Sometimes a song [Heaven On Earth, by Stars Go Dim] can sum up our desire to leave our carnal life behind and submit our lives to God, our Lord, and Savior. There is a day and time when we (all) discover we have been asleep when we awake and long to take our heads out of the sand because we realize we are not living, but existing. There is a longing to return to our home, our Father, and reside in His presence. A time when we recognize we let the light go dark.
I found myself crying out for the Lord, tired of being just another soul caught up in carnal desires disguised as seeking career success. Others carnal desires may take other forms, but all fall far short of the Glory of God by definition. Whenever we put ourselves, our successes first, we are living with our heads in the sand. Whenever we seek celebrity, we are living in the dark.
Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. Romans 8:5-6 NLT
Sometimes in our lives, our trajectory begins to seem pointless and empty despite our successes. As the lyric states, ‘we are watching time just ticking, days in and days out’. We are not living. It is also during these times when we often fall to our knees and cry out to our Father, save me, set me on fire.
Isn’t it interesting that God, who knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb knew that we would stray before we sought Him? He gave us free-will so that we could experience a carnal life. God’s plan is for us to establish a loving relationship with Him, in order to do so, we have to experience carnality. How else can we know that this life is empty and purposeless?
God does not want us to run to Him blindly; he wants us to want Him. He wants us to desire Him, to love Him. He wants us to put Him first in our lives and give our lives purpose. He wants us to develop a holy character and conduct. He wants us to live demonstrating His righteousness through our (Christ-like) character. He wants us to conduct ourselves by living a righteous life; to love our neighbor, to share the Good News, to prove God exists through our actions and conduct.
Sometimes God allows Satan to break us down and sometimes we do it ourselves, but the result is always the same. We find our lives are not what we thought they were. We look in the mirror, and our reflection is hollow. The light that may have existed in our early youth no longer radiates throughout our being, we are empty. We feel cold and lifeless. The light goes dim, and we know we are lost.
In the Book of Romans, Paul expresses what it means to be justified and live a righteous life.
Justification is God’s gracious act by which He declares the believing sinner righteous in Jesus Christ because of the work of Christ on the cross. When you believe, Christ’s righteousness is imputed, that is, “put to your account .” Sanctification is God’s work in the believer whereby He imparts His righteousness and develops holy character and conduct. A righteous standing before God leads to a holy life before men. We are not saved by works or by faith plus works; we are saved by faith that works. (Wiersbe)
Pray today for the light of our Lord to reside in you.
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10 NLT
If Christ already lives in you, ask that His presence becomes the dominating force in your life.
Prayer and Worship
Lord, you sent your Son to walk the earth as a man and experience what it is to be man. You sacrificed Him to atone for our sin nature and be redeemed. I know my sins are hostile to You. And, as you fill the void in my life, they are hostile to me as well. Holy Spirit, I ask that you become the dominating force in my life. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on firm footing (Psalm 143 NLT). I thank you for sacrificing your Son for me. Thank you for making me your temple and allowing me to invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in me. Thank you for putting a fire in me to know your Word and live a holy life. Thank you for changing my character to become like Christ. Thank you for teaching me that you are first in my life, and all other things follow; and that as long as you are first, I am no longer a slave to my carnal needs and desires. Thank you for my freedom from the dark. Thank you for your love, and concern, for my life. Thank you for your grace and mercy.
In Jesus Name, Amen.
Video – Heaven On Earth – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhCzzQQNnLA
Re-Blog – https://wp.me/p98Coa-xu
Images – Pexel.com; Google Images; Snapseed
Scriptures – Biblegateway.com
Video – YouTube
References/Resources – Nelson’s Quick Reference, Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary. Warren Wiersbe
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Lisa’s Daily Inspirations 