2 Peter 2:20-22 NLT
[20] And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before. [21] It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life. [22] They prove the truth of this proverb: “A dog returns to its vomit.” And another says, “A washed pig returns to the mud.”
Good Morning!
As a Christian, we are tempted every day by the enemy of our souls to fall back into a lifestyle that is not what God wants for our lives. God has called us to be different. We are his chosen, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people that He called out of the darkness of the sin of the world and into His marvelous light. When we let sin creep back into our lives, it is like a cancer to our souls. It starts small and slowly grows and destroys us internally. We cannot let the devil have even the smallest foothold in our lives. He likes to get us off course even by 1/2 of a degree and as we know, as we travel the miles, that 1/2 of a degree can get us miles and miles off course for the plan God has for us.
1 Peter 2:9-10 NKJV
[9] But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; [10] who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
A Better Way
God wants us to live by the commands He has given us. His ways are right and good and brings not only salvation to our souls, but a life of internal peace that surpasses all understanding. By living and obeying God’s commands and putting into practice a daily routine of fellowship with Him by prayer and reading His word, we let His light pierce the darkness and rid it out of our lives. We can then stand on His truths and promises and live in a life of wisdom, courage, peace, fruitfulness, fulfillment, joy, satisfaction, endurance, hope, mercy, humility, integrity, obedience, purpose, good relationships, strength, thankfulness, no fear, trust, understanding, victory, and the list goes on!
Psalm 119:128 NLT
[128] Each of your commandments is right. That is why I hate every false way.
Philippians 4:6-7 NKJV
[6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Be Transformed
When we lived for the world, we were focused on self-gratification and living to please the flesh. Now that we have decided to follow God in our Christian walk, we need to let the Holy Spirit work within us to renew our minds and transform our hearts to the ways of His Word. This starts with relationships in our lives, first to our relationship with God (vertical) and second to the relationships of those that are close to us (horizontal).
Romans 12:2 NKJV
[2] And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Matthew 22:37-40 NKJV
[37] Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Love
The love we show to God and to others is the foundation of all of God’s commands. Love is an active verb, not a noun. We are to live our lives with a loving force in all that we do — love to our Lord in prayer, love to our family in our actions and motives, love to our co-workers and friends in our daily routines, love to our church in our involvement and tithing. There are so many levels of love! It is our greatest gift that we can give. Paul describes it best in the most famous love chapter (1 Corinthians 13). Love never fails!
1 Corinthians 13:4-8,13 NKJV
[4] Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; [5] does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; [6] does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; [7] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. [8] Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. [13] And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
One Thing
So, start fresh and anew today. Don’t dwell on past mistakes, but do ONE THING — forget the past and move forward to the prize that God has for our lives!
Philippians 3:13-14 NKJV
[13] Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, [14] I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
I love you and am praying for you today!
Dad