STAY STRONG in a WICKED, DEPRAVED and IMMORAL WORLD - 2 January 2018 (Ref. 40) - (From the pen of Celia-Joy Martins)
James 12:27 "PURE AND UNDEFILED FAITH in the SIGHT of our YAH and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and TO KEEP ONESELF UNSTAINED by the WORLD."
REJOICING in "SELF":
The times we are living in today are problematic and chaotic considering that sinfulness and sinful lifestyles are lived with rejoicing in the "SELF" - Atrocities like the murder of our unborn by abortions being legalized by law and same-sex marriages that followed the trend of legalization early in December 2017.
In 1 Cor. 5:9-10 the apostle Paul wrote that he previously wrote in his letter to the Corinthians that they should not have close and habitual relationships with the impure (the sinful and immoral, the wicked and dishonest, the corrupt and evil, the ruined and lead astray) people.
He went further saying that he did not mean that they should all together avoid, reject, ignore or completely turn away from the immoral people of the world - or from the greedy graspers and cheats and thieves or idolaters, for then it would mean to GET OUT of the WORLD AND HUMAN SOCIETY ALTOGETHER - and that is not possible. ("I wrote you in my [previous] letter NOT to ASSOCIATE [CLOSELY and HABITUALLY] with UNCHASTE (IMPURE) people - NOT [meaning of course that you must] altogether SHUN the IMMORAL PEOPLE OF THIS WORLD, or the GREEDY GRASPERS and CHEATS and THIEVES or IDOLATERS, since otherwise you WOULD NEED TO GET OUT of the WORLD AND HUMAN SOCIETY ALTOGETHER!.")
AVOID SINFUL SITUATIONS WHEREVER POSSIBLE:
We have to live in the world and cannot isolate ourselves completely from people living in sin or sinful lifestyles. We cannot AVOID being in contact with these people, but we CAN BE CAREFUL NOT TO BE BOUND TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS as in 2 Cor. 6:14.
Scripture makes it clear that we should COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE in 2 Cor. 6:17. This means that we should not be INTIMATE in our RELATIONS with them - not be IN A UNGODLY FRIENDSHIP with them - not be in A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP with them - not be in a SINFUL PARTNERSHIP with them or SINFUL FELLOWSHIP with them (Eph. 5:11). We need to AVOID the SINFUL DESIRES that comes from them, and AVOID EVIL COMPANIONSHIP. THIS MEANS DYING TO 'SELF' EACH AND EVERY DAY (1 Cor. 15:31).
1 Cor. 15:33 states "DO NOT BE DECEIVED: BAD COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD MORALS"
Col. 3:5 "Therefore CONSIDER the MEMBERS OF YOUR EARTHLY BODY AS DEAD to IMMORALITY ..."
SINFUL LANGUAGE - AVOID IT:
Scripture tells us that we should not even name immorality or impurity or greed among us and we should ourselves be distant from all these sinful talking and coarse language.
No filthiness should come from our mouths nor any silly talking or coarse jesting. (Eph. 5:3-4 "But IMMORALITY or IMPURITY or GREED MUST NOT EVEN BE NAMED AMONG YOU, as is PROPER AMONG believers; and THERE MUST BE NOT FILTHINESS AND SILLY TALK, or COARSE JESTING, WHICH ARE NOT FITTING, but RATHER GIVING OF THANKS.")
AVOID PEOPLE WHO OPPOSE the TRUTH:
2 Tim. 3: 5 tells us that people opposing the TRUTH are LEADING OTHER PEOPLE ASTRAY and should be avoided even if they are in the same church that we are, even pastors and ministers of faith. 2 Tim. 4:2 says that we should avoid them except for preaching the Word of Yah to them.
These people are:
Lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power . . ." (2 Tim. 3:2-5)
Avoiding sinful situations - making a special effort to avoid sinful people, we should still walk in love toward all people - but we should not be in companionship of ungodly people or even religious leaders who lead people into sin or lead people astray through their teachings. Neither should we be in companionship of people advocating sin like executives of companies advocating sin through their sayings or the media through commercials.
Experience have learned that when we as believers start to EXPOSE DARKNESS taught as LIGHT - people advocating sin, would distance them from our company or start accusing us as being in the wrong.
Built GODLY relationships:
Heb. 10:24-25 - Assemble with genuine believers (saints).
2 Tim. 2:22 - PURSUE righteousness - walk in faith, love and peace and with those who call on Yah from a pure heart.
IT FLOWS from our HEARTS:
Scripture tells us (Old and New Testaments) that our ACTIONS REFLECTS our HEARTS. It is from the HEART that RIGHTEOUSNESS FLOWS and from the HEART also that WICKEDNESS FLOWS.
OUR FRUITS:
Our ACTIONS - our ACTIVITIES - our DEEDS REFLECT OUR HEARTS and we ARE KNOW by the EXAMINING of OUR ACTIONS which are the FRUITS of the KINGDOM OF GOD or the FRUITS of the KINGDOM of DARKNESS.
In Matt. 7:15-16 Yahshua says:
"Beware of the FALSE PROPHETS, who come to you in SHEEP'S CLOTHING, but INWARDLY are RAVENOUS WOLVES. You will KNOW THEM by their FRUITS ..."
It is by OUR FRUITS that we will be JUDGED on JUDGEMENT DAY.
This is made clear by Yahshua saying in Matt. 7:21-23 that "NOT EVERYBODY who SAYS to Me, Lord, Lord, will ENTER the KINGDOM of HEAVEN, but HE WHO DOES the WILL of MY FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN WILL ENTER. MANY will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we NOT PROPESY IN YOUR NAME, and IN YOUR NAME CAST OUT DEMONS, and IN YOUR NAME PERFORM MANY MIRACLES? And then I WILL DECLARE, I NEVER KNEW YOU; DEPART from ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS."
BE DOERS of the WORD - DON'T BE DECEIVED:
James, the 'brother' of Yahshua says in James 12-26 "But PROVE YOURSELVES DOERS of the WORD, and NOT MERELY HEARERS WHO DELUDE THEMSELVES. For if ANYONE is a HEARER of the WORD AND NOT A DOER, he is LIKE A MAN WHO LOOKS at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has IMMEDIATELY FORGOTTEN what kind of person he was. If ANYONE THINKS HIMSELF to be RELIGIOUS, and YET DOES NOT BRIDLE HIS TONGUE but DECEIVES HIS OWN HEART, this MAN'S RELIGION IS WORTHLESS."
Verse 27 "PURE AND UNDEFILED RELIGION in the SIGHT of our YAH and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and TO KEEP ONESELF UNSTAINED by the WORLD."
RIGHTEOUSNESS of HEART DOES NOT COME EASILY:
It takes WORK to GET OUR HEARTS RIGHT AND KEEP our HEARTS RIGHT with YAH. 1 Peter 1:13 "Therefore, PREPARE your MINDS FOR ACTION, keep SOBER IN SPIRIT, FIX YOUR HOPE COMPLETELY on the GRACE to be BROUGHT TO YOU at the REVELATION of MESSIAH YAHSHUA"
It TAKES TRAINING and PLANNING and ORGANIZING and RESEARCH to be GOOD in what we DO. It takes PREPARATION to be GOOD PARENTS - EMPLOYEES - STUDENTS - FARMERS - the same is true in our DAILY WALK with OUR HEAVENLY FATHER. IT WILL NOT automatically UST FALL onto us - we MUST PREPARE OURSELVES to be in RIGHTSTANDING with Him - we NEED to SPEND TIME in HIS WORD - (1 Peter 1:13-14).
A PREPARED MINDSET = SPENDING TIME WITH GOD:
To be in RIGHTSTANDING with YAHWEH, WE NEED to SPENT TIME with our Father in heaven, by STUDYING HIS WORD, PRAYING and PRAISING (WORSHIPPING).
THE WORD OF GOD - our POWER - our STRENGTH - our PEACE:
By meditating on the WORD THROUGHOUT the DAY we will FIND that the WORD is:
1. The POWER OF YAH unto SALVATION (Rom. 1:16).
2. Abba GAVE US EVERYTHING we need to LIVE and LIFE in ABUNDANCE - AND GODLINESS, through KNOWLEDGE of HIS WORD - so that we can BECOME PARTAKERS OF HIS DIVINE NATURE. (1 Peter. 1:2-4).
3. YAH'S WORD PERFORMS ITS WORK IN US - THROUGH FAITH (1 Thess. 2:13).
4. Through KNOWLEDGE of HIS WORD we are STRENGTHENED with POWER by the SPIRIT, and we are ENABLED to DO FAR MORE BEYOND what we ask or think, according to HIS POWER WORKING IN AND THROUGH us. (Eph. 3:16-20).
PRAYER:
1. In PRAYING (at all times) we are ENABLED to REJOICE ALL the TIME - IN EVERYTHING WE DO (1 Thess. 5:16-18).
2. In being DEVOTED to PRAYER, KEEPING ALERT IN IT, with an ATTITUDE OF THANKSGIVING, we WILL BE ON GUARD AGAINST SIN, and the TRICKS OF THE EVIL ONE (Co. 4:2).
3. In PRAYING (at all times) we are ENABLED to NOT BEING ANXIOUS FOR ANYTHING for we make our requests KNOWN to YAH by PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION and as a RESULT we HAVE the PEACE of YAH surpassing all (Phil. 4:4-7).
PRAISE:
1. With the WORD of YAH DWELLING RICHLY INSIDE OF US - SONGS of PRAISES WILL STREAM FROM OUR LIPS - GIVING THANKS to OUR KING, even if we SING PRAISES SILENTLY in our MINDS (Col. 3:16).
2. Yahweh COMMANDS us to SING PRAISES when we are CHEERFUL. In WORSHIPPING Him, it keeps our MINDS FIXED on Him, on the RIGHT THINGS and SERVING in HIS KINGDOM (James 5:13).
BIBLE STUDY - PRAYERS AND PRAISES - a DAILY PART OF OUR LIVES:
Bible Study, prayers and praises should be A DAILY PART OF OUR LIVES to ENABLE US TO GROW STRONG IN FAITH AND STAY STRONG.
Scripture tells us that "No soldier in active service ENTANGLES HIMSELF in the AFFAIRS OF EVERYDAY LIFE, so that he may PLEASE the ONE WHO ENLISTED him as a SOLDIER" (1 Tim. 2:4)
Scripture tells us that we should NOT "STORE UP for YOURSELVES TREASURES ON EARTH, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But STORE UP FOR YOURSELVES TREASURES IN HEAVEN, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves DO NOT BREAK IN OR STEAL, for WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO (Matt. 6:19-21).
Abba, thank You for YOUR WORD - thank You for Your Son Who IS the WORD. Thank You that we can FILL ourselves UP with Your WORD - that IS Your SON and have FELLOWSHIP with Him. Thank You for Your MERCY and YOUR GRACE - YOUR COMPASSION ON US - even when we SIN. Thank You for FORGIVENESS - thank YOU FOR LISTENING to our PRAYERS when our HEARTS are in RIGHTSTANDING with You. Thank You for BEING OUR FATHER - our HEAVENLY KING - for BEING OUR ROCK - our SALVATION - our HIGH TOWER - our PEACE. In Yahshua's name. Amen.