Series
3.3.6 - #65
Words
of Light Upon the Face of Self-indulgent
Passions and Desires
March
6, 2005
God has not hid his blessings from me. The pleasures that I
have desired are yet on his right hand where they have always
been. I have turned in the right direction and taught others
the right way. Now I am on the path of true success. The abundant
life is mine. The Lord has always desired it for me. The people
are following me in faith. God will not disappoint them. I walk
on in faith, for my faith is activated by my life style of self-denial.
God has beckoned for me to come after him, and I have come denying
myself. I am carrying my cross to go die on it. My cross is
self-denial.
I
have sought to save my life instead of losing it. If I am going
to my own death, I must carry the cross that I am going to die
upon. I must bring my own cross to this place of execution every
day. My natural passions and desires are doomed. Many times
I have walked in this death procession and not considered them
dead. I cannot be God's disciple if I struggle with laying down
the desires of my flesh. The tower to heavenly things is not
built by minds that are stayed on carnal things. The tower to
heavenly things is built already. I must decide to travel there
by faith. I cannot travel there if my life is fueled by passions
and desires. I have started on this journey by faith. Now I
continue by faith. I have listened to many sermons about dying.
Now I will do it!
Jesus
should not be the only one who died. I cannot claim to belong
to God if I have not crucified all of my self-indulgent passions
and desires. I must put all of the things of my human nature
to death. In my human nature, there are many passions and desires.
They are alive in me and will agitate me daily unless I crucify
them. Jesus bore my sins in his own body on the cross so that
I might be dead to sin and alive unto him and all that is good.
I accept my death that I suffered in baptism then I will not
struggle with dying. I do not have to die. I am already dead.
I have struggled with dying in times past because I had not
accepted my death in baptism. I have been alive unto sin because
I have not made self-denial an active part of my life. In Christ,
I have been brought to an end. By the cross, I have already
ceased to live. It is he who lives in me. The testimony of Jesus
Christ is being lived through me.
My
life is hidden in God through Christ. He will show himself openly.
If I have not allowed him to live his life out in me, I will
not be glorified with the Lord. I am an idolater if I have not
considered myself dead to the things of the world with its passions,
evil desires, and lusts. God's holy anger will fall upon those
who refuse to obey him. I once had a part with all these things.
I determine not to return to these dreadful things of my old
life. I reckon myself dead to all these things. I cannot reckon
myself dead to these things if I think on them. I will allow
sin to establish power over me if I give way to the lusts of
sin. Jesus is my new master; therefore, I place myself in his
hands, and he will deliver me from these things. He has given
me grace. Now I abide in it. In the grace of God, I am qualified
to be productive for him in the power of his love. My lower
nature has no claim on me; therefore, I am not obligated to
live on its level. If I live on the level of my lower nature,
I must die, but if I live by the Spirit, I have put to death
all the base activities of the body. Now I can live. I am a
new creature. Now I live according to the declarations of my
new nature.
Hebrews
10:22 - 23
Let
us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having
our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies
washed with pure water. Let
us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;
(for he is faithful that promised;)
Ephesians
2:8-9
For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Copyright
© 2005 Moses Hightower All Rights Reserved
