Breathingbook

Much of the desires that we have are God given desires, but what happens when the enemy counterfeits those desires to deceive us? Unfortunately, mankind often chooses that which is easy and quick.

Have you ever picked a piece of fruit that wasn’t ripe? It may have appeared to the eyes from a distance to be ripe, but once you held it or bit into it, you knew that it just wasn’t. If you’ve ever picked unripe fruit, you know that you still have to place it in the window and wait for it to ripen. The truth is, if you wait for fruit to grow ripe while it’s still on the tree, it’s sweeter and It will be just right. Just as God intended.

Anyone can pick green fruit. Anyone can do what is easy.

Mat 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Grace: there’s two kinds of attitudes out there right now. There’s the do whatever you want “attitude” and then there’s the obeying and be obedient “doctrine.”

The Lord will never take choice from a person. Never.
Far be it from us to try to take it from them.

We can love others and by that love and a spirit of gentleness simply speak the truth. The truth is laid out in God’s Word. People may not like what God’s Word says, but that’s their “choice” to decide.

Does the Lord draw people to Him with a stick or does He draw them by gentleness? By gentleness, of course (Rom 2:4; 2Tim 2:24-25). Does the moon have it’s own light or does it just reflect the Light of the Sun? Of the Sun, of course. And so everything grows.

Grace is being given something that you do not deserve.

Mercy is not receiving what you do deserve. This is true mercy, because we all deserve death.

Grace is also receiving that which… you do not deserve.

Because of Jesus’ completed work,
we receive grace.

His work on the cross has been completely finished. He has completely freed us from sin.

Jn 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.

Grace is also abilities and desires. We are his workmanship, His to will, His to plan – we are truly created for that (Eph 2:10), but the trick is we must desire that.

The Lord will never take choice from a person. Never.
Far be it from us to try to take it from them.

There is an idea out there that says that Jesus’ work is completed, BUT you need to do this and this, too. This is wrong.

Jesus’ work and gift of salvation is finished. It is complete. It is a free gift. The “idea” that you need to do this and this too, puts unnecessary burden on God’s people that He never intended for them to bear. Yes, it is good always to be obedient and in service to the Lord, but if you have an idea in your head that is NOT the Lord’s plan for you, then the Holy Spirit is probably nudging you to tell you some thing’s not right.

This is a precarious position to be, because obedience mustn’t become “works” as if one might obtain righteousness because of them. Israel did this in following the Law, but they became so far removed from God they didn’t even recognize the Messiah when He came.

Rom 9:31-32 But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone.

You see, Israel became so entrenched in obtaining righteousness by the works of the law, they could not hear His voice.

Jn 8:39-43 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Again, being obedient to whatever the Lord, by the Holy Spirit (which every believer has), instructs you (it will always be in accordance with His Word), is VERY GOOD. By the process of Sanctification you will eventually learn right from wrong. However, falling into the pattern of doing things because you think it’ll please the Lord, or because someone told you it would – and you got a little check in your spirit – is NOT GOOD. If you do that, you’ll continue to sit in the pew, wondering if you can trust God to really speak to you and you’ll be dependent on someone other than Jesus and His Holy Word to tell you what God’s will is FOR YOU.

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

The body is a whole system of which Jesus Christ is the Head. That means it naturally functions properly when He’s doing the directing.

Eph 4:14-16 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

The process of Sanctification is that wherein we grow into maturity in the Lord. We have received complete salvation in Jesus, but the process of Sanctification is just that: a process.

The process of Sanctification is the ripening of the fruit upon the tree.

It’s not my tree, your tree, or their tree, or different kinds of fruits, even. There is but one tree and one vine, of which you and I are the branches.

Jn 15:4-8 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.

So Sanctification is the changing of your heart that draws you near to God.

The nearer you come to God, then nearer you are drawn. The nearer you are drawn, the nearer you can come. The nearer you come, the nearer you WERE drawn. And it just keeps going around and around and around. One thing creates another.

Some people just want to sit in the car and never drive it. They want to sit in the pew and never do true ministry, but EVERY believer is a minister – not just those who go to seminary or bible school.

They have the gift, but they’re not using it.

They receive their salvation and then they believe they’re done.

Phil 1:4-6 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

The process of Sanctification is where you have Gods laws written on your heart and in you mind. You come to know what’s right for you and what is wrong for you through life itself. It’s an entirely personal thing, because every believer is different. We all learn the lessons of God on God’s Sovereign timetable. Some learn and understand this or part, right here, right now, while other’s focus is on this other lesson right over there.

It’s like the way the sun shines upon a tree. The tree is constantly moving and shaping; growing and stretching. Not only does the Sun cast shadows during different times of the day, but the wind also plays a part – sometimes swirling around the branches, moving the leaves this way and that – causing the light to flicker – other times the wind simply stands still. Each piece of fruit on the tree gets it’s sunlight in varying degrees and no two pieces of fruit are exactly alike. They are similar, but not alike. Same species, yes, but still individual.

The lessons of God are like that, individual and unique for all of us. We need to understand this.

The process of Sanctification is the ripening of the fruit upon the tree.

It takes walking by faith to undergo the process of Sanctification. It also takes walking in Grace. Grace gives you the ability.

Walking in grace means you are doing something you don’t know how to do, but you’ve felt the unction of the Holy Spirit – somewhat compellingly so.

Walking in Grace gives you ability based upon the needs you encounter when walking by obedience to the compulsion of the Holy Spirit. Walking in grace is something that all believers are supposed to do, but few do. This is to the great remorse of the Father.

The Lord God freely pours it out.

The word of God gives complete instruction. To them that ask of God, He freely pours out wisdom.

Jam 1:5-7 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

The Lord will never take choice from a person. Never.
Far be it from us to try to take it from them.

Brethren, bondage is going where you ought not go.

Selah.