Full Time Submission

One of the easiest things for a believer to do is get complacent. Of course there are many people passionate about growing in their relationship with God, but most times many are afraid to change or unwilling to allow God to have complete control. It’s so easy to get stuck in our comfort zones, but we all have to reach a place where we decide to be more than a normal Christian. Men in the bible did great things because they were obedient and willing, not because they’re better than us. We can all know God in a more intimate way if we just let go and give Him total control.

Could you imagine an Olympic Gold Medalist saying they are not going to train, because they know that they have “everything under control”? Usually, people with those mindsets are the ones who fail. There are many people training day and night and surely one of them will eventually beat this person who refuses to practice. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” It is not that this person isn’t gifted, but their gift can’t help them when they refuse to discipline their body.

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12)

It is the same way for us spiritually, if we choose to not study the word of God, pray and fast, we are just asking to fail. The devil studies us daily, so he knows our weak areas, and those are the areas he will tempt us in. If we don’t seek The Lord, we will continually fall into sin. Many Christians do not realize that Christ has broken the curse of sin from our lives and we are new creatures in Him. We sometimes lose our focus by “ministering”, tweeting, or even blogging about Christ that we actually forget to spend time with this God we love. God actually desires to have a personal relationship with us, which is why He sent His Holy Spirit to us. Ministry will not justify us or shield us from sin, but the closer we are to God is the more secure we will be.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)

Following Christ has to become our lifestyle, not just one of our hobbies. We cannot ignore Him during our week and want Him to bless us when we have a need. I have seen it done many times and I have done it as well, whereas a Christian will give God most of their life and try to hold onto certain things themselves (especially sins that they want to continue in). Many of us want to be saved from Hell, but not from sin. Jesus came to do both, we have to let go of something’s to hold onto Jesus. We can’t walk hand-in-hand with Jesus and the devil, we can only serve one master (Matthew 6:24). Part time obedience to God is full time disobedience. We must understand that it is a privilege to be a Christian, we cannot simply give Him what we want or what is left. That is why God accepted Abel’s offering and not Cain’s. God wants the best from us, not just a portion of what we do not want. God cannot use 50% of us, but the devil will gladly accept it.

God can only fill us to the level we want to be filled. God cannot fill someone who is full of themselves. We have to ask God to empty us before we ask Him to fill us. God will not pour Himself into a dirty vessel, so we have to continually draw closer to Him so that sin doesn’t separate us from His will. If we choose not to make the adjustments, that’s fine, but God will not dwell within us. I pray that we develop an unsatisfying hunger for the presence and Spirit of God (Matthew 5:6).

10 simple ways to draw closer to God: 1. Pray more! It’s a Christian’s duty to pray (Matthew 6:5-7). 2. Study the word of God and apply it to our lives (James 1:21-25). 3. Fast, it places the flesh under subjection and allows God to work in our lives (Isaiah 58) 4. Turn OFF the television more- most things the media portrays is AGAINST biblical beliefs (1 Peter 2:11). 5. Less time on phone and social networks (1 John 5:21). 6. Get rid of company that encourages sin and associate with those that love you enough to correct you (Proverbs 13:20). 7. Kill all of the sins we used to practice, even if they “feel” good (Galatians 5:24). 8. Being active in church, God gave gifts for us to use for His glory (Matthew 25:14-30). 9. Love people more- The world will know we are His disciples by our love for people (John 13:35). 10. Live life Christ, and don’t change to look like the world (Romans 12:2).

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (Hebrews 12:1)

There are many things in our lives that are probably not “sins”, but they are weights. We all have a race to run and we should not try to run with them, because that’ll slow down our progress or even burden us down until we give up on running. Things such as video games, social networks, and lets be real, some of the relationships we are in (whether dating or just friends) are simply slowing us down from growing or drowning out God’s voice in our lives. God’s word says to be holy (1 Peter 1:16), but if we spend our time with secular music saying “take your clothes off”, we are allowing these outside sources to go against the voice of God in our lives. Some may say listening to secular music isn’t a sin, but why would a single person listen to music that encourages sex and God commands purity? We must be careful not to allow these weights to become sins in our lives. Not judging whatsoever, if you disagree you can disregard; and what a married couple listens to is none of my business, allow God’s spirit to lead you. Just remember that we should stay away from things or people that give us ungodly urges or temptations.

Abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22)

Don’t publicly bash what you privately condone. We have to live what we preach. I urge each and every reader to leave this blog and do something, make a commitment. Not to me, but to you and God. Maybe you found this blog boring, unbiblical, or even great, but it makes no sense to hear a Word from The Lord and not try to apply it. You aren’t perfect, but neither am I. Together we can move forward and grow one day at a time, closer and closer to Jesus. Continue to seek The Lord, God bless!

– Tovares Grey

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