Soap - Freedom in Him and His Word

It was an hour before class started and all I wanted to do after practicing for a few hours was take a nap. So I crawled into bed after mumbling a request to my mom about waking me up before class started. Then the Lord called and told me "Go, to My Word." Groggily, I grumbled, "Oh, noo, not now, Lord-I'm so tired..." Once again He told me, "Go, to MY Word." Who was I to refuse Him? So I sleepily slumped back into my chair and turned on my Kim Walker playlist and began to pray in preparation to read the Word.

As I sat in my chair, He whispered to my soul, "Know that I am worth it." It was only a moment of speaking with the Lord about how I wanted to be greater than all other men before me. He replied to my ambition with "You shall be. Remember that you will be last-serving all. You will suffer and you're going to go through a great deal of hardship. However, Know that I am worth it."

"Now is not the time for rest. My Son has paid the cost and you must proclaim it to all those around you. Do not sit idly. Give your entire being for I am worth it."

Like a total culmination of all that I've been learning from the Word, God spoke to me today with this. How truly worthy he is of all my devotion and time. Praise Him, praise Him, praise Him.

S: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:1-2, 11

Like a dog that returns to its vomit Is a fool who repeats his folly.

Proverbs 26:11

O: Paul is speaking adamantly against those who he knew would try to twist his words - God's grace is infinitely abundant so as to always pardon us when we fall short. But those who would continue to live in sin and give such a petty excuse such as "...so that grace may increase" would make me question how they perceive God-as if He were a fool to put up with those who would intentionally sin while giving the excuse of giving glory to Him. But, I know I have been guilty of this-as so many are plagued with an addiction to pornography and lust, I am one of those men who returns to his folly, like a dog returning to it's vomit. Even as this week goes on, I fought desperately for what I thought was freedom when I was already free from the shackles. As I went deeper into the Word, I found it easier to 'flee from sexual immorality' as I hid the Word in my heart so that I would not sin against Him (psalms 119:11) and I made every though captive to Christ.

A: I am not to live in sin-and if I am to fall, I must get right back up, walk again in repentance and live humbly under grace. I must never give into thought "I'll eventually sin," but I must know that I am DEAD to sin because Christ truly took my old self to be crucified with Him upon the cross. But not only was my old self crucified, but I was raised to new life with Him, as He proved to be master, even over death. By this, I must remember that the Word reminds me of my new life and by clinging to it, the very weapon to conquer all things is in my possession.

P: Lord, praise You for all that you have revealed to me! To think that I've gone so many years without even taking a second glance at your Word-where all along, all the guidance from You that I thought was never there was right upon my desk. Lord impress upon my heart the fact that I am freed from the binding of sinfulness and flesh-Give me a greater desire to delve deeper and deeper into Your Word, for Your voice has truly found it's place at the top of my heart. I don't want to ever live in sin or to forsake your commandments-because there is no longer a chain on me! I wish to live by obedience and by a faith strengthened by suffering-prepare me Father and ready me for war. It was never enough to 'not-sin and live' - But Lord, as I take this step to understand that I am free, would you prepare me for greater things-that only a servant could possibly want to do...Do as You will, mold me and break me into the very person you intended me to be. Would you be glorified, magnified, and worshiped! In Christ, amen.

Soli Deo Gloria