Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
The Battle is Won, By Cassie Hallam
This is another Post from my friend Cassie's Blog. It is amazing to hear how God is Working in Atlanta, and through her Ministry. Check out what she had to say today, Veterans Day 2011. And Please continue to keep Her and the ministry in your prayers as God continues to Win the Battle!
The Battle is Won
The casualties of war can be catastrophic and tragic. Wounds are inevitable. Memories can be painful. Loss is horrific and deserves mourning. But victory is sweet. Victory makes every moment of pain, strife, and doubt worth it all.
Whether we choose to believe it or not, there is a war being waged right within our midst daily. The war often goes unseen, except to the select few to whom the veil has been lifted and for a moment are given the gift to receive a glimpse of the battle for our hearts. Right in front of our blinded eyes is a gruesome and bloody war is being fought for each and every one of our hearts. Kingdoms are clashing. The powers of the dark are trying their best to devour the unparalleled and preeminent powers of the light. The dark is seeking to distinguish any source of light within each of our lives and assault our hearts by distracting us from the divine and marvelous light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the places where I can see and feel this battle so tangibly is when I go out with my team on Friday nights and partner with the forces of the light, and tap into the Lord’s strength and take up His armor, to battle against the darkness that has captivated the girls we minister to on the streets. The Lord’s love for them is furious. The Lord’s love for each of us is furious. But God is livid at the pain and suffering that His precious daughters in Atlanta are facing and have faced the majority of their lives. God hates seeing them be abused every day.
As I’m writing this, I am realizing the irony of the date of this truth that I am learning. It’s Veterans Day. And here I am, learning the truths of what the war for our hearts looks like. A sad fact that I’m struck with is the fact that many veterans after serving in war come home never to be the same again. The images they have seen, the losses of lives they have seen is catastrophic and leaves imprints of their minds that unfortunately send a lot of them to insanity.
Though we are not physically fighting, we see horrific things. A girl that my team has been ministering to for years was murdered just several weeks ago. We have found girls lying on the streets weeping after just being raped. We have heard stories that no one should ever have to hear, let alone experience. The casualties of this war for our hearts can be catastrophic and tragic as well. And if we’re not careful, we could begin to lose our sanity as well as our purity of mind if we are not careful to dwell on the good that is being done and the grace of Jesus Christ.
We must be so careful and intentional to dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (Philippians 4:8) rather than allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by the despairing and troubling things we see or hear. Because through Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection, the battle is already won. We already hold the keys to victory; so there is much to celebrate and much good to dwell on.
So tonight instead of bogging us all down with the burdensome stories that Satan and sin has destructively played into, I want to proclaim and rejoice in the victories that the Lord has brought forth in our relationships with the girls on the streets. Because so often I find myself disheartened and frustrated because I so easily become overwhelmed by the destruction and havoc that Satan is wreaking rather than being overwhelmed by the LIGHT, and all of the goodness that the Lord is cultivating in this community! That’s just who Satan is. He wants me to be impressed by his evil schemes. He wants me to be taken aback by the abominable affairs that he is originating so that I wonder where the power of the light is.
So here I am tonight, declaring that the battle is won. The victory is in the hands of Jesus Christ. And even if I never see another girl surrender her life to the Lord and be rescued from the dark, I can rest in the fact that Jesus has already won. Even when the battle looks hopeless and as a lost cause, I can say “NO” deep within my soul and know within my heart that Jesus holds the final victory.
But the beauty of this journal entry is this: there still is good being done! The name of Jesus alone is still doing miracles- even in a place where darkness is so thick and so worshipped, the name of Jesus still pierces hearts.
FOUR girls have recently decided to quit the prostitution business and pursue their dreams for a real job and family. THREE of those four have already surrendered their lives to the Lord and committed all of their days to Him. I have seen THREE healings miraculously take place through the name of Jesus in the past month. A lady that has mocked us for the past several years every time we visit her has recently opened up, broken down in tears, and called on the name of the Lord for help. Our team has gained favor at THREE additional strip clubs- permission to enter without a fee to give gifts to the working girls and tell them about our beautiful Jesus. These are just a few of the MANY victories I have witnessed recently.
The Lord is still working. He is still battling violently and aggressively for the hearts and souls of His precious daughters. And because of that, Satan is angry. Satan is furious. The enemy knows that nothing that he plots or schemes can ever stand up against the deep and passionate love the Lord has for each and every one of His sons and daughters. And that, my friends, is why we rejoice tonight.
The Battle is Won
The casualties of war can be catastrophic and tragic. Wounds are inevitable. Memories can be painful. Loss is horrific and deserves mourning. But victory is sweet. Victory makes every moment of pain, strife, and doubt worth it all.
Whether we choose to believe it or not, there is a war being waged right within our midst daily. The war often goes unseen, except to the select few to whom the veil has been lifted and for a moment are given the gift to receive a glimpse of the battle for our hearts. Right in front of our blinded eyes is a gruesome and bloody war is being fought for each and every one of our hearts. Kingdoms are clashing. The powers of the dark are trying their best to devour the unparalleled and preeminent powers of the light. The dark is seeking to distinguish any source of light within each of our lives and assault our hearts by distracting us from the divine and marvelous light of the Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the places where I can see and feel this battle so tangibly is when I go out with my team on Friday nights and partner with the forces of the light, and tap into the Lord’s strength and take up His armor, to battle against the darkness that has captivated the girls we minister to on the streets. The Lord’s love for them is furious. The Lord’s love for each of us is furious. But God is livid at the pain and suffering that His precious daughters in Atlanta are facing and have faced the majority of their lives. God hates seeing them be abused every day.
As I’m writing this, I am realizing the irony of the date of this truth that I am learning. It’s Veterans Day. And here I am, learning the truths of what the war for our hearts looks like. A sad fact that I’m struck with is the fact that many veterans after serving in war come home never to be the same again. The images they have seen, the losses of lives they have seen is catastrophic and leaves imprints of their minds that unfortunately send a lot of them to insanity.
Though we are not physically fighting, we see horrific things. A girl that my team has been ministering to for years was murdered just several weeks ago. We have found girls lying on the streets weeping after just being raped. We have heard stories that no one should ever have to hear, let alone experience. The casualties of this war for our hearts can be catastrophic and tragic as well. And if we’re not careful, we could begin to lose our sanity as well as our purity of mind if we are not careful to dwell on the good that is being done and the grace of Jesus Christ.
We must be so careful and intentional to dwell on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” (Philippians 4:8) rather than allowing ourselves to be overwhelmed by the despairing and troubling things we see or hear. Because through Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection, the battle is already won. We already hold the keys to victory; so there is much to celebrate and much good to dwell on.
So tonight instead of bogging us all down with the burdensome stories that Satan and sin has destructively played into, I want to proclaim and rejoice in the victories that the Lord has brought forth in our relationships with the girls on the streets. Because so often I find myself disheartened and frustrated because I so easily become overwhelmed by the destruction and havoc that Satan is wreaking rather than being overwhelmed by the LIGHT, and all of the goodness that the Lord is cultivating in this community! That’s just who Satan is. He wants me to be impressed by his evil schemes. He wants me to be taken aback by the abominable affairs that he is originating so that I wonder where the power of the light is.
So here I am tonight, declaring that the battle is won. The victory is in the hands of Jesus Christ. And even if I never see another girl surrender her life to the Lord and be rescued from the dark, I can rest in the fact that Jesus has already won. Even when the battle looks hopeless and as a lost cause, I can say “NO” deep within my soul and know within my heart that Jesus holds the final victory.
But the beauty of this journal entry is this: there still is good being done! The name of Jesus alone is still doing miracles- even in a place where darkness is so thick and so worshipped, the name of Jesus still pierces hearts.
FOUR girls have recently decided to quit the prostitution business and pursue their dreams for a real job and family. THREE of those four have already surrendered their lives to the Lord and committed all of their days to Him. I have seen THREE healings miraculously take place through the name of Jesus in the past month. A lady that has mocked us for the past several years every time we visit her has recently opened up, broken down in tears, and called on the name of the Lord for help. Our team has gained favor at THREE additional strip clubs- permission to enter without a fee to give gifts to the working girls and tell them about our beautiful Jesus. These are just a few of the MANY victories I have witnessed recently.
The Lord is still working. He is still battling violently and aggressively for the hearts and souls of His precious daughters. And because of that, Satan is angry. Satan is furious. The enemy knows that nothing that he plots or schemes can ever stand up against the deep and passionate love the Lord has for each and every one of His sons and daughters. And that, my friends, is why we rejoice tonight.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Walking by Faith, not by Sight...
A friend asked me the other day, if I wanted to do a Bible study over Facebook. That they had been reading Romans, and wanted to discus some of the things, and wondered if I would be interested. Now you may be wondering why on facebook, well this friend isn't in Cincinnati. So I began reading Romans that day, and we had our first meeting/chat on wed. Lets just say that what I am about to share is what God had been planning for me every step of the way. God knew what I needed, God knew what I needed to hear. God used this friend to open my mind to the scripture.
For a while now I have been wondering and struggling with the sin in my Life. Why am so righteous to Gods Glory when I am such a horrible person. Sin is something that controls you. takes over your thoughts and mind, and creates itself as its own law against the law of Christ. Reading in Romans this past week has opened my mind to sin, and what Jesus truly is in pure sacrifice to sin.
I am going to quote some of the scripture, It may jump around alot, but this is what I have been reading, and learning.
Dead to sin, Alive in Christ Ch 6
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 I put this in human terms because you ar weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ch 7
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Ch 8
Life through the Spirit
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ch 9
15“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[g] 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”[h] 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
God is teaching me everyday, and I am learning everyday. Sin is alive in my life, but if I so choose to follow sin through my human desires, than I am dead. For it is through Faith alone that God grants mercy and righteousness. Do I pursue righteousness through works? Yes I do. To many times. Do I pursue Righteousness through Faith. Not as much.
Much of my sin comes from shame. I am constantly telling my self I am not worthy. I am not qualified to design for B2B. I am not qualified to be an architect. I am not qualified to share the the Gospel because I live in sin. I will never be able to do this or that, because of who I am. I will never get married. I will never live up to anything. How can I make it into heaven when my life is full of sin.
Well looking at the last one. Why am I trying to "make it" into heaven. Am I working everyday day to "make it" into heaven. God gave us the word, so that we may us it to full fill his will, not only to receive mercy and righteousness, but so that we may live in him, and in the Love that he gives to us each and everyday. Shame, is the law of sin that takes over. Shame destroys our trust. Shame destroys our Faith. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 8:5 So what does the spirit Desire?
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Neither Death nor Life, nor shame, or evil, or anyone, or any power can separate us from the Love that Jesus has shown us. For God so Loved us that he gave his One and only son to Die for us.
Therefore Paul says:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
See even Paul says, no matter what I do to you. I will trip you, I will cause you to fall.
No matter what, A stone can cause a man to stumble, and a rock can cause a man to fall. But the one who lives by True Faith, will never be put to shame. By Faith Comes life. Life through Living Water.
Jesus, Humble me! Help me to stumble. Close my eyes. Give me the strength to Walk by Faith, not by Sight...
For a while now I have been wondering and struggling with the sin in my Life. Why am so righteous to Gods Glory when I am such a horrible person. Sin is something that controls you. takes over your thoughts and mind, and creates itself as its own law against the law of Christ. Reading in Romans this past week has opened my mind to sin, and what Jesus truly is in pure sacrifice to sin.
I am going to quote some of the scripture, It may jump around alot, but this is what I have been reading, and learning.
Dead to sin, Alive in Christ Ch 6
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 I put this in human terms because you ar weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ch 7
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Ch 8
Life through the Spirit
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,[g] Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ch 9
15“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”
16 It does not, therefore, depend on human desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17 For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”[g] 18 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.
19 One of you will say to me: “Then why does God still blame us? For who is able to resist his will?” 20 But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’”[h] 21 Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?
30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
God is teaching me everyday, and I am learning everyday. Sin is alive in my life, but if I so choose to follow sin through my human desires, than I am dead. For it is through Faith alone that God grants mercy and righteousness. Do I pursue righteousness through works? Yes I do. To many times. Do I pursue Righteousness through Faith. Not as much.
Much of my sin comes from shame. I am constantly telling my self I am not worthy. I am not qualified to design for B2B. I am not qualified to be an architect. I am not qualified to share the the Gospel because I live in sin. I will never be able to do this or that, because of who I am. I will never get married. I will never live up to anything. How can I make it into heaven when my life is full of sin.
Well looking at the last one. Why am I trying to "make it" into heaven. Am I working everyday day to "make it" into heaven. God gave us the word, so that we may us it to full fill his will, not only to receive mercy and righteousness, but so that we may live in him, and in the Love that he gives to us each and everyday. Shame, is the law of sin that takes over. Shame destroys our trust. Shame destroys our Faith. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 8:5 So what does the spirit Desire?
But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life[d] because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of[e] his Spirit who lives in you.
“For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Neither Death nor Life, nor shame, or evil, or anyone, or any power can separate us from the Love that Jesus has shown us. For God so Loved us that he gave his One and only son to Die for us.
Therefore Paul says:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
See even Paul says, no matter what I do to you. I will trip you, I will cause you to fall.
No matter what, A stone can cause a man to stumble, and a rock can cause a man to fall. But the one who lives by True Faith, will never be put to shame. By Faith Comes life. Life through Living Water.
Jesus, Humble me! Help me to stumble. Close my eyes. Give me the strength to Walk by Faith, not by Sight...
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