James 3:13 NLT
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.
If you are looking for assurance of your salvation, start searching your thoughts, words, and actions.
Follow this closely by an examination of the motive behind these thoughts, words, and actions.
If the motives are genuinely focused on the needs of those around us, the Spirit is working.
If the motives are to serve our own desires, we have allowed the fleshly part of our nature to creep back in. When we recognize this, we need to bring this before God.
This, believe it or not, is easy to determine and the Word of God, as it always does, provides us with the place to measure our thoughts, words, actions, and motives:
Out of step with the Spirit:
Galatians 5:19-21 NLT
When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
This statement gives me chills, “…that anyone living that sort of life will NOT inherit the Kingdom of God.”
Here are a few examples of thoughts that are fleshly
“When are they finally going to get it?”
“Boy, that’s nice for them, but all I’ve got is this?”
“They should be doing it this way…”
This list can go on, infinitum.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
But the chose we have before us is to turn and walk in the Spirit, and that produces this in our lives:
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
What a contrast!!
Here’s the good news, this is available to every Christian. To get here, we must, must, must… did I say must?
1. Be in the Word of God; my suggestion here is EVERY DAY! The Word of God is the life-giving water that Jesus told the woman at the well about.
John 4:10 NLT
Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
John 1:1-4 NLT
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.
The Bible has every answer we need to live a life in the Spirit of God.
2. Prayer – We need to bear our hearts before the Lord and ask Him to reveal the sin in our hearts that we are allowing to take place.
When we keep an eye constantly on Galatians 5, this can provide both the warning and the hope to measure our attitudes, thoughts, desires, and actions against.
2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT
We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.
3. Fellowship – This is one area that should be fully cured when we concentrate on #1 and 2.
Our desires should shift from wanting to be in isolation to wanting to be in the presence of other believers.
For two reasons:
1. To encourage and help
2. To be encouraged and helped
Romans 1:12 NLT
When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.
These qualities are the “proof” of a saved and maturing life of a Christian.
Here’s the deal, all of us are going to struggle with this until Jesus comes or He takes us to be with Him; our job is to bring every struggle, trial, and challenges we face before His throne.
When I picture this, I think of my son, before he could barely form words, coming up to me with his favorite toy, broken, with tears in his eyes, barely being able to express the pain in his heart and the tears forming in my eyes for him. Followed by the big hug and the effort to comfort him.
Or when, at about the same age, coming to me with a picture that he just colored, with a big smile on his face. And the smile is that comes over my face. Followed by the big hug…
When we come before our Lord and Savior with our challenges with the faith and wide eyes of a child, He will bless us with joy and comfort.
Luke 12:31 NLT
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a good Father. A Father of love, grace, patience, and justice… and that list can go on forever.
I pray that You provide me the confidence to keep my eyes on You through all the good circumstances and the bad.
I pray that You keep my heart in a posture to serve You by serving others. And that You allow me to see people the way You see people.
Please help to be patient, knowing that You will work all things out.
In the Holy name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!! 🙏🏻❤️
