But the natural (soulical) man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
When you look at 1 Corinthians what a lot of soulicalism there is: this wisdom of words, this wisdom of the world, these likes and these dislikes and preferences and partialities and antipathies, and then their jealousies. That is no good on this foundation. Do not bring your own soul-life into relationship with Christ; it will not tally and it will not go through, it will go up in smoke. Are you trying to make your Christianity a matter of how you feel? You will have a composite kind of Christianity of so many varieties, nothing consistent at all, a perfect patchwork. When you think you have arrived at a very good logical conclusion about a matter, something will come along and upset the whole thing.... You never get through that way. Your soul in the realm of its mental exercises and conflicts will never tally with Christ. And as for our own soul-will, strength to do, we may feel very strong, we are never going again to be caught like that, never going down that street again! It is not long before we are there. Oh, how ashamed our souls make us! How ashamed we have been because of the instability of our feelings or our wills or our thoughts. Ashamed! Ashamed! Ashamed! Our souls are making fools of us all the time. “He that believes on Him shall not be put to shame.” Paul says that this soul-life business must not come on Christ. It is a contradiction. It is not what you are, it is what Christ is.
When you cannot see and understand and work it out mentally, when you cannot feel anything, no feelings at all, or when they are very bad feelings – that is one realm, that is just what we are. Christ is not that, and we have at such times to say, "Lord, this is my infirmity, this is how I am, but You are Other; I transfer my faith to You from myself and from these things." Christ is the foundation, and all that we build on the foundation has to be Christ Himself. He is not only the foundation, but He is the whole building in every part.
~T. Austin-Sparks~
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Courage to Speak the Truth
Why is it so easy to lie? Telling a falsehood is something we all did as children, but lying can trip up even longtime Christians. The underlying motive for giving in to deception is usually a desire to protect ourselves in some way. We lie to get out of trouble, to avoid an unwanted situation, to profit financially, to receive acceptance, to bolster our image, to hide our flaws, or for other self-serving reasons.
When Nebuchadnezzar had an alarming dream, the Lord gave Daniel the interpretation: The king was going to become insane and live like a wild animal for “seven periods of time.” At that moment, Daniel had to decide whether he would tell the king the truth or conceal it. In those days, giving a king a bad report could cost the messenger his life. Yet despite the danger, Daniel held to his convictions and delivered the Lord’s message to Nebuchadnezzar.
Here’s why Daniel could speak the truth in the face of danger: He trusted God. Since he was doing exactly what the Lord wanted, he wasn’t frightened into compromise. Obedience to God is worth far more than anything we could gain from speaking lies or doctoring the truth in an effort to stay safe.
Are you willing to commit to speaking truth even when it’s costly? Altering income tax information, falsely enhancing your image on social media, or ignoring a miscalculation in your favor on a receipt isn’t worth the loss of character that comes with deception. Seeking to please the Lord and letting Him handle the consequences will always be the best course of action.
~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~
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For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Many of us chicken-out when it comes to witnessing for Jesus Christ. We cluck and duck when the subject of God or religion is raised. We hope no one’s looking when we ask God to bless our food in a public place.
Are you willing, no matter the blood, sweat and tears, to spend and be spent for the Lord?
Maybe there are just too many other things on your agenda. Maybe you’re too focused on where you’ll spend your next vacation.
We need more of the spirit of those saints who are suffering for the sake of the Gospel this very minute in prisons, in torture, in abuse – all because they profess love for Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).
God is calling you to leave your comfortable Christianity behind and tell someone that Jesus loves them and wants to save them. Will you do it, or will you be too ashamed?
ACTION POINT:
Let this be the year you bring the light of Christ to your dorm, your neighborhood, your apartment building, your baseball team – wherever God has placed you. Let Him use you for His glory!
~Adrian Rogers~
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The fool's bauble, the fool's fiddle!
(Thomas Brooks, "The Crown and Glory of Christianity, or, HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness")
"The wicked freely strut about, when what is vile is honored among men." Psalm 12:8
"Their souls delight in their abominations." Isaiah 66:3
"They love to indulge in evil pleasures." 2 Peter 2:13
Proverbs 10:23, "A fool finds pleasure in evil conduct."
Evil conduct is the fool's bauble, the fool's fiddle.
Fools take great delight and pleasure in doing evil.
Sin and wickedness are a sport or recreation to a fool.
It is a great pleasure and merriment to a fool--to do wickedness.
Proverbs 14:9, "Fools make a mock of sin." They make . . .
a jeer of sin--which they should fear more than Hell itself,
a sport of sin--which will prove a matter of damnation to them,
a pastime, a game of sin--which will them miserable to all eternity,
a mock of sin on earth--for which the devil will mock and flout them forever in Hell.
Justice will at last turn over such fools to Satan, who will be sure to return mock for mock, jeer for jeer, and flout for flout. Those who love such kind of pastime, shall have enough of it in Hell.
All unbelievers are such fools--for they delight and take pleasure in sin, which is the most corrupting and dangerous thing in the world. "And so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth, but have delighted in wickedness." 2 Thessalonians 2:12
Well, sirs! Sin is . . .
the poison of the soul,
the curse of the soul,
the disease of the soul,
the burden of the soul!
And if God in mercy does not prevent it--sin will prove the eternal bane of the soul.
Oh, then, how great is their folly, who delight in sin, and who make a sport of it!
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