Good morning, Bloggers!! Today is our last day in Kansas and we're heading home. It's been a great two weeks here visiting families and friends. And we're ready to return to our humble abode and begin working for the Lord in the DC Metro area!!
I am not a fan of "New Year's Resolution" because they will definitely be broken. If you have come up with a New Year's Resolution to lose weight, good luck!! But luck doesn't cut anything out. You might use your "Will Power". Well, where does that come from? How about asking God for His blessings on your consecrations for the new year of 2006. Now, you got a better chance than those "resolution or will power" phrases.
Here's the TOP TEN CONSECRATION I recommend every Christian in the world to consider:
10. Abomination - understanding what sin is and what it does - sin is terrible. Sin separates you from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). It's not the fault of your friends who may have lured you into it, it's not the fault of illegitimate parents who may have given a bad example, it's not the fault of false teachers who led you into the wrong path, it's your problem. Ezekiel 18 explains that "the soul that sins is the soul that will die." One sin we do is an automatic abomination to God!
9. Procrastination - beware of the dangers of putting off obedience - millions and millions of people are still putting off their decision to surrender their life to God by believing, repenting, confessing their sins, be baptized burying their old life (Ro. 6:1-4) and raised anew in Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:36-38) and daily living for Jesus! One strong reason for such procrastination is the cost of surrendering to Jesus. Yes! It does cost. Though God's grace is free to all, He gave His Son and expects us to give up our idols and life. The Holy Spirit wants a surrendered body to live in and guide.
8. Realization - know where you stand each day - what idol are you holding on to now. Idolatry comes in many forms. It actually tears you away from our Living God. It causes distractions. It pressures you away from the truth. It pursuades you to do more evil than good. It does give you temporary pleasure until you have come to realize you have, once again, "fallen short of God's glory!"
7. Revelation - seek the truth- every morning, do nothing but be still and know that the Lord is God. Be still and quiet in your soul. Ask God to reveal to you truth against any roadblocks/stumbling blocks about any relationships, situation, possession, interpretation, feeling or activity that may be blocking you from fulfilling God's purpose in your life. Saturate this time in prayer and Bible reading. Listen intently to the Holy Spirit's admonishment and guidance.
6. Investigation - everyday, take the opportunity to identify and clearly understand your thoughts about surrendering to God. If you haven't given your life to Christ, talk with a minister, or a Christian friend. Read the Bible and ask questions. Get some answers in why we are all alive today, what's our purpose in life, and what does God expect from each of us. You're accountable for your own life and someday when we all get to Heaven, God will ask what we did with His Son, Jesus.
5. Calculation - counting the cost - this is often misunderstood. You cannot live a "surrendered life" and still hold on to the world and its ways. You will need to do some evaluation and calculation. Evaluate what might change if God decides to take what you have surrendered. See Luke 14:33. God owns everything already! If you claim to have surrendered your life to Christ yet still do the same sin (intentionally), you have taken back what you have surrendered. This means you haven't fully surrendered to Him. There are only two choices:
a) Surrender it all!
b) or don't surrender at all!
4. Transformation - think with the mind of Christ - this is one of the most important "spirattitudes (spiritual attitudes)" Christians lack!! Each of us need, with the Holy Spirit's help, Count The Cost! It costs to change. It costs to make sacrifice. Whatever you pleasure yourselves with will be hard to let go. Whatever you're holding on as the most important is called idolatry! If you have problems with candies or other food, give it to the food pantry. If you're addicted to smoking, sacrifice it all in the toilet! If you're greedy, give!
Set your sights on Christ. Ask Him to transform the way you think, talk and act!!
3. Declaration - give up control of your will - whatever habits, hang-ups you may have, tell God that you're willing to throw away your ugly idols (smoking, cussing, gossip, laziness, excuses, busybodies and the list is endless!!)
2. Dedication - surround yourselves with one or more prayer warriors to help you surrender the things that entangles your life.
And the NUMBER ONE COMMITMENT is:
1. Know Christ Through Constant Surrender - it is not merely knowing Christ but knowing Christ in a deeper way (intimately, relationally and as a servant) 1 Corinthians 2:2 Surrender is not a one-time event. It's constant! If you're still living a wavering faith, see your minister or a close Christian friend. Talk to him about your struggles. Confess your sins. If you haven't given your life to Christ by burying it in baptism, don't procrastinate any longer. Your life is precious to God and He wants to bring each of His children home. But the choice is yours today, surrender your all or don't.
It is my prayer that, as you enter the New Year tonight, it will ring true with these ten steps toward a total consecration to God. Don't forget, we're still surrendering everyday!! May God bless 2006!!!
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