And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
Growing in grace.
“You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unscrupulous people and lose your own [firm commitment, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:17-18).
In today’s culture we witness so little of basic Christian principles being practiced among professing Christians. As Peter wrote we must keep our guard up and not let unprincipled people lead us astray from the truth with their lies and misunderstandings. 1Instead, we are to grow in grace and in the true knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Anointed One to whom be glory, now and until the coming of the new age.
In my early walk with the Lord I desired to live a godly, balanced Christian life and become a vessel that God could use for His glory. Genuine (Biblical) and wholesome (balance) spirituality was my goal. Terms you seldom hear today. This is still an important part of my life’s journey. A process of testing my experiences with Biblical truth that will allow me to continually grow in grace. Balance is key for a wholesome spiritual life!
I began a journey of discovery and growing in the Lord by daily reading the Scriptures, prayer, reading books that talked about Christian living, maturing in faith, and learning to hear the voice of God. What is known as the process of sanctification.
I embarked on this journey with little understanding of what the Lord would require of me. I’m still on this journey that Scripture says will not be completed until the day I see Christ. Sanctification is God’s will for us. Jesus had a lot to say about sanctification in John 17. In verse 16- the Lord says, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.”
In Christian theology, sanctification is a state of separation unto God; all believers enter into this state when they are born of God: “But it is due to Him that you are in Christ Jesus who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:30-31).
Discipleship costs you something, but it yields a great reward!
It is my hope in these discipleship shorts to express the heart of God for the Church in these last days. And to encourage every Believer to be renewed and transformed in their understanding of God’s desire for His Church to fulfill the… and see a practical manifestation of the Kingdom on earth. When we discover Gods heart it transforms and shapes our attitude, focus and priorities more than any other.
“ So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you” (Romans 12:2 MSG)
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