Overcoming the Temptation to Play Hokey Pokey with God”.

What a beautiful, and blessed day! Do you find yourself starting your day in this manner, or is it more of a laundry list of disgruntled thoughts? Do you find yourself slipping when it comes to your prayer life these days? Saying things like, “ I’ll do it later, or when I have a free moment. I just have to get this done first.” Well you’re not alone.

More often these days it seems as though distraction is taking center stage in the lives of believers. Excuses and justification are the main characters. However, this type of half-hearted living is a recipe for disaster. The Lord has this to say in Revelation 3:16-NIV ,”So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” What a chilling reality!

You see the simple fact is that all Jesus wants from us is our heart, our whole heart. When we chose to give our lives to Christ, that’s exactly what we did! We agreed to live a changed life, a new life out of gratitude and reverence to him. After all, he did give his life for us. John 3:16-NIV, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

If we, “love Jesus, but cuss a little”, (as some people laughingly like to say) are we actually living as a “new” creation? 1 John 5:18 (NIV) states this: “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.” Does this mean that if we sin we are not saved? No…this simply means that if we are saved then we should not, nor should we desire to willfully sin anymore. Further, the “One” refers to Christ, and the fact that if we abide in Christ and God’s word then we are protect from the evil one by filling our spirit with Him. This then means “We love Jesus, and thus we cuss NO MORE!”

The whole of the earth is under the control of the evil one, and it is more prevalent every day. We are to continue to persevere through it, and not become part of the world. Getting wrapped up in all the worldly drama draws us further from the path of righteousness.

This is not about being “sinless”; it’s about making a choice to walk a better path. One that demonstrates to the “non-believer” that there is someone, and something better to live for. We serve God, and Jesus out of love, not duty. We give up our old life for the “new”, and healthier life in Christ. This is the image we are to portray for others to see.

So if you find yourself playing the proverbial “Hokey Pokey” game, (one foot in, and one foot out), with your walk of faith remember that the pagans and non-believers are looking at you to see how real God is in your life. It’s not your salvation that’s in question here…it’s theirs!

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Peter 2:12-NIV)

I am not “Holier than thou”, or more righteous than anyone else by posting this.

As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one,” -Romans 3:10 (NIV)

I am simply one who chooses a better life with Christ. A life that is “not of this world”. I want to encourage other believers to turn away from the desires of the world which are pulling on us all every day. It is my hope that we can uplift, and encourage one another in love to persevere.

If you should wish to look further into this topic please see 1 John, and 2 John for more details.

As always, I wish you all my love in Christ Jesus!

Many Blessings,

Annie 🙂