“But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
2 Timothy 2:20-22 KJV
Please notice the phrase:
"If a man therefore purge himself from these"
That phrase tells me we have an active part in our walk, as a Follower of Jesus.
In the Forgiveness Ministry we encourage everyone to "deal with" (purge) the sins they have buried in their heart, as God reveals. At the core of "dealing with your sin" is confession and repentance; obedience to The Word of God. (James 5:16)
Obeying The Word of God is a requirement if one is to follow Jesus. Even the Son Of God was obedient even unto death on the cross! (Phil 2:8)
Many have been taught that the cross did it all! And they are only partially right. His death did pay the penalty for our sins. However, His death did not make it unnecessary for us to obey His Father's Commandments!
Jesus offered His blood as the perfect sacrifice for our sins so we did not have to shed ours. He paid the price. Our part is confessing and repenting of our sin thereby accepting His sacrifice, the forgiveness of our sins! [You have to own your sin to accept His sacrifice!] Our turning away, from the sin we love, is following Him! [We must love Him more than we love our sin!]
To "follow" means to:
verb
- 1.go or come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead); move or travel behind."she went back into the house, and Ben followed her"
synonyms: come behind, come after, go behind, go after, walk behind
In essence we are to walk the same steps as Jesus walked; in obedience to The Father/The Word of God!
Make no mistake, following Jesus is a hard road. He says so Himself. Time and time again, He tells us what is required to be His Disciple, and those requirements have not changed!
“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Matthew 7:13-14 KJV
It is not easy to follow Jesus! Just some of the things you MUST do is:
Confess, repent, forgive, stop judging, flee youthful lusts, pursue righteousness, cleanse your heart, don't quarrel, be gentle to all, endure afflictions (with joy); and much, much more!
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” James 1:22 KJV
It's in "doing" The Word, that we are made into His likeness.
How do you look like Jesus? By humbling yourself, confessing and repenting of your sin and cleansing your heart, resisting the devil and overcoming temptation, dying to the flesh and carrying your cross. None of which can be done by yourself.
You purposing in your heart to follow Him, and humbling yourself; He will enable your success! He wants you to succeed and will assist you in supernatural ways, however He will not do it for you! This is your walk! You have to move your feet! You have to be engaged, if you want to be the bride!
“And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.” Matthew 22:3 KJV
What is your excuse for not obeying His call?
Even so - MARANATHA!
From 6/8/16
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