Keeping The Body Holy

Date: Saturday, February 28, 2015
Chapters: Deuteronomy 22-24
Message Title: Keeping The Body Holy
Hello My Friend,
The Christian life may not be as glamorous as a worldly life, but it is the only life with Christ in it, it's the only life that teaches us to have respect for our bodies and to be prosperous in a godly way. While God hates all sin, acts committed with the body come with deeper consequences because they are done with the flesh. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11,18.
Fornication is any immoral act committed with the body, perhaps the things that God finds abominable next to following other gods is defiling the body. Since God made us in His own image, it would make sense that we are to present ourselves as such. While it may seem strange to us, it's the little things that matter to God, even the clothes we wear. Moses explains this further. “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God. If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel. If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you. But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: If a man find a damsel that is a virgin, which is not betrothed, and lay hold on her, and lie with her, and they be found; Then the man that lay with her shall give unto the damsel's father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife; because he hath humbled her, he may not put her away all his days.” - Deuteronomy 22:5,22-25,28,29.

Today, we need to be truly grateful that these laws are no longer enforced since Jesus Christ died on the cross. However, the same principals still apply, we are to put away all evil and live godly, moral lives, this includes adultery and cross dressing. These things may seem perfectly normal in a corrupt world, but they are not God's world. Keep in mind that we are all sinners and struggle with sin, God loves everyone, but He hates sin. Are you struggling? Are you fighting with sin, past or present? If you truly want a relationship with Christ, one in which you truly feel the presence of God and know that you are a forgiven child of the living God. Then it's time to stop fighting against the things that keep you from letting God get near you. It takes time to get really close to God, but as long as you keep removing the obstacles His pull will keep getting stronger and stronger and there us nothing that God would not do for you. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” - 1 Corinthians 2:9.

As Moses continues giving instructions to Israel upon entering the promised land he, warns them that God is among them and will remove anyone that defiles their body out of the congregation. They must take care to keep their camp clean, pure from moral, ceremonial, and natural corruption. “If there be among you any man, that is not clean by reason of uncleanness that chanceth him by night, then shall he go abroad out of the camp, he shall not come within the camp: But it shall be, when evening cometh on, he shall wash himself with water: and when the sun is down, he shall come into the camp again. Thou shalt have a place also without the camp, whither thou shalt go forth abroad: And thou shalt have a paddle upon thy weapon; and it shall be, when thou wilt ease thyself abroad, thou shalt dig therewith, and shalt turn back and cover that which cometh from thee: For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee. There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel. Thou shalt not bring the hire of a whore, or the price of a dog, into the house of the LORD thy God for any vow: for even both these are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” - Deuteronomy 23:10-14,17,18.
Yes, prostitution and homosexuality are among the acts of the body that are an abomination to God. That's the reason so many people flee from God, they want to be free to live the way they want, even society has allowed such acts as if God made them that way. Let me tell you, God does not make a person gay or the wrong gender, people make themselves to believe they are. They choose to take their sinful lifestyles to the max and try to justify their actions by saying that it came from God. It's a choice, just like choosing Christ is a choice, you know, God does love them too, Christ died for all of us, but He never condones sin, no matter what it is. “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” - Galatians 5:13,19-21.

Marriage is very sacred to God, it means much more to Him than a man and woman saying “I do.” It is a union in which the man and woman have united, they are no longer two separate people, but one. Moses understood this, but also knew the law, how could a man and woman escape the penalties of the law of adultery, that is when he instituted the bill of divorcement. “When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, which took her to be his wife; Her former husband, which sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.” - Deuteronomy 24:1-4.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour we enter a marriage with Him, a union, we are joined as one, and nothing can separate or divorce us from Him. Therefore, God sees a marriage between a man and woman just as He would a marriage between Christ and His convert. Our flesh and emotions often cause us to make wrong decisions even in who we marry, all effort must be taken to save a marriage, and while God does not condone divorce, He allows it in some circumstances. “But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.” - 1 Corinthians 7:12-15.
Today's Prayer: God, As we walk daily with You, our presence will make a difference in a classroom, workplace, neighborhood, community, and most especially in our families lives. With Your sanctifying seal upon our lives we no longer live according to the lust of our flesh, but the life of Christ who resides in us. May we see our world turned upside down as people put away evil from among them while being transformed by Christ’s redemptive power. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Subscribe: Daily Devotion
Learn How To Get Saved: God's Price
Visit Our Website: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following JesusCopyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.

Move Forward & Live Life

Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Chapters: Deuteronomy 12-15
Message Title: Move Forward & Life Your Life
Hello My Friend,
Every faithful Christian who follows the Word of God comes to a point in their lives when they wonder if the life they are living could have been better had they done something else. Let me tell you, when you are out of the world you never realize how corrupt it is until you step into it after you left. Visible immorality and fornication are nothing compared to the deception that comes from unknowingly walking into something that appeared to be pure. It's no wonder God was so angry with His creation that the only way to end it all was to destroy them all in the flood. You have to question that as bad as the world is today, what is must have been like for God to wipe out the entire earth. So, instead of contemplating whether or not the life you are living could have been better, count your blessings, and know that God does want better of you. In order to get it, it's time to forget the past, forgive yourself, and start living that life with Jesus leading the way. “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” - Galatians 5:1,13.

The first step in moving forward and living the life God wants us to live is knowing Jesus, even back in the Old Testament the Israelites were warned against following false gods and religions. There are many religions claiming to know God and while God could just get rid of them all in an instant He allows them for one reason and one reason only, to prove our faith in Him. Moses warns the Israelites that they are going to be approached by people who say they are God's people. “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.” - Deuteronomy 13:1-5.
There is a reason why God does not want His people to yoked with people of different faiths, it causes too much confusion, and creates the false sense that all faiths lead to God. There is only One God and He is in the form of three persons, God the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, any other perception of God is false. There is only One Way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ, any other way is false. There is only way to eternal life and that is with Jesus Christ. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” -John 14:1-4,6,7.

The second step to moving forward and living the life that God wants us to live is by separating ourselves from everyone and everything that causes a hindrance between us and God. Moses tells Israel how God had given them three distinguishing privileges above all other people, while they were not better than them, God chose them, they were His children, and they were holy people. That meant that God expected them to live in a way that was holy. “Ye are the children of the LORD your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing. Ye shall not eat of any thing that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk. Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.” - Deuteronomy 14:1-3,21-23.
God's people are not better than anyone else, they still sin, and some even commit worse deeds than worldly people do, what separates them and makes them God's is Jesus Christ. Of course, God wants His people to be separate and apart from the world, after all, anyone claiming they believe in Jesus Christ as the only way to God is peculiar, but God wants us that way. It is solely by God's grace that He gives all a choice to choose Him, and if we do He never lets us go, but since we are God's and we are a peculiar people, we are live in a way that supersedes the world. “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.
The third step to moving forward and living the life God wants you to live is forgiveness, we must not only forgive ourselves for what we have done, we must also forgive others. To seek and get forgiveness of their debts, God enforced a release day every seven years on any debt owed by any person that was not paid. A release meant they would be free from confinement, bondage, or obligation to the debt owed, if a person owed money and could not afford to pay it, the creditor had seven years to try to claim it, at the end of the seven years, if it had not been payed, that person would be released from paying the debt. “At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD'S release. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again: but that which is thine with thy brother thine hand shall release; Save when there shall be no poor among you; for the LORD shall greatly bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it: Only if thou carefully hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all these commandments which I command thee this day. For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.” - Deuteronomy 15:1-6.

The year of release is representative of the Gospel of Christ in which it is proclaimed as the only acceptable year of the Lord to redeem a soul bound for hell. The Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, when one believes in the Gospel and asks Jesus to save them, they are not only released from the sin debt owed, they are forgiven and all sins forgotten. All who call upon Christ obtain the release of their sin debts, are pardoned of their sins, it is a reminder that we too must forgive and forget, even if that means it is ourselves we need to come to terms with. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” - Matthew 6:12,14,15.
Today's Prayer: God, Thank You for redeeming me and saving me when I accepted Your Son as my Saviour. You not only saved me from hell, You gave me a new life, and I am so grateful that You never gave up on me, and that You love me too much to see me living as though there is no life in me. Your life is in me, and as much as I would like to think that everything I do is for Your glory, I know it is not because I have things in my life that I am still in bondage to. Lord, give me Your power to let go of my past, and move forward. Give me the strength to take that step by faith and not look back, help me to never forget how far You have taken me and that it is not the end of the road. Lead me and guide me so that my life is as You want it to be, and let me not be tempted to go down any other path. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,P.S. I apologize for the delay in posting the messages, they will resume daily beginning February 26, 2015. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Christina
Subscribe: Daily DevotionLearn How To Get Saved: God's Price
Visit Our Website: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following JesusCopyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.