I hope you are doing well today sisters?
I shared this verse yesterday on my blog as part of a longer passage, but it really stood out to me and says a whole lot.
"Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door."James 5:9
If that doesn't strike fear into hearts, let alone the many other scriptures about the danger of sin, I don't know what will.
"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it."Hebrews 4:1
Oh how wicked a lie it is that people can just believe in Jesus and keep sinning.
This is an amazing scripture...
"And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.
And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"
Isaiah 2:17-22
One day everyone will know who is Lord. Let us fear and obey Him now sisters. And if you are not living in all obedience I pray you will reconsider and repent while you have hope. I encourage you to ponder the gospel detailed here and see if that is how you have come to Christ.
"Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless."
2 Peter 3:14
Sisters, let us aim for perfection....
"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,"Hebrews 6:1
And we know that as followers of Christ we are not going to have an easy life. We are appointed to persecutions and trials.
"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren."James 1:12-16
Do not err beloved sisters.
And even if we don't have those trial today we can find ourselves looking ahead and know there will be some to come but our Lord said not to do that.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."Matthew 6:33-34
We can find ourselves focusing on all the obstacles we may have to overcome but we have to keep following hard after our Saviour and set our eyes on Him and things above. Yet knowing He said trials are to come, let us strengthen ourselves in the Word now and every day.
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."
Hebrews 12:1-3
How do we aim for that perfection we are told to have?
"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."Hebrews 5:14
"But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food."Job 23:10-12
Reminds me of this...
"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."Matthew 4:4
I think back to when I didn't take all the Words of God seriously enough. And now I know that God is God and He has told us what He wants us to. Who are we to pick and choose? We have been given all truth we need to know.
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:"
2 Peter 1:3
Why would He give us anything that isn't important? For example why do we have many verses describing how it's shameful for a woman to have an uncovered or shorn head? Well we need to look and see and obey what He commands for us as women to cover our heads.
And it's true what I saw in the Word and what I saw "in the church" was not matching up. I know now that the church system today has much wrong and must be rejected. The Word is true and we can obey it all. We don't need man made traditions and false teachers ruling over us. We can be free in the Spirit and serve the Lord as His witness shining our light wherever the Lord has us.
And a sister shared this verse today...
"And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God."Zechariah 13:9
Let us have, and prepare our minds to have, the right view of anything we consider trials.
"Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:"1 Peter 1:6-7
"For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."1 Peter 4:17-19
"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."1 Timothy 6:17-19
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."Hebrews 13:20-21
Love in Christ,
....from a daughter of His
See the biblical gospel here and test yourself.
2 Corinthians 13:5