“He always gives us a clean heart and renews a right spirit within us; that there be no part dark, in Jesus name, Amen.” Jon Crane
“Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Psalms 19:12-14
PRAYER: Holy Father, cleanse us afresh by the precious blood of Jesus, let there be no part dark in us! In Jesus’ name.
“No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. 34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. 35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.” Luke 11:33-36
Is my whole being full of the light of Christ?
When we are looking with our “eye” to He who is “the light of the world,” His pure and holy light is flooding our whole being.
When we walk into a room and it’s dark, the only way to vanquish that darkness is to turn on the light – to flood the darkness with the light.
“Love this verse. Through the sanctification of our LORD, His light shines in our hearts and into the dark hidden places of our hearts. As we allow the Lord to remove the darkness more of His light can shine through. We will radiate Jesus and His holiness.” Karen Cochran
The remnant of Christ’s elect are joyfully abiding in the Savior, seeking His holy face daily, hiding nothing, having nothing to hide… coming to His light so that their evil, the darkness in them can be vanquished, dispelled by the light of Christ, His truth.
Here’s how we flood our beings with the LORD’s holy light:
“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11
To remain flooded with the light of Christ, one must “seek his face continually.”
The question is will we, will you allow any part dark in your heart?
What do we think about the woman who is engaged to a man she is set to marry and yet reserves darkness, things hidden from her bridegroom to be, she is still whorishly consorting with another man or men. Spiritual adultery.
“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” John 3:19-21
Those who come to the light, who seek the LORD with a whole and sincere heart, do so in order to come clean on it all – to be transparent, honest, and repentant for all darkness.
The true and Heaven bound disciple not only comes to the light initially but also he continues to come clean before the LORD – in repentance and denouncing and crucifying out of his life anything that defiles him in the eyes of a holy God.
“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.” Proverbs 24:16
Those who are God’s, wicked as we all are, will be manifested by ever coming to His light, to admit and restitute for every dark thought and deed. No stone unturned.
Jesus’ bride is choosing to have “no part dark” (Luke 11:36).
“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” Proverbs 28:13
“Evil men avoid the light, as an inflamed eye the sun.” FB Meyer
“3:19 Jesus is the light who came into the world. He was the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. He died for the sins of all the world. But do men love Him for this? No—they resent Him. They prefer their sins to having Jesus as Savior, and so they reject Him. Just as some creeping things scurry away from the light, so wicked men flee from the presence of Christ.
3:20 Those who love sin hate the light, because the light exposes their sinfulness. When Jesus was here in the world, sinful men were made uncomfortable by His presence because He revealed their awful condition by His own holiness. The best way to reveal the crookedness of one stick is to place a straight stick beside it. Coming into the world as a Perfect Man, the Lord Jesus revealed the crookedness of all other men, by comparison.
3:21 If a man is truly honest before God, he will come to the light, that is, the Lord Jesus, and realize his own utter worthlessness and sinfulness. Then he will trust the Savior for himself, and thus be born again through faith in Christ.” William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary
Donald Stamps, commentator for Life in the Spirit Study Bible, notes:
“Luke 11:34 The light of the body is the eye. The eye is the body’s means of receiving light. If the eye is healthy, then one can fully receive and use light, If the eye is defective, then darkness prevails and one cannot see in order to walk or work.
1. Likewise, when people’s spiritual eyes, i.e., when their attitudes, motives and desires are directed toward God’s will, then the light of HIS Word enters their heart to produce blessings, fruit and salvation (Gal. 5:22-23). But if their desires are not focused upon the things of God, then God’s revelation and truth will have no effect.
2. We must examine our lives to make sure that our spiritual eyes are such that the gospel can really sanctify us and renew our inward lives. Do we respond to the teaching or reading of Scripture with a spirit that loves God, Christ and the Word more and more—or, in spite of all the gospel messages and Bible teaching we have received, is there deadness in our souls and are we in bondage to sin? If the latter is the case, then our spiritual eyesight is bad, and darkness will fill our lives. This being true we must honestly confess our sins, receive God’s cleansing and then separate ourselves from all compromise with sin that leads to darkness.”
“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly.” Proverbs 20:27
One man who has recently begun to discover the divine power of the cross life, who is coming to the light, shared this:
“I’ve laid all my past sins at the feet of Jesus finally! Porn was 1 that I struggled with…it’s been gone 30 days now..1st time in 30 years…the pills are no more! Feels good to be truly saved my friend…thanks for all you do.”
God identifies and calls “Evil concupiscence” a sin. It’s defined as the “secret desire for that which is forbidden by God.” The world calls it a fantasy but our LORD calls it darkness, sin.
“But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.” Romans 7:8
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:” Colossians 3:5
“Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:” 1 Thessalonians 4:5
The LORD is going to reach into the deepest recesses of our hearts and shine His holy light. As we continue to come to His light, to admit all sin we’ve harbored, He will vanquish them from our hearts, our lives.
“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12
Those who do not hearken to the Master, the drawing and conviction of He who is “the light of the world, are in jeopardy of losing all.
“Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.” John 12:35
Those who do not walk in the light given them will descend into darkness and ultimately damnation (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).
Let us walk in His holy light that we might have fellowship one with another (with the Father and Son), having no part dark, attempting to hide nothing from He who is the light of the world, who sees all (Proverbs 15:3).
There are no “secrets” with God because He sees all.
“In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” Romans 2:16
“The secrets of men” are hidden from other men and yet nothing is hidden from God.
The man who desires to enjoy pure fellowship with the Father and Son, must walk in the light with Christ, must put off the deeds of the body, must confess all sin and forsake it. Read the book of 1 John.
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
Beholding All that God Tells Us about Himself in His Word
God’s love and grace do not negate or cancel his holiness, justice, and judgment.
News Flash: God’s definition of sin never changed because He loves you and saved you by His grace. Just because God is love and extends His grace in salvation in no way means He is less just, holy, or going to judge His people. Jesus came to save us “from” and not in our sin because sin defiles us in the eyes of a God who is “Holy, holy, holy” and commanded us to “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” (Isaiah 6:3; Matthew 1:21; John 1:29; Titus 2:13) Salvation was never designed and is not a free pass to sin (Romans 6:1-2). No, it’s initial forgiveness of our sins and the expectation and mandate of God to abide in Christ and remain washed from all sin (2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:25-27;1 John 1:7,9; 3:3-6; Revelation 19:7-10, etc.).
Many today refuse to believe all that God says about Himself and therefore are living in deep deception due to their unrepentant hearts which do not wish to acknowledge all the things that God tells us about Himself. Some of those things they evade and ignore are the holiness of God, the judgment of God, His justice, and that He is to be feared. By doing this they have created the image of a false god, another Jesus in their unrepentant hearts.
The Holy Spirit, through Christ’s apostle Paul, instructs us to behold both the “goodness” and the “severity” of God. “Severity” meaning the severe judgment God has historically exercised against His own people when they rebelled.
“Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. 2 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.” Romans 11:20-22
Here the LORD commands us to behold all that He has told us about Himself and not just some of it. Such is the work of those who have darkness in their hearts and therefore erect the image of a false god in their hearts – one whom they vainly believe will excuse their sin. Not. Men of corrupt minds want the “goodness” and yet reject the “severity,” the severe divine judgment coming on all who die in their sins.
Perhaps some feel hopeless, have little faith that God can and will deliver them out of their darkness. Jesus promises:
“With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27
The LORD is beckoning you to Himself today beloved:
“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 1:18-20
PRAYER: Holy Father, probe the depths of my being. Eradicate all darkness. Bless me to have no part dark. Please break me LORD Jesus, be the Master of my life. Reign on the throne of my heart dear LORD. I am crucified with Christ. I am dead and my life is hid with Christ in God. I love You Father. I love You Jesus. Please fill me with Your Holy Ghost and use me to edify and love Your beloved body, Your people, as we look for Your soon return LORD Jesus. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Support | STORE | Podcasts | More on Assurance here | Eternal Security Debunked | The Cross Life | 100’s of Christ-centered, Scripture-rich podcasts for your edification in Christ.
Abiding
“A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey” [podcast]
DADDY’S IN THE HOUSE!
There will not be even one rebel in glory …. The LORD loves and calls you to Himself today….. to settle down humbly in true repentance …. asking God to forgive your sinful stubbornness, rebellion, and self-idolatry, self-adultery. Ask Him to give you a heart of flesh and to take away every trace of a stony heart in you (Ezekiel 36:24-26).
If you had a real dad growing up, you know HE was large and in charge in his house…. and so is God!
He’s Large and in Charge!
He’s Daddy, “Abba Father”! (Romans 8:15).
He’s Your Father – yet only if you endure His chastening! (Hebrews 12:5-12)
“A land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8) is a biblical phrase that describes a place of great abundance and prosperity, symbolizing the fulfillment of God’s promises and the richness of the Promised Land. It emphasizes a land that is fertile, nourishing, and provides an abundance of sustenance, with milk and honey serving as symbolic representations of this richness.”
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba (Daddy), Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” Romans 8:15-17
Growing up in daddy’s house, you did things his way, right? Not your way but his way…. he was the man of the house, not you. You abode under his provision and his care and love for you, as your daddy, right? Well, that’s how it is with God. He loves you beyond measure and yet you must simply humble yourself and do things His way. When you do, the blessings will flow, will overwhelm you, will consume you, will flood your life! BAM. Memorize Matthew 6:33 today.
Let’s get something straight …
NO DOUBT: There’s no doubt that God wants to bless your life! Yet, you must do it His way beloved. He wants to bless you and yet, you must ask yourself if you really want Him. Are you truly hungering and thirsting for more of Jesus, more of His righteousness?
“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
The Old Testament summed up: In dealing with His people, His transactions, our LORD’s business concerned their salvation and restoration – promised land blessings! Read Numbers 13-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13. And, we are now “the Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16). All these things were written and are on record for us – for our learning, comfort, peace, and blessings (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11).
As was the case with Old Testament Israel, God brought you out of a life of sin in this fallen world (Egypt) in order to bring you IN – into His land of abundant blessings, walking victoriously in a cross-abiding relationship with Christ (John 15).
“And he brought us OUT from thence, that he might bring us IN, to give us the land which he sware unto our fathers.” Deuteronomy 6:23
There’s a promised land of blessedness, of abundant fruit, the likes of which we have not even begun to taste. Yet, appropriating, walking into this treasure house, this field, this gold mine of blessedness, requires that we closely, diligently trust and obey the Giver of “every good gift … every perfect gift” (James 1:17).
HE BROUGHT YOU OUT OF SOMETHING FOR GOOD REASON – TO BRING YOU INTO SOMETHING MUCH GREATER – WHICH HE PURCHASED WITH HIS OWN BLOOD ON THAT CROSS!
Many who read these words are seeking to get and to live out what God alone can provide – as you abide in a real relationship with Him, loving Him with all you are, wholeheartedly.
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalms 37:4
Delighting in the LORD assures that we will be possessed with His desires and they will be granted!
Truly Trusting and OBEYING God
Are you forgetting any of His “benefits” – the ones Jesus died to give? Are you neglecting to appropriate them by a real walk with Him? “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” (Psalms 103:2).
Jesus was the perfect example of delighting in God. In the days of His flesh, Jesus toiling as He faced going to that cross for us, cried “not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). Have we cried out to the LORD today with a “Not my will but thine be done”?
“First” means First, not Second. Putting God where He Belongs in Your Life – “First”
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6:33
If you are out of Bible order, you are out of Bible blessings!
If your life is not in Bible order where Jesus is literally FIRST, you will not walk in the blessings of God – the blessings Jesus died to give you!
“IF”
“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.” Isaiah 19-20
GOD DESIRES TO BLESS YOU – to bring you into “A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey.”
The phrase “milk and honey” appears 20 times in God’s Word and in every case, refers to God’s desire and declaration to bring His people into His land of rich blessings, flowing with the bounty of His goodness!
“And I am come down to deliver them (salvation) out of the hand of the Egyptians (the world), and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites” (Exodus 3:8).
In other words, “I’m going to bring you into a land flowing with milk and honey right in the middle of your enemies!”
The LORD brings us OUT of sin, “OUT of darkness INTO his marvellous light”!
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar (special) people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you OUT of darkness INTO his marvellous light:” 1 Peter 2:9
“Unto a land flowing with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked people: lest I consume thee in the way.” Exodus 33:3
The LORD brings, saves us out of the world and into His kingdom family and blessings!
“And I have said, I will bring you up OUT of the affliction of Egypt (sin; the lost world) unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey (salvation).” Exodus 3:17
The “Milk and Honey” of Christ’s Salvation!
God brought His beloved people OUT of Egypt (represents the world) to bring them INTO the promised land He ordained for them! In the same way, God has brought you and me out of sin, out of the kingdom of the world, in order to bring us IN to His promised land of blessing in Christ! Read Ephesians 1 afresh beloved of God.
“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet (fit) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath delivered us FROM (out of) the power of darkness, and hath translated us INTO the kingdom of his dear Son: 14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:” Colossians 1:12-14
God never brings you OUT of something not to bring you INTO something much better! safeguardyoursoul.com
He made us to bless us and yet – will only do so as we walk with Him on His stated terms.
“That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day. Then answered I, and said, So be it, O LORD.” Jeremiah 11:5
“And that ye may prolong your days in the land, which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give unto them and to their seed, a land that floweth with milk and honey.” Deuteronomy 11:9
God Sent His Son to Bless Us – His People
“Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.” Acts 3:26
Repentance Always Leads to Refreshing from Heaven!
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: 21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:19-21
God Requires Repentance and Faith in All Who will be His and Receive His Ultimate Blessings
¨I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.¨ Deuteronomy 30:19-20
¨Numbers 14:8 says if He delights in us, then He will give us a land flowing with milk and honey. This means in order to receive a land flowing with milk and honey He must delight in us. This notes a condition of obedience and faith. We have to embrace and conform with His ways (the cross) to receive the spiritual blessings and to receive eternal life.¨ Karen Cochran
¨And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, 18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. 19 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.¨ Numbers 14:17-19
PRAYER: Heavenly Father thank You for being so unimaginably loving and benevolent to Your creation, to all those You made in Your very image. I love You LORD Jesus and here and now give You praise and thanksgiving for coming to die for my sins and then buried and raised again for my justification. Now dear LORD, please make me whole, from the inside out. Please pour out Your Holy Ghost on my life now and use this vessel to bring eternal glory to You. Bless Your people to abide in You Jesus, to have vital union with You and thereby the abundance of fruit, more fruit, and much fruit. In Jesus´ name. Amen.
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | More on Assurance here | Because You Care Page | The Greatest of these is Charity | Be Ready in the Morning [podcast] | The Sure Mercies of David [podcast] | That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached [podcast] | At His Feet
Abiding
Following the Faith of Abraham [podcast]
“There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; ALL came to pass.” Joshua 21:45
The LORD Keeps His Promises to His People
God could trust Abraham:
“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” Genesis 18:19
Of Abraham who lived by faith, the LORD says “For I know him” and if we love God, like Abraham, we are known of the LORD also.
“But if any man love God, the same is known of him.” 1 Corinthians 8:3
Does the unchanging God ever tell His people to leave where they are and go to another place? Yes.
“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him…” Genesis 12:1-4
Abraham met the condition and God fulfilled His promise. Could the LORD have blessed Abraham had Abraham not trusted and obeyed Him?
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
“The key is to say ‘Here I am.’ Abraham responded 3 times to God in Gen 22, when God called His name. It was an immediate response of obedience. Did he know exactly why God was calling him? No! It was the posture of his heart. Because of his faithful obedience the Lord knew Abraham was a God fearing man, who only cared about doing God’s will.” Karen Cochran
“And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Genesis 15:6
“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” James 2:23
“I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-9
“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Hebrews 11:8
“And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith.” Luke 17:5
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive my unbelief, which is a sin. Please wash this heart afresh in Your precious blood dear LORD Jesus. Fill my heart with faith, with love, joy, and peace. Please order my every step and be glorified in this life You gave. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | All Ministry Updates | THE BLOOD OF JESUS | Blood Atonement | PEACE with GOD | Christology (the study of Christ) | Christ Crucified | Was Jesus the “One and Only Son”? [podcast] | The Remission of Sins | Prayer | Making Peace with God – Before it’s too late | The Return of Christ
Abiding
The Flesh will Never be Reformed it Must be Crucified [podcast]
The Divine Prescription is Clear and there are No Shortcuts
“And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.” Galatians 5:24
The law brings repentance, salvation while thereafter the crucified life, the cross keeps us from that sin which once separated us from the LORD, who now has saved us (Psalms 19:7; Romans 6).
There are lots of people peddling the lie of “self care” which is ultimately nothing more than absolute selfishness. Pure evil. We need SAVIOR care! Such “self-care” only perpetuates the prey, the victim, in their misery. The only way to deal with the wicked iniquitous nature, is to crucify it, not pamper it (Luke 9:23-24). It’s your time to get into God’s Word and follow Jesus (KJB). Repent, deny yourself, lay down your life and serve God and others, not yourself. Loving your wicked self IS your problem and so all “self care” is accomplishing is to make your problem bigger, to fortify the evil within (Galatians 5:16-24). Crucifying that evil by the power of the Holy Spirit who is then raising your upward in His grace, glory, and power, is the divine prescription (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:3, etc.). Read Philippians 2:3-5 each morning this week. Jesus commands you to love God. Worship God. Obey God (Matthew 22:37-39).
All whom Jesus has saved make a decision every day, including this day. All who were initially saved and yet aren’t searching out and taking up the cross daily, prove they do not love Him, even though they may claim such. Each of us prove who we really love by who reigns in our lives, and by who dies. See Matthew 6:24.
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16
WHO we yield ourselves to today, proves who we truly love – either the Savior or self.
“But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead:” 2 Corinthians 1:9
We must declare and establish “the sentence of death in ourselves” so that our trust is in God who raised Christ from the dead and raises up all of His saints as they are crucified with Christ.
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Tired of sinful self and wanting it out of your way? Here’s the divine prescription: “But I keep under (subdue) my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
The fact that Jesus is coming back for a church, a people who are holy, let us peer into what the Bible tells us concerning overcoming the flesh, sin (Romans 6-8).
Jesus never said to try or try harder. no, Jesus says you must die to follow Him (Luke 9:23-24; John 12:23-25, etc.).
Jesus is sanctifying and cleansing by His Word a people, a church “a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).
Times of fasting and prayer are doing yourself a favor and not God. Yes. You are crucifying self, getting self out of God’s way so that Christ is reigning in your life in place of sinful self! This should be viewed with absolute delight! (See Psalms 37:4; Hosea 6:6; Matthew 9:13, etc..) You are crying, you are driving a stake in the ground and declaring: “LORD, You must increase but I must decrease!” (See John 3:30.) That’s the “daily” operation of the cross God has ordained to be transpiring in our lives (Luke 9:23-24; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12; Galatians 2:20, etc.).
What’s your plan for a special time of fasting and prayer this week? There’s no mystery – you will not overcome the flesh, sin, without being crucified with Christ and there’s no better way than fasting and prayer. It’s the most direct route to being dead, buried, and raised up in the victory Christ alone can grant. Lay it all down, now. Memorize Colossians 3:3 and walk it out.
We simply can’t know just how deep we are buried in pride until we begin to obey God in fasting and prayer. Isaiah 58
Overcoming the flesh, walking in victory requires continually delighting in the LORD, worshipping Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24).
“Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11
HOW many of us know that the flesh is never going to behave itself, never going to be tamed …. until it’s slain by the cross, crucified?
The flesh IS going to rage, be bent toward and do evil. That’s a given (Romans 7). This is why the cross, the crucifying of the “old man” and putting on “the new man” are essential to God bringing the victory in our lives! (Romans 6-8; Ephesians 4:23-25; Colossians 3:5-10, etc.)
Doesn’t the fact that our flesh does not like the cross, only confirm the need for it? What are the “works of the flesh” that will separate a once saved Christian from God? (Galatians 5:16-21) Though it’s never heard in the apostate modern church world, Jesus commanded the cross in the life of each and every person who would follow Him (Luke 9:23-24). The fact that our flesh hates the cross in no way changes God and what He said concerning the severity in which we are to deal with the flesh, with sin – and the eternal damnation that awaits all who don’t crucify the deeds of the body (Mark 9:42-49; Romans 6; 2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 Peter 1:15-16; Revelation 21:8, 27, etc.). When’s the last time you read the words of Jesus recorded in Mark 9:42-49 and took Jesus at His Word? IF you truly love Him, you will obey Him (John 14:15).
God fully expects for His people to induce, to participate in the crucifixion of our flesh, putting the self-life to death (Isaiah 58; Matthew 6:16; 1 Corinthians 9:27; Galatians 2:20, etc.).
Holiness is not the way to Christ but rather Christ is the way to holiness. Abiding in Christ IS abiding holy – in the divine definition of holy. The key is that holiness is NOT the way to God but rather Christ is the way to holiness, His way, His definition – which is the daily cross (Luke 9:23-24). Abiding fellowship with Christ, on HIS terms, is holiness – being set apart to the LORD, in the LORD (Psalms 4:3; John 15).
Sin is man’s master until Christ is man’s Master (Matthew 6:24).
No one overcomes by accident. Those who love the LORD, truly, not just in mere profession, will seek Him diligently and obey Him and therefore are brought into His victory by Him (Matthew 7:21; 22:37-39; Titus 1:16; 1 John 2:3-6; Revelation 2-3, etc.). The disciple must truly repent and cease all excuses for the sin that displeases God and walk as “MORE than conquerors through him that loved us” (Romans 8:1, 5-6, 13-14; 37, etc.).
Jesus came from Heaven to earth and successfully confronted evil, sin, death, and the devil by going to the cross and defeating them! Read Colossians 2:14-15; Hebrews 2:14-15 and 1 John 3:8. In Christ, with Christ, we defeat death by dying, laying down our lives (Hebrews 2:14-15). And Jesus, who conquered death, hell, sin, Satan, and the grave, sends us to the cross – co-death with Him to defeat all of our sin and Satan also (Luke 9:23-24; Romans 6; 8:29, 37; 2 Corinthians 4:10-12, etc.). His precious blood alone atoned for our sins positionally, and yet to enforce that victory in defeating sin and Satan in our daily lives, Jesus prescribed to us the cross life (the practical).
The only thing we can do about this reality – about the iniquitous fleshly nature – is to crucify it (Galatians 5:16-24). There can be no negotiation.
“Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:11
The one way to master sin is bow to Heaven’s Master and let Him master sin! The cross.
BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST ROSE AGAIN, ALL WHO ARE BORN AGAIN IN HIM ARE RAISED UP SPIRITUALLY IN THIS LIFE TO OVERCOME ALL SIN, SATAN, AND THE WORLD, AND WILL SOON be RAISED UP INTO ETERNAL GLORY WITH HEAVEN’S KING.
Rhetorical Question: What’s your fasting and prayer plan beloved? Your answer to this important, prompting question is before you and your LORD….
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
You are not serious about overcoming sin if you’re not yet setting apart regular times of fasting and prayer. The fact that you don’t want to fast is the clear proof that you need to fast. Currently, your flesh is in control! Once you are broken, you will delight in, you will look forward to those times of regular fasting! Read Isaiah 58. | The Amazing Benefits of Fasting and Prayer
Times of Fasting and prayer get YOU out of the way so Jesus can reign supreme! Isaiah 58
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:13-14
“He must increase but I must decrease.” John 3:30
FASTING IS STARVING THE FLESH AND FEEDING THE SPIRIT IN ORDER TO BE BROUGHT BY THE LORD INTO FULL ONENESS WITH HIM AND THE FATHER, AND INTO THE COMPLETE VICTORY AND FRUITFULNESS HE’S ORDAINED YOU TO WALK IN (ISAIAH 58).
Read Romans 6-8.
I am not a good person. Neither are you. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Admit it. The Bible and our own failing experience in this life clearly reveal such to be the case. The sooner we become HONEST with that which is more than obvious, announcing freely and transparently that there is “no good thing” in us except CHRIST, the sooner God will begin a fresh, deeper work in us! See Romans 7:18, 24—the cross!
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Romans 7:18
“Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;” Colossians 3:9
The SINNER, the vile wretch I must first and foremost confront, is myself! See Job 19:28; Rom 7:18, 24; Ps 39:4-5 and Eccl 7:20. It’s essential to begin to understand the flesh, the fallen man, the iniquitous old man, in order to realize what we’ve been saved from and what must be crucified daily. The cross is God’s solution, His prescription to “put off the old man with his deeds.”
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;” Ephesians 4:22
The cross subdues the flesh, it separates us from being held captive to the dictates of the old man, the carnal fallen nature.
The Root of the Matter is in Me! | The Daily Cross
Support | STORE | Podcasts | Jail/Prison Ministry | Mexico Mission here | All Ministry Updates | Because You Care Page | Bible/Word of God | The Greatest of these is Charity | Be Ready in the Morning [podcast] | The Sure Mercies of David [podcast] | That Repentance and Remission of Sins should be Preached [podcast] | At His Feet | Prepared to be Used of God | Grace and Truth Bible School [modules] | 7 Study Guides to a Greater Foundation in Christ | Knowing God | The Cross Life | Christology = the Study of Christ
“A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey” [podcast]
Nicolaitan Nightmare [podcast]
A PLACE CALLED HELL [podcast]
Following the Faith of Abraham [podcast]
The Flesh will Never be Reformed it Must be Crucified [podcast]
Gospel Preached at Funeral of a Decorated United States Marine Officer in Mexico [podcast]
The High Treason of False Leaders [podcast]
Why Did God Give Us His Word? [podcast]
If it’s not the Word, it’s Waste [podcast]
Being Made Whole in Christ [podcast]
Mission Mexico Part 49
Beware of the Hebrew Roots Judaizing Snakes! [podcast]
Can and Will God Use You? [podcast]
The Highest Form of His Creation
Direction in God’s Word? [podcast]
Why Did God Give Us His Word? [podcast]
Beware of the Hebrew Roots Judaizing Snakes! [podcast]
False Apostles Exposed!
SINLESS PERFECTIONISM: WHOSE Righteousness are You Trusting? [podcast]
Jesus Answered Questions with Questions [podcast]
The Highest Form of His Creation
The Flesh will Never be Reformed it Must be Crucified [podcast]
The High Treason of False Leaders [podcast]
Direction in God’s Word? [podcast]
Addiction’s Only Solution [podcast]
Can and Will God Use You? [podcast]
A PLACE CALLED HELL [podcast]
Nicolaitan Nightmare [podcast]
The Golden Rule Life: What’s that Really Mean? [podcast]
The Daily Cross in Prayer [podcast]
“A Land Flowing with Milk and Honey” [podcast]
Nicolaitan Nightmare [podcast]
A PLACE CALLED HELL [podcast]
America2 years agoThe Drugging of America: The Pharmakeia Sorcery Deception [podcast]
- Articles3 years ago
Children being Rescued in Tunnels: Happening Now – UPDATE!
- Articles9 years ago
Self-Examination in Preparation for the Lord’s Return
- Apostasy3 years ago
SHOCKING List of False Prophets Most Believe are True
Providing Christ-centered Scripture-rich resources to feed, edify, and equip the body of Christ (John 21:15-17; Ephesians 4:11-15).
Navigation
Quick links
Newsletter
Stay updated of the ministry operations. We saved a spot for you on the ministry email list.
© 2025 Safe Guard Your Soul. All Rights Reserved