"You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You." (Isaiah 26:3)
"Then you must throw this man out and hand him over to Satan so that his sinful nature will be destroyed and he himself will be saved on the day the Lord returns." (1 Cor 5:5)
After going through an intense discipleship live-in program and graduating in 2006, I started to get very nervous. I was a new believer in Christ and through that type of program was a little like an incubation period. Pure Life Ministries is a very secluded place in the hills of Kentucky away from all the hustle and bustle of life. They separate you from the world for a time of very strong and solid biblical learning. No such things were allowed like... cellphones, magazines, computers, newspapers, television, radio and all media, ...etc. Only carefully selected biblical books approved from their staff and a very slim pickings of worship music that was approved by staff was allowed. So needless to say after 7 months of that and coming back into the world equipped to handle spiritual warfare was quite of a culture shock.
I was very nervous that I would not be strong enough in the Lord to handle the temptations of lust of any kind from my old life once I got away from the ministry and back home by Chicago suburbs. Going from country to Chicago suburbs was very difficult. However, before I left Pure Life, One of the councilors told me if I truly want the Lord to keep me, then He will keep me. I wasn't quite sure what he meant at the time but it was encouraging. Now I know what he meant.
If we want the Lord to keep us, we will stay hungry for Him. We will pursue Him. Throughout the bible Jesus never tried to keep people if they didn't want Him. After preaching to the pharisees and them rolling their eyes and turning away from Him, Jesus did not go running after them.
In one of the verses above in 1 Corinthians 5:5 is talking about immorality in the church! Sexual immorality to be more exact. Today in this country over 50 percent of people in the church are involved in some form of sexual immorality! Anywhere from pornography and masturbation to homosexual lifestyles. Even people in leadership as well as pastors! In verse 2 Paul is saying if you are so involved in your sin that you are puffed up about it and not sorrowful then you will be given over to the devil! I don't know about you but I never want to come to the point in rebellion that God just gives me to Satan! What a horrible thing! Now in this passage he says he will be given over to sin for the purpose of the person coming to the end of himself and hopefully repenting..... HOPEFULLY! There is no guarantee that will happen.
I have been told that I tend to preach a "Fire and brimstone" type of message. I just want to preach truth that comes straight from God's word. Not watered down but grace, mercy as well as judgement. You can't just look at God as full of love. Paul Washer once said that some may say, "Got can't hate because God is love, and he says back to them God must hate because God is love!" He goes on to say "If God is Holy He must hate that for which is unholy. If he loves children then he must hate abortion."
You can't take only a part of God. If you truly want Him... I mean TRULY want ALL of Him, then He will keep you close to His heart. But if you do that means you will show fruit of a hunger for Him and His will to be done and not yours. If you want to continue in sin, even if its one type of sin and refusing to give it to Him then He will give you over to Satan. God did not lay this on my heart to win approval of men but to preach truth. HIS TRUTH!
Today, consider His ways. Are you living within the boundaries He has set for you by the way of His commandments which are full of MERCY? If there is any sin that is habitual in your life, I beg you dear saint, repent and let Him forgive you. We are not forgiven until we turn from that!
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