MY FRIENDS, WITH EACH WRONG ACT THE OLD SELFISH NATURE IS GAINING STRENGTH!!

Jan 10, 2017

MY FRIENDS, WITH EACH WRONG ACT THE OLD SELFISH NATURE IS GAINING STRENGTH!!

Many claim to be a child of God but are just not willing to “lay aside every weight, and sin which so easily ensnares [them]” Heb 12:1 (NKJV) because, their desire to do God’s “will is based upon their own inclination, not upon the deep conviction of the Holy Spirit……Many feel a sense of estrangement from God, a realization of their bondage to self and sin; they make efforts for reform; but they do not crucify self.

They do not give themselves entirely into the hands of Christ, seeking for divine power to do His will. They are not willing to be molded after the divine similitude. In a general way they acknowledge their imperfections, but they do not give up their particular sins. With each wrong act the old selfish nature is gaining strength. (E.G. White, Christ Object Lessons p48)

That my friends, is why we must die daily. Self must not remain the ruling force in our life because with each wrong act, self becomes more and more prevalent. And as self begins to gain strength, it is at that point, Empire, and the Have and Have not’s become only a form of entertainment instead of an abomination to God.

As we move closer to Christ second coming the more we must seek God’s Spirit as we cry out daily, “Lord have your way!” “If it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matt 26:39 (NIV) To seek that cup with a passion, is to accept the challenges Christ sets before us as we surrender our all.

What a testimony to our family, friends, love one’s, co-workers and neighbors, a testimony that says through it all, my all still remains in the hands of my Lord and Savior. Spiritually whatever level we may feel we are at, we must ask God to take us to that place very few are willing to go. That place where “the gate is very narrow and difficult is the journey that leads to life eternal.”

In the spring at Niagara Falls, there is large blocks of ice flowing toward the falls. Embedded in the ice you can see carcasses of dead fish. Gulls by the score will ride down the river feeding on the fish. As they come to the brink of the falls, their wings go out, and they escape annihilation at the powerful falls.

But every once in a while a gull will delay, seemingly engrossed in the dead carcasses of all the fish, and when it finally comes to the brink of the falls, and it extends its powerful wings, the bird will flap but to no avail. Even by chance it does lift the ice out of the water, it has delayed too long and its claws are now frozen into the ice and the weight becomes too great, causing the gull to plunge into the abyss.

Oh, the danger of delay! I’m sure those who linger have seen others fall into the abyss, but, somehow they figured, they can succeed where others have failed. With each wrong act we also feel we can succeed where others have failed. But, the more we linger the more the old selfish nature gains strength. And only through God’s word and Spirit as self dies and we live our life through Christ, can we gain the strength needed to take us from this earth to eternity.