I have been struggling with sin in my life in the way of pride and selfishness. This is not a new problem, but seems to be rearing its ugly head over and over again and it has crept into all corners of my life. It has crept in so slowly yet so overwhelmingly that I am beginning to feel like I cannot be around others in fear of causing harm to relationships and destroying my witness for Christ.
I have had the opportunity to share these issues with a great friend of mine and we decided that we need to dig deeper into what it means to live like we belong to God. Living with selfishness and pride does NOT allow me to reflect Christ in my life and I need some help getting back on track.
We decided to begin a bible study by Kay Arthur called, "Living Like You Belong to God". We chose this bible study because it is filled with God's Word, not someone's opinion and it allows us to reflect on verses in the bible with thoughtful questions that cause us to dive deeper into God's Word.
Now, there was a book that I was very interested in reading and will probably read at some point called, "A Perfect Mess", but this is the bible study I believe God has chosen for us.
Already I have been chastised as well as drawn to tears and sorrow for the reminder of what my life should reflect in contrast to what it is reflecting! As a teacher of psychology, I find myself asking, "When did I become so concerned about what others think of me? When did I begin to walk around like a wounded person needing others to lift me up? When did I begin to find my worth in what others think or feel instead of how God sees and feels about me? When did I start putting the World view ahead of God's view? Do I bend to societies views of truth versus focusing on the truth of Jesus Christ and the Word of God? What caused me to put my feelings and wants in front of the needs of others? When did I become so selfish and prideful?
Putting aside the why's, which is a world view of how to deal with problems, I need to be focusing on repenting and following God's will. It does not matter how I got here, it matters what I'm going to do with this truth now? Am I going to spend hours and hours psychoanalyzing myself or am I going to give it up to God and allow Him to change my heart? I choose repentance and the guidance of the Holy Spirit!!!!!!
So, back to the bible study. The first section focused on the separation of light and darkness in Genesis. This was truly what was done, but it also has a spiritual connection to it. It was important to God that He put a distinct separation between light and darkness. In the spiritual sense, light and darkness cannot go together, just as they cannot go together in the physical world. Thus, God points out from the beginning, that those in light cannot be in darkness, and those in darkness cannot be in the presence of light.
The next area of focus was describing the priests in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Ezekiel. God set the priests aside as examples of holiness. However, over time, their calling became a ritual and a responsibility versus a joyful and glorious gift to which they were set aside from everyone else to serve God. The priests began to take on their God appointed position as a job. They did their priestly duties, but when not at "work" they lived just like everyone else (Ezekiel 22:26). They were living unholy lives and were not teaching separation of light and darkness. Their lives did not reflect God or His will in their lives, but instead reflected the ways of the world. They were not being the examples of holiness that God had called them to be.
Christians are the priests of today (Romans 15:4; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Romans 12:1-2; I Peter 1:14-16). When I accepted Christ as my savior, the gift came with a responsibility to live a life led by the Holy Spirit; a life that is set apart from the world, a life that is reflective of our loving savior Jesus Christ. Can we have salvation without service? I believe that God's Word says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life". John 3:16. If we believe, we are saved. However, there is another verse ( if you know where it is found please comment!!!) that talks about some Christians coming into eternity with the smell of fire. I have always interpreted this to say that there is more to being a Christian than simply asking for forgiveness and accepting Christ as my savior. This has to do with a relationship with Christ. An attitude of servanthood; a life that is reflective of God's will in my life; being the "light" in a world of darkness. This is about action, not out of requirement, but out of respect to the one who saved me from Hell! If I am truly a child of God, I should desire to serve Him. I should desire to have the Holy Spirit guide my life. I should desire to always seek His will in every aspect of my life and to ALWAYS bring glory to Him.
God's word calls Christians to be holy. To be holy is to be separated from the world, to be different, to stand out in a crowd, to be persecuted and sometimes to even have my integrity/honesty questioned by the world. Christians know right from wrong, the world does not know the difference. I have accepted the gift of Christ Jesus and with that comes an obligation to live a life that is holy unto Him and reflective of His Holy Spirit in my life.
If I allow the world to be in my life (pride and selfishness) than I am hindering the light of God! Darkness and light cannot co-exist!
I have become a victim of the world and the world's view of me. I have been lying down like a beaten dog wanting others to pity me, pick me up and love me. I confess this sin in my life to Christ! Self pity has no place in the life of God's child and I confess it to Him! If I have been persecuted because of my faith in Christ, I rejoice in this persecution! Praise God! He will work all things for His glory!
So, as a "priest" forgiven and loved by God I confess my pride and selfishness to my heavenly Father.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Praise you Father for loving me and sending your son to pay the price for my sins! I confess to you my sins of selfishness and pride. Lord, take this sin from my heart and mind and turn it into something beautiful. Lord, fill my heart and mind with the desire to serve you. You gave me the gift of life, you gave me the gift of love and forgiveness and for this I pray that my life will bring glory and honor to you and not shame! Lord, open my heart and mind to hear the calling of the Holy Spirit so that no decision or thought that I have or make is made without the guidance of your Holy Spirit. Lord, I want to be set apart and I want to serve you. I want to feel your peace and love overwhelm me so that it pours out of me to others. Your are awesome God! In Jesus Name Amen!
I have had the opportunity to share these issues with a great friend of mine and we decided that we need to dig deeper into what it means to live like we belong to God. Living with selfishness and pride does NOT allow me to reflect Christ in my life and I need some help getting back on track.
We decided to begin a bible study by Kay Arthur called, "Living Like You Belong to God". We chose this bible study because it is filled with God's Word, not someone's opinion and it allows us to reflect on verses in the bible with thoughtful questions that cause us to dive deeper into God's Word.
Now, there was a book that I was very interested in reading and will probably read at some point called, "A Perfect Mess", but this is the bible study I believe God has chosen for us.
Already I have been chastised as well as drawn to tears and sorrow for the reminder of what my life should reflect in contrast to what it is reflecting! As a teacher of psychology, I find myself asking, "When did I become so concerned about what others think of me? When did I begin to walk around like a wounded person needing others to lift me up? When did I begin to find my worth in what others think or feel instead of how God sees and feels about me? When did I start putting the World view ahead of God's view? Do I bend to societies views of truth versus focusing on the truth of Jesus Christ and the Word of God? What caused me to put my feelings and wants in front of the needs of others? When did I become so selfish and prideful?
Putting aside the why's, which is a world view of how to deal with problems, I need to be focusing on repenting and following God's will. It does not matter how I got here, it matters what I'm going to do with this truth now? Am I going to spend hours and hours psychoanalyzing myself or am I going to give it up to God and allow Him to change my heart? I choose repentance and the guidance of the Holy Spirit!!!!!!
So, back to the bible study. The first section focused on the separation of light and darkness in Genesis. This was truly what was done, but it also has a spiritual connection to it. It was important to God that He put a distinct separation between light and darkness. In the spiritual sense, light and darkness cannot go together, just as they cannot go together in the physical world. Thus, God points out from the beginning, that those in light cannot be in darkness, and those in darkness cannot be in the presence of light.
The next area of focus was describing the priests in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Ezekiel. God set the priests aside as examples of holiness. However, over time, their calling became a ritual and a responsibility versus a joyful and glorious gift to which they were set aside from everyone else to serve God. The priests began to take on their God appointed position as a job. They did their priestly duties, but when not at "work" they lived just like everyone else (Ezekiel 22:26). They were living unholy lives and were not teaching separation of light and darkness. Their lives did not reflect God or His will in their lives, but instead reflected the ways of the world. They were not being the examples of holiness that God had called them to be.
Christians are the priests of today (Romans 15:4; 1 Peter 2:5,9; Romans 12:1-2; I Peter 1:14-16). When I accepted Christ as my savior, the gift came with a responsibility to live a life led by the Holy Spirit; a life that is set apart from the world, a life that is reflective of our loving savior Jesus Christ. Can we have salvation without service? I believe that God's Word says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life". John 3:16. If we believe, we are saved. However, there is another verse ( if you know where it is found please comment!!!) that talks about some Christians coming into eternity with the smell of fire. I have always interpreted this to say that there is more to being a Christian than simply asking for forgiveness and accepting Christ as my savior. This has to do with a relationship with Christ. An attitude of servanthood; a life that is reflective of God's will in my life; being the "light" in a world of darkness. This is about action, not out of requirement, but out of respect to the one who saved me from Hell! If I am truly a child of God, I should desire to serve Him. I should desire to have the Holy Spirit guide my life. I should desire to always seek His will in every aspect of my life and to ALWAYS bring glory to Him.
God's word calls Christians to be holy. To be holy is to be separated from the world, to be different, to stand out in a crowd, to be persecuted and sometimes to even have my integrity/honesty questioned by the world. Christians know right from wrong, the world does not know the difference. I have accepted the gift of Christ Jesus and with that comes an obligation to live a life that is holy unto Him and reflective of His Holy Spirit in my life.
If I allow the world to be in my life (pride and selfishness) than I am hindering the light of God! Darkness and light cannot co-exist!
I have become a victim of the world and the world's view of me. I have been lying down like a beaten dog wanting others to pity me, pick me up and love me. I confess this sin in my life to Christ! Self pity has no place in the life of God's child and I confess it to Him! If I have been persecuted because of my faith in Christ, I rejoice in this persecution! Praise God! He will work all things for His glory!
So, as a "priest" forgiven and loved by God I confess my pride and selfishness to my heavenly Father.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Praise you Father for loving me and sending your son to pay the price for my sins! I confess to you my sins of selfishness and pride. Lord, take this sin from my heart and mind and turn it into something beautiful. Lord, fill my heart and mind with the desire to serve you. You gave me the gift of life, you gave me the gift of love and forgiveness and for this I pray that my life will bring glory and honor to you and not shame! Lord, open my heart and mind to hear the calling of the Holy Spirit so that no decision or thought that I have or make is made without the guidance of your Holy Spirit. Lord, I want to be set apart and I want to serve you. I want to feel your peace and love overwhelm me so that it pours out of me to others. Your are awesome God! In Jesus Name Amen!
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