Strengthened To Make Godly Choices

[Mike]

Strengthened To Make Godly Choices

Sometimes someone may be struggling with living a godly life and ask me, "What should I do?" Although our entire life is dedicated to being strengthened in Christ, there are a few basic principles I would like to consider in this article.

First, a person must be a Christian. In Paul's epistle to the Ephesians he instructs them concerning godly living. Near the end he says: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Eph. 6:10). Strength is in the Lord; therefore, one must be in the Lord (a Christian) to be strong.

Second, Christians must clothe themselves in the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:14f). Therefore, they are made strong to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. This armor is from God who protects us from the devil. We put on the armor in obedience to His word and He protects us.

Note here the armor: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. Paul explains these in a military metaphor which we do not have space here to explain. But note that these are the components whereby we are protected by God from the devil as we dedicate ourselves to prayer (Eph. 6:14-18).

Third, we must have faith. Certainly we must believe before being saved, but we must never stop believing and we must continually increase in faith. Faith is total and complete trust in God. And faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17). Thus in order to be strong in the Lord, we must be committed to coming to a full-knowledge of God's will (Col. 1:9). Paul's prayer for the Colossians was: "that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light" (Col. 1:10-12).

Fourth, we must have hope. Our hope lies in God and His promises. Of this hope Paul says: "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Heb. 6:19-20).

Fifth, we must have love. Paul says: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love" (Gal. 5:6). Love for God and man motivates our faith into action. A person having a loveless faith has a dead faith while a person having faith and love has a living faith (Ja. 2:14-26).

To the Corinthians Paul wrote concerning love and its relationship to faith and hope: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. . . . And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:1-3, 13).

How are we strengthened to live a godly life rejoicing in the trials and tribulations of this life? We must be a Christian and put on the whole armor of God. We must have faith, hope, and love in a prayerful life dedicated to God.

This is my prayer for my life . One step at a time , but with Christ , this can be achieved .

Is there something in your life preventing you from being strong in the Lord?
God bless and be encouraged today . Mike

 

[fightngwrmwood]

This is a great thread. Love the challenge at the end.

Recently, have been meditating on James and as He stretches me He is showing me that we must be prepared to grieve as well. I suppose this ties in with being prepared to love - or is a necessary part of that preparation.

As God prunes me, it hurts! He prunes and a little part of me is dead and I miss that part, even though it is better gone and it is time for it to be gone. This word in James encourages me - strange as it sounds to use the word encourage - it just does - affirming the work He does when it's painful.

I am including the first half of the 4th chapter of James here for context, but I italized the part that speaks of the grief from growth in love for Him.

James 4:1-10

"Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you lack it, so you kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satifsfy, so you fight to get your way by force. It is because you do not pray that you do not receive. When you do pray and do not receive it is because you pray wrongly, wanting to indulge your p***ions.

Adulterers! Do you not realize that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God. Can you not see the point of the saying in scripture, "the longing of the Spirit He sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing?" But He gives us even greater grace, as Scripture says, "God opposes the proud, but he accords his favor to the humble." Give into God then, resist the devil and he will run away from you. The nearer you are to God, the nearer God will come to you.

Clean your hands, you sinners, and clear your minds, you waverers. Appriciate your wretchedness, and weep for it in misery. You laughter must be turned to grief, your happiness to gloom. Humble youselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.

 

[Chad]

Excellent thread brother. Thanks for posting this, nicely laid out and good paragraph structure too (I'm picky lol).

Romans 12

Living Sacrifices to God

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Serve God with Spiritual Gifts

3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

 

[go4God]

very well put...and I love the chapter Chad mentioned..I only just read that the other day, and it is awesome.

 

[Mike]

James 4:1-10

"Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves? You want something and you lack it, so you kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satifsfy, so you fight to get your way by force. It is because you do not pray that you do not receive. When you do pray and do not receive it is because you pray wrongly, wanting to indulge your p***ions.

The strength to become nothing in this world , is the ability to become all things that Christ commands . Thanks for the scripture verse f-woormwood. God is doing great things in my life . :boy_hug: Mike