1 John 2:26-27 NLT
I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.
How do I not allow myself to be lead astray?
When I consistently stay in God’s Word, my heart will know the truth, and I won’t be influenced by those who bend the Word of Jesus Christ.
Those who pervert the Word of God will always make it about anything other than being saved by grace.
It will always be focused on things that we have to do to be saved and remained saved.
It will focus on external change that needs to take place instead of the internal shift that Jesus desires to make in me.
It will focus on placing our will on the world around us, over others, and our circumstances instead of our will over our fleshly desires.
Matthew 16:24-25 NLT
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Nowhere here does it say that you are to start forcing change on the world around you. But the change around you will start to happen with the internal change in you.
This change in you will affect the world around you. People will look at the difference in you and those who are searching will be influenced by your change.
Matthew 7:3-5 NLT
”And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
Key.
And how do I remain in fellowship with Christ?
John 15:5-8 NLT
”Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
There is no escaping it.
I must be in God’s Word every day. And quite frankly, as a follower of Jesus, this should be an unquenchable, burning desire of mine.
It is the only way for me to remain in fellowship with Jesus Christ.
Without the Word of God, first and foremost, in my mind and heart, I can not be an effective witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
My desires will start to line up with the desire of Jesus Christ and that is to ”make disciples.”
My life will start to change, my behaviors will start to line up with His will, and my changed life will begin to affect those around me.
When I am in Scripture, the pockets of sin that I am holding on to, both consciously and unconsciously, will begin to be revealed to me. If my heart is humble and submitted with the proper spirit, I will be willing to make the changes necessary to be closer to Jesus Christ.
And then I will be eligible for this promise from John 15, ”you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!”
WOW WOW!!
Amen!! 🙏🏻❤️
