“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13
God came into this world and died on a cross to buy and pay for our freedom! Jesus set us free so that we could be free! And because we are free, we should give of ourselves for the Kingdom.
We abuse our freedom, when we fail to use it for Jesus! God loves us and has an amazing plan for our lives, but we miss out on that plan because we fail to live in the power of the freedom that He has granted! Don’t waste the freedom that Jesus has given you! Use it for Him and for His glory and you will be amazed at how He will use your life to generate and share blessing!
Everyday we are tempted and temptation is not optional. Think about it: everyday, multiple times throughout the day, you are tempted. You are tempted to do something or you are tempted to not do something. There are some things that we should not do, but we do them anyway. There are some things that we know that we should do, but we fail to ever get around to doing them.
Tybee Island Light House 08 Georgia State Hog Rally
Temptation is a door to victory or defeat – you get to make the choice!
The things that we should not do, that we end up doing anyway – almost always cost us more than they are worth. And the things that we should do, that we never get around to – almost always keep us from experiencing some amazing blessing that God has in store for us!
As you are tempted today – remember that the temptation is a door and you get to decide where it is going to take you – to victory or defeat!
The message of Jesus was very simple: REPENT! To repent means to change – we cannot stay the same! Jesus was not telling us to change for change sake. Jesus challenges us to change because He knows things and can see things that you and I cannot! Jesus knows that our lives can and should be better. Jesus knows the great things that God has in store for those that love Him. Jesus knows the change that you need to make and the great difference the change will make in your life!
Change is a good thing, especially when it is the right change! We are resistant to change because we tend to think in a negative way about change. Not all change is negative. And a lot of the change that we look at as negative is not really negative – it’s just hard! Just because it is hard does not make it a bad thing, especially if it is going to lead to good things! The key is to make sure that we are not changing just for change sake!
Everyone of us have some changes that need to be made in our lives. You know what I am talking about – you have been thinking about and fighting against some changes that you have been needing to make for a while now. Take a few moment right now to stop and pray. Just talk to God and ask Him to reveal to you the areas of your life that need to be worked on and worked out! Now take just a little more time to do what needs to be done! See – that was not so bad after all – was it?
Michael Joe Harvell 