The New Life, Inc.

Beware Slavery

Jesus came to set the captives free; we were all slaves to sin and through Jesus we are no longer slaves. Or are we?  The question is, are we still slaves even though Jesus set us free and what are we slaves to?

We came into this world as sinners, not that a little baby can sin but it will not be to long before they do. We were in bondage to sin or slaves to sin; we try hard not to sin and we still do. Why is it that we don’t like ourselves; it is because of our sin, our failing’s and our shortcomings?  We hurt one another in our speech and actions; we are slaves to our bodies, souls or emotions and our natural minds. Jesus came to set the captives free so that we could become spiritual men and women and not be slaves to our natural man but rise above it.

I have noticed an interesting thing with many Christian people.  Because they have a desire to be good our enemy Satan uses this to bring them into the bondage of religion. Satan does not care how religious you are as long as he can keep you from being spiritual and being led by the Holy Spirit. He used this religious method to defeat Christians from the beginning of the church. Do you know that Satan is in the clothing business? He is in the business of making religious suits and dresses. He gives them away free to you and me. When ever we go to church, we put on our religious clothing and we are different people. We speak different. We act different! As soon as we are out of church we take our religious clothes off and carefully put them away till next time they are needed.

Religious slavery is very subtle but it is slavery just the same. There is a religious spirit in this world and it has enslaved many millions of people including Christians and it wants to enslave you. This religious spirit is an enemy of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and it wants to enslave you and rob you of your spirituality. This religious spirit has attached itself to every religion in the world. This religious spirit is not interested in you becoming spiritual! It wants to rob you of spiritual life and leave you simply religious. You are the one who has to be on guard that it does not rob you. 

One Body Lots of Parts

There is one thing that is a very real hindrance to many of us in our spiritual growth. I think Paul put it in very clear terms in 1 Corinthians 3:4.

For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollo’s,” are you not mere men?

The question we all have to ask is; “Am I a mere man?” The question isn’t what church you go to. The question is; what is my attitude toward these other churches? Do I look up to them? Do I look down on them? Some of them are very different in their music, in their expression of praise and worship. Some of them put a lot of emphasis on the bible, while others put a lot of emphasis on ritual and tradition and still others on the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

God has blessed Pauline and I. He has given us the opportunity to experience many of the parts of the body of Christ. We have come to appreciate the bible and the ritual and traditions as well as the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Don’t listen to negative stuff about other churches. There are some in the body of Christ that spread dissension, they need healing. Don’t let their poison infect you. Go around the stumbling stones that other mere men have placed in your way. Don’t be afraid to check these other churches. I am not telling you to leave your church. You would be wrong to cut yourself of from friends and neighbors. Go with an open mind and heart and experience some new things and let God bless you.

We have been greatly enlarged by other parts of the body with various labels like Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, and too many others to list. We have friends all over the country and they all belong to different parts of the one body of Christ and their faith is anchored in Jesus Christ. Become something more then just a follower of Paul or Apollo’s!

Anyone truly interested in spiritual growth should spend some time reading and soaking up the words of Jesus. One of the names of Jesus is the wisdom of God; I think this is very apparent in the incident where they caught the woman in adultery. It is so easy to be self-righteous and say; “I am glad I am not a sinner like that person!

What a profound statement Jesus made to these self-righteous, religious people; “You without sin cast the first stone”! It seems like we are always so eager to cast stones. We don’t like it so well when we are the ones being stoned.

“Give, and it will be given to you. They will ^?pour ^?into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

What a remarkable thing Jesus did for the woman and for the people that were going to throw the stones. This woman had to be stoned for her sin of adultery; these people had to stone this woman to fulfill the law. Jesus had grace for all of them. Jesus said to the woman; “Go and sin no more!” He said to the people that were going to stone her; “You without sin cast the first stone!” I expect some of these people were relieved when they could drop their stones and walk away.

The point I want to bring out, we are both the sinner and the folks holding the stones. We are to stop sinning and drop all our stones. Sin destroys us and the letter of the law kills us. You will know the truth and it will set you free.

For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.

Beware Of Infections

Infections are a serious thing.  Many people die because they were not attentive to a small infection in their body. Infections can spread very quickly and other people can be infected also. Some infections are very slow spreading and others spread very quickly. You may wonder what do infections have to do with my spiritual growth? Infections can bring your spiritual growth to a stop!

Our bodies can be infected through a very small wound, through something we eat, even from bad air and also from other infected people. Our soul and spirit can also be infected not from the same infections that are so quick to attack our bodies, but they are just as deadly. Some people are carriers of infections and don’t even know it.

I don’t begin to know what all the infections are that can infect our soul, there are many. They are things like resentment, jealousy, greed, envy and anger. Maybe someone else is getting the credit for something I did; maybe I did something special for someone and they did not even acknowledge it or thank me. It is in all these little small ways that infections enter into our souls. The more sensitive we are, the more easily they enter in.  Someone makes fun of us, or ridicules us in public, all kinds of infections are just waiting to enter into our souls. These things are going to happen to us in our home, on the job, with our friends and family. It is totally up to you to decide in that moment to let the infection into your soul or keep your soul, your mind, heart and emotions healthy and infection free.

Our spirit can also be infected: we can have an angry, bitter, resentful, ugly spirit. Not every Christian has a sweet spirit. Where did all these infection come from? All around us!  The things we read and listen to; maybe from a member of our family or our church, or a public figure. I remember a comment my friend used to make; “When you eat fish or chicken; throw out the bones!” When we become wise and want to be healthy, we begin to pay attention to all these infectious things and we don’t allow them to enter into us anymore.

What am I to do?

What is the goal? I think the goal is a very important part of our spiritual journey; without a clear goal we flounder along. In the beginning of our ministry I prayed to know what our ministry was; the Lord gave me a vision of a little boy running around with a small keg under each arm; I did not have the vaguest idea what that ment. I prayed what does this mean I don’t understand what you are trying to show me. He said to me: “That is your ministry; you are a water boy, you are to give a drink of living water to anybody that is thirsty.” My response was; “that is not very important!” as time went on I realized how important a water boy is.

Maybe the goal He has given you is not important as you think it should be; is it to lowly; is the goal He has given you beneath you; instead of it being the biggest church and largest congregation in the world; does he want you to go and build a small shelter for someone that has no home. Maybe the goal He is giving you is to bring some measure of peace right in your home, church or community.

I think we all have several goals; some of these goals we set ourselves; some goals, other people try to burden us with; I think some come straight from the pit: it may be possible that you are centered in on the wrong goal and because of this you are missing the goal God has for you. Our enemy Satan can give you all kinds of goals that seem very wonderful; they are not; they only misdirect you and confuse you. 

Ask the Lord to give you a clear a vision of the goal He wants you to reach; a goal that will carry you on to the end of your life on earth and bear much fruit.   

Responsibility? 

I will start this session with two questions.

Am I responsible for what other people think, say or do? Am I Christ centered, self centered, church centered or they centered?

Luke 6:41 And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in that is in your own eye?

James 3:1 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

These two verses speak of the eyes and the tongue. Both of these, the eye and the tongue can have a drastic affect on my life. It can mean the difference whether I am victorious or defeated in my spiritual walk. Our eye can be filled with darkness, and our tongue full of evil. If this  is our condition we are not Christ centered or self centered, we are they centered.

I am not responsible for what they think say or do. There is not a whole lot that I can do about it and neither can you. The enemy can keep you totally defeated if he can keep you centered on them.

We have many responsibilities and the one I want to center on is our responsibility to our self. I have a responsibility to make sure my eye is filled with light instead of darkness. I have a responsibility regarding what is coming out of my mouth. I also have a responsibility regarding my actions.

I need to be Christ centered and I also need to be self-centered enough so that I know what I am doing and how it affects others. There are some things that I would like to say that I should not say.  There are some things I would like to do that I should not do.  There are some thoughts in my mind that I should not dwell on. You see I am not responsible for what other people say, do or think, but I am responsible for what I say, do and think.

Things That Are Obvious! 

If we pay any attention at all to our thoughts and emotions and what is happening there, it is very obvious that there is something inside of us that is able to play with our thoughts and emotions if they are uncontrolled or left unguarded. Whatever this is inside of us, it is able to rob you of peace, joy, faith and love. It can cause you to be distrustful of everyone around you and disrupt your spiritual life. You can’t cast it out, it is in us. The only thing you can do is not allow it any opportunity and be on guard against it constantly. When we finally come to recognize that our greatest enemy is not out there somewhere but is right inside of us, we now have the opportunity to defeat it.

I believe that this enemy that is in us is what Paul was referring to in Romans 7:21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good.  That evil entered right into our flesh when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and it has been with man ever since. It is able to trouble your mind, emotions and spirit. What a wonderful victory we have when we are able to discern what spirit is working or active in the people around us; and a still greater victory when we can discern what spirit is work through us from moment to moment in our speech, our thoughts and our emotions

When you get upset and angry and you are reacting to some situation, ask yourself a question; “Am I functioning in the right spirit or am I in the wrong spirit.” I expect your answer would be; “I am in the wrong spirit!” I remember when my kids were I their teens and they would get wound up. I would tell them; “You are in the wrong spirit; go in your bedroom and don’t come out until your face is lifted up!” It worked. One day I really got out of sorts, and I was tromping around the house like a bear. Pauline was washing the dishes, she spoke up and said with authority; “Why don’t you straighten out!” I went down the stairs mad as a hornet. Then I realized she was right. I was in the wrong spirit. You know what I did? I got in the right spirit. I got my face lifted up.

There are many things that can cause us to stumble and come to a stand still in our spiritual journey. The one that I want to look at in this session is very subtle and it can happen without us really being aware of it. Matthew speaks of it in Chapter 7:1 Do not judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.

I don’t have all the answers but I do have some questions. When we judge people around does it affect us and our relationships?

What about when we judge ourselves, does it affect us and in what ways?

In Luke 6:37 And do not judge and you will not be judged; and do not condemn and you will not be condemned; pardon and you will be pardoned.

It seems to be so easy to become the judge. Once we judge, we condemn either ourselves or someone else. Once we have condemned ourselves, we have to punish ourselves or the other person we have judged. Condemnation and punishment all go hand in hand.

I feel that in many of our homes, where we are having problems in our relationships, that judgment, condemnation and punishment is happening.  And we are really not aware that that is what the real problem is.

I remember an incident where a person was speaking about another member of the family and making it very clear that this person did not have the Lord. I was very aware that this person did have the Lord. I spoke up and said that is not the truth, this person knows the Lord. That person lit up like a Christmas tree. The first person had passed judgment and it was wrong and was affecting the family relationship. This is happening in so many Christian families.

Are you passing judgment in your family? Nothing spiritual about that!

When I become judge I cut myself of from God, I lose my peace and joy, and revert back to the natural mind.  I am not to pass judgment on myself or on others, we are to leave judgment up to God. God is the only one that can make a right judgment, our judgments are wrong.

Defense Or Defenseless! 

When I awoke this morning, the Holy Spirit was telling me it was time to do another spiritual growth message. I have learned that a very important part of spiritual growth is being obedient. When the Lord tells you to do something; you don’t say; “I can’t do that”, you say, “When, and how?”

When we were in England a few years ago we saw many castles, some were intact, and some were utterly destroyed. What were these great castles built for? They were built to live in, but more important for protection. We all seem to have a desire to be safe. I think for the most part it is kind of automatic, if you see a car coming at you, you get out of the road without giving it a lot of thought. You start to climb something and start to feel insecure and you back off. Many times we will do something with a group that we would never attempt alone.   

When I was looking at those castles they kind of reminded me of prisons. Back in that time it was a lot like today; a lot of wars. If you were in one of those castles and it was under siege it was like you were in a prison. In the prison system they have discovered that a long term prisoner may not want to leave the system. Why? It has become his castle, his protection from the world.

We want some protection. We want some defenses.  Now we have begun a spiritual journey, do we need protection there? Certainly we do! Is a castle or a prison going to protect us there? No! Our enemy; Satan, the principalities and powers of darkness can enter any castle or prison with no problem.

I shared all this to ask a question. What is your castle? What is your prison? What are you trying to protect yourself from? At a certain time in our spiritual journey we must come out of our castles and our prison’s. If we don’t, our spiritual journey comes to a stand still.

You might reply; “I am a free person!” unaware that you are in prison and behind castle walls in many areas of your life. I ask the question; Are you often defensive?  Are you always trying to prove you are right?  Do you always feel you are under attack? Maybe you are in a castle. Are you afraid to step out? Maybe you are in a prison.

The Lord has blessed us with the protection we need. “Put on the full armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). Read Ephesians and see what the armor is. We don’t need a castle to protect us and we don’t need a prison with guards. We can boldly go out into the world and into the spiritual realm in the armor of God and not be afraid.

The Never Ending War!

It is very easy to become complacent, that is just what our enemy is waiting for. I believe that God has his eye on us all the time, not like a big brother that wants to control and manipulate every moment of our lives, but  like a father and mother that care for their children.

Our enemy Satan and his hoard of evil spirits are also watching us. They are waiting for you to drop your guard so that they can attack your thoughts and emotions. I am always surprised at how many Christian homes are under spiritual attack and how many folks are totally unaware of it.

We seem to think that as we become spiritually mature that the victory is ours. No! The attack becomes more frequent and it is more subtle. We must be more on guard for our family, our home, our mind and emotions and our spirit.

In the last two or three years I have become aware more then ever before how the enemy attacks our spirit. He wants to cripple your spirit, to burden your spirit. He is more interested in defeating and bringing down your spirit then he is your mind and emotions. If your spirit is down, your whole being is down, body, soul, emotions and spirit.

Don’t think for a moment that because you are a Christian you are completely protected. Why do you think the bible tells us to put on the whole armor? You need it! Without it you will have no victory. Our enemy wants to undermine your faith and rob you of love, peace, joy and the victory that is in the Kingdom of God. 

As we mature, I believe the Lord is expecting us to use everything He has given us and if we do, we can live a victorious Christian life in this unending war. I encourage you to read the bible and get His word stored in your heart. There will be days when you will be glad you did.