We are often tempted to make compromises in our lives. These compromises do a lot of damage to us as the compromise gets bigger and bigger and at the same time shrinking in stature and before we know it we are living a low life that is not pleasing to God. We don't always get to do what we want to do in life but we cannot change the gospel of Jesus Christ, the word remains the same and always will.
if you choose to lead the higher life you will reap the rewards which are peace, contentment and righteousness. Don't trade fun for joy, (nights out on the booze are not joy) always make sure you have real deal.
Matthew 22:37-38 - "Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment." - This was Jesus' response to a question asked by some Pharisees about what was most important. We sometimes need to ask ourselves the same question. What is most important to us? What do we spend our time doing? Do we fit God into our daily lives or just when we are desperate?
Matthew 6:24 - " No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Who are what are you going to serve? There are choices and decisions - make the decision as to what or who you are going to serve and what you are going to do with your life. God wants you to make the right choice but he cannot make it for you. We can have riches, possessions, God isn't saying that to be Godly we cannot have valuables, he wants us to be blessed and enjoy them. What he doesn't want is them taking over our lives and us losing sight of what is important in life. However, how do you act when you lose something? Do you get yourself in a state? Get anxious, angry, attack others? A sure sign that your possessions are ruling you rather than the other way around. Don't let the loss tear you up and rule your emotions. A healthy life is not allowing ourselves to be controlled by things. Accept that it is gone.
How do you act when God asks you to give away something that has real meaning to you? - Who's first in your life at that point? Does God come first? Do you give the thing away? Or do you try to ignore God and lock the thing away? According to the Word we are supposed to use what we have to help and bless other people, this includes tithing and our personal possessions. Make the real things in life important - family, friends and God.
we all need to stop once in a while in our quest for job, money and success and ask ourselves could I lay down any of this if God asks me to? Could you walk away from a toxic friend and be left all alone rather than continue with wrong person?
Revelation 3:15-17 - " I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" -
Do you behave one way with Christian friends and another way entirely when you are away from the church?
Do you spend Sunday full of the praises of God but once Monday arrives are you just another man in a suit on the underground?
Are you a lukewarm Christian or are you red hot and ready to lay anything inside to live a life with him?
Are you happy to have God in your life but only on your terms, i.e. only on a Sunday morning and at a push when you really need to say a desperately pleading prayer?
Would you stand on a rooftop and declare your love and faith for God?
Or would you rather whisper it from inside a cellar somewhere? Or maybe not even at all?
Temptation can be real hard to get through. The devil will come at your weakest of times and try to works its way into your mind. Stand strong, pray to God, call out to God to help you resist temptation. Each success that you have will make it a little easier the next time, use that knowledge to spur you on. Most importantly you need to believe that you can overcome temptation. If you don't believe in yourself that it is going to be virtually impossible to achieve. However, keep in your mind that there is no greater temptation than the Christ in me. Through Christ we can do all things no matter how unbearable they might seem.
Say to yourself: I can do whatever I want to do through Christ who strengthens me!!!
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