Tearing Out The Sin in Your Heart

Today, I spent my day removing wallpaper from the walls in a room at my job.  In removing wallpaper, I have learned that there is easy wallpaper and hard wallpaper.  I have seen wallpaper that is practically impossible to remove without destroying the walls and I have removed wallpaper that was already falling of the walls.

No matter what type of wallpaper you encounter there is still a few things you have to do for the walls to be ready for painting.  First, you have to remove the wallpaper.  Second, you have to make sure all the backing is off the wall.  Third, you have to make sure you have removed all the glue.  Fourth, you have to fix any holes, scrapes, or tears you might have made in the process of removing the paper.  Finally, you are able to prime and paint the walls to give them new life, color, and a whole new personality in your room.

As I thought about this extensive process involved in removing the wallpaper at my job, I thought about how these steps could also apply to removing sin from our lives.  First, we have to identify the sin in our lives that needs to be removed.  Second, we have to ask forgiveness for the sin in our lives.  Third, we need to ask the Lord to identify the many ways the sin has infiltrated our lives.  Fourth, we need to allow Jesus to heal the areas of our heart that has been damaged by the sin.  Finally, Jesus is able to take our hearts and revive them in Him bringing them to new life, passion, and praise for Him throughout our daily lives.

Here are some verses supporting the steps necessary to remove sin from your life:
1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  
Philippians 1:6, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." 
Romans 12:2, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."  
2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."
Acts 3:19-21, "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago."


Blessings,


Greg

Gasoline

(Disclaimer: This photo was not taken the same day as this story)

Today as I was out doing my errands for work, I ended up getting sprayed with gasoline while filling one of the mower containers.  I had not put the tip of the dispenser far enough into the container hence it sprayed everywhere when I pulled the trigger.  A pretty decent amount of gasoline covered my left hand, my left arm, and my left leg.  I was none to pleased, of course, and proceeded to figure out a way to remove it from my clothes.  I found that there was nothing I could do till I got home and could change to wash the clothes.  It turns out that it is easy to be covered with gasoline and yet difficult to remove it.  I noticed that the fumes from the gas were quite noxious and I ended up with a hurting throat by the time I made it home for lunch to change.  I had visible stains on my clothes and anyone passing by could immediately tell that I was not someone to stand close to.


When I was covered by the gasoline I was embarrassed because of the mistake I had made and worried about how people would perceive me.  The gas had soaked through my clothes in the places it had sprayed me and I had to also wash my skin to remove the substance and smell.  I could not just use soap and water to remove the gasoline.  I had to use a special soap to remove it from my skin and clothes.  While I had the gasoline on my skin and clothes I was a walking time bomb.  All it would take was a spark to severely hurt or possibly kill me.  All I could think about till I was out of the clothes was what would happen if I came across this spark or flame.

Isn't interesting that many of the parallels of gasoline work also with sin.  It is easy to get in to but hard to get out of.  It affects you body, mind, and soul.  It requires the Lord to remove the soiled parts of your heart for a deep cleaning.  It affects those around you and put off an aroma that typically repels them from you or in sin's case maybe entices them to you.  Sin invades your thoughts and clouds your judgment.

The Bible says these things about sin.  John 3:20, "For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed."  Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Jeremiah 2:22, "Though you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your guilt is still before me, declares the Lord God."  Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."  Romans 5:8-10, "But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."


Sin is something we have all be covered with.  No one can remove it but Jesus, who has conquered all sin.  All we have to do is ask forgiveness for our sins and believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior and He will come in and cleanse us of our sin.  Though we are justified, which means we are presented as completely spotless and worthy of heaven before God because of Christ, it takes the rest of our life's to be sanctified, which is the Holy Spirit completing a continual work in us to bring us into a closer and closer likeness to Christ taking the rest of our life and only being completed upon our arrival to heaven.  I hope you will lay your sins at Jesus' feet today and trust Him to do a good work in you and produce spiritual fruit in you for the rest of your life.  If you choose to do this or choose to recommit yourself to Christ today, remember what Jesus said to His disciples at the end of Matthew about how we should live as followers of Christ, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."   


Blessings,


Greg

Kingdom Sorrow from Apple's Loss

Yesterday the world lost a truly innovative inventor, leader, and visionary.  For those of you who love Apple products, you know who I'm talking about, Steve Jobs.  When I saw the paper announcing his death this morning my heart sank for two reasons.  First, I worry about whether Apple will be able to continue to create excellent and innovative products with Steve Jobs gone.  Second, and more importantly, my heart hoped that Steve Jobs knew Jesus Christ when he died.  Upon reading the article on his death, I discovered that he in fact was not a Christian but a Buddhist.  My flesh mourned for the loss of a man who has transformed the digital world we live in and my soul mourned for another lost soul for the kingdom.

In the next few days, weeks, months, and possibly years the world will lift up the many accomplishments and innovations that Steve Jobs amassed in his lifetime.  He will be remembered as the father of Apple, the father of the iPod, the Father of iTunes, a corporate hero, the modern day Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, and much more.  Unfortunately though, He will not be remembered as a follower of Jesus.  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  By Jesus' own words, none of Steve Jobs accomplishments will matter one iota at the doorstep of Heaven.  The only thing that will matter is whether Jesus knew and had an intimate relationship with Steve.

The only reason I am writing this blog is because we have to remember each day that no matter how many accomplishments a man has amassed in this world, he can never walk through the gates of heaven without knowing Jesus.  We want so badly for the good and nice people around us to somehow make it into heaven without us necessarily having to tell them.  Many of us secretly hope we are wrong and that buddhist, muslims, hindus, and everyone else will make it into heaven anyways for just believing in something.  The unfortunate and sobering truth is that Jesus professed only one way for someone to get to heaven and that is faith in Him.

We all are human.  We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  We all are unable to save ourself's and there is no way we can ever do enough good to tip the scales in our favor at the Kingdom gate.  We all need Jesus, every single one of us.  We, who are followers of Jesus, have the one and only truth.  We know the Bible supports this claim.  We must begin to share our Savior with the world.  Peter says in Acts 10:34-35, "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right."  


We are surrounded by a world who is dying without Jesus Christ.  Many have not heard.  Many who reject Him are being put on pedestals by the world.  Many do not care to know Him.  Many have never truly been offered the truth about who He is and what He can do.


We should pray for the family of Steve Jobs.  We should pray that they will be comforted and be able to grieve this tragic loss.  Most importantly, we should pray that they would learn of the saving grace of Jesus and find full peace in Him.  We should pray that the world would realize that the greatest accomplishments of Apple are nothing in comparison to the works of our Savior and God.  We should pray that somehow many people could come to know Jesus even through an event such as this.  We should pray that Christians hearts would be broken everywhere for the tragedy of another lost soul for Christ and that we will each be compelled to live our lives brightly so no others would fall away without having the opportunity to hear and know Jesus intimately. 


We hold the light.  We are the salt.  We are His beloved.  Let's boldly share Him today amidst another loss for the kingdom of Christ!


Blessings,


Greg

Who is on Your Heart Throne?

Have you ever discovered that the days you try the hardest to be perfect or keep your thought life pure is the very same day you stumble the most?   I have been experiencing these ups and downs since watching the movie Courageous.  I know that James says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds" but I wish that the trials didn't increase at the very moment you begin to work on walking more like Christ.  One thing I have discovered, is that much of the time when I experience stumbling, it is because I am trying to walk rightly on my own instead of allowing Jesus to perform a sanctifying work in me.  


Why is it then that I seem to struggle so much with allowing Jesus to change my heart and life.  Why do I constantly live like I need to rise above my sin and accomplish perfection on my own?  I know the answer to this question, which is my sinful nature is trying to walk as if I am my own God instead of acknowledging my need for God and inability to live rightly without God.  I know these things to be true and yet I still struggle with letting Jesus have complete reign of my heart. 

Have you ever been there?  Have you ever punished yourself for the many sins you commit each day and your inability to be pure for even a minute, let alone an hour?  Have you ever felt unworthy of being a follower of Jesus because of how often you stumble and because it seems to be an incurable condition?  Each one of these actions is due to your sin nature and temptations of the Devil.  Becoming a Christian, does not make you instantly pure and sinless like Christ but allows Jesus' purity and sinlessness become your covering, which allows you to be admitted into heaven through Christ's atonement on the cross.  Let me simplify that for you.  When you become a Christian you become a sinner saved by grace not a person who is now sinless and will never struggle with sin again.  

I find it enlightening the way Paul, in Galatians, talks about this battle in reference to our need for the Holy Spirit.  Paul says, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do."  In order to walk a more sanctified life we have to, "walk by the Spirit."  Only through doing this can we expect to see a change in our behaviors, thoughts, and actions.  Paul puts it this way in an earlier part of Galatians saying, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."     

So each morning we have to remember to rely completely on the Holy Spirit to help us walk in Jesus each day.  Every time we try and put ourself before the Holy Spirit, we will continue to stumble.  So let Jesus have full reign of your heart's throne today.  In your surrender to Jesus, the fruits of the spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control, will begin to grow and flourish in you.  Also the sin that plagues you will continue to make you stumble less.  I do not believe you will ever reach a state of perfect sinlessness in this world but the Holy Spirit will continue to bring you into a closer walk with Christ daily till the day you do become perfectly cleansed and sinless upon your arrival into heaven.  


I ask that you also pray for me that I would lay down my life daily so that it is not I living but Christ living in me each day.  I want each of you to know that I am so thankful to be able to share with you each day.  I continue to hope that through my struggles, and the lessons the Lord teaches me through them, you may be blessed, encouraged, and strengthened in your own daily walk with Christ.  

Blessings,

Greg  (www.realchristianwalk.com)


P.S.  I wanted to share with you all another beautiful Indiana fall photo today. I hope it brings you peace and joy.  :)

Magnificent Creator

I do believe that my favorite time of the year is Fall.  Fall is one thing that Indiana does very well.  I absolutely love driving along country roads and seeing the plethora of vibrant colors that seem to explode from each tree.  I love how some trees look as though they are on fire as they slowly become a vibrant red from the bottom up.  I love the blazing oranges, crisp yellows, and breathtaking reds and purples.  Wouldn't it be amazing if the trees stayed in their most beautiful fall state all the time.  Could you imagine being able to see these myriad of colors in spring, summer, and fall.  As a painter, I find nothing more fascinating than to try and reproduce the brilliance of fall trees and a sunset sky.

Even if I never read the Bible, I would know that God exists solely from the exquisite beauty of this world.  The Lord has brought me to my knees in absolute praise of Him many times through the uniqueness and awesomeness of His creation.  My heart jumped in praise as the Lord blessed me with meteorites across the sky.  My Lord has stopped me in my tracks through multiple sunsets accompanied by the most beautiful blending of colors I have ever seen.  My mouth has dropped in awe on many occasion at the beauty and power of storm clouds and the lightning jumping across them in all it's splendor.  I have literally sat in silence drinking in the beauty of cascading mountains, each formed by God's own hand.  Many rivers  and creeks have brought me intense joy as I experience the wonder of discovering something new and amazing around each bend and turn.  Our God has signed His beautiful autograph on each part of this world and He made it for us.

Psalm 19:1-6 says,

"The heavens declare the glory of God,
   and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
   and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words,
   whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
   and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun,
   which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.
    Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
   and there is nothing hidden from its heat."

I hope you will take the time to see the many blessings our gracious Lord and God will create for you this week.  Pay attention to the brilliant blue sky enhanced by the ever changing and drifting clouds.  See how many colors you can discover as the trees begin their transition to their Fall splendor.  Spend a few evenings outside expectantly waiting to see God's glory shown in a masterpiece sunset.  Truly drink in the world around you and be thankful of the one who gave it to us.  Be careful though to remember to whom the praise is deserved.  Never praise the creation but the creator.  May the Lord bless and speak to your heart in a new way as He uplifts you through His creation.

Blessings,

Greg