losing my faith

Brother, have you discussed this with your church leadership? Do you have a group of brothers that you can meet with and discuss these things?

You know, the old Methodists used to get together weekly in small groups called class meetings and discuss the practical matters of walking out the Christian life. The emphasis of these meetings was not lecturing or preaching but rather on present and personal growth. In such an environment you may be instructed and encouraged by others who go through the same struggles. It seems that such a gathering may be beneficial to you, perhaps you could discuss this with your pastor?

In Christ,

Ron

As I read your post I weep and pray for you. I am, perhaps, not the most qualified to answer this question nevertheless in this case I will share. The words I will say have no doubt been shared with you before. Please do not take them as flippant, or an attempt at an easy answer, or an effort to minimize your pain. I believe there is hope for you. As you have written you are seeking Christ in every way you know. Your heart has been broken and according to this and previous testimony you have walked in repentance and obedience according to the light that you have, however dim it may seem. According to the Word which is established forever in heaven you will have what you have what you seek. Now, according to Luke 18 "God will avenge his elect which cry day and night to him though He bears long with them." The whole reason the parable was given is found in the first verse "that men ought always to pray and not faint." It seems that God has promised to answer the persistent petetion, however, it will be in his time. Again this may seem like pouring salt in the wound, after all for 4 years you have prayed, sought, and fought for your faith but in fact this is just the circumstance that this portion ws written for. To remind those seekers that God is not unjust nor uncaring but allowing true faith, not based on feelings but love, to mature. To use the illustration of the refiner's fire. You are the gold being purified and it is the refiner,not the gold, that determines when the process is done. This process is just what it sounds like,painful agonizing even, and that can be seen in your posts. I personally have heated metal and know that as it heats it groans and creaks from the changes taking place but if not taken to the place of purifying the dross it becomes brittle and worthless so the heat is turned higher until that perfect tempreature is reached when the groaning ceases and it is not only malleable but, when slowly brought to cool it is stronger than it ever would have been had the thing not been fired. You are groaning and rightfully so but the question of losing your faith is the same asked of Jesus. Will he find faith on the earth? Will you persist until He deems you complete? What makes you doubt? Is it the length of the struggle? Is it the constant barrage of attacks? Is it that God does not draw near in an emotional or manifest way? I do not know and will not try to guess but these all seem plausable. In any case the Word still stands whether you doubt it or not. A preacher at Times Square church, Brother Wilkerson or Conlon said in a sermon, concerning the Word, that we are not called to understand it only believe it. Smith Wigglesworth had as his motto in life "only believe." Intellectually this is difficult, to surrender reasoning to faith, but it is sometimes necessary to get beyond our own timelines and deadlines and into the eternal plans of the Lord. Your struggle has been long and I pray for an end, in God's time. Until then I pray that you will have grace and the strength to stand and that your faith will remain intact. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding... and remember in all things God is in control. Your brother in Christ

Brother, your not alone, I think if most here were completely honest, we have all been in your shoes. It's not easy living for the Lord in such a dead world, you said something that caught my attention, "I have doubted before, but my heart always still believed" I can relate so much. I don't want to make this thread about me, its not about me, so I am just saying this to let you know to hang in there. I went through a divorce after 38 years in 09 "she was on some powerful prescription drugs and filed" she passed this past year of a overdose, then on 2-24-13 of this year my 19 year old son took his life. Brother I am a living testimony you can make it, no it's not easy, it's not easy at all, but it's worth it. I sometimes want to just go jump off the deep end, but God keeps telling me if you do I will catch you, see he won't even let me get away from him. We all have pains, some just handle them better than others and that's ok, God made us all different. The most powerful thing we have in our artillery to fight our battles in life is Prayer, and trust me it works! but on Gods timing. Yes I hate waiting, it's been 4 years for me since my battle started, I just feel as though I am at crossroads in my life,"bet you do also" but I am not chasing after the Lord, I don't have to he is right here by my side, he is my comforter, he knows me better than I do, he is helping me pick up the pieces one day at a time. Brother, I feel your pain, but remember, no matter how much you might think you are falling away from Him, he is always there to catch us, we are the kind of folks God drops everything for, if we can just keep trusting him. Going to Church, reading your Bible, seeking him is always good, but he knows our hearts, he knows sometimes we just want to give up, get alone with Him, just talk to him as you would your on father. I know most that have not been in our shoes won't understand this, but sometimes we can "over seek him" been there done that, it just made things worse, so I just let it all go, Church, Reading my Bible, and just focused on Him alone, and I grew closer to Him than I have ever have been in my life. Remember, were all as dirty rags, all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. Kick back Brother! he is right there with you, right by your side, you might think your falling away, but you can't he won't let you, I could write you a book on wanting to get away from God, but you can't and you know it, he loves you to much, and you love him to much.
God Bless Brother!
Your Not Alone!

The very fact that you are on-goingly concerned about "losing your faith" is actually the greatest evidence that you haven't. You won't lose your faith unless God decrees it; for He alone is the Author of it, not you. Before God, I can tell you I have never known Him to lose any of His own children - and it can be demonstrated from scripture that those who once professed faith in Christ but who are now apostate have "gone out" for the sake of exposure that they were never truly Christ's to begin with (I John 2:19).

The sons and daughters of Satan are left in darkness, but God punishes His own wayward sons and daughters severely, often to the point of absolute misery and despair, but He does not give up on them. There would be no hope for any of us if that were the case. Where would the cut-off point be? How long would you have to go without prayer, without Bible study and fellowship before God finally severs the lifeline? Nobody can answer that question.

It is not your hold on God that saves you, but His on you. If it were dependant on your responsibility to clench your teeth and not your "lose faith", you would have plenty to boast of once you reach heaven's golden shoreline. You could boast for all eternity of how you held on to God while on earth and postulate that all the unfortunate "ex-children" suffering in hell lost their faith because their hold wasn't as stalwart as yours.

Dear friend, if you are God's own, He will deal very strictly with you. You will not be afforded prolonged pleasure in sin; your screaming conscience will prosecute you to no end. God may let you wander for years and years before He pulls you back. It may come via some tragedy, the death of a loved one, financial ruin. He knows when to prick the balloon of our self-sufficiency and bring us reeling back home to repentance.

You know there is always that gnawing awareness of God within you, no matter how low you go, no matter how deep and dark the night. Prior to your adoption in God's family, there was no awareness at all in you - just a void. Guilt and sorrow now fill that void, where joy once occupied. But, notice, the void is still filled, even if it is with God's rod. I would rather have God's rod on my back than Satan's kiss on my cheek.

God's compassion upon you, His child, is infinitely more than you can comprehend, for you are but a visceral being, emotional, logically-geared and subject to interpreting spiritual signals through the corrupt filter of the flesh. This "dark" filter is like the glass Paul makes an analogy to in scripture. Satan is ever on standby to futher obfuscate the truth of God's compassion, for Satan knows that if he can get you to think you will "lose your faith" if you don't do the right things to please God, you will never learn to see God as your Father in eternal sonship, but rather as a celestial magistrate with an ambivalent, conditional and performance-based attitude toward the preservation of your salvation.

A wonderful book I can recommend is Octavius Winslow's "Personal Declension and Revival of Religion in the Soul". It is a little-known gem, full of divine wisdom, encouragement and outstanding scriptural exegesis relating to the subject of backsliding and the subsequent restoration of the backslider.

http://www.preachtheword.com/bookstore/declension.pdf

Brother Paul

Friend, only God truly knows whether or not you are truly born again, and He exhorts us in His Word to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. If you have not listened to it I would highly recommend Paul Washer's message "Examine Yourself" found here on SI.

There are only two very real possibilities concerning your situation. Either you are a true believer struggling with certain areas of sin in your life and God is dealing with you, or you are not saved but deceived and going through the motions of a false profession of faith. I don't mean to sound harsh but I believe that's the honest truth in accordance with His Word.

God commands and invites all of us to come to Him in sincerity and humility, to repent and believe in Christ. And He promises all of His children full assurance of their salvation as they abide in Him by faith. Will be praying for you. God bless.

Oracio wrote:

"There are only two very real possibilities concerning your situation. Either you are a true believer struggling with certain areas of sin in your life and God is dealing with you,"

I don't think being in the "desert" necessarily has to have anything to do with being disciplined for some struggle with sin. I think a true Christian who is not struggling with sin can be in the desert as well. God may be using it as a trial, but it doesn't mean it is a punishment.

I think we must be careful about making such blanket pronouncements. The original poster did not say he was struggling with sin and that that is the reason for his trial. If he had said so, it would be a different story.

Two quotes from Oswald Chambers:

"Patience is more than endurance. A saint's life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says--'I cannot stand anymore.' God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God's hands. Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. 'Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him.”

"At times God puts us through the discipline of darkness to teach us to heed Him. Song birds are taught to sing in the dark, and we are put into the shadow of God's hand until we learn to hear Him...Watch where God puts you into darkness, and when you are there keep your mouth shut. Are you in the dark just now in your circumstances, or in your life with God? Then remain quiet...When you are in the dark, listen, and God will give you a very precious message for someone else when you get into the light.”

One thing I have found when I am in the "valley" is to try to take the inward focus off myself and try to get out and serve others. Sometimes by doing what Jesus tells us to do, we find that our faith really is there.

We don't prove our faith in God by intellectual assent; our faith is proved by doing what He says.

by bible4life: I really have sought the Lord, but it seems my heart is only getting worse and more hard. Over the past month or two my faith in Christ has got to the point where i am just doubting him completely and his word, i have doubted before, but my heart always still believed, but now it is like i am really doubting now in my heart not just in my mind. I see myself just getting worse. I mean how much can someone get prayed for and seek God on his own and everything still get worse. I just dont understand. Is their any hope for me?

You need to pick up a little book called "The practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence, it is a very little booklet really and sells for 2 or 3 dollars, if you do not have the money let me know and I'll send you a copy this week.
Until you get that booklet just know that Paul told Timothy to be instant in season and out of season, we have those times. Let me know if you need that booklet.

TMK wrote:

"I don't think being in the "desert" necessarily has to have anything to do with being disciplined for some struggle with sin. I think a true Christian who is not struggling with sin can be in the desert as well. God may be using it as a trial, but it doesn't mean it is a punishment.

I think we must be careful about making such blanket pronouncements. The original poster did not say he was struggling with sin and that that is the reason for his trial. If he had said so, it would be a different story."

Friend, I will post bible4life's words here again:

"It has now been about 4 years or so since i began to notice my heart was getting hardened towards the Lord and that i no longer was feeling the Holy Spirit lead me anymore. This past year or two i have sought God like i never have before whether its is prayer, reading his word, attending church, etc. I really have sought the Lord, but it seems my heart is only getting worse and more hard. Over the past month or two my faith in Christ has got to the point where i am just doubting him completely and his word, i have doubted before, but my heart always still believed, but now it is like i am really doubting now in my heart not just in my mind. I see myself just getting worse."

One thing is for sure, he admits to struggling with deep unbelief toward God and a hardness of heart toward Him which is getting worse and worse.

I have read other posts from him in the past over the years which indicate a similar thing, a deep struggle with the world the flesh and the devil, being bound by many Satanic attacks and strongholds.

Again, either he is a child of God being disciplined (as we all get disciplined in some way or another), or he is deceived. If he is deceived, smooth words of comfort will not help, they will only help harden and deceive him more in a false assurance, and his blood will God require at our hands.

In reading your post there is one verse that comes to my mind. Bro. Paul tells us in Heb.12:1: "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us."

I do not know you personally, but am wondering whether you are arguing with God about something and justifying what you are doing/want to do but God is disapproving. This will place barriers in ones walk with the LORD.

Just a thought.

Hope you will find the peace you yearn for.

ginnyrose

Dear brother John,

You say: "Over the past month or two my faith in Christ has got to the point where i am just doubting him completely and his word, i have doubted before, but my heart always still believed, but now it is like i am really doubting now in my heart not just in my mind."

The word of the Lord for you is 2 Cor. 10:3-5

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

If you are having thoughts that cast into doubt the word of God you must forcefully reject such thoughts! Confess out loud the exact opposite of your doubt and that which is in agreement with the word of God. After reading your pleas on this forum for help with backsliding I tend to think that you are easily swayed by feelings. That is not faith. Faith does not look to feelings or outward circumstances. In fact, faith often stands in direct opposition to feelings and outward circumstances. Also, don't put a time limit on God to work. I've known some people who got an answer to prayer immediately after saying amen and lifting their head and opening their eyes. For each such instance there are several thousand others who had to hold on in faith before they got their breakthrough. Don't despair. But I do want you to confess who you are in Christ. Your behavior is not the basis for your identity. Your identity determines your behavior. You must believe and confess your identity in Christ in order to see a change in your behavior. And I don't mean merely giving mental assent to a teaching or just saying the words like a spell. I mean believing and confessing who you are in Christ in spite of how you might feel or what past behavior is like. Stop being tossed to and fro by the Devil trying to tell you you're a failure. Believe and speak the word of God simply because it's God's word. And don't make faith into a work or struggle. True faith is child-like trust. Nothing complicated, just taking God at his word and resting in it. The devil wants you to think it is a big struggle to get free. It doesn't have to be. Read Bondage Breakers again.

Blessings. I'm praying for you.
TW

Hi bible4life, I was able to find another thread which you opened up back in July of this year. In that thread used4him posted the following:

"Dear Bible4life:

It is very hard to give advice when the details are very sketchy. I do not remember any of your other posts so forgive me if these questions are unneeded.

1. Have you made Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? (Romans 10:9&10)
2. Are you getting fellowship with other born again believers who are walking with the Lord? (Hebrews 10:25)
3. Do you have any ongoing unconfessed sin that you are holding on to? (1 John 1:9)
4. Are you reading the bible and have a regular prayer time? (Hebrews 4:12)
5. Have you received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and are you walking in that power that He promised to give us?(Acts 1:8)

If you answer no to any of these, then that gives the enemy an advantage to attack you. The choice to do these things is up to you, no one can do them for you."

"Hey, brother many of my posts seem sketchy to a lot it is probably because I have so much to say and background to my problems that I do not write on here which can make things kind of confusing for some and I am not the best at explaining things in writing. I have had many posts over the past 4 years on this site. I have never seemed to get much better and I think many on the site have grown tiresome of me, but I am tire of struggling to. But here I will respond to your questions.
1.I think its hard to say that for me, because I have tried believing and surrendering my life to him, but I don't have the power to make him Lord of my life and Savior.I had a born again experience in 2003 where Jesus healed me an my eyes and heart were opened to the truths of scripture and Jesus and I began to hear the Holy Spirit speak to me and convict me. During this time without much knowledge in the Christian life I fell into sexual sin for 3 and a half years without fully repenting of it until 2007 when I got married with her who is now my wife of 6 years. At the time I knew I had to stop living that way because the Lord allowed me to be tormented by evil spirits as I continued to live that lifestyle. But, when I got married until now it has seemed I have got closer to God then ever before in prayer and reading scripture and going to church and the things of God in general and I still have notice my heart continues to get hardened and that it seems my eyes seem to not see clearly like I use to, the closer I have got to God it seems the further He has got from me. You would think the opposite would happen, but with me I have only grown further away and my heart keeps getting worse it seems in wickedness and sin and at times I have grown to fall back into the world. Also I have confessed every sin known possible to me and even tried believing I was forgiven, but it still doesn't seem to change anything. I have a had a couple situations where the Lord has answered my prayer, but it just experiencing him like I use to, where I felt lead by his Holy Spirit and I didnt need anyone else to tell me anything but Him, I really was lead by Christ and was filled with his love and loved righteousness. I was Christ consciousness at all times everywhere I was at, and I was in prayer or in talking conversation with God throughout the day and I just felt this closeness to the Lord always. I was not scared of anything, but I have lost that faith I once had and it has seemed I been a lost puppy on this site and to every Christian around because I do not here from the Holy Spirit like I once did. I am not a liar and I am not deceiving anyone, but I am honestly someone who has sought God and have wept many times crying out to him all day some days and overcome by great fears and attacked constantly by demonic spirits for the past 6 years and I have had fears that overwhelmed me not knowing if God has left me forever and that I was going to spend an eternity separated from him. I have not been able to help my situation, for most it is not like this for everyone, but for me 6 years of struggling. I want to be delivered, but I haven't. To answer the other questions I have been attending church down the street for the past 10 months straight, only missed one sunday unwantingly. For the past year I would say I have read the scriptures probably almost everyday, maybe about 3/4 of the time I have read the word or some kind of Christian book. I have tried to keep daily devotions with the Lord reading scripture and prayer. I fellowship with believers over the phone daily with friends in Indiana and mostly at my church and sometimes with otthers brothers occasionally maybe one a month. I hope this helps"

There are a few things that came to mind from reading your post. You stated that you had a born again experience back in 2003. Yet you also stated that after that, for the next 3 and half years, you continued to live habitually in fornication without any repentance until 2007 when you got married. Based on that, it seems highly probable that you were not truly born again in 2003. I say that because although true believers may and do fall into sin at times, they cannot and do not make a practice of habitual, unrepentant sin; Eph.5:5-6 says, "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6\tLet no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience."

You wrote, "I think its hard to say that for me, because I have tried believing and surrendering my life to him, but I don't have the power to make him Lord of my life and Savior."

Based on that it sounds like you may have never fully surrendered your heart and life to the Lord in repentance and faith in Christ.

You wrote, "I was Christ consciousness at all times everywhere I was at, and I was in prayer or in talking conversation with God throughout the day and I just felt this closeness to the Lord always. I was not scared of anything, but I have lost that faith I once had and it has seemed I been a lost puppy on this site and to every Christian around because I do not here from the Holy Spirit like I once did."

Friend, it is very possible to have a certain kind of powerful encounter and experience with God, without it being true conversion. That happens all the time unfortunately. I say that from experience, having had a false conversion myself many years ago. I know many others who have also had those kinds of experiences.

Like I stated before, I do not fully know your heart, only God does. But the best advice I can give you is to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. He offers His mercy to all and says He will by no means cast out any who come to Him. I will share a few scriptures which came to mind. God bless:

"For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones."-Isa. 57:15

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise."-Psalm 51:17

"But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word."-Isa.66:2

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."-Prov.27:6

just-in
MrBillPro,
Thank you for your post. Wonderful, healing, hopeful words. God bless you, brother.

Thank you, sometimes in these situations, our personal testimonies are the best thing we can offer to help someone else. I know! I have been there done that, were you could preach me a hundred sermons, and quote me a thousand scriptures, but someones personal testimony encouraged me the most.Personal testimony is the most effective tool we possess, our testimony requires no scripture and no need to be a Bible scholar. Every one knows himself or herself better than anyone else, it simply requires that we share the knowledge of ourself. We share our personal relationship with Jesus, and the road we traveled to get there. People can argue/debate scripture and theologies all day, but they cannot argue/debate the valid facts of our own personal life!
God Bless!
Mr. Bill

bible4life, I'm glad to hear that you were not offended by my posts.

Regarding the passages you mentioned about final apostasy (which I believe is the same as the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit) or the point of no return, I honestly do not believe you are at that point at all. I believe that someone who is at that point has no concern at all for their salvation.

But yes, it is something you will have to work out between you and God. Will continue to pray. God bless.

In bible4life's last post he says:

I kind FEEL as if the reason i am getting worse and not better is because I FEEL like i had my chance some time ago and i blew it living in sin the way i did and I FEEL because i did that the Holy Spirit is not coming back and the more i see myself seek God and i am ONLY GETTING WORSE MAKES ME TO BELIEVE that i am in the boat of those in second peter and hebrews ch. 6.

Words capitalized are emphasis by TW. He did not capitalize them in his original post.

Dear brother, again I want to show you that you are not rooted in God's truth concerning your salvation and position in Christ. You obviously are basing everything on your circumstances and experiences and the feelings that come from them. Now you feel as though God has abandoned and given up on you because you sinned. This is not conviction of the Holy Spirit. This is condemnation from Satan. The devil knows that the best way to separate a saint from God is to afflict his conscience. Don't take the bait. If you were really unrepentant, you would not be in distress about your relationship with God. You need to resist and cast down all thoughts of condemnation and "it's too late, I'm too bad for God" type thoughts! Otherwise it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fear and despair is faith (but of a negative and bad outcome). It will be according to your faith. Stop looking at the past or your own goodness (or lack thereof). Christ himself has made us acceptable to God.

I see a need for salvation in your life. But the reason why you are tormented by Sin without any trace of victory could be much simpler than what you are thinking.

I personally believe that this is your problem. Are you honest about your condition? It is easy to be open in a forum with a fake name where no body knows who you are. But in reality are you covering your sins and acting holy? I am not saying you need to confess to everyone, but you should not act holy or perfect. The Pharisees have no hope of salvation period. Many times they came to Jesus and also believed in him and followed him. But never got saved. Why? Because they were not true about their condition. Are you giving an impression to your wife or Children that you are holy when you are being tormented? I would suggest to share with your closed ones that you are struggling. Do not need to say everything but at least you are struggling and you need prayers. I do it all the time when I find struggles in my life. My wife prays with me.

I don't want anyone to think anything more than what I am before God.

Bibleforlife before we choose to follow God’s will, a crisis must develop in our lives. This happens because we tend to be unresponsive to God’s gentler nudges. He brings us to the place where he asks us to surrerender al and we begin to debate. He then produces a crisis where we have to decide. That moment becomes a great crossroads in our lives. A crisis has come to you, surrender your will to Jesus absolutely and irrevocably.

---------------------------------

Oswald Chambers, during his years at Dunoon, would have given most people the impression that he had reached the goal of effective service and Christian maturity but it was there that he experienced a remarkable and shattering experience. It is the same sort of experience that everyone who wants to follow Christ goes through when they realize that they don't have what it takes to live the Christian life. Here is the account that he gives of it when speaking some years later in Exeter Hall:

"After I was 'born again' as a lad I enjoyed the presence of Jesus Christ wonderfully, but years passed before I gave myself up thoroughly to His work. I was in Dunoon College as tutor of Philosophy when Dr. F.B. Meyer came and spoke about the Holy Spirit. I determined to have all that was going and went to my room and asked God simply and definitely for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, whatever that meant. From that day on for four years nothing but the overruling grace of God and the kindness of friends kept me out of an asylum. God used me during those years for the conversion of souls, but I had no conscious communion with Him. The Bible was the dullest most uninteresting book in existence, and the sense of depravity, the vileness and bad-motiveness of my nature was terrific. I see now that God was taking me by the light of the Holy Spirit and His Word through every ramification of my being. The last three months of those years things reached a climax. I was getting very desperate. I knew no one who had what I wanted; in fact I did not know what I did want. But I knew that if what I had was all the Christianity there was, the thing was a fraud. Then Luke 11.13 got hold of me--'If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?' But how could I, bad-motived as I was, possibly ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit? Then it was borne in upon me that I had to claim the gift from God on the authority of Jesus Christ and testify to having done so. But the thought came--If you claim the gift of the Holy Spirit on the word of Jesus Christ and testify to it, God will make it known to those who know you best how bad you are in heart. And I was not willing to be a fool for Christ's sake. But those of you who know the experience, know very well how God brings one to the point of utter despair, and I got to the place where I did not care whether everyone knew how bad I was, I cared for nothing on earth saving to get out of my present condition.

"At a little meeting held during a Mission in Dunoon, a well-known lady was asked to take the after-meeting. She did not speak, but set us to prayer, and then sang, 'Touch me again, Lord'. I felt nothing, but I knew emphatically my time had come, and I rose to my feet. I had no vision of God, only a sheer dogged determination to take God at His Word and to prove this thing for myself, and I stood up and said so. That was bad enough, but what followed was ten times worse. After I had sat down the speaker, who knew me well, said, 'That is very good of our brother, he has spoken like that as an example for the rest of you.' Up I got again and said, 'I got up for no one's sake. I got up for my own sake; either Christianity is a downright fraud, or I have not got hold of the right end of the stick.' And then and there I claimed the gift of the Holy Spirit in dogged committal on Luke 11.13. I had no vision of heaven or of angels. I had nothing. I was as dry and empty as ever, no power or realization of God, no witness of the Holy Spirit. Later I was asked to speak at a meeting, and forty souls came out to the front. Did I praise God? No, I was terrified and left them to the workers, and went to Mr. MacGregor and told him what had happened, and he said, 'Don't you remember claiming the Holy Spirit as a gift on the word of Jesus, and that He said: "Ye shall receive power. . ."? This is the power from on high.' And like a flash something happened inside me, and I saw that I had been wanting power in my own hand, so to speak, that I might say, 'Look what I have got by putting my all on the altar.'

"If the previous years had been hell on earth, these four years have truly been heaven on earth. Glory be to God, the last aching abyss of the human heart is filled to overflowing with the love of God. Love is the beginning, love is the middle, and love is the end. After He comes in, all you see is 'Jesus only, Jesus ever'. When you know what God has done for you the power and the tyranny of sin is gone, and the radiant, unspeakable emancipation of the indwelling Christ has come, and when you see men and women who should be princes and princesses with God bound up in a show of things--oh, you begin to understand what the Apostle meant when he said he wished that he himself were accursed from Christ that men might be saved."

Oswald Chambers' Testimony of the Exchanged Life

http://earthenvessels-donbiro.blogspot.com/2007/12/oswald-chambers-testimony-of-exchanged.html

Thought I'd share here these notable excerpts I put together from the transcript of John MacArthur’s audio sermon titled "The Cost of Discipleship”:

"in our society here, we have developed this incredible theology that says you can be a Christian and not worry about being committed. In fact you can be a Christian and not even be a disciple. Those who teach that would say yes there's no question in the New Testament about Jesus assigning a tremendous cost to discipleship. But you don't need to worry about that because that's second-level Christianity. First-level Christianity doesn't really have any particular cost at all.”

"There's no question about the fact that the only message Jesus ever proclaimed was a message of discipleship. The call that Jesus gave was a call to follow Him, a call to submission, a call to obedience. It was never a plea to make some kind of momentary decision to acquire forgiveness and peace and heaven and then go on living anyway you wanted. The invitations of Jesus to the lost were always direct calls to a costly commitment.”

"In Luke's gospel and chapter 14, we hear the echo of the same level of commitment, verse 25, "The multitudes were going along with Him, He turned and said to them," He's talking to the multitudes, "If anyone comes to Me and doesn't hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple."

"Now, someone reads that and says, "Well, that's... that's so hard, it can't mean salvation. So a disciple has to be a second- level Christian. They have to already be believers." Then why, pray tell, does He give this message to the multitude? Why does He give it to the multitude? It's very clear that He's speaking to unbelievers. It's very clear that He is speaking to those who do not know Him.”

"these teachers say one can be a believer saved without being a disciple obedient. So they come up with two levels of spiritual life. Level one is an uncommitted disobedient, even unbelieving believer who made a momentary decision to receive salvation but has no desire to follow Christ and they often call him "the carnal Christian." Hopefully someday such a person will come to level two. Level two is disciple. And there you have the obedient, committed people who love and serve the Lord, who turned their back on their former life and longed to live the new life.”

"They say such believers will... will not be rewarded. The result of such a dichotomy is that there's a difference between a believer and a disciple. But there's more than that. This kind of thinking totally changes the whole ministry of Christ because all of a sudden Jesus instead of calling sinners to salvation is calling first-level believers to level two. And the one of whom it's very clearly said that He came to seek and save the lost, that He was not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance is not really an evangelist, He's a deeper-life preacher, totally changes the ministry of our Lord from evangelism to calling believers who live in sin, deny God, Christ, disobey, aren't committed to shape up. Is that the ministry of Jesus?”

"Luke in chapter 14 verse 26, "If anyone comes to Me and doesn't hate his father or mother, wife, children, brother, sister, and even his own life, cannot be My disciple." Well, what do you mean by that? Do you mean you literally have to hate your family? No, no, you have to deny your... your natural human relationships that would constrain you and hold you back from Christ just like you have to deny yourself... just as you have to consider yourself dead, Romans 6. Just as you have to lay aside the old self, Ephesians 4:22, just as if you have to treat your flesh with human contempt, 1 Corinthians 9:27. So if your family holds you back, you have to treat them as dead.”

"Why is Jesus so strong about this? Because He wants to chase away the uncommitted. You understand that about Jesus? He wanted to drive away the false disciples. He didn't want the tares. He didn't want the false believers. He didn't want them because He didn't want them to be deceived and He didn't want His church to be affected by them. So He chased them away by the strength of the call to commitment.”

"Puritan William Perkins wrote these words, "The true Christian is of this disposition of mind that if there were no conscience to accuse, no devil to terrify, no judge to arraign or condemn, no hell to torment, yet he would be humbled and brought to his knees for his sins because he has offended a loving merciful and long-suffering God," end quote. That's the difference. The truly repentant sinner is devastated by the way he has offended God with his sin. He's not whimsically looking for some fire insurance. A true disciple loves, a true disciple obeys. We don't love perfectly, we don't obey perfectly. Sometimes we love very imperfectly and disobey, but the pattern of life is obedience and love for the Lord.”

"Jesus is saying you have to be willing to take up your cross. Somebody says, "Oh, yes, my cross... that's my 1959 Chevy that doesn't run... that's my leaky roof... that's my mother-in-law, my cross." I've heard all kinds of things.

"In the first century a cross meant one thing and it wasn't a Chevy and it wasn't your leaky roof and it wasn't your mother-in- law, it was death. He's talking about forsaking everything, even your own life. "He who has found his life will lose it," you possess your life, hold on to your life, don't let go, boy, you keep your physical safety, don't let anybody get near you and accuse you of anything, deny Christ under pressure, deny Christ under persecution, hold on to your life... you don't have a transformed life because one with a transformed life that is bound by God's gracious transforming power to love Christ would never do that. You lose your soul if you do that cause you're not a true disciple. But the one who is willing to lose his life for His sake gives evidence that he has a changed life cause that's not natural, that's supernatural. And only because God has transformed you, put His Spirit within you would you do that or be willing to do that.

Genuine disciples don't shrink back from death.”

"You see, salvation is not an experiment. Salvation is a life-long commitment. Salvation is not "try Jesus," see if He works. Salvation is a life-long transformation. Those who would tell us that a person can become a Christian without becoming a disciple do a great disservice to Scripture and they do a great disservice to people who then live under the illusion that they can be saved without following Christ in obedience. They can be saved without giving up all they are and have and ever hope to be unconditionally to Christ. That's tragic.”

Brother, you have no other options then to keep seeking God in prayer en in the Word of God. You will get through and you will experience His grace. He will come Himself if you seek HIM with all your heart!

Brother, we will pray for you (Deo Valente)!

I hate to sound like a repeating record but a quick read through 1Jn will show that the only way to keep your heart from growing cold toward Jesus is to "DO" His acts of righteousness toward others, that is why I suggested the little booklet Practice of the Presence of God. We often miss the simplest of solutions for our day to day problems or our spiritual needs. Aside from doing righteousness, there are times when we just do not seem as though we are connected to Christ, at troughs times you have to keep doing good and act out your faith toward Christ by being a Christian in character. John s epistles calls it things like abiding in the truth, doing righteousness, walking in the light, etc... May the Lord give you the grace and faith to do His will in life daily.

This little parable might help. I got it from this website:

http://actsion.com/2012/05/the-dog-and-the-dove/

The Parable of The Dog and The Dove

Let me tell you a little story that you’ll never forget. Once upon a time there was a man who lived in a house all alone. He brought a stray puppy home with him one day to keep for company. The puppy grew and became big and mean.

Then one day a dove perched on the sill of his upstairs window and he fed it. The dove became friendly and the man brought it inside to keep as a pet also. But the dog resented the presence of the dove and barked and leaped with jealous fury.

The man tried to keep the dove away from the dog but the dog kept barking at the dove every time he sensed its presence.

Finally, the man decided to get rid of the dog and keep the dove. But he couldn’t get the dog to leave the house.

He tried everything . . . even bribing it out the door with morsels of Meat . . . but nothing worked.

He even tried force, but the dog growled and snapped at him.

Finally, he decided to go to the professionals. He told the veterinarian his story and then asked him what to do. The professional said, "It’s simple . . . get rid of the dove!”

The man returned to his house disappointed. As he placed the key in the lock of the front door, he heard a terrible commotion . . . the dog was yipping and barking. He quickly unlocked the door and ran into the house.

In the middle of the living room the dog was standing over the body of the dove! Feathers were everywhere! The wings of the dove were spread pitifully and there was blood.

The man leaped across the room kicking the dog in the side with all his might. The dog went rolling and howling, scrambling for shelter under the table.

Tenderly the man picked the dove up from the floor. Its body was limp but he saw it was still breathing.

Carefully folding its wings he took it to the kitchen and began to care for it.

He then took the dove to another room and set food and water by it, closed the door and returned to the living room.

He looked into the eyes of the dog glaring from under the table and said, "I’ll get rid of you if it’s the last thing I do!” He began to shout at the dog . . . "I’ve kept you and fed you . . . " There was a sudden and long silence as the man stood staring at the dog. He froze with thought. Turning and staring out of the window, he snapped his finger loudly and said, "of course, why didn’t I think of that before?”

He turned to the dog and said to the dog in a low tone filled with glee, "Your days are numbered”.

In a burst of action that scared the dog causing him to jump backward, the man literally ran to the kitchen and opened wide the doors of the cupboards. He gathered all the dog food he could find in the cupboards and then went to the corner of the kitchen floor where the dog’s dishes were, scooped them up, and threw it all in the trash.

He then went back to care for the dove.

After checking the dove he returned to the living room and stretched out in his easy chair to relax. He glared right at the dog, and said, "Now I am the master! You depend on me to feed you . . . and I have stopped!”

The dog became hungry late that night and went to the kitchen and sniffed where his dishes had been.

There was no food for him.

That night the man slept very well and the next morning he awoke with new peace in his heart. It seemed the sun was shining brighter than ever before.

He heard the dog whining for food in the kitchen but paid no attention to him. and went about doing some cleaning and fixing his breakfast.

The dog whimpered and paced the floor licking his chops as the man ate his breakfast. It took some self control but the man refused to give the dog a crumb. When he finished eating, he went in and fed the dove.

Day by day he noticed the dove was getting stronger . . . but the dog was getting weaker.

While he lost all concern for the dog, his care for the dove was meticulous!

Have you started seeing yourself yet?

Each day he fed the dove and starved the dog. Each day the dove became stronger and the dog became weaker.

Finally . . . the day came.

He walked over where the dog was lying on the floor, grabbed him by the collar and drug him across the room, over the threshold and out into the yard.

He returned to the house and fed the dove.

Today, the dove is well and flying around the house again.

The dog? Oh, he’s adjusted to his life outside quite well.

The dog you see, is the flesh nature in me.

The dove, as you may know, is the Spirit that has come to dwell in me.

For you see . . . In every "me” there are two natures, the Spirit nature and the flesh nature.

Here is a spiritual secret that can bring much longed-for change to your life . . . if you have the courage to face the changes reality often demands.

First, as Christian disciples, we must know something about ourselves which Jesus and the disciples taught us. Each of us possesses two life natures ”“ there are two of me, the Flesh and the Spirit.

A nature is something that has distinguishing characteristics. It has a personality all its own when compared with other things. We have two distinguishable natures within each of us.

Paul put it this way; So, then, with the mind I myself (one nature) serve the law of God; but with the flesh (another nature the law of sin. Romans7:25

There are also two minds; the carnal mind and the spiritual mind. Romans 8:6

Two different sets of desires. Romans 8:4

And these oppose each other! Galatians 5:17

The opposing minds or natures are positive and negative in a moral sense.

The negative nature is the nature of the flesh and
The positive nature is the nature of the Spirit.

These are as different from each other as clay and steel . . . as a DOG AND A DOVE.

This is a universal fact with which every man living experiences. Man, within himself, is trying to go two directions morally at the same time!

For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would (want to). Galatians 5:17.

It was this negative fleshy dog nature in man that hounded Jesus to Calvary and then watched Him die!

For dogs have compassed Me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed Me: they pierced My hands and my feet. Psalms 22:16.

It’s a Fact:
The appetites of unregenerate man, or of the human body, and dog are basically the same. Here Are The Three Flesh Appetites.

They are also called sense pleasures.
(1) The sex sense pleasure,
(2) The hunger sense pleasure and
(3) The greed sense pleasure.

Most of man’s behavior is influenced by these flesh appetites which are in the worldly environment.

When these appetites of the flesh nature are favored and gratified, in the worldly pleasures, you are feeding the Flesh nature and making it stronger.

By this we conclude that the carnal or fleshy, dog-like nature has affinity with the world environment that attracts the flesh. I John 2:15-17; 4:5

The dog nature, that is, the sinful carnal nature receives its strength from the world.But . . .the spiritual nature of man is attracted to the holiness of God. Matthew 4:8; John 17:16; Titus 2:12; James 1:14, 27; 4:4; 2 Peter 1:4; 1 John 2:15-17; 4:5.)

Sin in the flesh has broken the human spirit’s communion with God. So, the spirit of man languishes inside an appetite-controlled body.

These selfish and corrupted appetites of the flesh are everywhere exerting their influence!

You see them everywhere you look ”“ In literature, the arts, advertising, music, television and on your personal computer. He is in the entertainment world, in politics and business, reaching out appealing to the appetites of the flesh to indulge. Lust for gold, food and erotica keeps driving man toward hell and hounds him to the grave.

But God has burst upon the scenes of human history to give us a chance to escape the life of the dog and become like God!When man seeks God and associates with God through His Son Jesus Christ . . . .he becomes like Him, like a son of God.

For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. Romans 8:29

This should be man’s highest goal in life ”“ to become like God! This is the will of God for every redeemed person once they become saved.

Every man is born between God in Heaven and the devil; Between a man and an animal; Between a dog nature and a dove nature.

If man fails to reach for that "prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” he reverts to his appetites to find pleasure and never with peace. Without God, man at his very best, is just a very intelligent animal.

The Christian overcomes temptation by being in moral, emotional and mental fellowship with God! it’s the only way God makes happiness available to us ”“ through goodness, His goodness. For man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

We were designed in the creation in His likeness so we can have things in common with our Maker. For life to be meaningful and have fulfillment we must live and function for the purpose we were created. We must think upon and communicate with God intelligently. Since this demands a rational capacity, animals can’t do this. We conclude, then, that the soul of man is his rational self.

When man forgets God and others and thinks only of himself and seeks to indulge in all sorts of sense pleasure activity, that man is considered sensual and has animalistic tendencies. No, there’s just not much difference between the carnal man and a dog.

The dog nature is given to the impulse of appetite . . .See him running along with his nose to the ground . . . scavenging . . .Gobbling up morsels of he knows not what . . .Eating that which belongs to others . . .Casting his waste and filth in beautiful places.He mates shamelessly in the open.He selfishly protects food he himself will not eat.He is vicious toward any who approach his domain. No wonder they call bad men dogs!

The Word Exposes the Dog Nature!:

The Bible calls this dog-like nature in us "carnal.”

Paul called it the law of sin. Romans 7:23

He also called it the "body of death”. Romans 7:24

The "carnal mind”. Romans 8:7

The "deeds of the body”. Romans 8:13

The "lust of the flesh”. I John 2:16

The "flesh with the affections and lusts”. Galatians 5:24

The "old man with his deeds”. Colossians 3:9

The word "carnal” literally means meat or flesh.

The word "lust” means to crave wrongly. It is the "dog” nature in us that amounts to sin in the flesh.

Lust can only occur through the appetites of the flesh nature.

Lust is appetite out of control!

And so, we come to another conclusion; That if the appetites can be brought under control we have the cause of sin conquered!The

Bible makes the connection between appetites and sin very plain. Let’s make a simple observation in Galatians 5:19-21 and see that the "works of the flesh” are divided into the three categories of the appetites.

SEX: Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, lasciviousness, uncleanness.

GREED: Hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murders, idolatry, witchcraft.

HUNGER: Drunkenness, revealing and such: "banqueting and revealing” I Peter 4:3

Note! All of these "works of the flesh” can be classified under one or more of the three appetites of the flesh.

Let me repeat, that it is impossible to sin except through the appetites. This is very important Biblical fact.

What a pity! God created the appetites in us for our good. Like everything man touches, we have twisted them into selfish perversions.

The Appetites Are Good!

When the Spirit of Christ enters our life at the time of salvation, He does not cancel or destroy the appetites. He teaches us to bring them under the control of the Holy Spirit and use them properly. They once more become the meaningful servants God intended them to be. When Christ comes within He brings His dignity and returns honor to the body.

If lust is appetite with no control, then holiness is appetite under Spirit control!

Bring Flesh Under Spirit’s Dominion

A person "in their sins” is a person under bondage to the appetites, whether you profess to be a Christian or not. Six of the ten commandments are restrictions against the appetites. The Bible contains SPIRIT KNOWLEDGE for us in the form of instruction "that the man of God may be perfect”. 2 Timothy 3:17 When the Christian allows the Spirit and the Word to teach him the control of appetites this is called "moderation”. Philippians 4:5

But how can this powerful appetite nature be overpowered by the Spirit abiding in me?
Christian, the appetites are more of a problem to us than Satan himself! Once appetite power is controlled, Satan and the world influence become a mere spiritual "mop-up operation”. Yes sir! The big problem we have with sin is right under our noses ”“ in our flesh! Don’t look for it in other places. But I see another law in my members bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Romans 7:23 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: Romans 8:3. This is where Christ directed His strike! At "sin in the flesh”…or the appetites!

The Other Nature? We said there were two natures. We have talked about the "dog” nature . . . now let’s talk about the dove nature.

The scripture does not put the guilt upon our spirits as is does upon the flesh. Sin is always referred to as being in the flesh but never is such blame put on the spirit.

The scripture does not speak of such as things as "sin in the spirit” but it does, in many passages speak of the sins of the flesh ”“ the works of the flesh.

From this we understand that our spirits are affected and degraded by their close association with the sinful flesh nature but not depraved in the sense that the flesh is depraved. We venture to say that while man’s flesh is depraved, his spirit is deprived.

The disobedience of the flesh destroyed man’s fellowship with God.
In the first Adam man’s spirit was imprisoned inside sinful flesh, became the prisoner of the carnal nature . . . . . . until the Last Adam appeared! That was when God started the new creation, the regeneration! The first Adam turned my paradise into thistles and blood, sweat and tears. The second and last Adam turned my tears and pains back into paradise! The first Adam took me out of paradise but the second and Last Adam put paradise inside of me.

Life begins all new when we see God’s great plan of redeeming love reaching out to us from Calvary.
It’s irresistible! We just can’t ignore it. We fall in repentance. Then comes the Spirit of Christ crashing through the bulwarks of Satan, invading me with His regenerating forgiveness! For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13 Now the presence of His Spirit with my spirit links me up with heaven!

Before my repentance at the cross, my indulging flesh life had its strength and affinities in the world system. But now my spirit will gain its wishes of control and strength through my new connection with the Kingdom system! Now He joins me in my battle against "the old man”. I must crucify him and "mortify” him by choice . . . by many right choices.

But wait a minute!

The battle still rages! Satan still attacks, the flesh still rises! It seems there is an escalation of the spiritual battle within since I was born again in the Spirit. What is happening to me ? I thought the battle would die down after I had such peace at the altar of repentance !!

The explanation.

You see, before you were a Christian you had one sinful nature in control which was agreeable with the world value system.Your spirit was a prisoner of that strong and prevailing flesh nature.But now the Spirit of Christ has come and joined my human spirit, giving me a strong spiritual nature to do battle with that opposing sin nature which is also strong. Now I have two strong natures grappling for the reins of my life. I have a flesh nature, and I have a newborn Spirit nature within me. I have a dog nature and a dove nature.

The battle of Romans, chapter seven, is on!
In my mind I know the right thing to do and want to do it, but appetites are still winning some of the battles.
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Romans 7:19

On the struggle goes . . .
To go to the big party with my friends, or go to church, when there should be no questions.And then there are the matters of my associations. To load my plate again? I really need to lose 40 pounds! or stop because I know I’ve had enough. To wear provocative, sensual fashion . . . or be modest as the Word and the Spirit teaches me? To stare at a pornography poster in the shop or look away? To let my imagination dwell on erotic things, or quote the Scripture and put my thoughts on things that are pure and turn my eyes to the non-biological things, accepting the discipline of Spirit-knowledge?

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; 2 Corinthians 10:4

Should I tell the guy off . . . or humble my spirit and leave it with God? I keep the struggle up but never seem to make gains in the number of battles I win. I must ask myself ”“ Is the spiritual life of the over comer real or the pipe dream of an idealist? I cry out with Paul . . . "who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” Romans 7:24

Read closely now and get ready for a taste of victory!

Here come the answers to this dilemma!
We each have two natures or, two difference lives, actually. For any form of life to continue living it must be fed! It’s really quite simple. You have a carnal life, and you have a spiritual life. You feed the life you want to live and starve the life you want to die!

It’s at this very point we create our own spiritual struggles and defeats. We try and live for God while we feed both of these forms of life! The flesh and the Spirit. This is what creates the struggle and makes life almost unbearable! But if the spiritual nature was strong And the flesh nature weak . . . that would be certain victory!!

Jesus Christ made this possible!

The Bible holds the secret again . . .
But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Romans 13:14

The real question is this . . .Which life do I want to be weak? The flesh, of course! Well then, if you don’t want the carnal life to be strong . . . stop feeding it!

Let’s consult spirit-knowledge. If you want something to live you feed it. If you want something to die, you starve it. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5 The key word in this scripture is the word, "mind”. This word in the Greek is PHRONEO. It means to provide for, or be concerned with. You have a flesh life and you have a Spirit life. You give "attention” to the nature you want to win and be sure not to provide for the nature you want to die!

Here is the principle again . . .Mortify (put them to death!) therefore your members which are upon the earth . . . Colossians 3:5 And again, Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Romans 12:9 It is a matter of exposing the spirit nature to pure and excellent things that strengthen it!. If you are truly born of the Spirit, then you will be concerned with providing for the Spirit-life.

Your diet determines your destiny!
By the way, doves don’t eat garbage and dogs don’t prefer peanuts. Each nature has its own source of nourishment. Let this Bible secret work for you! Feed the Spirit life. Seek out Spirit food. Feast on spiritual things. Choose your spiritual friends carefully. Control that close inner circle of friends. These are the people you will admire and imitate. While you feed the Spirit life, starve the indulgent demands of flesh appetites. Deny them when they whine and plead to indulge! It won’t be long till the life you feed is stronger than the life you starve.

It may mean you’ll have to make some big changes. In friendships . . .in the kind of literature that you read . . . in pastimes . . .it’s going to mean some big plans spoiled and provocative, immodest clothes thrown out and other carnal and egotistical items dropped forever from the list of personal possessions. It’s going to mean a whole new and glorious discipline!

Now, Get Rid of the Dog Food!

When you care for something it takes time, money, and attention. You’re the master of the house! Go to the pantries and get rid of the dog food! Start searching the cupboards and pantries right now. In your prayers, ask the Holy Spirit to direct you in putting away anything and everything the lower nature feeds on or is strengthened by. Ask Him for discerning powers for what is pure and clean and for ultimate good that you may prove your love to Him. Philippians 1:19-10 Start with your associations. Check the pantry marked "entertainment”. Are you sure the little innocent things you protect with claims of being small and innocent, aren’t feeding that dog nature? what about your pastimes? And pleasures? Your language? Your thought life? Has materialism and luxury unconsciously blinded you to the difference between essentials and non-essentials? What about the music you listen to and tapes and albums you possess? Are they dog food or the whole-grain cereals of the heavenly dove? Television? Magazines? Does it feed the dog or the dove? Don’t get sentimental now and start feeling sorry for the dog!

For as much then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same mind: For he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin…that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. I Peter 4:1-2

Could it be you have the discovered the "law of life in Christ Jesus”?

Humans with "dog-like” natures, will not be welcome in Heaven. When the redeemed are finally gathered in the city of God and the coronation anthems are bouncing off the stars the "dogs” will be yipping outside to get in. Luke 13:24-25

"Blessed are they that do His commandments that they may enter in through the gates into the city for without are dogs Revelation 22:14-15

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