Ephesians 5:15-17 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but
as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye
not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
We are in the world and yet not of it: Crucified with Christ and now alive
in Christ Risen. We are citizens of Heaven-- the Heavenly Zion is our
home. Yet many times we, as Christians, become caught up in worldly
things. Whether it's fear of terrorism, sensationalism in the media,
watching worldly TV shows, etc.; some Christians are addicted to
worldly entertainment-- such as sports, soap operas, reality TV shows,
etc.
The Bible tells us that we keep ourselves "unspotted from the world."
How can we do this in a world that is so ungodly? The Bible tells us to
"set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col. 3:
2) We are to be "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our
Faith." (Heb 12:2) We are to have this mind: "if riches increase, set not
your heart upon them." (Psalm 62:10)
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints;
If Christians were to read their bibles and care as much for prayer time
as they do for their favorite football team, think of what a different
Church it would be. If Christians were to spend as much time in their
prayer closet as they do surfing on the internet or blogging, which by the
way is becoming an addiction for many, think of how on fire the Church
would be and how much the Lord could do in and through His Saints. All
things have their place but God must come first and our minds should be
stayed upon Him..
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If Christians were to truly set their affections on the things above, the
worldly things simply would not matter. Faith in God places everything
we are and have into His hands. Having the mind of Christ means a mind
that seeks to do the will of the Father in Heaven-- To walk in submission
before God – Humbly before God and to be yielded to Him.
Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those
that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking
for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works.
If we truly believe the Lord could come at any moment, we should allow
Him to live through us and guide us in our every day affairs. We
should live according to His Word. We should be walking in the Spirit.
We should be feeding upon His Word. Spiritual food is found only by
reading His Word.
1John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we
ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Thess 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Prayer and supplication is how we communicate with God. Prayer is the
breath of every Christian. There is a resting place in prayer. There is no
rest in the world. Everyone is talking about whatever is on their minds,
but the Bible tells us to keep our words few. In this modern society, we
are bombarded with information-- whether it is on the internet, TV,
radio, newspapers, magazines, podcasts, etc. There is nothing wrong
with the right kind of information but should it take precedence over
Bible study? Should the information superhighway distract the Christian
from prayer time; alone with God time? When is the last time you sat in
silence and communed with the Lord? Ephesians 5:16 says, "Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil."
Christians listen to music in their cars, at their workstations, in the office,
on their lunch break. They come home to turn on the news and listen to
the same news redundantly presented for the next two hours. They eat
their dinner and blast the TV in the background or surf the internet, but
where is prayer time? Where is devotional study of God’s Holy
Word? Why so carnally minded? Why are their spiritual eyes
slumbering? The bible opened every day will help to show you the Lordâ
€™s viewpoint on any given subject.
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path.
Shall we live according to God's Word? Let the answer be "Yes!" May
we yield to God's will in all areas of our life. May we know what His
precious Word says and obey the Lord:
Prov 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the
knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Prov 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart
from evil.
2Tim 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith,
charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
1Thess 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
We cannot be friends with the world—for it is enmity against God.
James 4:4b says, "whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the
enemy of God."
In conclusion, we will give a few more verses:
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather reprove them.
1Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober,
and watch unto prayer.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:9-21 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which
is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to
another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not
slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in
hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing
to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which
persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice,
and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward
another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.
Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as
lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not
yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,
Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt
heap coals of fire on his head. Be not over-come of evil, but overcome
evil with good.
©2007 Cobblestone Road Ministries
All Rights Reserved
Further Reading:
FOUR IMPORTANT THINGS That Every Christian Should Know
AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST JESUS
RUNNING THE CHRISTIAN RACE
DO YOU HAVE TIME FOR THE LORD?
SPIRITUALLY CHILDPROOFING YOUR HOME
LEFTOVERS
as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye
not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
We are in the world and yet not of it: Crucified with Christ and now alive
in Christ Risen. We are citizens of Heaven-- the Heavenly Zion is our
home. Yet many times we, as Christians, become caught up in worldly
things. Whether it's fear of terrorism, sensationalism in the media,
watching worldly TV shows, etc.; some Christians are addicted to
worldly entertainment-- such as sports, soap operas, reality TV shows,
etc.
The Bible tells us that we keep ourselves "unspotted from the world."
How can we do this in a world that is so ungodly? The Bible tells us to
"set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Col. 3:
2) We are to be "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our
Faith." (Heb 12:2) We are to have this mind: "if riches increase, set not
your heart upon them." (Psalm 62:10)
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints;
If Christians were to read their bibles and care as much for prayer time
as they do for their favorite football team, think of what a different
Church it would be. If Christians were to spend as much time in their
prayer closet as they do surfing on the internet or blogging, which by the
way is becoming an addiction for many, think of how on fire the Church
would be and how much the Lord could do in and through His Saints. All
things have their place but God must come first and our minds should be
stayed upon Him..
Gal 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
If Christians were to truly set their affections on the things above, the
worldly things simply would not matter. Faith in God places everything
we are and have into His hands. Having the mind of Christ means a mind
that seeks to do the will of the Father in Heaven-- To walk in submission
before God – Humbly before God and to be yielded to Him.
Romans 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of
unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those
that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness unto God.
Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking
for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works.
If we truly believe the Lord could come at any moment, we should allow
Him to live through us and guide us in our every day affairs. We
should live according to His Word. We should be walking in the Spirit.
We should be feeding upon His Word. Spiritual food is found only by
reading His Word.
1John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we
ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
1Thess 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
Prayer and supplication is how we communicate with God. Prayer is the
breath of every Christian. There is a resting place in prayer. There is no
rest in the world. Everyone is talking about whatever is on their minds,
but the Bible tells us to keep our words few. In this modern society, we
are bombarded with information-- whether it is on the internet, TV,
radio, newspapers, magazines, podcasts, etc. There is nothing wrong
with the right kind of information but should it take precedence over
Bible study? Should the information superhighway distract the Christian
from prayer time; alone with God time? When is the last time you sat in
silence and communed with the Lord? Ephesians 5:16 says, "Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil."
Christians listen to music in their cars, at their workstations, in the office,
on their lunch break. They come home to turn on the news and listen to
the same news redundantly presented for the next two hours. They eat
their dinner and blast the TV in the background or surf the internet, but
where is prayer time? Where is devotional study of God’s Holy
Word? Why so carnally minded? Why are their spiritual eyes
slumbering? The bible opened every day will help to show you the Lordâ
€™s viewpoint on any given subject.
Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path.
Shall we live according to God's Word? Let the answer be "Yes!" May
we yield to God's will in all areas of our life. May we know what His
precious Word says and obey the Lord:
Prov 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the
knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Prov 3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart
from evil.
2Tim 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith,
charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
1Thess 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
We cannot be friends with the world—for it is enmity against God.
James 4:4b says, "whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the
enemy of God."
In conclusion, we will give a few more verses:
Eph 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather reprove them.
1Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober,
and watch unto prayer.
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:9-21 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which
is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to
another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not
slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in
hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing
to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which
persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice,
and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward
another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.
Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil.
Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as
lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not
yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,
Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy
hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt
heap coals of fire on his head. Be not over-come of evil, but overcome
evil with good.
©2007 Cobblestone Road Ministries
All Rights Reserved
Further Reading:
FOUR IMPORTANT THINGS That Every Christian Should Know
AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST JESUS
RUNNING THE CHRISTIAN RACE
DO YOU HAVE TIME FOR THE LORD?
SPIRITUALLY CHILDPROOFING YOUR HOME
LEFTOVERS
| Living According to God's Word Not according to The World |
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