2 Corinthians 10:5 “We
demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the
knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to
Christ.”
Pastor Kyle continues: The (AA) Alcoholics
Anonymous recovery program has twelve steps that are generally helpful in all
circumstances which we find ourselves. (1) We admit that we are powerless of
the issue at hand – that our lives had become unmanageable. (2) Come to believe
that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. (3) Make a
decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we
understand Him. (4) Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
(5) Admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of
our wrongs. (6) Be entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
character. (7) Humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings. (8) Make a list of
all persons we had harmed and become willing to make amends to them. (9) Make
direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would
injure them or others. (10) Continue to take personal inventory and when we
were wrong, promptly admit it. (11) Seek through prayer and meditation to
improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for
knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. (12) Having had a
spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, try to carry this message to
others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us
run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to
Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated
at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Thirdly, maintain a state of
mental readiness and swift obedience to God and His holy Word. We cannot say,
“I am not willing.” We need to have haste in obedience. God put options in
front of us and decisions must be made. Fourthly, move in faith and move first.
Standing on the promises of God and confident in blessed assurance, walk by the
truth in God’s holy Word, being proactive by nature and reactive when necessary.
If we are not willing to do what God says, then how can we expect others to do
it?
Joshua 24:14-15 “Now
fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away
the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and
serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable
to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the
gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in
whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve
the Lord.”
It boils down to this: Do
you have the faith to say “yes” to true freedom? Romans 1:17 For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a
righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is
written: “The righteous will live by faith.” Do we have the faith to take
the steps to change from slavery into freedom in Christ?
In Christ, Brian
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