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I have always felt a little strange because of the way I am. I grew up in a Christian home and was a practicing Christian from the age of 16. I always loved going to church and learning about the word of God, but it wasn’t until I was 18 that I was baptized and decided to follow Christ. However, it is not like I feel empty, but I think there is still something in me that I am missing, I think a lot and I conclude that maybe it is because of my personality, I have been so changeable that sometimes I miss who I was or maybe it is that sometimes I want to have a goal and I don’t achieve it… I know I shouldn’t feel this when I say that my fullness is God, but I am human and I believe that there are pleasures inherent to the experience as a human and it makes me sad to know that perhaps I have not known them. I’m not talking about parties or hedonism, but about something transcendent.
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When one’s own assertion becomes deified, and a carnal faith that seeks only one’s own happiness, blessing, success, and prosperity is at its core, then one’s assertion is made into God, one’s own self-centeredness is made into the Word, one’s own judgment and standards are made into the Word, and one’s own judgment is made into Christ. Most people, without realizing it, have deified themselves. This is because they worship God together with the world and material things, so that their faith is ruled by corruption, heresy, and falsehood, shaped by theoretical reasoning, emotional judgment, and intellectual belief—thereby completely denying the love of the cross. The majority of believers today are thus trapped in the pride and cunning of deified humanism.
Christians are not truly followers of Christ. Without living the life of Christ, they act as though they were Christians. Inside the church and outside the church, their conduct differs; their outward appearance and their inward being are different; their words and their deeds do not align. Outwardly they pretend to be holy, kind, merciful, gentle, and humble, but in truth they are filled with cunning worldliness, rationalizing their duplicity and hypocrisy. The tragic reality of these Christians is that vain prayers, which seek worldly possessions and material wealth, have become accepted as normal. They do not even understand the true meaning of the Word, “Ask anything, and it shall be given.” It means to ask for anything within the love of Christ—not to ask for the things of the world and the flesh.
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.(Exodus 20 : 7)
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.(2 Corinthians 7 : 10)
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.(John 8 : 34)
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.(1 John 3 : 18~24)
Within vain prayers that seek only the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of life, and the lusts of the eyes belonging to the world and the flesh, faith becomes an enemy before God and an adversary before Christ. The tragic reality of Christians today, who can do nothing but sin and repent, sin and repent again, repeating this until the day they die, is that most gradually grow dull or dismissive toward their sins, and increasingly become bold or even shameless about them, resulting in a brazen and hardened faith. This is the result of serving God together with the world and with material things, and of all the corruption, heresy, and falsehood that such compromise produces. God is love. Only those who abide in love do not commit sin.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.(1 John 2 : 15~17)
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.(1 John 3 : 6~10)
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.(Romans 6 : 17~23)
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.(1 John 4 : 16~21)
Many people do not know that within the love of God, His power works. It is the same for both those who teach and those who learn. This is like the saying, “the blind leading the blind.” The sermons of pastors who put forward only words and theories that awaken, urge resolutions, and demand determinations until the day one dies are a misuse of the truth—mere human instruction and inspiration in which the power of God can never be manifested.
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.(Matthew 15 : 14)
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.(2 Timothy 3 : 5~8)
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.(Titus 2 : 11~14)
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:…(Colossians 1 : 10~14)
If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.(1 Timothy 4 : 6)
The truth of God is to lead us to receive the power of God that is revealed within His love. In other words, it is to obtain the divine power that surpasses the limitations of man in the flesh, who, though awakened, resolved, and determined, can do nothing but repeat sin. Look upon your sins with a humble heart. In the life lived in the flesh, everything is sin: envy, jealousy, strife, lust, pride, falsehood, and hatred—these seven emotional sins are worthy of death.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.(Romans 1 : 28~32)
These are the gods of emotion, the seven demons that all humanity carries: the spirit of envy, the spirit of jealousy, the spirit of strife, the spirit of lust, the spirit of pride, and the spirit of hatred, the spirit of falsehood—these seven demons are at work within you. Therefore, you are not a true Christian. Look upon the Scriptures with the eyes of humility. Remember to whom the warning to repent is given. This may be your final opportunity to be born again, to be changed, and to be transformed.