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GIVING WHAT’s BEEN GIVEN. How Faithful Am I?
I had to ask myself, “Am I an example of the work of the Holy Spirit?
“What is the fruit of my character when I’m cut off on the highway, or while given a rude response from a department store worker, or nearly run over by a speeding and non-yielding-to-pedestrian driver?”
I am at least committed to being honest with myself; my score was an alarming 100% Rotten Fruit. Then I am unfaithful to the Lord I desire to serve. Why does it seem so hard sometimes?
The warfare in my own mind, this sometimes out-of-control battlefield can wear me down, disillusion and defeat me. It’s not supposed to be like this, why is this happening? The only answer I can come up with is that I have wandered away from good nutrition by eating too much fast food.
What?
Yes, the nutritional and sustainable food; His Holy Bible. I am a fast food addict. I read a few scriptures then get distracted and move on to other things having had my fast food fix. The next thing I know the day has ended and I have not had a warm, satisfying and nutritious meal. The cycle repeats until one day I wake up to a chaotic, sinful mess. I lack the fuel and the muscle to fight the good fight from dietary deficiency. I am the weakling in the army of God. My muscle is going to flab; my spiritual man is anemic.
As more and more signs of the season* surface, I become intensely aware of His call on my life and just how terribly distant I am from the finish line. I’m not even on the field! And the Royal Umpire’s whistle is about to blow! I’m fighting back panic. Yet, He tells me to be sober (not to panic) in 1 Thessalonians 5:8, “But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” I am to be awake, sensitive, alert, and prepared while applying faith and love. NOT by resenting bad behavior towards me, or other trivial cares of my little world.
What should the fruit of my thinking and works actually be?
Galatians 5:22-26 gives very clear instructions: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
Somehow I doubt that my resentments and lazy reading habits fit into or satisfy these requirements as-in LONGSHOT!
So, I sat myself down. I prayed for God’s divine help; for His Holy Spirit to reveal His truths and treasures, giving me spiritual wisdom and discernment as I began to read from the Holy Bible; my how-to Book. Hebrews chapter 13, Galatians chapters 5 and 6, Romans chapters 8 and 12 began to sooth my troubled soul. I am growing, having had nutritious Comfort Food. I’m not full-grown, but I am growing. I’m impatient, my time is limited, so I bookmark more and more time to be feasting. I find the time because deep inside I know my time is gravely limited. All the fluff is erased, essentials only for this training season. Tear away from the electronics. TV, off. Movies, don’t go. Overtime at work, not as important as my time with the Lord. Parties, politely declined. Vacation, postponed. I no longer pencil Him into my schedule, my time with Him in His Word is in ink so that I will be faithful! I will no longer fool myself into the “I’ll read right after I finish… or while I relax at…” I need all the reinforcement and ammunition that I can gather. His Word gives me exactly that.
I will be challenged like I have never been challenged before, we all will be. What lies ahead is beyond human imagination and reasonable comprehension. A spiritual and physical battlefield is growing in power and passion. The enemy is becoming “nuclear” in rule and muscle and is fully prepared, ever-so impatiently-fervent for a devouring, the feeding frenzy. It will be extreme-extreme, it will be enormously ugly.
Our time is limited, friends, for each and every one of us. Let’s get moving in and through Him. We each are called to be ministers/soldiers in one form or another. Do NOT suddenly find yourself entering a nuclear battle armed with a water pistol.
*What Is This Season the Bible Refers To? http://ow.ly/pXSsZ
How do I get to know God?
Acknowledge to the true triune God that you, like every single human, are a sinner in need of the one and only True Savior. Be willing to turn from sinning, He will help you to do just that with the infilling of His holy Spirit. Believe that Jesus Christ the Messiah, God in human flesh, shed His majestic Blood for your sins, died and rose from the dead to live forever and ever. Accept His priceless, yet free to you, gift of salvation and make Jesus Christ of Nazareth Master, Savior , Lord of your life.
If you prayed that prayer, it is time to get busy.
Get to know your Savior by reading the Bible and praying (talk) to Him. Get involved in a Christian, Bible-believing church, tell others about Jesus Christ so that they too, can have eternal salvation and a fantastic relationship with our heavenly Father and Creator. Get baptized. I sincerely hope to see you in heaven friends. I really do not want anyone to perish, I can’t imagine how strongly God feels this as well.
Be blessed, prepared and armed with His holy Word and grace. Forsake all the fluff in your life and get down to the nitty gritty, get reading. Warn others.
