures tell us to do, and then turning away from the sin by obeying what we have been told.  "If My people will . . . then I will!"

God's Call To Surrender--Part 1

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

"Take a moment now to remind yourself of the definition of surrender.  See for certain that surrendering is not a negative thing when it comes to your relationship with God.  It is the most positive thing you can do.  It is also the one discipline that will catapult you into a true love relationship with God.  Surrender is giving God possession and power over your will, your desires, your goals and dreams, and your whole heart.  It is yielding to Him and His commands.  When you surrender in a particular area of your life, in a sinful chamber of your heart, you give up your selfish desire to do as you wish.  Surrender is the resignation of your flesh.  And that leads you to a place where you can joyfully come under the power and control of the Holy Spirit.  Surrender was graphically described to you in the story of Abraham and his altar of death [Genesis 22].  His test of obedience and surrender was a part of his growth in the Lord, and it will be a part of our growth as well.

Second Chronicles 7: 13-14 also points us to surrender as a way of worship.  Though it is often quoted on patriotic holidays as a call for our country to turn back to God for revival, these verses are specific to God's Body as well, and maybe even more specific to the individual believer.  Read through them and take note of the verbs that the Lord uses as he speaks to us.  Notice that they demand action.  Pay close attention also to the events and circumstances that surround God's call to us to worship.  They are found in verse 13.

If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people . . .

God may be allowing some very difficult circumstances to touch your life.  Maybe they are the result of your sin and idolatry. Or maybe they are being allowed simply to bring you to the end of yourself.  Either way, our call is the same.  We are to surrender to Him."

Where is God requiring your surrender today?  Will you hear His call to surrender to Him as an insult to your flesh, as it rises up to have its own way, or will you hear it as a loving invitation to check your flesh at the door and reside in the embrace of your Father? 

(More tomorrow in God's Call To Surrender--Part 2)

How To Be Obedient, God's Way

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

We are taught from a very young age that we not only can accomplish things, but it is better if you do it all by yourself.   This sounds like good instruction, but it does so because this has been ingrained in us since we began to hold our own bottles at feeding time.  But God's word does not teach that at all.  As a matter of fact, He tells us this in Zechariah 4:6 instead:

  

"Not by [your] might, nor by [your] power, but by MY SPIRIT, says the Lord of Hosts."

 "Here's the problem that most of us have when it comes to surrendering to God so that we might obey His every command.  We tend to try to do it in our own power.  In other words, we try to surrender the flesh--BY THE FLESH!  You have already heard that nothing good resides in your flesh, yet you are probably guilty of trying to surrender by your own fleshly power and strength anyway.  You have also likely discovered that surrender by way of the flesh is fruitless.  If you think that isn't true, then just think of one New Year's resolution in which you have succeeded for life!

It bears repeating.  We can only accomplish surrender to God in one way--God's way!  We must come to the place where we allow God to change our hearts and minds so that we understand that repentance--the intentional turning from sin--that flows from a heart that God is changing, is required of every God-seeking believer.  When we allow God to work in our hearts and minds we are set free to act upon the work He has already done within us--the heart-transforming act of placing the life of Christ in us by way of the Holy Spirit.  Because of this one action, we can fix our gaze on Him and turn away from our sin instead.  This is how we die to our flesh.

It is at the veil that divides the Inner Court from the Holy of Holies where the crucifixions of our flesh will take place.  When the veil of your heart that keeps you from fully surrendering to God is removed, then you will be enabled to become a fruit- bearer of the  greatest kind!  But if your walk lacks crucified flesh, then your flesh will remain in its state of decline, ruling over your thoughts, words, and deeds.  If you choose against the surrender that involves the crucifying of your sinful flesh, then you will become useless to God, and your 'religion' will be dead.  Remember, the flesh is death to you, but the Spirit is life."

We can do it, but not alone!  Our part is to surrender to the Spirit in us, and then He accomplishes obedience through us.  Any changes we make on our own can never be heart-transforming because our flesh is made of nothing good. Changing us is the work of the Spirit within us.  Only He can change your heart.

God's Highway To Holiness

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, chapter 9)

"Just as our walk of faith is a progression into the Holy of Holies, we must be able to understand, as well, that our acts of surrender to the God of our lives will also be progressively achieved.  Consider these words of Isaiah:

A highway will be there, a roadway, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness.  The unclean will not travel on it, but it will be for him who walks that way, and fools will not wander on it.  (Isaiah 35:8)

Compare that now with Luke 3:4b-5 and see what God says to us in the New Testament:

Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.  Every ravine will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low; the crooked will become straight, and the rough roads smooth.

From what we have learned in the previous chapters, we can sum up and applicably live out these two verses by:

1. Bringing to God the mountain of sins that have been found in our hearts
2. Giving Him full authority and control over them
3. Joining the work of God by taking full vengeance on them
4. Seeking to obey God's every command

This is true surrender.  This is the way to put ourselves on the Highway of Holiness, and it should be the intentional walk of every believer who wishes to walk in the Spirit by surrender and obedience.  There is only one way to make the rough roadways of our heart smooth--God's way, the Highway of Holiness, the road of surrender of everything to God.  When we don't choose to surrender fully to the Lord, we wear the name 'fool.'  And a fool will continue on his own pathway, doing whatever he pleases.  But God's way is for us to bring Him our full surrender with ever-increasing intensity and totality.

The wise will allow God to bring their high and prideful places low.  They also allow God to destroy their sin.  They learn to live in this powerful truth:  God has already destroyed sin's power over us.  Setting all pride aside, the wise allow God to straighten what is crooked (those things that are not aligned with His Word) and smooth out the rough edges of their hearts.  Now can you see the progressive nature of the surrender required on the Highway to Holiness?"

Where are you walking today, child of God?  Are you taking the road of your own making, or are you merging onto the Highway of Holiness?  Determining your destination first will help you choose the correct path.

Who Is On The Throne Of Your Life?

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

". . . Flesh never improves.  It has no ability to improve.  It is always in a state of withering  and declining.  The older you get, the more clearly you can see this truth in action.  You need to look no further than Paul's lament in Romans 7.  Paul, the transformed apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ who was responsible for so many of the epistles that teach us today, soundly judged his own flesh (and ours as well) when he wrote this:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.  (Romans 7:18)

When we continue to follow our flesh, we allow its sinful and selfish ways to maintain control of our lies.  We become the god of our lives when we allow our own flesh to sit on the throne upon which the Spirit is to be sitting.  When we are the god of our own life and heart, we continue doing what we want to do.  In this state, we are unwilling to yield to the very God we clung to for our salvation."

The world does not revolve around us.  To live as if it does, from moment to moment, is to live by the desires of our flesh.  In those moments and situations when we are living selfishly, we are on the throne of our heart, not God.  Which of the three diagrams is the true picture of your heart?  Does Christ reside inside or outside of you?  Is He in you, but your are in full control of your life?  Or is Christ not only in you, but on the throne, orchestrating the particulars of your day, every day?  There is only one model which is a picture of righteous living--sanctification. 

We Are Withering Grass

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

"Generally, the word 'surrender' means to give up something completely, after striving to maintain possession of it.  Are you making the spiritual connection?  Our flesh keeps trying to hang onto the control of our lives, and that control can be seen every time that we fall prey to temptation.  The sin that follows the temptation is a clear indication that we are controlled in that area by our flesh.  Isaiah spoke about our flesh, spelling out the truth about it:

All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.  The grass withers and the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are grass.  The grass wither, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.  (Isaiah 40: 6b-8)

Isaiah compares people who are walking in the flesh with grass and flowers.  According to the verses, our flesh is in a constant state of decline!  Not only are we physically withering and fading year by year, but our sinful flesh which desires to be in control of our whole lives, is getting worse and worse.  Our flesh, more and more, wants to be in control and make all the decisions based on what will both please and feed it.  When we walk in the flesh and under its control, a spiritual type of death begins to take place in us.  While we might be spiritually growing and our walk with God improving, our flesh is declining.  Sinful, human flesh can never be improved upon.  It has no ability to improve since it is in a constantly declining and withering.  The older you get, the more clearly you will see this truth in action."

Through the years my spiritual heart has grown stronger.  But at the same time I have discovered my sins have become more and more about my pride issues and poor attitudes.  This is my flesh.  I am growing spiritually, but my natural, ungodly, self-focused desires have become far stronger than they were 30 years ago.  My spirit is improving, but my flesh is getting worse.

While your spirit can be improved upon, your flesh can not.   By nature, it will become worse and worse, so stop trying to improve it in your own power.  Why not surrender your flesh to the Spirit and walk with Him?  Let Him be in control of your actions and responses.  Then you will begin to see great improvement in your spiritual life!

God's One Requirement

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's book, Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

"It is time to tie up all that we have learned so far with a pretty bow.  Hopefully this will help you see the bigger picture of all that the Spirit has been trying to teach you.  As believers, we are on a journey toward the face of God, toward the greatest intimacy with Him that we can experience in this life.  This journey has included the study of the Tabernacle and how it applies to our walk of faith.  It has also included an in-depth look into our own hearts filled with sin and idols, and what God wants us to do with the idols we found there.  The bow that ties it all together can be summed up in just one word--surrender.  Oswald Chambers spoke of surrender this way:  'There is only one thing God wants of us, and that is our unconditional surrender.'"

God desires for us to be so surrendered to Him that we give Him everything we have and everything we are.  Our surrender will have many facets but will certainly include laying down the rights we think we have, aligning our words, thoughts, actions and plans with His, learning to put our hand in His so He may direct our paths, and leaving behind all thought of control.  Have you surrendered to God without any conditions?  Or is that the very next step in your journey toward spiritual healing?

Failure To Yield

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

" 'The captain of the ship looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance.  Immediately he told his signalman to send a message:  Alter your course 10 degrees south!  Promptly a return message was received:  Alter your course 10 degrees north!  The captain was angered; his command had been ignored.  So he sent a second message:  Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am the captain!  Soon another message was received:  Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am seaman third class Jones.   Immediately the captain sent a third message, knowing the fear he would evoke:  Alter your course 10 degrees south--I am a battleship!  Then the reply came:  Alter your course 10 degrees north--I am a lighthouse.

In the midst of our dark and foggy times, all sorts of voices are shouting orders into the night, telling us what to do how to adjust our lives.  Out of the darkness, one voice signals something quite the opposite to the rest--something almost absurd.  But the voice happens to be the Light of the World, and we ignore it at our peril.'  (quoted from Paul Aiello Jr. at www.sermonillustrations.com)

Surrendering to the voice of God is the call of and command to every believer, and it is vital to the process of our spiritual growth.  But we all seem to have trouble bending to the higher authority.  We so desperately want to remain in control of our lives, struggling with the concept of surrender and submission to anyone, let alone God.  We much prefer, with booming voice, to tell God what we will and won't do, and why, often expecting Him to be the one to alter His course for us."

How willing are you to yield to God? Do you demand your own way or do you, with crucified flesh, yield your way to Him? The answer to that question reveals who is in control of your life.

Obedience--Our Gift To God

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

"Take a moment and think about what sin you want to overcome on purpose, by fully focusing on its dispossession from your heart for good.  It is time that the gods that want to keep you trapped in bondage to sin be removed!  Begin with appropriating the armor of God every day, working on just one idol or sin.  Do this for one week.  God wants your full compliance to His command to be holy because He is.  He has given you the perfect armor with which to protect yourself from that sin, and to stand strong in Him.  And remember, your sin will always find you out.  Take it on today!  Defeat it with the transforming of your mind by renewing it in the truth of the Word!  Your sword, the very Word of God, is a dangerous weapon intended to be used on the father of lies!  Use it to push them out of your heart and mind.

Thomas a Kempis once declared that 'Instant obedience is the only kind of obedience there is; delayed obedience is disobedience.  Whoever strives to withdraw from obedience, withdraws from grace.'

Walk in obedience to His commands by doing what you are supposed to do, for this is God's plan for you!

INTROSPECTION

1.  What have the results of your willful disobedience been?

2.  What is the difference between telling God you are sorry for your sin and confessing your     sin to Him or another person?  Which on is more sincere?  Why?

3.  How did the response of the Israelites and ten of the spies (when they learned about the giants in the land) differ from Joshua and Caleb's response?

4.  Why does your full compliance with God's commands make a difference to Him?

5.  How can you better use the full armor of God to dispossess the gods in your heart?  Will you?"

God had shown us great favor by blessings our lives with innumerable gifts. But there is only one gift that is pleasing to Him. Do you know what it is?   It is the obedience that flows out of the heart of a child who is surrendered to Him!

The Dreadful Consequences of Sin

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's book, Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

"What are the results of not driving out the inhabitants (sins) of your heart, when you willfully disobey God's command to remove them?  Two verses in the following chapter [of Numbers] show us what the consequences of our disobedience will be.  Let me warn you, though...you probably won't like what you find here any more than I did!  God spoke these words to Israel as He directed them to remove everyone from the land He had promised them.  He could not have been more clear and exact.  His words are prophetic, for this is just what happened to Israel.

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall come about that those whom you let remain of them will become as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will trouble you in the land in which you live.  And as I plan to do to them, so I will do to you.   (Numbers 33: 55-56)

When we let our sin off of God's hook and ours, this is the result:

1. Your sins will become as pricks in your eyes.
2. Your sins will become as thorns in your side.
3. Your sins' will cause you continual trouble.
4. Your sins might cause your very destruction.

Do you see that the sin that you allow to remain in your heart, possessing God's home in you, will become the very snare that traps you in its bondage?  Our full obedience to God's commands, to His call to holiness, is critical when it comes to dispossessing our sins and gods from our hearts.  And our full obedience is critical to our spiritual growth.  God takes very seriously our following Him fully, as you can see by these stories recorded in Numbers for our instruction.  When it comes to our gods and our sin, what God intends to see destroyed in us can actually end up destroying us!  As always, it is our choice as to whether we will fully follow God's commands to take full vengeance on our sin or willfully disobey Him and ignore them.  It seems beyond ridiculous that we would choose any other way but the way of obedience!

Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the Houses of Parliament.  During the course of the visit, a group happened to meet Lord Hailsham, then Lord Chancellor, wearing all the regalia of his office.  Hailsham recognized Marten among the group and cried, 'Neil!'  Not daring to question or disobey the 'command,' the entire band of visitors promptly fell to their knees!  (from Today in the Word, July 30, 1993)

Can God say that you are taking such a proactive approach to obeying His command to take full vengeance on your sins and idols?

You Can't Hide Forever

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

 Have you ever been caught in a sin that you knew was sin?  Had you previously heard God's voice calling you to lay down that particular sin, but you didn't.  Your sin found you out, didn't it?  Our choice is to listen and to obey all God commands or suffer the consequences of our sin being 'found out.'  

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's book, Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

"Remembering our previous Points #1 and #2, that God wants our complete and full compliance to His words and commands, and that we must be fully armed in order to dispossess the gods of our hearts, let's move on now to the last point.

Point #3:  Your sin will find you out, eventually.

Read Numbers 32.  It is there that we will see our third point made with several exclamation points!  In this chapter, Israel was preparing to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land.  But the tribes of Reuben and Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh wanted to make their home on the east side of the Jordan.  These tribes were compared to the ten spies who saw the fruitfulness of the land when Israel came out of bondage but were afraid of the people and the fortified cities found there.  These two and a half tribes were not seen as being like Joshua and Caleb, the two spies who trusted God and tried to convince all of Israel that they should 'take possession of the land and overcome it.'  Instead, they were seen as men who were shirking their God-given responsibilities to take full vengeance on the people of the Promised Land and completely dispossess them.  The appeared to be trying to dodge the bullet, no pun intended!

By the wise counsel of Moses, their leader, and Eleazar, their priest, these men and their families were given permission to remain on the east side of the Jordan, but not before they fulfilled the commandment of God with their fellow tribesmen (the other nine and a half tribes).  They would first have to help their brothers drive out the inhabitants of the Promised Land before settling their families on the  east side of the Jordan.  When all the people were dispossessed, only then could the two and a half tribes cross back over to the east side of the the Jordan and live there.

Here is the place in the story where we see our third point clearly.  Look at verses 20-23 below to see exactly what Moses said to them:

...If you will do this, if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for the war, and all of your armed men cross over the Jordan before the Lord until He has driven His enemies out from before Him, and the land is subdued before the Lord, then afterward you shall return and be free of obligation toward the Lord and toward Israel, and this land shall be yours for a possession before the Lord.  BUT IF YOU WILL NOT DO SO, BEHOLD, YOU HAVE SINNED AGAINST THE LORD, AND BE SURE, YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT.

My children always hated it when I told them the manner in which I would often pray about them.  They knew that their father and I could not possibly be aware of every little thing they did.  I knew that, too!  So I prayed frequently that God would always show me the things that were being kept hidden from me.  Many times I became aware of what I could not have possibly known on my own.  Needless to say, my children's sins often found them out!

God knows everything, like I wanted to know with my children.  However He doesn't need to have anything revealed to Him.  And He won't allow the sins in our hearts to go on forever.  Eventually, they will find us out.  And from experience, I know that it is far better for me to deal with them as God brings them to my mind than to have them find me out in severe and embarrassing situations."

The Oil That Allows the Armor To Work Together

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's book, Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

"Last, but certainly not least, are our prayers and petitions at all times--times of success, failure, ease, and attack.  By praying ahead of time, we are more alert to the attacks the enemy will bring against us.   By praying, we are able to put all the rest of the armor to work for our victory over the sin in our lives.  Do you see how interconnected the armor and constant prayer are?  Prayers and petitions to God are the oil in the oil can that the rusted Tin Man so desperately needed to move effectively in his 'body armor.'  Without the oil, he was destined to be immoveable forever!

With no desire to drive out the gods in our lives, we stand no chance of overcoming them.  When we have no desire to drive out the evil in us, we tend to walk in evil, leaving the sin in our hearts for the enemy to use against us over and over.  If we want to win spiritual victories, we must make the conscious decision to apply (put on) and implement (use) the every piece of the  armor of which Paul speaks.  It's not a gift that we receive that works all by itself!  The full armor of God becomes a useless protection and weapon to us when we allow our gods to keep us from fully following after God and all of His ways.  Laziness in our spiritual walk, including our prayer life,  not only renders the armor useless, but it also renders the armor-bearing soldier useless as well."

The Mind Protectos

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

"So that our minds will be protected, we are called to put on the helmet of salvation and put the sword of the Spirit to use.  It is critical that we use these two together and necessary that we see the connection between the two.  To me, to use them together is to join the two major parts of the life of every Christian--our salvation and our sanctification.  To put on the helmet of salvation is to protect the mind from satan's lies by standing on the truth of our adoption into God' family by the forgiveness of our sins that Jesus offers us.  But we are also supposed to wield the Sword of the Spirit, the very Word of God, against the enemy and his lies.  It is by the Word itself that our minds become transformed, as we are washed by the water of the Word.  Then we can begin to walk in the Spirit, instead of conforming to the world and its ways.  Overcoming sin in our life is the result of our constant study of the Word and our surrender of those sinful parts of our lives to the rule, authority, and control of the Holy Spirit within us."

The true battle with our enemy takes place in our minds. The helmet of salvation is the protector of our mind, but the only weapon we can use in battle is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. The helmet and sword are vital in waging war against our enemy, satan. The helmet alone leaves us vulnerable because it cannot be used to attack the enemy.   It's time to dig out that dusty Sword and be armed with it!

Extinguishing Satan's Arrows

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

"In order to have that kind of peace [yesterday's blog], we have to believe that in all situations God is in control.  No matter what our circumstances are, no matter what method of attack the enemy uses against us, and no matter what sin we are trying to rid from our lives, we must have the faith that God knows our situation, and will be in control of it, if we will release it out of our control.  This is the shield of faith that is spoken of as part of the spiritual armor we are to wear.  It is our faith in God in the midst of every facet of our lives that helps us extinguish the arrows that satan will inevitably shoot at each one of God's children."

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world.   And this is the victory that has overcome the world—OUR FAITH.   (1 John 5.4)

If we are never ready to surrender our entire lives into God's hands, we will never see the fiery arrows that satan shoots at us extinguished. That requires our faith in a God who is supreme. We often do not surrender to Him, and therefore fall prey to temptation and its sin, because we do not want to let go of the reins of our life to Him. Who is your faith truly resting in--Him or you?

Peaceful Feet

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

"Moving down to the very bottom of our armor, Paul introduces us to the shoes prepared with the Gospel of peace.  As Jesus was going through His final teachings to the disciples, He told them this:

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give you.  Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.  (John 14:27)

All that Jesus spoke to His disciples in John 13-17 was critical information if they were to be successful in carrying the Gospel to the world in His physical absence.  He knew that His peace would be necessary for their victory over an enemy who would stop at nothing to destroy them and the Gospel.  Jesus' Gospel was one of peace with God.  He was telling His disciples of their need to settle the issue now.  They were never again to doubt, nor fear, their position with God ever again.  Jesus was calling them to be assured of their salvation and to walk in it.

Isn't it interesting that God used the word picture of a sandal or shoe to illustrate how we are to 'walk out' the Gospel?  Because we are God's children, our journey is to be traveled with our shoes of peace and assurance tightly tied on.  Our peace with God that flows out of our understanding of God's love for us is something that must be settled in our hearts before we try to overcome our daily sin.  Walking in the knowledge of His love for us is what our peace is based upon, and it is critical to our belief system, as well.  Without this peace in our hearts, it will be difficult to overcome the lies the enemy will tell us, especially when we fail by falling to sin.  Without the peace of knowing that God loves us, even when we fail Him, we might just believe the lie of satan that it is impossible to belong to God if we do sin.

Also critical to our walk of peace is the manner in which we walk through the terrifying times of the journey.  When Jesus said, 'Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful, ' He was just hours away from His arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death.  He knew that His disciples would face a time of despair and heartache.  He knew that in their flesh they would be fearful of what would come next.  But isn't it amazing that He also left these words for us, knowing that we, too, would face our own dark days?  His peace was the answer then, and it is still the answer for us today.  Jesus is calling each of us today to walk out our spiritual battles by standing firm in the peace that has been given to us by God."

The Protection Your Heart Requires

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

(Excerpted from Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory--Chapter 8)

"The next piece of armor spoken of is the breastplate of righteousness.  This piece of the armor is critical if we are going to protect our 'hearts.'  The breastplate was a shield that covered the major organs of the body, from the neck to the hips.  Spiritually speaking, it covers our heart.  If we are going to fully follow God's commands by taking full vengeance on our sins so that we can have a heart that is united and healed by God, then we must use this breastplate in the battle.  Christ's righteousness was credited to us at the point of our salvation.  We were justified in the eyes of our Lord.  In other words, in God's eyes, it was 'just as if' we had never sinned.  But there is another righteousness that we must focus on now that we are saved.  It is the righteousness of holy living.  In order to live out a holy lifestyle, and thus live righteously, we must use the breastplate that protects us from this kind of warfare, making right choices in the midst of the battle of temptation.

Too often we think about making the right choices after we have been tempted and fall prey to the enemy's scheme by making a wrong and sinful choice.  That is why the breastplate of righteousness should be practiced and exercised every day so that at the moment of great temptation, it will be second nature to us to make the right choice.  You must practice seeing yourself as Christ sees you--as His righteous child--and do what a righteous one would do."

The Most Powerful Belt You Can Wear

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

"Let's begin to analyze the armor of warfare, piece by piece, and learn what can be accomplished by each.  Paul, the author of the letter to the Ephesians, begins with the belt of truth.  Why would the Spirit lead him to start there?  I doubt we can know for sure, but I do know this:  nothing is written in the Word without His touch.  So, I will offer just one suggestion.  Do you recall what satan's only weapon is?  It is his lies.  There is only one thing that I know of, for sure, that has the power to overcome a lie--THE TRUTH!  Our ability to know and grasp the truth is of great value to us in this fight!  When we begin to stop believing the lies, victory is just around the corner.  No matter how strong a Christian you are, satan's lies have infiltrated your heart, your mind, and possibly even your actions.  But the battles always begins with a thought in your mind.  Spiritual battles, more often than not, begin with a lie from satan that you choose to believe.

Do you pay close attention to your thoughts?  I have begun to, for this very reason.  I know that when I want to say something to myself, I phrase it somewhat like this: 'Now, why didn't I think to stop and pick up milk on the way home?'  But there are times when in the same situation I hear it more like this:  'You are so dumb.  It's just like you to forget.  You always forget.'  Do you see the difference?  I don't talk to myself with the second-person pronoun 'you'.  I talk to myself with the first-person pronouns 'I' and 'me'.  Second person pronouns are used when someone else is talking about me, to me.  This is an important point.  Who is talking to me, about me, if I am not talking to myself?  It can either be the Spirit or the enemy.  But it is the enemy for sure if your thoughts are using the second-person pronoun ('you') and also have an accusatory tone.  The enemy accuses the saints.  The Holy Spirit never does.

The Spirit's words might sound more like this, 'You have been very distracted today.  Fix your eyes on Me when you are distracted.  I will help you remember, if you will do this.'  The Spirit convicts us; the enemy accuses and whispers his lies to us every chance he gets.  Remember, his lies are his only weapon, so it is critical that we learn to discern the words in our head and to do combat with the lies by using the truth.

So just how do you handle this in battle mode when it happens?  The best way that I know is to speak the truth out loud to satan immediately.  Speaking out loud is important because satan is not all-knowing.  He has no ability to read your thoughts.  Saying something along these lines seems to work:  'It is not dumb of me to forget to stop and get milk.  I have been preoccupied and distracted today, thinking about other things.  And by the way, I rarely forget.  This is not my usual habit!'

I know that this example is very simplistic, and many of you have experienced the lies of the enemy regarding some very deep and hurtful things from your past.  This is still practical and useful to you, though you may have to work very hard to identify the false belief system and its associated lies.  Once identified and accepted as a lie, you still have to replace the accusing and false thoughts with truth.  Sharing with a Christian counselor, your pastor, or a close Christian friend might be beneficial, as they might be helpful in pointing out  thoughts that are lies.  And of course, the Word of God is your biggest source of truth!  The Sword of the Spirit is the most important weapon you can use!

No matter to what degree you experience false beliefs, fighting the lies with truth is always your best answer.  We are to strap on the belt of truth in order to overcome the lies that the enemy will always tell us."

(From Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory)

Are You Dressed Properly For Battle?

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

"God has given us an armor that we are to wear when we are dispossessing sin from our hearts.  It is made up of individual pieces that are intended to be used by us to gain victory over our sin and our enemy.  Paul eloquently describes it for us:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of the darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.  Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with perseverance and petition for all the saints.   (Ephesian 6: 1-10)

We are specifically told to put on the full armor, not just a piece of it.  We are not to try to use only part of it at a time when it comes to doing battle with sin in our lives .  It is designed to be used as one whole unit.  It was meant to be taken into battle in full! Isn't it interesting that God has told us to take full vengeance on those things that keep us from becoming Christlike?  He has told us also to fully follow His commands.  And now He is telling us to put on and use the full armor that He has prepared for us.  God doesn't want anything done partially!"

Are you trying to fight your spiritual battles with just a part of the armor you have been given to wear to stand firm?  No soldier enters into battle with his full armor and tries to destroy his enemy with his helmet!  Five pieces of the armor are to protect you, and only one is a weapon.  Are you protected?  And do you know how to wield the Word of God to annihilate your enemy?  If not, you must adjust your armor!

(Quoted from Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 8)

Unarmed And Surrounded By The Enemy

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

We all have gods and sins in our lives that we are commanded to overcome.  It is a spiritual battle to do so.  Is your armor uncomfortable because you do not know how to put to proper use?  Do you carry your "sword of truth" but have no idea how to wield it against your enemy, Satan?  Read on friends!

"POINT #2:  We must be fully armed when we cross into that place in our journey called the Promised Land, into the Holy of Holies where our gods will be dispossessed.  We must be prepared for this battle, and we must know what God's battle plan is.

Had Israel crossed the Jordan without any weapons, they would have most assuredly been annihilated.  The people who had been living in Canaan would certainly have banded together against an unarmed foe, and the defeat would have been a crushing blow to God's chosen people.  Without a battle plan, there would have been no organization, and therefore, no victory for God's people.   The same is going to be true for us if we attempt to just 'go in' and destroy every god, idol, attitude, or sin in our hearts that is contrary to God and His purposes.  Without weapons and a battle plan, we will surely fall to an enemy who does not want his territory encroached upon!

God has given us the perfect plan of attack when it comes to our spiritual battles, and the armor and weapons that He has chosen for us are perfect as well.  As our Commander-In-Chief, He has set us up to be victorious, if we will but utilize what He has already given us.  The problem is that we seldom choose to enter into this kind of battle, and when we do, our armor seems cumbersome to us because we have not been trained for this kind of war.  We are usually unarmed and unprepared because we have not even attended spiritual 'boot camp,' so we are ill-equipped for the battle with the forces of darkness."

(Quoted from Chapter 8, "Fully Following God's Commands" found in Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory)

The God-Centered Life

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

Is God in the center of ALL of your life?  The Israelites knew how to live with Him in the center of theirs long before they reached the Promised Land.  As they moved through the wilderness for 40 years the very layout of the "campground" had the Ark of the Covenant in the center.  But it would be different as they spread out in the Promised Land.

"This was God's plan--for His children to live in the land He freely gave them and to worship only Him.  The same is true for you.  Your Promised Land, having had all of your false gods removed, will be like living intimately with your God--in the Holy of Holies--alone, with no other gods but the one true God.  Do you see that?  Do you understand how you fit into the picture God gave us from the journey the Israelites made from Egypt to the Promised Land?  We are to journey from our bondage all the way to the presence of the Living God!  The goal of the tabernacle is to reach the Holy of Holies, to have been made holy and like Christ, to be living maturely by the purity of our hearts.  The god of the Israelites, who were set free from their bondage in Egypt, was to live in the Promised Land, a land with its idols removed.  The Promised Land was a picture of God in the center of the lives of His chosen ones who walk in unity with Him and Him alone.  It is a picture, as well, of the godly, sin-healed heart of a Christian!

But most of us are still either in the Outer Court of our salvation of the Inner Court of our sanctification (the process of being made holy).  Either way, we are being prepared to enter into the Holy of Holies, our Promised Land, the land of our truest and deepest intimacy with our God.  And if we want to step through the veil into the most intimate place with God, we must clearly understand the next point.

POINT #2:  We must be fully armed when we cross into that place in our journey called the Promised Land, into the Holy of Holies where our gods will be dispossessed.  We must be prepared for this battle, and we must know what God's battle plan is."

More on that tomorrow!

The Promised Land: Another Picture of Our Spiritual Journey

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

POINT #1:  God wants our complete and full compliance to His words and commands.

"Now, let's make POINT #1 relevant to us.  Consider this concept that I want to share with you.  This is another picture of the journey to the complete healing of your broken spiritual heart.  It is very similar to the picture of the Tabernacle that we viewed and studied in Chapters 1-4.  Let's look at Israel's journey from the bondage of Egypt to their life in the Promised Land.

You hopefully have walked through the door of the Tabernacle into your salvation.  If you have, then at that very moment, you also walked out of your Egypt, the place of your spiritual bondage.  Now you are set free from the penalty of your sin, but you may have not yet arrived at your Promised Land, living in the moment to moment blessing and presence of Almighty God.  You have entered the Outer Court where you have been reveling in your salvation and are following God, but you not likely to have been constantly obedient to Him and His commands.  You, in a sense, are wondering there in a wilderness, not quite understanding how to consistently obey.

Then, when you purposefully stepped into the Inner Court (if you have), you found it to be a place where you began to remove (dispossess) the gods and sins that were in your "land"--your hearts.  This can be likened to the 'crossing of the Jordan into the Promised Land,' where the Israelites began to remove the inhabitants because they were idolaters that worshiped other gods.  Sanctification takes place in you in the Inner Court where you begin to experience the Promised Land by systematically removing all that is in opposition to the God of your heart.  A similar cleansing of idol worship took place in Canaan, the Israelites' Promised Land, before God would  allow them to live in His Land of Promise.

Once all of the people of the land (the Canaanites) and their false gods were removed, then Israel could live daily in the constant and abiding presence of their God, in His blessing and favor, without the influence of false gods.  This is why it is called the Land of the Promise.  If Israel would do everything that God would command them to do, by removing all who were in opposition to Him, they would live in paradise on earth, in obedience to God and His blessing upon them.

God has a 'promised land' for Christians today. That promised land is on the other side of the veil of our crucified flesh. That promised land is the spiritual practice of obediently resting in God. The promised land, for us, is in the Holy of Holies, right here on earth!

Following God's Directions

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

As children, we were all taught the importance of following instructions. We also learned that there were always consequences when we didn't! How well are you following God's instructions to you?

 In Numbers 36: 1-10 Moses recounts the story of God directions to enter into the Promised Land and spy it out, for the  purpose of bringing an encouraging account to the Jews who would be moving there soon.  Read this brief account before reading this blog, for more clarification.

 "Moses is recounting the story of God sending out the 12 spies into the Promised Land, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, to look at the land that the Israelites would soon possess, having made their exodus from Egypt.  Ten of the spies saw that the land was 'flowing with milk and honey,' but they were afraid of the people who already lived there--the people they would now have to dispossess (remove) from the land, according to God's directions.  They came back and discouraged their clans, causing them to also fear going into the the land.  But Joshua and Caleb, the other two spies, followed the Lord's commands to the the letter.  They returned and tried to encourage the people that the Lord would be faithful in all He had commanded them to do.  There were the only spies who completely followed the command of God.  This is our first point to consider:

POINT #1:  God wants our complete and full compliance to His words and commands.

By examining the Scriptural text, you can see that God said this about His people, including the ten spies, who came up out of bondage in Egypt, regarding their response to entering the land and possessing it:  'They did not follow Me fully.'   But about Joshua and Caleb, the two faithfully, obedient spies He said this:  'They followed Me fully.'

Did you notice that God did not praise the ten spies for the time they spent spying out the Promised Land for His people?  He did not praise them for their bravery and courage as they witnessed giants in the land.  He also did not praise them for the gigantic clusters of grapes they brought back from the land or for the pomegranates and figs they found.  Have you ever wondered why it mattered to God to what degree  they followed Him and His commands?  You have to understand what God's purposes and goals were for His chosen people.  It was to give them the Promised Land to live and dwell in.  His goal was to lead His obedient children out of the wilderness that they had been traveling through and lead them into the beautiful and lush land of promise."

Israel's disobedience and unwillingness to follow God meant that His blessing would have to be delayed.  How this broke the heart of God!  The blessings that would naturally flow out of His love for them were trumped by their choice to believe the false report and obey it instead of the report that God was in control and that He would deliver the giants into their hands. 

God requires our complete and full compliance to His words and commands, not to be an overbearing Controller of our lives, but to be able to be our Loving Father who desires to give us all of His best things.  And He always is working to bring about the very best in our lives.  Israel faced the consequences of their disobedient, non-compliance.  They were not allowed to enter the Promised Land for forty more years, and none of the men who were twenty years old or older ever got to enter in!  Forty more years in the wilderness . . . a huge price to pay for desiring to walk their own way.  What price will you have to pay for following in their footsteps instead of bending your self-will to match the Father's?

(The quoted portion was taken from Chapter 8, "Fully Following God's Commands" d in Cheryl Gnagey's book, Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory , available for purchase at www.cherylgnagey.com or www.amazon.com).

The Contrite, Confessing and Repentant Heart

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

"There is a huge difference between telling God that you are sorry for something that you have done, and true confession with a repentant heart.  Saying, 'Sorry, God,' becomes our quick way to get back into His good graces, or at least that is what we tend to think, then do.  If we feel that response hasn't gotten us very far with God, we will usually put a 'please forgive me' with it. 

Don't get me wrong. Telling God that you are sorry and asking for His forgiveness is not wrong at all.  As a matter of fact, we should tell God we are sorry and thank Him for forgiving us.  But if that is as far as we go, then our response is not a confession to God at all.  A confession to God is agreeing with God on these two thing--that you know that you are wrong because you are seeing your sin from His perspective, and that you do not want to repeat the offense.  God wants our confession to lead to something other than the repeated performance of, 'I'm sorry, and please forgive me.'  He desires that our truly contrite confession will to to our future obedience.

Obedience to our Holy God is critical on our journey toward a heart that is no longer divided by its wrong priorities, sin, and idols.  Our obedience is the one thing that sets us apart from the world in how we handle life's situations and choices.  Obedience is the ongoing, outward sign of an inner transformation." 

(Quoted from Chapter 8, "Fully Following God's Commands" in Cheryl Gnagey's book, Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory.  Her book is available at www.cherylgnagey.com or www.cherylgnagey.blogspot.com)

When was the last time you found yourself on your knees, confessing your sin with a contrite heart and humility that weeps over your error, and God's displeasure of it?  Have you become desensitized to true contrition?  Would you much rather gloss over your sin with an insincere apology to Almighty God?

Are You REALLY Sorry?

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

When you have sinned, do you just come to God and blast out a quick, "I'm sorry"? Are you really sorry when you do this or are you just trying to get out of trouble?

"God does not want us to let our sin off the hook!  And He is not nearly as interested in our, 'I'm sorry,' as He is in our confession of sin and repentance.  Have you ever hear children (and sometimes adult too) say that they are sorry when they really are just sorry that they got caught and are now in trouble?  It goes a little something like this:  'Mary, tell your brother that you are sorry for taking his train engine away from him.'  Several moments pass, so you prompt, 'Mary...'  With all the iciness and attitude of a snow queen, you hear this come from your precious little girl, 'Sorrrr-reeee!'  Within moments, little brother is screaming again for his train engine.  Do you get the picture?"  (Chapter 8 of Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory)

Confession is not telling God that you are sorry.  Confession is agreeing with God that you have done something wrong according to His standards and guidelines.  Saying you are sorry to God, with now plan to really be different, will eventually reveal that you not really sorry at all.  To be sorry means that you understand your sin and error, and that you desire greatly to never do it again.  That heart desire should cause us then to take the first step, and then many more, in the opposite direction of the sin.  This is repentance. 

When you have sinned, and go to God with your apology, consider approaching Him this way:

1. Come in true humility
2. Tell Him that you completely agree with His assessment of the sin (confession)
3. Then tell Him that you are sorry
4. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit, so that you might turn away from repeating this sin
5. Walk away from anything that will lead you to sin in that way again (repentance)

The integrity of your "I'm sorry" that is sandwiched between the confession and repentance of your sin will be revealed in your true repentance of the sin.  Will you walk the other way, or were you just trying to feel better in the presence of God?  Were you trying to let you and your sin off the hook, or were you serious about walking on in holiness and purity by the Spirit?

Sin's Disobedience Breaks God's Heart

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

What do your actions and words say to the world? Do you REALLY have an impact on the world when you sin? And what impact does your disobedience have on God?

"Our willful disobedience as born-again children of the Living God breaks the heart of the Father who loves us so much, the heart of Jesus who left His home in Heaven and died in our place, and the heart of the Spirit who longs to sanctify and complete us.  It also brings into our lives the consequences of it, the fruit of disobedience.  Have you been there?  Has your walk ever faltered and felt empty because you are walking in a known sin rather than in the Spirit?  Have you felt the discipline of Daddy for breaking His commands?  Or maybe you have just simply been walking your own journey, disregarding the instruction and illumination that the Spirit can give.  Disobedience has many faces, but none of them is God's reflection in us.  Ultimately, when we disobey on a regular basis, our holiness and Christ-likeness is threatened.  We begin to lose the ground that we gained in the past, and our reflection looks like the face of the world instead of the face of God."

Have you checked your reflection recently?  What does the world see?  What does God see?

(Quoted from Chapter 8, "Fully Following God's Commands" in Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, written by Cheryl Gnagey and available at www.cherylgnagey.com)

The Deep Root System of Willful Disobedience

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

"As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should desire to make Him the only God in our lives, yet we struggle with just how to get that done.  Our hearts are filled with many sins and gods... and we know that we are commanded to take full vengeance on them.  When we look at the work ahead of us, we see that we are merely at the beginning of what could be a very long process of clearing out what keeps us from the intimacy with God that we long for and know is available to us.  In Matthew 26:41, Jesus said, 'The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.'   If we are truly honest with ourselves, we likely want to opt out of taking full vengeance on the gods in our hearts.  The result of such a choice will be that our sin will produce thick roots that will be much more difficult to cut out later.  Why do we so often make this poor choice?  At the heart of the matter is the fact that we really do not want to obey God's call to dispossess them from our hearts."

The longer a root of disobedience is allowed to go deeper and grow thicker, the harder it will be to cut it out of your life.  The more your disobedient roots grow, the more you will find great stability in your disobedient lifestyle.  Today is the day to begin to chop away at the roots that keep you distant from God's plans and purposes for your life!  What are your roots?

(Quoted from Chapter 8, "Fully Following God's Commands" in Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, available for purchase at www.cherylgnagey.com)

Taking a Closer Look

Pin It Originally: How To Add a Pinterest (Pin it) Button to your Blog/Website http://cs-doon.blogspot.com/#ixzz1ryXJUBEC

It is always a good idea to take in information, but an even better idea to apply what you have learned to your life.  But often that will require that you slow down and take a good, close look at your life.  Below are a few questions that will help you both process and apply what you have learned about taking full vengeance on your sins and idols that are a part of your life.  This is your time to introspect.  Take a moment to look within.

1. When we don't take full vengeance on our gods and sin, we actually create an environment in which they will be allowed to grow up in us.  Are you nourishing your weeds, or are you pulling them up and destroying them?
2. What influence do your gods and sin have on your spiritual growth?
3. God wanted the Israelites to eradicate all foreign gods from their lives by taking FULL vengeance on them.  What does God want you to do with your identified gods and sin?
4. There were severe consequences for Israel when the disobeyed God and kept the foreign gods alive by sparing (giving life to) the woman who were so idolatrous.  Are you willing to find out what God's consequences will be for you if you choose to let your gods and sins live, instead of destroying them?  Do you think that you are' bullet-proof'?
5. Why does God discipline us when we disobey?  How do your gods and sin affect your holiness?

It is time to pull up the weeds in your life that are choking out Holy Spirit within you and holiness and purity He longs to bring into your life .  Weeds that are left alone will eventually take over an entire beautiful garden of flowers!