HEART MATTERS

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”  Galatians 6:1

When I first came to faith in Christ, it didn’t take long for the Lord to strategically place a dear sister in Christ in my life to help me begin my journey.  He must have known (of course He did know) I would require some stern rebuking because one of the first believers He brought into my life didn’t play!  Joslyn and I attended college together.  We were both Marketing majors so we took many of the same classes.  Our friendship began when we began meeting to study together.  Since I was a new believer in Christ I was immediately drawn to this strong, bold, and uncompromising Christian young woman.  I knew our meeting wasn’t happenstance and I was determined to soak up everything I could from her.  I listened to her words, watched how she interacted with others, and took a lot of my questions regarding my new found faith to her.  I looked to her to see what this new life in Christ should look like and she didn’t disappoint!  She was (and still is) on fire for the Lord! Joslyn had a powerful testimony which she readily shared.  She didn’t take her salvation for granted and her day was full of praises for the Lord Jesus! She had a “no holds bar” approach to life and so she had no problem confronting and correcting a “sister in Christ” if she felt the situation called for it.  Although I was the oldest, she definitely was my big sister in the Lord.

She embraced me and patiently made herself available to me.  But she also didn’t mind giving me a stern rebuke from time to time.  I can still remember the one that stung me the most.

Joslyn and I were both in the same group for a class project.  The group consisted of about 5 or 6 of us but I believe she and I were the only 2 Christians.  Like most young people we would often veer off course to discuss the trending topics of the day.  Joslyn was a bit quiet and introspective so she listen more than she spoke.  But I was vocal and opinionated so I was almost always one of the main people talking.  (The Bible says “in the multitude of words there is sin.”)  Back then my sentences were definitely laced with a multitude of sin!  Many years before coming to Christ I had developed quite the vocabulary.  I felt very comfortable with my bad habit of accentuating almost every sentence I spoke with at least one or two curse words.  Unfortunately cursing was a part of my native tongue.  Now as a new believer I was almost oblivious to that fact.

But Joslyn noticed right off.  So sister girl lovingly pulled me aside and told me straightaway “girl you have got to stop this cursing.  In one breathe you’re praising God and sharing the Gospel and in the next breathe you’re spewing out curse words.  You’re creating confusion.  Stop it!”  I listened without a rebuttal but I was stunned.  It caught me off guard and my feelings were hurt.

Thankfully I was able to get past my feelings long enough to really consider what she said.  I was able to think about what she said and examine in in light of the truth of God’s Word.  My initial thought was “is my cursing really such a big deal?  I mean after all, almost everyone I knew cursed “like sailors”! But if I was trying to debate this with the Lord it was short lived.  The Bible is clear that we mustn’t make excuses for our sinfulness.  Our habitual sin can be small in our own eyes but we must remember the enormous price Jesus paid for those very sins.  So my “french” was inexcusable.  My cursing was a big deal because it was sin.  All I had to do is look at the Word of God:

“Be holy”  “as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”  1 Peter 1:14-16

“Come out from among them and be separate”  “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For you are the temple of the living God.  As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them.  I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”  Therefore Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord.”  2nd Corinthians 6:16-17

“Living epistles”   “You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.”  2nd Corinthians 3:2-3

“Chaste behavior”   “when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.  Do not let your adornment be merely outward-arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel-rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.” 1 Peter 3:2-4

Our identity in Christ!  These are only a few of the scriptures that speak of the importance of our holiness.  Now remember I said in a previous blog that our holiness is not attainable apart from God.  Holiness can’t be counterfeited or faked.  True holiness comes from surrendering to God’s sanctifying work within us.  We can see from these scriptures that it is important to Him.  Therefore, we can also trust that He’s always working on us .  He desires to make us holy, changing us from the inside out.  As He changes and refines us into the image of His Son, He uses those very changes to reflect Himself to a loss and dying world.

Our identity in Christ should be evidenced by our change, our growth and our sincere holiness.

Accountability within the body of Christ plays an important role in our sanctification.  As believer’s we are all at different levels of spiritual maturity.  While one may be strong in one area and weak in another, another believer may be just the opposite.  Additionally the Lord will use us to speak the truth in love to one another.  What will be our response to being held accountable?

Unfortunately we live in a society where accountability is less and less welcomed even among those who claim Christ.  I can’t count all the times I’ve heard or read about a famous self professed Christians scolding other believers for addressing their immodesty and/or worldliness.  They label it as “judging” all the while sinking deeper and more comfortable in their sin.  As a result, they miss their opportunity to grow in holiness. Either they don’t understand or just don’t care about what’s at stake.  They proclaim Christ with their mouths but promote the world with their lives. They justify their actions so that they can align them to their own fleshly desires (to be sexy; to be admired by others; to be famous; to please themselves).  When non believers look at them they see no difference between them and themselves.  So they say a big “no thank you” to Christianity. They resolve that they’re okay just the way they are.  When a believer refuses to be held accountable and refuses to repent, he/she will also slide backwards moving farther away from their close relationship with God and relating more and more to the world.

Having a teachable spirit and being willing to be held accountable is so important for our holiness and spiritual growth.  The Lord is always working on us-pulling off the old man and his sinful behaviors layer by layer, bit by bit.  If the Lord sends another believer in our lives to help us along our journey but we quickly reject and block their counsel, we might just miss our next step in our walk.  Since our walk often intersects the lives of many others oftentimes we’re not the only ones who miss out.

We are the body of Christ.  When one member suffers the entire body suffers.  Our oneness and unity is crucial (see Jesus’ beautiful prayer for us in John 17).  Holding each other accountable is not always easy or comfortable.  However it is necessary at times.

I remember once holding a brother accountable for a known sin.  As I encouraged him over the phone to to go to the Lord and ask Him to help him turn away from his sin, he listened quietly having little to say in response.  Later I received a letter in the mail in which he told me that as he thought about our conversation he concluded that I was attacking his character (even though it was indisputable that he was in fact sinning).  He told me God wanted him to be happy.  He quoted the scripture that says “he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” So I wrote him back.  I commended him on his choice of scripture but informed him he was definitely interpreting it incorrectly.  It was unfortunate that he viewed my decision to approach the subject of his sin with him as my trying to stone him.  I wanted to build him up, not tear him down.  In the scripture he quoted, The Lord was the only one who really could have stoned the woman caught in adultery but He chose to forgive her instead.  I pointed him the rest of that story-where the Lord told her to “go and sin no more.”  The Lord forgave her and then encouraged her not to return to her sin.  The Lord wanted the same for his life. (He wants the same for your life and mine in regards to sin). But he chose not to head the warnings and instead sought to justify his sin.  I don’t know where he is spiritually today but I take comfort in knowing that the Lord is still able to restore him.

We can take any situation to the Lord and seek His counsel through reading His Word and prayer.  If He brings a sin issue in our lives to our attention, don’t minimize it or try to justify it.  Ask the Lord for strength to turn away from it and purpose to be obedient in your heart.

Accountability is priceless.  However this doesn’t mean that everything another believer brings to us or suggests is valid.  So how do we know if what we’re being checked on is from God or not?

*Known Sin:  If its a matter of outright known sin, it’s a “no, no”.  So it’s simple say “No! No! to it.  Repent-turn your back on it and never return to it.

*The Holy Spirit in you: If you’ve already been feeling convicted about this area of your life then you can see your sister’s rebuke/correction as confirmation from God.

*The Word of God: Always open your Bible and read it.  Look up what it has to say about the subject and then apply it accordingly to your life.

*Prayer: Talk to God all about it.  Be open, honest, willing to listen and obey.  Remember He will never lead you to contradict His Word.  If it’s a strong hold in your life, ask God to break it down.  Ask the Lord to help your will to be whatever His will is for your life.

*Have a Teachable Spirit: Be willing to receive wise counsel from the godly people the Lord places in your life.  Make sure you have a doctrinally sound and biblically based church to attend to disciple you and help you grow in the faith.

When we become Christians we don’t automatically become sinless.  But as we walk with the Lord and cooperate with His sanctifying work in our lives, we should be sinning less and less.  We will never be perfect this side of heaven but we can have lives that proclaim Christ to others.

Will we fail and fall?  Yes we will.  But the closer we walk with the Lord the quicker our repentance and recovery will be.

Let HIM speak this to your heart:  “As iron sharpen iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17

HEART TO HEART:  THE MORE WE ABIDE IN CHRIST THE MORE WE WILL WANT TO ABANDON ALL KNOWN SIN