Love Not The World, Neither The Things In The World!

1 John 2:15, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

As Christians, our focus should be on our relationship with God rather than our relationship with the world and its system. We are in the world but are not of the world if we have been born again (born from above). We have been re-born from a person of the flesh and fleshly control into a spiritual creation of the Spirit of God. Our instruction comes from God through the Holy Spirit. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God and are not dominated by the politics of this worldly system.

Are our lives affected by the world we live in? Most definitely! However, our allegiance is to a higher power and authority. We do not bow to the constraints of this worldly system. Although we are prisoners in this body of flesh, we are free in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our governance. Does that give us the authority to refuse the law of our land? God’s law must receive pre-eminence over any earthly law that contradicts God’s law. The law of God is greater than any earthly governance.

Today, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we find ourselves at odds with the morals and practices of our world systems of government and religion. We shouldn’t find that surprising if we are really following the tenets of the Bible. Generally, it has been that way for the people of God since the beginning. Satan has always had a system of rule and control opposing the authority of God. And He (Satan) will continue to grab all the control he can until he declares himself to be the Christ and rules the world from the temple in Jerusalem! (continued) 

No Longer A Slave To Sin! by Myra Boozer

When God changes you, accept the FACT that you have been changed, not of yourself, but by His Transforming Power. You must have your mind made up to never go back to your old ways of foolish habits and careless living. They only lead you back down the same old path reaping the same old results, and in the end, it is spiritual DEATH.

Listen to God as he speaks to your heart. Arise and be strong! Walk in the newness of life, free from the bondage of sin and evil. Never offer a half-hearted life to Christ. He requires ALL or nothing. When you give Him your ALL, make sure there are no hidden rooms in your heart with "NO TRESPASSING" signs hung on the doors. Begin your life with Him open and honest (He knows it already). Give him the key to every area of your heart. This commitment will help produce a strong desire for "NO TURNING BACK" to the old life of sin and regrets.

You will wake up in a brand new world with a new attitude about life and living. You have been bought with a price greater than the riches of heaven. The rags of sin won't belong to a child of the King. You are royal now and you will be clothed in royalty. Just as the King's daughter is glorious within, so are you (Ps. 45). When you are come into his palace, you will come with gladness and rejoicing because of the favor that God has placed on your new life in HIM. When you know who you are, the son or daughter of the MOST HIGH GOD, your status changes. You walk, talk, and live in a brand-new world. The old things are passed away. When you love righteousness and hate wickedness, you're anointed with the oil of gladness. You see things through different eyes. Where you once lived in doubt and dread, you now live in faith and trust.

When Satan comes knocking on your door telling you nothing changed when God forgave you and gave you a new wardrobe (spiritual robe), tell him he came too late. Because you now see him for who he is, the great deceiver. Tell him you have a new Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. Tell him you have been washed by the blood of the lamb and you are no longer a slave to sin.

Be blessed with the Mercy and Love of God...Acts 10:15, "Don't call something unclean if God has made it clean," NLT. You are a new creature! Walk in that newness! No Longer A Slave To Sin! 

God's Children Will Reflect His Holiness!

A disciple of Christ will reflect the character of God. 1 Peter 1:16, “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” Peter’s reference is to the command of God in Leviticus 11:44-45, which says that the people of God should be holy as the one who has called them is holy. Jesus was also our example and was without sin. 1 Peter 2:22, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:”

Holiness is a New Testament teaching and has become a serious issue in the 21st-century church. If we believe and accept the Bible we must declare that holiness is an absolute in the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ is the Bride of Christ and is destined to be presented to Christ as a holy bride washed in the blood of the lamb. Ephesians 5:25, “...Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

The Bride will be presented in holiness. Jesus shed His blood on the cross as a sacrifice to atone for our sins. In Him, sin is cast aside and abandoned, never to be remembered. The believer is wholly washed becoming a child of God and prepared to be the reflection of his Father. Amen! 

Redeemed By The Blood Of Jesus! by Myra Boozer

The days are evil and the storms of life are raging...The enemy has come in like a flood as it rips through our land trying to wash away every grain of truth and justice that has prevailed in our country since the beginning of her existence. Turmoil has found a landing on the steps of every home and the heart of every man, woman, and child. The winds of this world whisper, “You are alone and no one is interested in your sorrow...just forget about finding refuge in the soul of another human being...Trust only in your might, and none other...no one cares or is able to lift you above the muddy waters of this terrible swift and raging current.”

But wait, I hear the chirping of the sparrow and see the Eagle on the highest bough...and listen to the breeze as it sings the sweetest song...Redeemed, You are redeemed...you have been purchased, bought with a price...counted worthy to be forgiven and you are FREE...This is no time to be discouraged...God is allowing us to build strong faith in HIM and not our circumstances. No mortal relationship can save us! We are Redeemed by the Blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ! 

Jesus Is Our Benchmark!

Ephesians 4:13, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”

A benchmark serves as a standard to measure, evaluate, or compare. Jesus is our benchmark, He is our baseline, and He is our standard for living. We must go to Him every day to put our lives and all things in them into proper focus. We must begin in Him and with Him. It is there that we receive insight and instruction for our assignment. There, we receive spiritual strength and motivation for the mission ahead. We should not attempt to move forward without His guidance and anointing. He prepares the table before us in the presence of the enemy. We shall eat and drink from His table and prevail before our enemy. Jesus is our strength and our victory. He leads us beside the still waters and restores our souls. He is our source, our strength, our redeemer, and in Him we can trust today and every day as Christ Jesus, our Lord. Thank you God for the assurance that only you can give!

Jesus is our benchmark. He established His position in Gethsemane. He came to die but all flesh is appointed to death. But in Gethsemane, Jesus submitted to death, He chose to die as the Son of man to prove that He is the Son of God. The fleshly man would die but the Spirit man would live on. That is what happens when we meet Jesus at the cross. We submit to death. We choose death for the fleshly man so the Spirit man can live on. But, we must go through our Gethsemane to get there. We must come to the end of ourselves and allow Christ to take charge of our lives. We are literally consenting to the death of the flesh so that we can experience life in the Spirit through Christ. Gal. 2:20, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

We Shall Be Like Him! by Myra Boozer

James 3:13-18 talks about wisdom...earthly wisdom and also wisdom from above (from God). He stated that it is pure...peaceable...gentle...easily entreated...reasonable...full of mercy and good fruits...merciful...without partiality...steadfast...without hypocrisy...sincere.

Wisdom's consequences are "the fruit of righteousness." Purity is the first characteristic and James underscores its priority. Originally it meant freedom from ceremonial defilement, but then it came to include much more than that. It is used for the purity of God Himself! “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure,” I John 2-3.

In the context of the discussion, it implies freedom from anything that would contaminate or soil one's integrity. I found a great illustration for this meaning. In the forests of northern Europe and Asia, there lives a little animal called the “ermine.” It is known for its snow-white fur, the most beautiful fur in the world. In some countries, the state robes of judges are lined with it as emblematic of purity and honor. Ladies of means prize coats for their beauty and warmth. The “ermine,” it seems, takes a peculiar pride in its white coat and goes to great lengths to avoid soiling it. It is said that some fur hunters have taken advantage of this fact to capture the “ermine.” Instead of setting a trap they find its home, a cleft in the rock or a hollow tree, and daub the entrance with FILTH. Then the dogs start the chase. Sounds like our day!!!

Frightened, the “ermine” flees to its home, its place of refuge. Finding it daubed with uncleanness, rather than soil its pure white coat it faces the yelping dogs and is captured by the hunters preserving the purity of its fur at the price of its life.

The “ermine” is right: purity is more precious than life (this life). "...The wisdom that is from above is first pure..,” James 3:17. With all the evil and corruption in our world, I pray that we will be like the little “ermine” and remember that staying pure is more precious and valuable than our own life. Jesus is coming for a Bride that has no spots or blemishes in her wedding gown...pure and white...unspotted by this world's filthy sin…"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure." We Shall Be Like Him! 

Worship The Lord In The Beauty Of Holiness!

Psalm 29:2, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”

God requires that we come before Him in holiness. If we are to enter into His presence, we will do so under the covering of Holiness. The Psalmist said it best, if we are to give God the glory that is due Him, if we are to truly worship Him we will do so in His holiness. Holiness is an indispensable element of our relationship with God. Hebrews 12:14, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:”