The foundation for obedience to God's Word is in the Spiritual World. If you are ready to walk in the Spirit, I am a witness that the foundation is solid. Your first challenge is to examine your faith to make sure you believe according to Scripture. Explore your belief in Scriptures and not the irreverent babble of someone's interpretation. We have it on good authority that "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
Read carefully and evaluate your belief in the truthfulness of the previous verse and others. Scripture says, "Do not deceive yourselves by just listening to his word; instead, put it into practice" (James 1:22). This verse says do more than listen. Most people can learn and quote Scripture, but they must put it into practice for it to be useful and profitable. Neither you nor I will gain anything to know we should not steal. We must write it on our hearts and practice not stealing, fully understanding that stealing is a sin. After examining the matter, the Lord is clear concerning any sin. He said, "go, and from now on sin no more" (John 8:11).
Scripture says: "Do not lie to one another" (Colossians 3:9). We have heard the excuses for lying. Some say: it was just a little white lie, or I was exaggerating, no big deal. In this current culture, lying has become so prevalent that almost everybody is fact-checking everybody else. Examine your belief and ask yourself, is your definition of a lie the same as the Lord's definition? Some things are not hard to understand; a lie is a lie. The ignorant and unstable and those dull in hearing with a desire to sin will continue to make excuses and twist the Scriptures to their destruction. There is much to say on lying, but you already know that your words have consequences and are your burden to bear.
In the real world, people continually transgress the Scriptures with their selfish attitudes, greed, and traditions. Jesus came into this world to bear witness to the truth and everyone who is obedient to God's Word hear His voice. He spoke through the apostles about the shame of bringing charges against each other, which I dare say continues to be a stain on our society today. Scripture says defeat is imminent if we do not listen and get understanding. "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated" (1 Corinthians 6:7)?
It may be hard teaching for some, especially those seeking blessings for just breathing. Do not take this the wrong way, it is a blessing to be alive, to be breathing, "But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice" (Luke 11:28, NLT).
Minister Nettie Pennington, Associate Minister, Springfield MB Church
