POSTPONING OBEDIENCE

Here's another one from the guys over at wcacyg.blogspot.com. This was a subject that I personally struggled with, so I hope that you all take it to heart.

A notable heresy has come into being throughout our evangelical Christian circle-the widely accepted concept that we humans can choose to accept Christ only because we need Him as Savior, and that we have the right to postpone our obedience to Him as long as we want to! The truth is that salvation apart from obedience is unknown in the sacred Scriptures. Peter makes it plain that we are "elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience." It seems most important to me that Peter speaks of his fellow Christians as "obedient children." He knew their spirituality-he was not just giving them an exhortation to be obedient. The entire Bible teaches that true obedience to God and His Christ is one of the toughest requirements in the Christian life. Actually, salvation without obedience is a self-contradicting impossibility! Humans do not want to admit it, but the Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans long ago that "by one man's disobedience" came the downfall of the human race!

Verse
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31

Thought
The entire Bible teaches that true obedience to God and His Christ is one of the toughest requirements in the Christian life.

Prayer
Lord, let me always remember that odedience to your will is not just sanctioned, but manditory

Going One-on-One with Sexual Curiosity

Here is a Devotion from the www.josh.org 's daily devotional. It may be more for some of the older folks, but it's definitely something for the younger folks to keep in mind as you get older. So here you go.

Bible Reading: James 1:12-16

Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires. James 1:14

CURIOSITY doesn't just kill cats. Sometimes it also clobbers young people.

Sexual temptation is a battle you can win, but you have to know how to prevail. If you survive with a healthy sort of sexual curiosity, it will be a fantastic gift when you someday marry the man or woman you want to love for a lifetime.

There's nothing wrong with sexual curiosity—wondering what's under the wrap­ping of someone you love. It's natural. Healthy. Normal. The problem comes in how you satisfy that curiosity. You might be committed to saving sex for marriage, but curiosity can still catch you off guard and clobber you big-time.

So here are some tips on managing sexual curiosity as the pressure on you in­creases to be sexually active:

First, deal with your curiosity immediately—before it has a chance to dig in.Of­ten when your guard is down, the thought will dart through your mind that "just one look" or "just one touch" won't hurt. If that lie has a familiar ring to it, think back to the deceit of the old serpent in the Garden of Eden. God made sexual desire so that one thing leads to another. Once you light a sexual fire, stopping it is almost impos­sible. So your best defense is to stop it before it gets started.

Second, find a few friends who share your values. Talk seriously with them about sexual pressure. When you have friends who share your beliefs and with whom you can talk honestly, you gain amazing moral strength. You can support each other when you're feeling weak and your resistance is down. And low resis­tance happens to everyone.

You get amazing moral weakness, by the way, when you have friends who don't support your values. The Bible makes a lot of sense here when it says, "Bad company corrupts good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33, NASB).

Third, the most important sex organ God created is your mind—not your body. It's control of your mind that shows your maturity. Being able to manage and control your sexual desires proves a whole lot more about your readiness than anything you could "prove" by letting those desires run wild. It takes guts to guard sex like a valu­able diamond.

The sexual pressure you face will be great. The battle to stay pure will likely be furious. But the rewards of toughing it out are beyond description.

REFLECT: What are you doing to effectively resist sexual temptation? What are you doing to deal with your curiosity?

PRAY: Thank God for giving you a marvelous body worth keeping for the one you marry.

Beware the Mule

Here is another devotion from dare2share.org. Hope you like it!

I've read that when a group of thoroughbred horses face attack from an outside enemy, they get together in a circle facing each other- then they kick out at the attackers using their hind legs. Donkeys, on the other hand, do just the opposite. They circle up, facing the enemy, and use their hind legs to kick each other!

Good move guys...nothing scares an enemy away faster than when you start beating each other up.

Perhaps that's why the popular television show highlighting people with the IQ of dryer lint is named after donkeys.

Have you ever noticed that many Christians have lost their 'horse sense'? We are always under attack from Satan and his demons, so naturally we should be circling up and kicking the enemy behind us. But this is not what I have seen. More often than not, believers turn into burros and start kicking each other around, even though they are facing attack.

The 'kicks' come in many forms- and they are all as helpful to the devil as his own attacks. For example, some burro believers use legalism as a favorite kicking tool. They think that they are God's gift to the church or youth groups, so they self-righteously apply their idea of the Christian life to everyone else around them. They love to smack struggling believers with a 'holier than thou' attitude and make them think that they are saved by grace and kept by works.

I've seen other delivered donkeys who strike with the hoof of gossip. They love to hear the latest tidbits of information about others in the group- especially if it's negative. Then they smugly pass along the tittle-tattle by way of a 'prayer request' because they are 'concerned'. Sounds like a lot of hee-haw to me.

Ever been kicked by cliques? Try to work your way into the well established group of folks who play favorites with each other. As long as they are happy, they are oblivious to the needs and concerns of others. Sometimes I think Jesus Himself would have a hard time fitting into some of the mule-like ministries I've observed over the years.

I've been kicked by bitterness before...it does not feel good. It was that person's responsibility to make things right and restore the unity between us, but instead this individual chose to turn around and whoop me upside the head.

Mules are very stubborn. It is extremely difficult to get them to change their ways. I think God knew this, which is why He gave a certain command:

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

In other words- get along little donkey! Turn your life around and stop kicking your own brothers and sisters! It breaks the heart of God to see us change from beautiful believers to malicious mules. It also brings Satan great happiness when he perceives us applying the donkey defense technique...it makes his job of destroying believers *oh* so much easier- especially when it is an inside job.

My guess is that you have been on the giving and receiving end of kicks in the end...now it is time to change. It is your job to leave the pack and get back in the race with the thoroughbred horses. I think you will find that the Christian life works much better when you are working together...in fact, you may discover that it is quite a kick!

Questions:

1. Is your church/youth group more like a group of horses or donkeys?
2. Why do we give in to Satan and kick our brothers and sisters around?
3. What is one thing you need to change as a result of reading this devotion?