Come as you are, but don't stay that way!

 

I originally wrote this in January 2016, but it has been on my heart to share it again. Even the preachers once on-fire for God who took a stand and preached against sin, are now leaving out the message of holiness and just preaching about salvation.  Yes, our walk with God absolutely starts with asking Jesus into our heart, but that is just the beginning.  It does not end with acknowledging Jesus died for your sins.  We need to do more than just realize Jesus loves us, we need to love Him in return by living only for Him, not for ourselves or others.  Anyway, here is that blog with a few edits.  

My blog "The Parable of the Lost Sheep" has to do with being lost, and allowing Jesus to find you and be saved.  However, once you have surrendered your heart, mind, and soul to Christ, you are not instantly saved forever.  The theory of eternal security is a lie of the devil in order to put Christians to sleep.  When we think there is grace for everything, and that our actions suffer no consequences because our salvation is guaranteed with one simple prayer, we can easily slip into a life of sin and comfortably stay there. You can read more about that topic on a post I wrote titled: "If you call yourself a Christian, are you eternally secure?"

 https://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2020/10/if-you-call-yourself-christian-are-you.html

“Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness.  Joel 2:12-13

It is very true that Christ accepts us as we are and He freely gave His life on the cross for our sins so we can have eternal life.  Yet it is also very true that, though we may come just as we are with all our faults, God expects us to change.  Jesus is a loving Father who readily forgives our sins as long as our repentance is sincere and we do not continue to live in sin.  Think of it this way:  if your child wrote on the living room walls and said, "I'm so sorry, please forgive me," you would forgive him.  If he does it again, you will still love him, but there will be consequences for his actions.  If he does it a third time, and continues to defy you and take advantage of your gracious heart, the consequences become more dire.  It is the same with our Heavenly Father.  Even more so since He is holy and it is His desire that we live holy lives if we are to follow Him.  That does not mean we have to be perfect, but we must seek out to destroy our sinful nature.

II Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. " That means we are to put away the old creature/old nature of sin.  We don't stay living like the world.  If you are serious about following Christ, you need to give up worldly sins such as pornography, going to bars, secular music, occult practices such as yoga and astrology, movies/television, etc.

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;  as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.  I Peter 1:13-19

On my husband's blog "The Sword of the Spirit," http://swordofthespirit77.blogspot.com/ Mel wrote a blog in July 2015 titled "The Finish Line," http://swordofthespirit77.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-finish-line.html that goes along perfectly with my blog.  Here is some of what he wrote (I would encourage you to read his entire writing): 

"Most churches today are not teaching their people the truth in regard to salvation. They are taught that by simply reciting the sinner’s prayer that they are saved and the angels are singing in Heaven. The sinner’s prayer is a great prayer when done in sincerity, but this alone does not save a person’s soul, it is just the beginning. Most churches today are not teaching their people to repent of their sins and to be born again. To be born again, a person must become a new creation in Christ, and this means to be set apart from the world and unto God...  If Jesus Christ is truly the Lord of your life then his attributes will be apparent in your life. Christ said that any tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  


"This life of probation, may be compared to running a race. We run this race of life hoping to obtain the prize, which is eternal life with God, but if we do not complete the race and cross the finish line, then all is lost... Paul was saying that like a runner in a race keeps his body in good physical condition, we must also keep our spiritual body in good condition so that we might be able to cross the finish line and win our crown.  Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.  Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.  I Corinthians 9:24 

"Christ said that those who endure unto the end shall be saved, if we fail to cross the finish line in victory, then all is lost... And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.  14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:12

"The lukewarm church of the end time is preaching a greasy grace message that makes people feel good, instead of  teaching them the truth. When there is no distinction between the sinful world and the saints, then the salt has lost it’s savor and the truth has been turned into a lie. If we live, dress, talk, as well as act like sinners, then we are lost as well. Christ made atonement upon the cross for sins committed in ignorance, as well as for sins that are repented of. If we do not repent of willful sins, then there is no forgiveness. Atonement is not automatic, it follows repentance. No one is perfect of course, but we are called to righteousness, and this means to live right..."
 

"The Book of Revelation was given to the Apostle John by the angel of Jesus Christ. Within Revelation, Christ gave warnings to the various churches that they must keep the commandments of God or they would be cast away. In Rev 2:4 Christ told them that they had left their first love, he told them to repent, and do their first works over or he would remove their lampstand from it’s place. He also told the church of Sardis to repent, because their works, were not found to be perfect before God. Christ told the church of Laodicea that because they are lukewarm that he would vomit them out of his mouth. As you can see, the Word of God teaches us that it is very possible to fall from grace, due to sin, or lack of faith. It is time for the lukewarm churches to wake up and stop leading people astray. James states the truth very clearly, when he said that faith without works is dead."

 
Here are some more thoughts on this subject from a blog I wrote in June 2014 titled: "How do we survive this world?" http://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-do-we-survive-in-this-world.html which I also encourage you to read in its entirety. 
 
If we cry out to God, He will hear our pleas.  He wants to protect us and save us... Man’s desire for independence corrupts him more and more.  The mentality of not wanting to be told what to do is only getting worse... It is up to you to surrender yourself to God as well as your independence.  It is up to you to choose to live right and separate yourself from this world.  

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. II Chronicles 7:14 
The key words there are “if,” and “humble themselves.”

The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

Humble yourself and admit you have done wrong.  Salvation begins with repentance and admittance of sin.  In spite of the very popular Calvinistic belief that, poof, you are now saved forever and will automatically go to heaven because you ask Jesus into your heart is a lie.  It is an excuse to live however you want because you are a “Christian.” There is no desire to please your Creator or live a truly Christian lifestyle. There is no self-evaluation or repentance. 

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23

I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.  I Corinthians 15:31 

Daily very simply means we must crucify our flesh every day not just once.   Psalm 139: 23-24 should be a daily prayer: Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

So do we wait until some crazy gunman is at our door (so to speak) before we choose to make the decision to live a holy life?  Of course not.  There are no atheists in foxholes, so the saying goes.  And it is also true that God will have mercy on your soul if you wait until you are on your deathbed to call upon God and repent of your sins.  Yet, why would you wait until then?  If everyone died at the age of 99, most would wait until they were 98 ¾ to start living right.  But no one ever knows when their time on this world is coming to an end.  Nobody is invincible.  Age, race, wealth, none of it matters when you’re on a highway full of reckless drivers or the day you decide to go to the courthouse to renew your driver’s license just happens to be the same day a man with bombs storms in and blows the place up.    

For He says: “In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. II Corinthians 6:2

 

 

Jesus longs to hold each of us in His arms.  He wants us to cross the Finish Line and not perish. 

 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. II Peter 8:10

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3:16.

 

 

I'll end with a few more scriptures on salvation & repentance.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’ Acts 2:20-22

For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard.  And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’ Acts 22:15-16

 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:12-13

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

(All artwork is by Ron DiCianni)

Don't Place God in a Box

 
The idea for this blog came while I was working on one of my novels.  It was while I was writing the following excerpt that I decided it would make a good blog topic. 
 
Taken from "Zynastria: Pilgrimage" (book 2 in the Zynastria Series), chapter #24 titled "The Wrong Foot."  44 Year-old Branson is having a conversation with the almost sixteen year-old Gunther.  (This is a rough draft as I have not done the edits on this novel yet.) 
 
"Your family is pretty religious, huh?"  Branson asked as they began unloading the box of mismatched plates, cups, and silverware to set the table.
 
"I wouldn't use that term, but, yes, we are."
 
"What word would you use?"
 
"Well, 'religion' is man-made traditions.  You can't place God in a box.  What we have, what I have is a relationship with my Creator.  It is personal and different for everyone."
 
Branson nodded, showing he was listening, but did not respond.
 
"You're seeking, aren't you?"
 
"'Seeking?'"
 
"God."
 
Branson laughed, "You're pretty smart for a teenager."
 
Gunther indeed was quite observant and usually accurately assessed those around him.  He had been watching Branson for around a month now.  He saw what everyone did on the surface, an arrogant, self-centered man.  Yet Gunther also noticed Branson's tear-filled eyes he tried to hide during the praise services.  He knew Branson spent time praying with Paul from time to time.
 
"It is good to seek God," Gunther encouraged, "He's chasing after you, after all. Why not let Him catch you?"
 
"I have a little more changing to do, but I appreciate the advice, Pastor Gunter," Branson's words were sarcastic, but his tone was sincere.
 
"We all have changing to do, it's not as if we quit growing up when we accept God as Lord of our lives.  It's a daily process," Gunther continued.
 
"I know.  I'm not saying I see perfection in you believers.  I'm just saying I need to..." he paused with a frown, "I guess I can't quite put the right words to it."
 
"You need to repent and feel more worthy.  Come to God clean and start over."
 
"Was that a question or an observation?"  Branson wondered.
 
Gunther self-consciously laughed.  "Sorry, Mr. Branson, I know I have a bad habit of over-stepping my bounds with my elders.  I meant no disrespect."
 
"I may be old enough to be your father, but you can talk to me freely, Gunther," he insisted, "And, again, I appreciate your council.

     
Approximately eight years ago, Mel and I had been attending a church for a little over a year.  I was feeling increasingly more uncomfortable with the group.  I could see a love for God and compassionate hearts, but I also saw a lack of respect for the things of God.  I am not trying to be self righteous or insult anyone, but the majority of these people were full of the world.  Of course only God can judge the heart, but from what I observed, the church was more about religion than about seeking God.  I wanted to leave the church but kept my opinions to myself as Mel seemed to be comfortable there.  However, God was also speaking to Mel's heart as well that we were in the wrong place.  One morning during the singing portion of the service, I was closing my eyes and trying to worship God, but kept feeling like my praise was hitting the ceiling.  I asked God why this was happening.  God spoke to me and said, "I am being restrained in this church."  I then had a vision of Jesus in a clear box squatting and pushing against the sides.  I thought the image in my mind had been too irreverent to be from God.  Yet, after the service I told Mel about what I had seen.  He was startled not because he thought I was being sacrilegious, but because he had seen the exact same image of Jesus in his dreams the night before.  The message was clear, you can not, and should not try to, place God in a box. 
 
When a church or individual does not acknowledge the Holy Spirit, they are limiting one-third of who God is.  I believe God is one entity that manifests in more than one way, I believe in the trinity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  If someone saw you as only your father's child, but not your mother's, they would be denying half of your heritage as well as probably refusing to acknowledge your full personality.  To reveal God in all His glory, we must acknowledge all sides of who He is.  Some religions refuse to say Jesus is divine, while others say the Holy Spirit was only for biblical times.  God never changes; His ways are eternal.  The same Holy Spirit that set the church on fire in Acts is the same One we should call upon today.  The above-mentioned church was afraid of the gifts of the Spirit because of all the counterfeit revivals that exist.  That is just one excuse to quench the Holy Spirit, fear of acting in a way you think is not natural.  Make no mistake, the Holy Spirit is a gentleman and will not make any person bark like a dog, laugh like a lunatic, or crawl around on the floor.  God is a God of order and respect.  When we accept the Holy Spirit we may or may not speak in tongues, but if we do, it will always be done to honor God, not to bring attention to ourselves. 
 
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
 
In my opinion, man-made religions are the biggest offenders of placing God in a box.  How can one define a religion as man-made?  As Gunther said to Branson in the above passage from my novel, "Well, 'religion' is man-made traditions.  You can't place God in a box.  What we have, what I have is a relationship with my Creator.  It is personal and different for everyone."  When we confine God to ritual and obligation, we limit the spontaneous experiences.  By this I mean if we read liturgy or follow the exact same routine in church every week, we quench the leading of God's spirit.  When we pray we should pray from our heart and use our own words, no matter if we think we sound awkward or don't quite know how to word ourselves. 
 
Religion is a thousand different denominations.  Relationship with God is about a one-on-one experience with God.  If you go to church and only say and do what your leaders tell you to, you are into religion.  If you only believe what you hear and never seek on your own, you are into religion.  Read your bible and study on your own.  Closely examine every book of the bible.  Not everything the church teaches is accurate.  I promise if you start reading your bible on your own, you will often find yourself saying, "That's not the way the church teaches."  The grace message is one large example.  The idea of a rapture before or during the tribulation is another.  (You can read more about those issues here: http://thankful-julie.blogspot.com/2016/01/awake-you-sleeping-giants.html )  My point is, not seeking God's face and discovering who He can be to you is limiting God.  When you meet someone for the first time, do you take all the rumors you've heard about him at face value?  Or do you get to know this person based on forming your own opinions?  Would you get married and then never talk to your spouse?  Would you tell yourself you knew your mate well enough before you got married to bother trying to learn all his layers and all he has to offer?  Would your love for each other stop growing after the wedding?  I sure hope not!  No, you would continue to get to know every nuance about each other and fall more and more in love.  Even (almost) 9 years into our marriage, Mel and I are still telling each other new stories from our pasts.  It is fun learning something new.  Mel and I fall more and more in love because we nurture our relationship and never let it grow stale.  The same attitude should be applied to Jesus.  Get to know Him better and better.  Walking with the Lord means you never stop learning and growing in Christ.
 
Read Mark 7, it gives just one example of how the religious leaders kept God in a box.  Jesus even tells them that they are restraining the gospel.  It also tells them that though they acknowledge God with their lips, they deny Him with their lifestyles.  We can say and do all the right things that look good on the outside; make it seem like we are glorifying God, but if our hearts are full of sin and our vessel is filthy on the inside, God is not honored,  (And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Luke 11:39).  We have to be a Christian in private, not just when others are watching. 
 
He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.   For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.  And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.  Mark 7:6-9
 
Not acknowledging God's power to perform miracles and speak to His children through dreams and visions, as well as lacking in faith in general, all place God in a box.  When we refuse to see God as sovereign and mighty, we deny His authority.  We all have periods of low faith (it is one of my biggest flaws in my Walk with God), but when we say God is not capable of helping us or refuse to see His hand guiding our paths, we rob God of blessing us and us blessing Him.  There are several places in the New Testament where it says Jesus performed less miracles in certain cities because of their lack of faith.  He would have loved to have helped them, but their hard hearts caused Him to walk away.
 
Let me be perfectly clear, no one can prevent God from doing anything.  We are not actually holding him back by our own power.  God is the Creator of the universe and nothing can truly restrain Him.  It is our actions that make it impossible for God to shine.  We throw a dark blanket over the Almighty by not sharing Him with others, by not allowing His spirit to move in our lives, or by habitual sins.  God is a holy God and cannot abide in an unholy dwelling.  Would you take a big drink of water from a cup that was stained and  full of dirt?  No, you would want to disinfect it first before allowing it to serve its purpose.  If God cannot use our talents because we refuse to let our sins go, we are squandering away God's gifts.
 
I hope this all makes sense.  As I have mentioned before, I am not a preacher, I am a story teller.  However, God is still calling me to write articles and not just stories, therefore I must let God out of the box I have placed Him in and must be obedient.  I do this out of love for my Heavenly Father, not for  reward.  I want to please Jesus for all He has done for me and just for being God.  I do not want any part of my service to Him to be boxed in.