Andrew- I am so very glad to hear it brother. I am GLAD to hear your response; That you take precautions to guard your heart so you don’t fall into sin and dishonor the witness Christ calls you to make! 🙂
Some are of the strange notion that they are impervious to temptation! What a lie we fall into when we believe this.
When we say we have no sin the world knows we are hypocrites, that we lie.
When we acknowledge our need for His protection, the guarding work of the Holy Spirit, and purposefully avoid tempting situations, as the Bible says to do, it is a witness we believe what we SAY; That we are sinners SAVED by God’s gracious Mercy!
I was one of those men who, before I was born again, persecuted fake Christians; laid waste to those who claimed they were of one way and yet lived another. I would mock and deride anyone who was so stupid as to think they could not be tempted by the same temptations we are tempted by. “If this is Christianity,”, I said, “then Christians are all fools and there is no hope for the rest of us!” Yet I could read; I could see the Bible said otherwise. And one day Jesus sent two real Christians to the “Bible Belt” from PERU to prove to me that there is indeed a way to God, a way to be freed from the curse I had brought upon myself in my sin.
I tell you I still find myself wanting yet to do the what I would, but for Jesus, to those who claim to be better than everyone else. Only because I know how they can be rescued, that I am not better than anyone else, that I do know how we can all be rescued, that I don’t mock false converts – but it is very difficult some days.
But for Jesus I would be in Hell, forever, but He has RESCUED me. So I can preach, knowing yet the weakness of my flesh, purposing not to set a snare for my own flesh and dishonor the Savior of my soul.
Am I perfect in this? Indeed not. This is why we need one another; Why fellowship is ESSENTIAL to our growing in Holiness; Why we MUST look to ourselves as tempting targets for the arrows of the evil one and beat our flesh into submission.
So I am very glad indeed to know you, Andrew, are knowledgeable of the Holiness men of God must strive for.
I will plan to be there this year.
Patrick Burwell, OnlyJesusSaves.com
