Permit me to say something that may be shocking to some. God doesn't expect His children to be perfect.
When the Lord helped me understand this (and I confess I'm still coming to grips with it), I was stunned into complete silence. My brain couldn't accept the notion at first. When we think about Christianity, we think about rules and the chase for perfection. That is the main reason why many people reject faith. From their perspective, they feel they can never measure up to the standards we Christians project into the world as what is required to be a part of our community.
But the real challenge, if we accept it, is to submit to the perfecting work God is doing in us through the Holy Spirit. The more we do this, the easier it is to live righteously. We'll find ourselves making choices that reflect God's word and purpose over the desires that lead us to sin. All because, as we submit, the Spirit of the Lord leads us, and the mind of Christ, which was given to us, can truly have an impact.
Instead of letting go so God can lead us by way of His Spirit, we often choose to be 'religious,' thinking that following a set of strict rules will help us. However, God never intended things to be that way. He wants us to listen to His voice and do what He says, knowing there is grace. Our relationship with Him is supposed to be easy because Jesus died to make it that way. He also gave us His Spirit to teach and remind us of what we've forgotten. And as we read the scriptures and receive more godly input into our 'mainframe' (the gates of our eyes, mind, ears, heart), the easier it gets to obey God.
It seems many of us see the Spirit of God as an enemy who will take away everything we enjoy. However, we must remember that Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to those who believed in Him, and He never promised us anything bad. The Holy Spirit is tasked with getting us to heaven, so anything we give up for this will be well worth it, especially as we will receive the treasured fruits and gifts of the Spirit in return. The more we understand this, the less resistance there might be to letting God's Spirit lead in all truth. And more would seek to know Him, so He keeps them on God's path of righteousness.
When we allow the Spirit of the Lord to help us, we soon realize we don't need to be perfect. We need only to let Him perfect us throughout our lifetime, and the result will be that we enter a perfect place - heaven. We don't need to skip any steps in the development process by thinking we have to be perfect right now. We just need to let God have His way in us. He knows all of our struggles. Nothing about us surprises Him, and He's made accommodation to help through His Holy Spirit, whom we can only receive when we give our lives to Christ. The Lord will help us all, IJMN, Amen.
ALTAR CALL
Did you know a price was paid to set you free from everything that keeps you bound?
Many people have nice cars and money in the bank, but are miserable. Some have less money in the bank, but intruding thoughts keep them up at night. Could it be healing you need? What about the resolution of some other problem that's beyond you? What is stealing your peace?
Jesus is the answer to every problem.
Learn more about the uneven exchange and how to take advantage of it below -
If you watched the video to the end and said that prayer, welcome to being a child of God! I pray you receive the Holy Spirit and are led in the ways of the Lord. Send me a quick message and let me know you said the prayer. I'll send you more materials so you can grow as a new creature! Congrats and God bless you!