You can not know one without understanding the other. Deep inside us there is a battle for dominance over our will. Satan’s temptations, the pressure of the world, and the weakness of our flesh are constant enemies to our soul. They urge us to assert ourselves and fight against our self control. Self indulgence? Instant gratification! Are they wrong? We need to eat, drink, sleep and other functions necessary to survive. Some might perceive that as selfishness, but they are necessary to live. However, it is when any of these obscure God’s glory in our lives that they become sin.
There is a time to be assertive and stand for righteousness. There is a time through the power of the Holy Spirit to be impatient and urgently respond. Most importantly, there is Jesus. He is the eternal object of our worship, our praise, the author of our love, the finisher of our faith. His holiness and grace calls us to be totally committed to Him and to His Kingdom. Through His grace and by the power of the Holy Spirit, let Christ’s identity be wholly yours! Be Christ-indulgent! Be Christ-esteemed! Be Christ-confident!
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)
Our spiritual life is not something that you clock in at 9 and punch out at 5. You are either all in or you are a hypocrite. You can not righteously council a brother or sister struggling with alcohol addiction in the morning and get drunk in the evening. You can not say pornography is evil and intentionally watch offensive, obscene and vulgar movies. You can not be angry with a person living in a homosexual lifestyle and have lust and promiscuity in your heart. Your integrity is nothing without the Truth evidenced in and through your life. People will trust you, if they know who you really are! It’s a lot easier to swallow advice from someone who says “I’m a struggling, sinner too!”
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