1. Do I have the faith to believe
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Rom 10:17
The Word of God reveals to us the truths of God
The Word of God reveals to us our true destinies
The Word of God encourages us to press on for him
The Word of God warns us of impending judgment
The Word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of our heart.
Have you been rooted in the Word of God?
The Word of says that if you love His law so much, you will never stumble. Ps 119:165. It also says that His Word will direct you along correct paths, and show you the truth-reality of things in your life. Ps 119:105. It is described as the sword of the Spirit, and Jesus was used the Word of God to defeat the temptatious attacks of Satan, after fating for forty days and nights. Luke 4.
We need to be firmly rooted in the Word of God, if we are to live for Him this year.
2. Do I have a pure unadulterated love?
Our hearts were made to handle just ONE desire
If we harbour many conflicting desires, even if it were 2 conflicting desires, we would never have the determination to run the race for Him
What are the desires in your heart right now?
Are they desires for the Lord?
Are are there spots of desires that blemish the white canvas of your heart?
---you see, the heart does not consist of blood. It consists of desires. And if these desires are Godly, its as if a spot of white is added to the canvas. And if there are desires that are selfish, wicked, vile, compromising (falling short of the Glory of God), then they are blemishes.
We pray: Give us pure heart. Examine the desires in our hearts today.
Are there things we know are sin, and yet we try to justify by our reasoning?
Are there issues that God has been convicting us, and yet we constantly harden our heart, and "force" the conviction to wear away?
These blemishes in your heart will destroy you!!!
Blessed are the Pure in Heart! For they shall see God! Matthew 5:8
Do you want to see God?
Do you want to walk in intimacy with him?
Do you want to see your life so sold out, your heart so humbled, your testimony so blameless, that God could use you so readily to do his will? Cleanse not only the outside, but also the inside of yourself, God vessel! 2 Tim 2:20. Be an instrument of righteousness, not wickedness! Rom 6:13
Only a pure unadulterated heart could produce pure unadulterated love for God.
Paul asked God for one thing Philippians 3:13
David asked God for one thing Ps 27:4
Ask God to search your heart today. As he reveals the desires which are displeasing to him, repent of them, and commit that area, lay claim that area of your life to God once again.
3. Do I reside with idols?
If your heart were a HDB flat, what would God see inside of it?
Guan gong? Guan Yin?...
Of course I’m talking about something else…
The idols I’m referring to are seemingly Permanent structures of our desires/lifestyle that get in the way of intimacy with God. These are things which we adore greatly, and bow down to. These are things, which we spend our lives pursuing. Things we lift our "SOULS!" to Ps 27:4
For example, the attraction of our computer lures us away from our quiet time. Completing the next stage of the game seems to be of more value and worth, compared to listening to the Father’s heart. Instead of worshipping the creator, we end us worshipping the created.
This is just one example, of how a seemingly permanent facet of our life seems to lodge itself in such a position to block or obscure our passage to intimacy with God.
We need to get our sledgehammers ready; we need to smash the idols, as the Ephesians did to their scrolls Acts 19:19
What about the magazines we read, and the music we listen to? The partner we choose for life? Do they glorify God? Are we willing to give up these things if intimacy with God demands their being cut-off? Remove the idols from your room, your bed, your cupboard, and your wallet, your LIFE!
4. How have you been dealing with Sin?
Sin is spelt with a capital S because it can be a big problem.
If your life is going to be destroyed, it is not because you are incompetent in the workplace, you have, among classmates, a lower IQ, or the economy crashed, or a tsunami swept through your area.
It is because you allowed sin a room to reside in your life.
Our God has a plan and purpose for your life Jeremiah 29:11. The devil to has a plan and purpose for your life. And his plan is to kill, steal and destroy you Jn 10:10, in such a way, that you could never serve God effectively, or make a difference to either build God’s kingdom, nor be on the attack against Satan’s kingdom.
And he does this by accusation. Accuse you for what? For the sins we commit. You see, when we sin, we lose the confidence before God to ask for anything 1 John 3:21. We lose the love for God when we disobey his commands 1 John 5:3. We open our lives to the evil one for him to influence us, and lead us into deeper sin. James 1:14
But remember….
God will bring us into judgment for our willful sin.
The Bible says that if we shrink back, to the old life we used to live, He will not be pleased with us. Heb 10:38. We mock the Work of Christ’s death Heb 6:6 and resurrection. It also says we may fall like the Israelites did in the desert, never seeing the promised land.
Sinful desires will not be satisfied.
Godless desires will never be satisfied. Have you ever seen a drunkard drink his last bottle of beer and say he’s had enough? Have you ever seen a man with a promiscuous lifestyle, going to sleep around, and then say that he’s satisfied? What about drugs, smoking, pornography, and all the other intoxicating pleasures we exchange our lives to live for? Any of these things have satisfied any of its customers? Yet God satisfies all God given desires with good things
Psalms 103:5.
How have we been dealing with sin? Have we been noticing it? Tolerating it? Avoiding it? Or fleeing from it?
Flee from temptation
What does it mean to flee? Have you watched King Kong? How did the people in that movie flee from that giant creature?
They ran at the first sight of him
They ran intensely
They ran unceasingly
How then shall we live the Christian life this year of 2006?
So, if we are to be running the race this year, let us:
Word: Faith
Priorities: Let Love for God be your one greatest most intense love in your heart
Idols: Destroy all idols
Deal with Sin: Flee all evil desires; have nothing to do with them
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.2 Tim 2:22
†10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Eph 6:10
Pray!
Oh Lord, empower me to do your will. Give me such a soft and broken and contrite heart before you, to accept all your ways, which are so much higher than mine. And give me the strength to carry on daily seeking You.
-PC Jachin
