Downloading For Jesus

TRUTH!
THE ULTIMATE WEAPON 

to defeat every lie...

to shatter every deception...

to keep us focused and alert...
Unless we know it...
We will turn to our own vain thoughts and imaginations.

I am always in a state of "Downloading" from God.....

I read...
I study....
I try to listen for what God is telling me, even though, at times, I'm not very good at it.

I apply what I have learned to my daily walk.

Why?

I know that left to my own devices and my own train of thought, I will wander off into areas that are not good for me.

I will temporarily forget God and begin to follow my old desires.
I will again operate from old patterns of sinful behavior, which come from old sinful thoughts.

Such is why I have a need to stay connected to God and to others who are in the same situation I am in.

I am in need of community.....

Not just so we can gather and chat about the ballgame, or how hard our week was....

But that we can corporately share what God has been doing in our lives. So we can be an encouragement to others....

And receive from God, as we give back to Him through our worship....our time...and yes, even our finances.

We are always in a state of flux, or change, if you will.
We are either changing for the better....

Or we are changing for the worse.....

No one ever remains the same.
If such is true...
And I believe it to be...
Then I want to grow in my understanding of who God truly is.
I want to truly work Steps #1, 2 and 3 in this journey of being "downloaded" with God's power and capability. To allow myself to have a real relationship with Him.

These three steps are the beginning where we realize we are not as smart as we thought we were. We realize exactly how incapable we were of actually having a real life. We weren't living. We were existing. Self  had become our god....but unlike the One, true God, Self  was never satisfied. No matter what we gave Self, it only demanded more and more. 

We traded our families....
We gave away our relationships....
We laid aside our hopes and dreams....
We sacrificed our health...
We lost our freedom....
We surrendered our future...

All because we listened to Self.

Only God can break this kind of power.

Luke 9:23-25 shows us the ultimate download to a new life.

Then He said to the crowd,"If any of you wants to be

My follower...
You must turn from your selfish ways,

Take up your cross daily, and follow me.

If you try to hang on to our life....

You will lose it.

But if you give up your life for my sake,

you will save it.
And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world

but are yourself lost or destroyed?"

Jesus declared that He was "The Truth".....
He also said, in John chapter 8 verse 31 and 32, that we were truly His followers if we remain faithful to His teachings. In other words, if we apply what we have been taught to our daily lives. If we live in this manner, Jesus said that we would know the truth. We would experience what the truth is daily, and we will be set free from the things of the world, and the old patterns of sinful behavior that sought to keep us in the bondage of addiction.

Now I don't know about you....

But I'll buy that for a dollar...
Hope to see you tomorrow night at Vineyard ReCovery Church.

God on you...

mb