From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. James 4:1-4 KJV
The fleshly lusts raging in human hearts are the real causes of strife, wars, quarreling & fighting amongst mankind! Humans lust after & compete negatively with each other with even a willingness to take a life in order to achieve something or other or if they don't! Instead of asking God the Author & Finisher of all things including our faith sincerely for all "needs", humans follow their deceitful wicked hearts! Hence, they ask & do not receive because they ask amiss, just to satisfy their lusts! Humans do not value God's Word that tells us clearly that friendship with the world is enmity towards God!!!
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
1 Peter 1:14-16 NIV
Let us truthfully search our hearts and find those "evil" desires we had when we lived in ignorance (unless of course we still do) and let go of them and let God Take them from us! We can never live a holy life living with and satisfying our lusts! Alas! Self deceit! You say you are born again but nothing changes in your life; you are even more worldly, lustful and vane than ever before (including in your physical appearance!!!
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:16,17 NASB
All worldliness including the pride of life & living is not of God but rather of the devil (and the world)! All of what we take so much pride in is futile and passing away. However, we rarely opt for doing the will of God because we think mostly of the now; not of living forever. Yet, what ultimately matters is where we spend eternity!!!
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. Romans 12:1,2 NLT
The Word of God appeals/pleads with us to submit our members to God as a holy sacrifice! Who amongst us is willing to offer such a sacrifice that involves giving up on the worldly ungodly things we engage our bodies with? This can only happen if we think/reflect on who God is and what He Does (Has Done) for us! Rather than allow God's Word to Transform us and our thinking, we readily give in to the sinful way of life! When we have an opportunity to learn and know God's Will so to do, why do we always tend to opt for evil? Hmmm! Come into my life (and family's life) Lord Jesus! Come in today and to stay; come into my (and family's) life o Lord Jesus!!!
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them: 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father" I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe has been laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:7-10 (NIVUK)
John the Baptist was not very "nice" was he? By the standards of this world, this righteous man was not politically correct. He called a spade a spade! He did not care more about pleasing mankind than God; God was His primary and main focus! He desired to please God more than anything/anyone! It's much better and far more profitable to work to plant seeds that will cause a harvest in keeping with righteousness! May God Help us all to sincerely desire to do the Will of God and to please God always in Jesus' Name. Amen!!!
(14) I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17:14
When you truly have the Word of God, only God Gives this Word! If you possess the Word of God, the world would hate you; no matter how you desire to please/satisfy the world, you just find that you cannot unless you give up on God! The reason many are able to be friends of the world is because they were never God's friends in the first place. You choose who you want to be friends with; God Will never force anyone!!!
The fleshly lusts raging in human hearts are the real causes of strife, wars, quarreling & fighting amongst mankind! Humans lust after & compete negatively with each other with even a willingness to take a life in order to achieve something or other or if they don't! Instead of asking God the Author & Finisher of all things including our faith sincerely for all "needs", humans follow their deceitful wicked hearts! Hence, they ask & do not receive because they ask amiss, just to satisfy their lusts! Humans do not value God's Word that tells us clearly that friendship with the world is enmity towards God!!!
As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
1 Peter 1:14-16 NIV
Let us truthfully search our hearts and find those "evil" desires we had when we lived in ignorance (unless of course we still do) and let go of them and let God Take them from us! We can never live a holy life living with and satisfying our lusts! Alas! Self deceit! You say you are born again but nothing changes in your life; you are even more worldly, lustful and vane than ever before (including in your physical appearance!!!
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:16,17 NASB
All worldliness including the pride of life & living is not of God but rather of the devil (and the world)! All of what we take so much pride in is futile and passing away. However, we rarely opt for doing the will of God because we think mostly of the now; not of living forever. Yet, what ultimately matters is where we spend eternity!!!
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. Romans 12:1,2 NLT
The Word of God appeals/pleads with us to submit our members to God as a holy sacrifice! Who amongst us is willing to offer such a sacrifice that involves giving up on the worldly ungodly things we engage our bodies with? This can only happen if we think/reflect on who God is and what He Does (Has Done) for us! Rather than allow God's Word to Transform us and our thinking, we readily give in to the sinful way of life! When we have an opportunity to learn and know God's Will so to do, why do we always tend to opt for evil? Hmmm! Come into my life (and family's life) Lord Jesus! Come in today and to stay; come into my (and family's) life o Lord Jesus!!!
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptising, he said to them: 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father" I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe has been laid to the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Matthew 3:7-10 (NIVUK)
John the Baptist was not very "nice" was he? By the standards of this world, this righteous man was not politically correct. He called a spade a spade! He did not care more about pleasing mankind than God; God was His primary and main focus! He desired to please God more than anything/anyone! It's much better and far more profitable to work to plant seeds that will cause a harvest in keeping with righteousness! May God Help us all to sincerely desire to do the Will of God and to please God always in Jesus' Name. Amen!!!
(14) I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
John 17:14
When you truly have the Word of God, only God Gives this Word! If you possess the Word of God, the world would hate you; no matter how you desire to please/satisfy the world, you just find that you cannot unless you give up on God! The reason many are able to be friends of the world is because they were never God's friends in the first place. You choose who you want to be friends with; God Will never force anyone!!!
lovely sir
ReplyDelete