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PaulWest
Member



Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 The Cemetery Road is Narrow

Dear Christian, do you each day enter the gates of death that you might find life? If you profess to follow Christ Jesus, this is where the Spirit will always lead you. Many imagine God’s Spirit to lead the believer down a flowery, sunlit path of effortless living, of soul-happiness and physical content, without a graveyard in sight. But it’s the broad and heavily-trodden paths in life that lead to an easing of the flesh. Narrow roads lead to cemeteries.

When you pray for God’s will to be done in your life, expect to be tested. Expect for something unpleasant to happen, expect someone to verbally abuse you, to belittle you, expect someone to question your integrity, count on being tempted by the opposite sex, to be at a personal disadvantage, to be inconvenienced, misunderstood, vexed, misconstrued, lured by the prospect of making dishonest gain, etc. These are divine appointments to provoke the flesh to get you to sin and lose your peace with God. Along these lines you can expect a dreadful manifestation, and you will have a grand opportunity to mortify. At that moment, you will find yourself at a fork in the road.

One part of the fork - the broad path - keeps going on in the direction you were heading, to the venting and appeasement of the flesh. The smaller road takes a sharp detour off the beaten path. If you were walking with the Lord up to this point, this is the path Jesus takes. Dear saint, follow Him; He is heading toward the gates of the cemetery.

As you follow the Lord to the gates, the temptation to look back to the main road is there, for it is never far from the graveyard entrance. It beckons you back to life, back to fun, to sensuality, to satisfaction. You can smell the death wafting over the cemetery walls; on the broad side, however, the sweet smell of vibrant life still mingles. You hear the laughter, the merrymaking of flesh and exhaltation of self. The roar of Satan’s fiery missiles suddenly bombard you mind: “Join them! Say something! Defend yourself! Take a second look! Grab the opportunity! Flirt!”

Dear Christian, the next time you are tested, remember the gates of death, for this is where the Holy Spirit leads you. Are you enticed to indulge in an impure thought? Enter the gates of death. Are you tempted to defile your conscience with a second look? Look instead unto the cemetery walls, for the Lord is near. Do you see an opportunity to make some money that compromises your godly integrity? Mortify your members and push the squeaky gate forward. Are to tempted to sin on the internet? The gates of death loom large before you. Enter through them with your High Priest.

As you enter through the gates of death, you lose your flesh life – but gain a new spiritual vibrancy a thousand times over! The gates of death suddenly become the gates of grace. True death, paradoxically, is outside the cemetery, back on the broad highway of unmortified flesh. Within the cemetery, however, there is abundant life, there is protection from the powers of hell, from the tormentors of the mind and soul, from the entrapments of harlots, charlatans and devils.

God surely rewards those who voluntarily lose their life by following His Son into the cemetery. Enter therefore into the systematic, private death of mortification by the Holy Spirit, and God will openly reward you before all those outside the cemetery walls. From the place of death you will manifest life. The odor of death for you will become a fragance of life for others.



- Brother Paul

http://understandingmortification.wordpress.com/


_________________
Paul Frederick West

 2012/1/7 6:18Profile
Yeshuasboy
Member



Joined: 2006/6/10
Posts: 668
Northern Rockies, BC, Canada

 Re: The Cemetery Road is Narrow

Truly the narrow road is the road of the meek and humble where satan lays his baits.
Paul came to the blessed understanding that when he was weak, then He was strong, blessing God in his trials, sufferings and afflictions.
God is good, much more beyond my understanding anyhow. Praise God!
Even at times I find that when temptations come that I may react in the flesh to things that strike at my pride (when confronted by a stranger who makes a rude remark at me, etc), God allows these things because of His loving kindness to teach me a better way to live... To die to all forms of self, that He may show Himself strong through me when He seems fit, according to His purposes for His glory... Yes, the paradoxes of the spiritual life...and yes, I can't wait until all this just becomes "naturally" flowing in me - that these rivers of Life come just flowing through me at all times, in all temptations, that God may become unceasingly manifested in me.
It seems quite absurd that a creature like myself can be proud, when the Son of man walked the face of this earth, learning obedience by the things that He suffered, but at the same time having power to fight back and to call legions of angels at His charge, He humbled Himself unto death, yea, even the death of the cross. He didn't have to die for me... But He chose to do the will of the Father no matter the cost of His own reputation to those around Him... Blows my mind brother Paul.


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Richie

 2012/1/7 8:45Profile
mama27
Member



Joined: 2010/11/20
Posts: 1482


 Re:

Beautiful piece, Brother Paul....perfect analogy. My temptations are not the ones you list - mine are wanting to literally scream at my family members, "Don't you see what you are doing??!! Don't you SEE that you are dabbling with the cheap pleasures of sin???!!!!" - and also to defend myself against the constant jabs that come my way as to how I raised my children on the narrow path. We all have our area(s) where satan knows how to bring us low. Thank you for this encouragement to stay the course. Not to puff you up, but God has gifted you with an ability to put spiritual truth into pictures that others can grasp...may you use your gift for His glory...

 2012/1/7 10:39Profile
PaulWest
Member



Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 Re:

Dear sister, the powers of darkness have their own darts tailored to each one of us. It's good that you can recognize this. They've studied you for a long, long time. They want to build a fortress of resentment in your heart via your mind. Prepare yourself for the attack by renewing your mind with scripture and have the praise of God on your lips.

When you're spiritually "hot" like this, you can take each flaming dart captive as it is hurled. The key is in preparation. Far too often (I speak from experience) we sucuumb to the attack because we are not aptly prepared. The forces of spiritual wickedness know when you're not prepared. Praise God for His Word! Coupled with faith and humility, it strengthens your inner man with the power of grace to extinguish each dart and always triumph in Christ Jesus!


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Paul Frederick West

 2012/1/7 11:58Profile
brothagary
Member



Joined: 2011/10/23
Posts: 2556


 Re:

good word paul

 2012/1/7 23:56Profile
mama27
Member



Joined: 2010/11/20
Posts: 1482


 Re:

"The key is in preparation. Far too often (I speak from experience) we sucuumb to the attack because we are not aptly prepared."

I find it difficult to be prepared when life comes fast and furiously, or when I am laid low with a sickness or something. This may sound silly to some, but I have a little spiral-bound book of index cards with my "ammunition" verses that I keep in my purse. And when I am going thru a time of unrelenting attacks, I even keep a sticky note or 2 in my pocket with a particular verse(s) on it so that I can just reach in my pocket and read the verse out loud. I am not meaning to be simplistic, but when the battle really rages, sometimes you can't even remember the verses you've committed to memory....so for me to have them written down helps.

 2012/1/8 0:08Profile
Elibeth
Member



Joined: 2011/8/14
Posts: 1148


 Re: The Cemetery Road is Narrow

Paul West,

I too,believe your writings are from the Lord,who has given / blessed you,......opened your heart to this understanding,.......'this earthen vessel.'

HIS blessing is a blessing and encouragement to others who desires
To see Truth being revealed in others.

The praises always be to God who giveth,

In His love,
Elizabeth

 2012/1/8 7:34Profile
savedtoserve
Member



Joined: 2011/4/7
Posts: 255


 Re:

Hi mama27,

I know what you mean...and what a great idea!

If you have the time, I'd love it if you would send me your ammunition verses (savinggrace1611ATgmailDOTcom).

Thanks so much!

 2012/1/8 9:25Profile
PaulWest
Member



Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 Re:

You've brought up great points, mama27. I am writing an article that deals just with that: preparation for mortification. Like you, I also arm myself with scripture. I keep key verses on flashcards throughout the day; I even have a dry-erase board in my office at home where I keep verses long-term that are especially powerful, at the atomic level, so to speak. I'll let you now what these verses are in the article.

I'll share my technique of Spirit-led self defense, and how to stay prepared throughout each day, minute by minute. What good are all these writings and illustrations without some practical applications? I'll start a new thread with the article on SI, and also post it in my "understanding mortifcation" blog http://understandingmortification.wordpress.com/ for all who are interested. God bless you all.


_________________
Paul Frederick West

 2012/1/8 9:26Profile
savedtoserve
Member



Joined: 2011/4/7
Posts: 255


 Re:

I love how you write too, Brother Paul. My question is, Is it really a life-long vigil in the graveyard? I mean, in reality, there is a funeral, a period of mourning, and then there is the moving on in life; in other words, life is lived differently BECAUSE of it. Can it not be so in the spiritual realm also? Speaking personally and others have confirmed this, a constant brooding of it all (staying there) does not lead to the abundant life described in scripture-- that's just my experience. Isn't there a balance?

savedtoserve

 2012/1/8 9:40Profile





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