Deuteronomy 6:1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee".... 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
This passage of scripture teaches us that in our relationship with God, it's all or nothing, as far as our willingness to surrender every aspect of our lives to His all-wise leadership. No man can serve two masters, and no one can serve God with a divided interest, for sooner our later our energies and efforts will show where our treasure is. This issue needs to be urgently addressed by most Christians living today, for in many cases we have negotiated with sinful propensities and ungodly desires, and instead of us allowing the Holy Spirit to uproot and destroy these evils, we have called a sort of truce with the devil, by trying in vain to straddle both sides of the spiritual fence, a plan of action that is doomed to fail from the start.
This is one of the main reasons why the aspects of the everlasting gospel, which call us to obedience of God's law, and which require that we surrender all cherished sins, and ungodly habits, hardly ever get mentioned from the pulpits of the day, for there is a sort of neutral, or comfortable gospel that is now being peddled across the land, by which millions are taught to give their lives to Christ, while still countenancing and practicing the worst kinds of sinful indulgences. This is the reason why some priests are found to be smoking cigarettes between confessionals, and millions are led to live according to worldly standards, to the point where it has now become extremely difficult to distinguish between a Christian and one who is not.
But the Bible teaches us in no uncertain terms that God is never going to share His glory with vain idols, and if we intend to have Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, the relationship must take place on His own terms, not ours. This means that the things we use to do, which are contrary to sound doctrine, and that are out of harmony with scriptural principles, must of necessity be given up, and even though there would be very intense, internal struggles against cultivated and inherited tendencies to evil, yet we must be willing to call sin by its right name, and allow Christ to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Anything short of this is the equivalent of a pseudo form of Christianity, and will not stand the test when severely tried as by fire. Let's read:
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
If therefore we desire to be saved in God's kingdom, we will need to pray as never before, that inherent sinful desires may not have the mastery over us, for God is well able to keep us from falling, if we cooperate with Him in the work of salvation in our hearts. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us not to settle for a lukewarm experience in the Lord, but rather to do faithful battle in the name of Jesus, so that we may be more than conquerors, through faith in His power to save. Let's read:
Revelation 3:19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!