Love you all, praying for you.
I just love God’s Word. It tells you what is true, and right and pure. What is purity? Unmixed. Absent of any matter of a different nature, clean. How do you walk in purity? (First, you have to be Saved, and filled with the Holy Spirit – if not, you have no chance against the sin nature, you are controlled by it. You need those two first. If you’re Saved and Filled, it’s the starting point of your victory! But not a 100% guarantee. God will surely do His part, but there is a part that’s up to do. God doesn’t make all the choices for you – He just gives you the power to make the right ones. You choose. So how to walk in purity… #1 Soak your mind in God’s Word. Marinate. Psalms 119:9 - How can a young man cleanse His way, by taking heed according to your Word, your Word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.” You have to read it to heed it. Just because you read it, doesn’t mean you’ll heed it… but it increases your chances exponentially. PRISM, and PRISM Topics will help you! #2 Direct your thoughts, don’t let your thoughts direct you. Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature, (Rom 13:14), Instead, whatever is true, noble, right, pure, praiseworthy and excellent – think on these things (Phil 4:8) Tell your thoughts what to do, and only do that. #3 Know where you fall, and don’t go there. You know the situations where you will fall into temptation… Hanging out with your foul-mouthed friends – that stuff will start coming out of your mouth. Or like the young man, at dusk, walking down the street near her house. (Prov 7:9) Two things you have to be careful of, dusk, and her street. Don’t go anymore to places where you could fall. #4 – Move Your Feet. Sometimes - the temptation comes to you, even if you don’t’ go looking for it. Move Your Feet - Like Joseph. If you stay here, you’ll be swept away by the flood. Get to higher ground. Now! Why are you still staring at me? Move Your Feet. Like the angel – grabbed Lot and his family by the hand, This is urgent – you are moments away from destruction. (Genesis 19:16). Go run a mile, or do wind sprints – leave this environment. Move Your Feet! #5 Phone a Friend. If worst comes to worst, phone a friend. “I’m struggling, pray for me.” “No, you’re not struggling, you’re entertaining the idea of sin, rather than ejecting it, your “fear of God” valve is broken. Your friend can help encourage you with a loving kick in the rump… But if you’re not willing to move your feet, and do what God told you to do in this hour – don’t bother your friend. They can’t do anything for you… you are bound by sin, you’d rather sin than turn from it. #6 Declare God’s Word – Make it a habit. Declare What God promised, and what you will do. Psalms 101:2-3 I will be careful to lead a blameless life… I will walk in my house with blameless heart, I will set before my eyes no unclean thing, the deeds of faithless men I hate, they will not cling to me. #7 Get a Turn Habit. Any time temptation approaches you, you should turn from it like a putrid smell, and it will become a first reaction. This is the fear of the LORD, to turn from evil (Prov 8:13). Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7) Get a turn habit. Do it once, you’ll do it again, you’ll get stronger, and the devil will have to try again later, but you’ll only be even stronger by then. #8 Get Busy Obeying! Don’t just stay in ‘resist the devil’ mode - Why are you still talking with that temptation…Get off that path of evil, and go on your way (Prov 4:15). What did God tell you to do this hour? That’s not it… so what did He tell you to do? Go Do It. One reason people are impure is because they are not on the path God has for them, they are always looking around, side to side, taking an exit. If you’re fully obeying –you’re putting distance between yourself and temptation. It’s just not a concern of yours because you never entertain the thought – you reject it – and most of the time you don’t have to… you’re too busy obeying to get distracted by worthless things. #9 Choose Grace – In the moment, know that His grace is sufficient. (2 Cor 12:9) It’s power to say No. (Titus 2:12) He will always give you a way out. (I Cor 10:13) He promised. Decide to always take it, early, right up front, before that temptation even comes. #10 Consider the cost. Don’t fool yourself, “Its no big deal,” is a lie. Jesus didn’t suffer for you, for you to keep sinning. It is a big deal. Hell is a hot place. Those who choose sin, will be destroyed. Play with fire, you’ll get burned. Hell will be filled with fire and torment, but equally horrific, it will be filled with eternal regret. Here’s what God has for you… If you just run in the path of obedience, your eyes and life will be opened to new planets, and solar systems, and places you never knew existed. You’ll walk in levels of victory you never even thought possible. When you make it a habit to reject the impure, worthless things of the world, and choose the eternal things of infinite value... And the more victory you choose by His grace - over time the worthless loses it’s attraction, it even becomes distasteful. “You’re only one choice away from defeat.” But you are equally only one choice away from victory! Choose victory! #11 Pray. Ask God to help you reject evil and choose what is right. Jesus taught the disciples to pray – “and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. If you ask Him, and are willing to turn, God will save you from every temptation, He will provide a way out – so you can endure it, so you can stand up under it. So you can choose his path, and His way, instead of the path that leads to destruction. So you can live a pure life – unmixed with things of your old nature. What are the easiest pitfalls of impurity? Grumbling and complaining, Slander – saying negative things about someone. – that’s not your servant, that’s not your place. God is able to make them stand (Rom 14:4) Cursing. How can blessing and cursing come from the same mouth? (James 3:10) Brothers and sisters, this aught not be! Lust in any form, and another sneaky one, Pride – the absence of humility – thinking you are better than someone else, by thoughts or actions. Pure – unmixed, nothing of a different nature, (nothing of the old nature). Praise God when you gave your life to Christ – old things are passed away, all things have become new. (2 Cor 5:17) And if you are filled with the Holy Spirit – He gives you power to become a witness (a martyr – dead to sin, alive to Christ). You are no longer slave to sin, to live like you used to live before Christ, or like the world around you. Salvation isn’t just for eternity – Salvation is for right now. God’s grace will help you live a life free from the sin that once held you, that so easily tries to beset you. You can run with joy – the race set before you. Praying that you will Review The Purity Packet. It’s what God has for you! Unmixed, clean. His Word is power for you. The pure in heart will see God. There’s nothing better than that! Love you all, dad
0 Comments
Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word… sometimes. Not always – just being honest. Sometimes He says some uncomfortable things, that make you kind of nervous. They are weighty. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. That’s always made me a little nervous, not gonna lie. God help me. I wanna have ears to hear. Have you ever noticed that a good thing can become a bad thing. Or a bad thing may have started out with good intention. Take for example, a groove and a rut. Both are rhythms, both are patterns, habits. One leads to progress, the other leads to setback, a spinning of your wheels – going nowhere, lifeless, joyless. Sometimes a grove can become a rut. When the Spirit leaves, it becomes a rut. The Israelites were steeped in sin, from the top down. The wicked priests and leaders of the country led the way in sin. God eventually had enough – When He brought destruction - Eli’s sons died, the Philistines took the Ark of the Covenant in battle. And the wife of Eli’s son, in childbirth, named him – Icabod “the glory has departed.” That is definitely a place you do not want to be. That’s how you know a groove has become a rut, when the glory has departed. When grooves are led by the Holy Spirit – they are patterns that bring fruit in abundance! But when our own natures take over - a striving for acceptance of God, when He just wants simple obedience, we make up more rules - while neglecting the most important thing. Love Him more than anything else. Or stiving for acceptance of men – rather than the praise of God. When whatever you think you’re doing for a good cause – just becomes your cause – not His - it becomes a rut… fruitless, joyless. But the opposite, is even truer. When you know what God told you to do – today, and every day. And you do it with joy. Those patterns of success that He leads you in – become groves that bring effortless success – like Steph Curry on fire – draining threes like he’s on another level of consciousness. That’s what your life is like, when the Holy Spirit is in control. You never want to leave that groove – the basket is like an ocean – you can’t miss! What happens if you’re in between? Has God ever brought a rut to your attention, that you might not have even noticed, or ignored for too long? Have you ever tried to leave a rut behind? What you have done for so long – but is not bearing fruit? It’s time to change things up. And do something completely different – and at a different time. Being delivered from a rut, and starting a new groove – is extremely difficult if you don’t have the resolve that you will need, and if you don’t choose the grace that He gives. To escape a rut, you need to hear from God – a new pattern that He has for you. The key is time. Sometimes the best way to change your life – is to change the time. Maybe He’ll tell you to get up an hour earlier. Maybe He’ll tell you to use your lunch hour in a completely different way. Maybe your evenings can no longer be squandered or wandered through – because God has got something new for you to do. No rut is worth it, if God reveals it’s a rut. And no effort no matter how large, is not worth it – if it gets you to the new groove He has for you. Praying that when God speaks – you will hear him. And then – that you will let nothing deter you from what He has told you. Exchanging a rut, for God’s new groove – is like death to life. It will be harder than you think, it will require more effort than you originally anticipated, it will take longer than a time or two, longer than a minute. Do whatever it takes to take His steps – until they become a groove. You’ll begin to take flight, and that rut will be a distant memory. Praying that you’ll hear, whatever He tells you, so you can do what He tells you next. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It tells you about the Good that God has for you. Do you expect good things to happen today? Are you fully hearing and obeying what God told you to do today? fully soaking in His Word to you – His instruction and His promise? Are you daily encouraging someone so you can overcome with your testimony – so His good can come to you? Do you expect good things to happen? Why do those who expect good things– always seem to get them? Maybe, because they expect good, they notice the good that God gives. Do you know anyone like this? Your friends should be these kinds of people. You should be! And your friends will be. Those who are thankful – get more good things. Just like any father loves to give more to a child who is thankful. Those who have a heart of praise – get more good things – they see them. The things that are – are better for them, and they’re the first to see more. Some people don’t see many good things, because they don’t notice them. They are always dreading the bad, or complaining about what they have. God wants you to walk from one good thing to another. Not with your head in the sand, obstacles and trials will come. But God has good for you even in this thing, even in this trial. Praying that you’ll expect good, so you seek good. Praying that you will be thankful – so you’ll get more. God says count trials as joy. God wants you to walk in the good that He has for you, not the bad that He has for you - God doesn’t have bad for you. He has good. He can even turn the bad things into good for you. And just because you suffer temptation or trial, or loss or setback doesn’t mean He cannot turn it around for your good. Life is hard, because sin screwed it up. But God’s grace is greater than sin - yours or anyone else’s. He has good for you. And the more you expect it, and are thankful when you see it, the more of His good you will walk in. The last thing that will bring God’s good. If you walk in His path, you will get to His good. Praying that you will review the PRISM Topic – God Has Good For You. Sometimes if you’re facing challenges – it’s time to change your mind, get new glasses. See things differently. Sometimes it’s time to praise God for the Good things that He has given you, rather than always think about what you’re going through or what you don’t have yet. He is Good, He has given you so many good things, and He has good for you. Praying that your thoughts – are always on what’s good, so you just come to expect it. Praying that you know what God told you to do today, and do it with joy! So He leads you to the Good that comes with it. So what do you expect today? And what are you doing that will help you see it? And get you to it? Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It saves you. Have you ever known someone who was stuck in fear? Bound by it, enslaved by it? They are perpetually thinking of that bad thing that could happen. They could lose their job, or lose money, or something bad might happen to their child, or they might get sick, or this might happen or that might happen. They become entirely paralyzed by fear. Fear can be even worse than the bad thing. If it happened, they would just get over it, they would overcome it, and move on, it would become one more bad thing - that’s not the end of the world. The devil knows He can’t do anything bad to you – without permission. And the Bible says God is faithful even in affliction. So the only way the devil can do anything bad to you, is if your Heavenly Father gives him permission. And even if a bad thing were to happen, because sometimes bad things happen, it’s because God wants to grow you through it, grow your faith, and grow your victory. So He gets the glory, and you get the blessing, even if a bad thing happens. Since the devil can’t do bad things to you, he just wants you to fear as many bad things as possible - that will never come. So you’re distracted, and bound, so you are enslaved by fear, rather than walking in the victory of Jesus Christ. You’re gonna serve somebody, the devil or the LORD. You will serve fear, or you will rise up in faith, you are going to be subject to something. The dangerous thing about fear – it attracts. Most things people fear, by far, never happen. They are just being ruined by the devil. Who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (that word means – ‘cause to fret’) That’s all he can do, try to make you fear. When God says Fear Not. But fear – in the lives of those who live by it – can attract that bad thing to you. It’s a magnet. God wants you to be saved from fear. He said “You have not been given a spirit of fear, but of love and a sound mind. That fear spirit doesn’t come from God – it comes from the devil, your enemy. It’s a sucker punch – that some people keep walking into all day, every day… You can choose that spirit, or refuse it. God said “Fear not.” That means – do not do that. Do not fear, to not succumb to it, do not let that spirit take over your life – you will be miserable. Either you will waste time dreading things that will never happen, or eventually your fear will draw that thing to you - foolish. Here’s what God said. There is no fear in the perfect love of God. Perfect means ‘complete.’ And love means ‘obey’. Jesus said, if you love me, you will obey my commands. And God said, “Fear not.” That’s why there is no fear in the perfect love of God (the complete obedience of God, when you’re fully obeying what He said, and doing what He told you). When you are completely obeying, and trusting instead of fearing, if you’re walking in faith not fret, there is no fear. You are in the complete obedience of God, you fear not, because that’s not the Spirit you’ve been given. You walk in faith and freedom, not fear and fret. That doesn’t mean you jump off a bridge… that’s foolishness. God says the wise see danger and take refuge, the fool keeps going and suffers for it. But that’s not fear, that’s wisdom, being circumspect, seeing things from all angles. Don’t let it draw you back into fear. What controls you? That’s how you know. God said fear not, when it comes time to be circumspect – don’t worry – He will reveal it to you when it’s time. It’s not fear that makes you circumspect, it’s simple obedience. But other than that moment that God will surely reveal, so you take action… all the other moments you are not living in fear, just faith. Praying that you will really obey God in this command. Fear Not. Praying that you will review the PRISM Topics: Fear Not, Do Not Fret, Faith, Trust, and The Fear of the LORD. The opposite of fear is faith, it comes from obedience, and continuing in it. Praying that you will decide what you will live by – fear attracts bad, faith and obedience attracts God’s Good. He has good for you. Praying that you will fear not, that you will grow in faith, that your trust will be in the LORD, God, the maker of heaven and earth, and that you will be so busy obeying, and filled with the joy that it brings, so filled with His Word of faith, that fear will have no effect on you, and no place in you. Praying that you will walk in every good thing that He has for you. Without fear, just faith - that obeys, and sees the victory that God brings, and His peace that remains. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It gives you wisdom to choose well. This year, you are sure to face choices. How you choose can be as important as what you choose. How will you choose? You need to decide that, before you decide what you will choose. What is the biggest difference between one person and another? Choices. Everyone's life is affected by a lot of things, background, environment etc. but nothing affects your life more – than your choices. That’s why Joshua asked the people, Choose you this day whom you will serve… but as for me and my house… He already made his choice. Once you decide who decides – decisions become easier. Here’s an important question to consider… Does God have a perfect will for you? Or does he just give us choices and we can take whichever path we wish? Some people believe that? I do not. What do you believe? Because what you believe will effect your actions and your attitude, it will effect how you think and the actions you take. One of the devil’s greatest ploys and punks include getting people to think things are equals when they are not… Even the world understands this phenomenon, there is even a logic term for it. False equivalence – a logical fallacy that occurs when someone incorrectly asserts that two or more things are equivalent, simply because they share some characteristics, despite the fact that there are also notable differences between them. False equivalents generally exaggerate the degree of similarity, the importance of similarity, and ignore the important differences between the things being equated. Someone may falsely equate murder with loss of life on the battlefield in war. Just because someone dies at the hand of someone else, doesn’t mean it’s murder. An executioner for example, has a duty to uphold the sentence handed down for heinous deeds committed, after a fair trial by jury of their peers. That’s not murder, that's justice. Equating a parent spanking a child with a child punching their sister, is a false equivalent. The devil is a master deceiver. Two choices may have similarities, but fundamental differences - they're not equal. Some choices if you allow yourself to equate them – it’s because you ignored the glaring difference. If God considers choices basically equal… then why did He say He has plans for you. That He will show you the way best for you, the way chosen for you... that He will lead you in the way you should go. Choices aren’t equal. God’s plan for you or your plan for you – are very different. Just because you get confused, doesn’t mean two choices are equivalents. How do you guard against it. Stop thinking about things you could do, that list is endless. If God wants you to do something – He will tell you. Until He does, keep your hand to the plow in what He did tell you to do. If you are ever at a standstill, #1 Go back to the last thing you know He told you. #2 Get Godly counsel. #3 Ask God to show you if and where you are missing something, and specifically what to do. Don’t consider several alternatives - ask Him about the first. Seek God with a PiVAT Decision Tool – one choice at a time. This new thing – this new choice that presented itself. Is this what God has for you or not. Sometimes, He already told you to do something else, and you haven’t finished yet. So why are you thinking about this? It’s not even worth doing a PiVAT Decision Tool about. Did you finish what God told you to do? You gotta finish this thing before you go to the next thing, or you won't finish anything. God has a plan for you, even though there are others plans you could follow. God has the best choice for you, even though there are other choices available. But if God just leaves it up to you, He’s not really leading you… you are. Praying that you will ask God – that you will do what He says with all your heart. That you will be open to what He has next, but fully focus on the task at hand. Finish this first… then ask God what to do next. Otherwise, you will be like the waves of the sea, bouncing back and forth. God says if you need wisdom, ask Him. Sometimes if you’re not hearing him… it might be because He isn’t saying anything. He’s already told you before… but you weren’t listening, or you're not obeying. So what do you believe? Did God promise to lead you in the way you should go, in the way chosen for you? Or did He say just make the best choice you can. The Holy Spirit is how He leads you - You won’t always hear perfectly, but if you ask Him, He will tell you. That’s how you walk in the way chosen for you, revealed by the God who can see the future who knows what’s best for you, and loves you more than anybody you know! Praying that you will Ask Him, that you’ll Do it, that you’ll keep doing it, not get distracted. You can surely trust Him, He has good for you! He promised. Love you all, dad |
AuthorKelly Kamentz - Jesus follower, husband, father, and friend, helping others surrender time, thoughts, money, and testimony, to fulfill their purpose! Archives
April 2024
Categories |