[img]https://www.sermonindex.net/images/myutmost.gif[/img]Arguments or Obedience. . . the simplicity that is in Christ 2 Corinthians 11:3 Simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly. A saint does not think clearly until a long time passes, but a saint ought to see clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think through spiritual confusion to make things clear; to make things clear, you must obey. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in spiritual matters you will only think yourself into further wandering thoughts and more confusion. If there is something in your life upon which God has put His pressure, then obey Him in that matter. Bring all your "arguments and . . . every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" regarding the matter, and everything will become as clear as daylight to you ( 2 Corinthians 10:5 ). Your reasoning capacity will come later, but reasoning is not how we see. We see like children, and when we try to be wise we see nothing (see Matthew 11:25 ).Even the very smallest thing that we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is completely sufficient to account for spiritual confusion, and spending all of our time thinking about it will still never make it clear. Spiritual confusion can only be conquered through obedience. As soon as we obey, we have discernment. This is humiliating, because when we are confused we know that the reason lies in the state of our mind. But when our natural power of sight is devoted and submitted in obedience to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the very power by which we perceive Gods will, and our entire life is kept in simplicity.For more info:[url=http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php]http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php[/url]
_________________Giancarlo
hello forevidence,thankyou for the encouragement.i wanted to comment more on your signature. it surely ministered to me, reminding me of my first Love!i remember when i made Christ my Lord and Savior i had a morbid martyrs spirit and reckless zeal that it caused a mini revival in my church. yes, we christians can be so focused on getting rid of all sin instead of focusing on loving Christ with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.i was soooo inlove with Jesus that i took joy and such delight to loose my life for Him. it was not a struggle at all to loose my life for Him. my focus was not on getting rid of sin because i was already dead to sin because of being so inlove with Him. this made me so alive in Him that it caused me to loose all desires for this world, but to see men saved and Christ glorified. nothing moved me, but Christ alone. my desire was only to obey and be with Him. i remember how excited i was to come home after work so i could be alone with Jesus. how excited i was to wake up early in the morning to seek Him and how He would wake me up in the middle of the night that i may hear from Him and know His heart. oh how i miss Him!!! oh, how His creation seemed so alive when i was alive in Him. i would walk out the door praising Him and i would see the trees clapping their hands praising Him too!i was not scared of death at all because i already died in Him. i desired NOTHING of the world because i was SO INLOVE with my Lord and Savior. my desire was only for Him. i was so DEEPLY INLOVE with Jesus that it drew others to desire Him, seeing Christ so alive in me, how it gave many hope and a hunger to know Christ too.now i'm left with memories of my first Love. i just want to weep! but God must be weeping more. for its been so long since we had true intimacy. oh God forgive me for forsaking You! i must seek my first Love again! everything else will be in vain, unless i am one with my first Love again!oh Lord forgive me for grieving your heart. i have become a religouse hypocrite. draw me back to You, from when we first met! i pray that all your children would see how easily we have stumbled because we have forsaken our first Love. how we have desired to embrace Your truth, but have not embrace You!oh Lord, light a fire in my heart again. a deep passion just for You. awaken my heart for You again. to seek You intimately. revive me, oh Lord to my first Love! my heart cries out only to be revived to my first Love. nothing more, i just want YOU!!!
_________________Lisa
