I hope you haven't read into what I said in my post to not include freedom from the old man; for to know our death is to be able to accept the resurrected life. Now, when you say temptation will come and you follow that sentence with "but...." going on to sing freedoms shine, I agree wholeheartedly, but that "but" is not a freedom without opposition, fierce opposition. Are you ready for that? Are you a person who practices the Armor of God? I hope that you are!
So, we are to know we are victors in Christ always and forever, but in so singing its praise we must also prepare our minds and bodies for the work at hand. We must pick up our cross daily and pay a price. Dat dar iz real talk!
Let me put this in practical terms: "If you, now being a free man in Christ, enter a room of friends whom where close to you before you gave your life to Christ, and you begin playing ball (as an example), and in the process you develop a conversation about your Lord to them. Then , Bobby, (your best friend from the old days in this example), says, "Hey, its cool dude, I love faith, and I'm a christian and not a muslim too!" And your spirit awakens to the fact this person is not understanding your relationship to God, so in being honest, you say, "Well, yeah that's cool, but I mean I used to be a person just looking for the best for me, but God has shown me thru my experiences that He has a better plan for me, and He has shown me who I am in truth over what I want to believe, for His Word says, we will all face death and be judged. So I asked God to speak to me about "Being judged for what? And how I needed to get rid of it?" Bobby, He showed me it is a free gift that I must accept or I will be sent to hell. So, I listened to Him and now, I so love Jesus Christ with all of my heart, and I would love to share more over breakfast, my treat, if you want, cause I care for you too my brother, and want you to have what I have been given, are you doing in your life? Let me hear your testimony tomorrow?"
And as your spirit wells up with Joy serving God, you look across from you and POW! Your spirit and the real something happening in the here and now are Kingdoms apart in what's happening within you right now!
Bobby is stunned and in awe of your audacity to shove jesus down his throat, he is embarrassed and enraged and he changes his tone with you becoming indignant filled with hatred in his heart for you and says, "Dude I ain't no jesus freak like you! Why do you always got to go too far with (blank)! Dude, my homies are wanting to leave, catch ya later!"
Tell me, in reality how free do you feel at this moment right now? If you are mature, then you would remain completely calm, trusting God is working on the other end of this despite your treatment. So, you try either another course by way of the spirit leading to enable Christ to be lifted up by you graciously and with respect of the other, or you listen to the Spirit which may just have you stop period - His call. in lifting Christ to Him respectfully and graciously, honoring His Word, and His commission only in real-time given by the intuitions of your spirit from His, you should feel at peace and confident, even, His Joy, if He appoints it to you at that time, to strengthen you.
As an immature Christian you will ebb under the torrent winds of scrutiny and hate, despite Jesus telling us the world will except religion, but not Me! And if they hate and persecute Me, they will also surely hate and persecute you...so go and serve them! What? Common sense in us just took a slug. But this is the freedom He speaks freedom to serve God's purposes and intentions, even to the gates of Hell, and all this wrapped in genuine love for the other. Freedom is great until you practice it, then it is glorious, only if you pay God's cost in doing it.
So, yes absolute freedom! But it is not an easy life God calls you to, it has a cost... it is indeed the hardest of life's even over the sinful life leading to death. Are we preparing ourselves by listening to His Spirit thru ours for the battle for souls, to be Ambassadors for Christ? Then we must adhere to the principles in Scripture discerned by our spirit and our spirit alone, or out thoughts and conclusions will be terribly pointless.
So, we are to know we are victors in Christ always and forever, but in so singing its praise we must also prepare our minds and bodies for the work at hand. We must pick up our cross daily and pay a price. Dat dar iz real talk!
Let me put this in practical terms: "If you, now being a free man in Christ, enter a room of friends whom where close to you before you gave your life to Christ, and you begin playing ball (as an example), and in the process you develop a conversation about your Lord to them. Then , Bobby, (your best friend from the old days in this example), says, "Hey, its cool dude, I love faith, and I'm a christian and not a muslim too!" And your spirit awakens to the fact this person is not understanding your relationship to God, so in being honest, you say, "Well, yeah that's cool, but I mean I used to be a person just looking for the best for me, but God has shown me thru my experiences that He has a better plan for me, and He has shown me who I am in truth over what I want to believe, for His Word says, we will all face death and be judged. So I asked God to speak to me about "Being judged for what? And how I needed to get rid of it?" Bobby, He showed me it is a free gift that I must accept or I will be sent to hell. So, I listened to Him and now, I so love Jesus Christ with all of my heart, and I would love to share more over breakfast, my treat, if you want, cause I care for you too my brother, and want you to have what I have been given, are you doing in your life? Let me hear your testimony tomorrow?"
And as your spirit wells up with Joy serving God, you look across from you and POW! Your spirit and the real something happening in the here and now are Kingdoms apart in what's happening within you right now!
Bobby is stunned and in awe of your audacity to shove jesus down his throat, he is embarrassed and enraged and he changes his tone with you becoming indignant filled with hatred in his heart for you and says, "Dude I ain't no jesus freak like you! Why do you always got to go too far with (blank)! Dude, my homies are wanting to leave, catch ya later!"
Tell me, in reality how free do you feel at this moment right now? If you are mature, then you would remain completely calm, trusting God is working on the other end of this despite your treatment. So, you try either another course by way of the spirit leading to enable Christ to be lifted up by you graciously and with respect of the other, or you listen to the Spirit which may just have you stop period - His call. in lifting Christ to Him respectfully and graciously, honoring His Word, and His commission only in real-time given by the intuitions of your spirit from His, you should feel at peace and confident, even, His Joy, if He appoints it to you at that time, to strengthen you.
As an immature Christian you will ebb under the torrent winds of scrutiny and hate, despite Jesus telling us the world will except religion, but not Me! And if they hate and persecute Me, they will also surely hate and persecute you...so go and serve them! What? Common sense in us just took a slug. But this is the freedom He speaks freedom to serve God's purposes and intentions, even to the gates of Hell, and all this wrapped in genuine love for the other. Freedom is great until you practice it, then it is glorious, only if you pay God's cost in doing it.
So, yes absolute freedom! But it is not an easy life God calls you to, it has a cost... it is indeed the hardest of life's even over the sinful life leading to death. Are we preparing ourselves by listening to His Spirit thru ours for the battle for souls, to be Ambassadors for Christ? Then we must adhere to the principles in Scripture discerned by our spirit and our spirit alone, or out thoughts and conclusions will be terribly pointless.
