TEST RUN
.
Can I
replace an entire blog article with another?
.
What kind of
problems will I face?
.
Most
importantly, what will be lost in the attempted exchange?
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Friday, August 15, 2014
SIN's EXIT (1)
SIN CAN BE EXITED
Temptation is a freeway we can exit. 1 Corinthians 10:13 b.
If you are uninterested just virtually drive past the next six exit signs I have posted because with the sign I will be giving directions in short little installments on the "way to escape" temptation's highway. Yes, I know it's corny but trust that the Way is faithful.
the Way is faithful.
Temptation is a freeway we can exit. 1 Corinthians 10:13 b.
If you are uninterested just virtually drive past the next six exit signs I have posted because with the sign I will be giving directions in short little installments on the "way to escape" temptation's highway. Yes, I know it's corny but trust that the Way is faithful.
SIN'S EXIT (2)
THE TEMPTATION EXIT
Living without temptation is one of the worst things that could happen to us. We all have cravings which if completely satisfied are self-destructive. Our inability to avoid such compulsions leads us to look for a way out…an exit sign.
Temptation works like a freeway sign reminding travelers that there is an off ramp ahead. It signals that God is near and that we need to be looking for Him. Yes, there are other wonderful, even noble, exits from a self-destructive compulsion. The problem is other ramps lead onto new self-destructive freeways. When we choose to use His exit we are delivered from the self-destructive compulsion onto streets of real satisfaction. 1Cor. 10:13, Prov. 16:25, James 1:13+14, Phil. 4:19
The next “Exit” post deals with where to “look for God” and then how we recognize Him when we see Him.
Click on OLDER POSTS to advance to the next "Exit"
P. S. By the way how do you suppose I know about other off-ramps? Those of you who know me know I have tried nearly every one of them and they did work well for a time but did nothing to satisfy the general issue of craving.
Living without temptation is one of the worst things that could happen to us. We all have cravings which if completely satisfied are self-destructive. Our inability to avoid such compulsions leads us to look for a way out…an exit sign.
Temptation works like a freeway sign reminding travelers that there is an off ramp ahead. It signals that God is near and that we need to be looking for Him. Yes, there are other wonderful, even noble, exits from a self-destructive compulsion. The problem is other ramps lead onto new self-destructive freeways. When we choose to use His exit we are delivered from the self-destructive compulsion onto streets of real satisfaction. 1Cor. 10:13, Prov. 16:25, James 1:13+14, Phil. 4:19
The next “Exit” post deals with where to “look for God” and then how we recognize Him when we see Him.
Click on OLDER POSTS to advance to the next "Exit"
P. S. By the way how do you suppose I know about other off-ramps? Those of you who know me know I have tried nearly every one of them and they did work well for a time but did nothing to satisfy the general issue of craving.
SIN'S EXIT (3)
FINDING THE EXIT
Drivers confronted with an exit sign can still miss the off-ramp. This is especially true when traveling at a high rate of speed. However a freeway motorist can’t just stop to locate his exit. He simply stays seated and watches for it to appear. Never the less motorists must look in the right place to find their exit. So where does one look for God’s exit from a self-destructive compulsion? Well God is Spirit and so we look for His Spirit with our spirit: not our mind or our emotions. Upon seeing the exit sign (temptation) the only thing we contribute is turning our spiritual gaze from the freeway to the ramp. How hard is that? It is an internal glance of our spirit toward His Spirit. If we seek Him there, the Bible says, we will find Him. In fact no one comes to God unless the Father by His Holy Spirit is drawing them from within.
However we must recognize Him when we see Him. Believe it or not Western Man, like you and me, usually glans over at the ramp and drive on by unaware that we just missed our exit. This crucial element of the processes is the topic of the next “Exit” post (4). To continue click on this post heading to find SIN'S EXIT (4)-(7) displayed under that Blog Archive.
Acts 17:27 +28, John14:20, Jer. 29:13, Matt. 7:7, Luke 11:9
Drivers confronted with an exit sign can still miss the off-ramp. This is especially true when traveling at a high rate of speed. However a freeway motorist can’t just stop to locate his exit. He simply stays seated and watches for it to appear. Never the less motorists must look in the right place to find their exit. So where does one look for God’s exit from a self-destructive compulsion? Well God is Spirit and so we look for His Spirit with our spirit: not our mind or our emotions. Upon seeing the exit sign (temptation) the only thing we contribute is turning our spiritual gaze from the freeway to the ramp. How hard is that? It is an internal glance of our spirit toward His Spirit. If we seek Him there, the Bible says, we will find Him. In fact no one comes to God unless the Father by His Holy Spirit is drawing them from within.
However we must recognize Him when we see Him. Believe it or not Western Man, like you and me, usually glans over at the ramp and drive on by unaware that we just missed our exit. This crucial element of the processes is the topic of the next “Exit” post (4). To continue click on this post heading to find SIN'S EXIT (4)-(7) displayed under that Blog Archive.
Acts 17:27 +28, John14:20, Jer. 29:13, Matt. 7:7, Luke 11:9
SIN'S EXIT (4)
NOT PERCEIVING THE OFF-RAMP
Even with a flashing “temptation” exit sign without a doubt the hardest part of turning away from a self-destructive compulsion is recognizing the off-ramp. The most common reason for overlooked the ramp is not the bias factor but familiarity. When Man becomes aware of “good” within himself he naturally assumes those loving qualities are “the better angels of his nature”. Predictably, when one becomes acquainted with God the increasing “goodness” within is attributed to the perfecting of his human nature. That conclusion makes it difficult if not impossible to apply the Biblical verdict God passed on the human heart to oneself. The truth is man’s heart is deceitful enjoying and even preferring naughtiness in the dark over wholesomeness in the light. The mindset that says there is good in the heart of every man is looking through natural eyes which will be “ever seeing but never perceiving”. So with that in mind please pay close attention to what comes next. Rom. 3:10, Luke 19:42, Rom. 7:18, John 3:19, Jer. 17:9, Isa. 64:6
This is post 5. This present post has been added so there will be 2more. Those final "Exits" are the most important of seven.
Even with a flashing “temptation” exit sign without a doubt the hardest part of turning away from a self-destructive compulsion is recognizing the off-ramp. The most common reason for overlooked the ramp is not the bias factor but familiarity. When Man becomes aware of “good” within himself he naturally assumes those loving qualities are “the better angels of his nature”. Predictably, when one becomes acquainted with God the increasing “goodness” within is attributed to the perfecting of his human nature. That conclusion makes it difficult if not impossible to apply the Biblical verdict God passed on the human heart to oneself. The truth is man’s heart is deceitful enjoying and even preferring naughtiness in the dark over wholesomeness in the light. The mindset that says there is good in the heart of every man is looking through natural eyes which will be “ever seeing but never perceiving”. So with that in mind please pay close attention to what comes next. Rom. 3:10, Luke 19:42, Rom. 7:18, John 3:19, Jer. 17:9, Isa. 64:6
This is post 5. This present post has been added so there will be 2more. Those final "Exits" are the most important of seven.
SIN'S EXIT (5)
KNOWING THE EXIT
Misidentifying spiritual goodness within prevents us from recognizing the exit-ramp from self-destructive cravings. Failing to spot God’s way leads us to hope we will discover some other way of escape. However the only reliable off-ramp is the one God provides. It is, “Christ in you the hope of glory.” That hope is attained only by realizing and acknowledging His presence within. This spiritual recognition is what the Bible means when it uses the phrases translated, “knowledge of the truth”, “knowledge of the Son of God”, or “knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. Jesus identified himself as the exit when He declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” Then He also disclosed the method for taking God’s exit saying, “Then you will know the truth (Me) and the truth (I) will set you free.”
Upon recognizing or knowing our exit we can then focus on the Spirit of Christ within. Like a driver at the steering wheel, we are inevitably drawn in the direction of our focus. Facing God in this manner turns our gaze away from the freeway of self-destructive compulsions and onto God’s Son, the Exit.
2 Tim. 3:7, Col 1:27, 1Tim. 2:4, 2 Tim. 2:25, Titus1:1b, Eph. 4:15, 2Pet. 2:20a, John 14:6, Heb. 12:2+15 At first glance focusing on the off-ramp of God seems like a daunting idealistic expectation but in fact it is the easiest part of exiting from a self-destructive compulsion. Please continue on to the sixth “Exit” post for the details.
Misidentifying spiritual goodness within prevents us from recognizing the exit-ramp from self-destructive cravings. Failing to spot God’s way leads us to hope we will discover some other way of escape. However the only reliable off-ramp is the one God provides. It is, “Christ in you the hope of glory.” That hope is attained only by realizing and acknowledging His presence within. This spiritual recognition is what the Bible means when it uses the phrases translated, “knowledge of the truth”, “knowledge of the Son of God”, or “knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. Jesus identified himself as the exit when He declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life…” Then He also disclosed the method for taking God’s exit saying, “Then you will know the truth (Me) and the truth (I) will set you free.”
Upon recognizing or knowing our exit we can then focus on the Spirit of Christ within. Like a driver at the steering wheel, we are inevitably drawn in the direction of our focus. Facing God in this manner turns our gaze away from the freeway of self-destructive compulsions and onto God’s Son, the Exit.
2 Tim. 3:7, Col 1:27, 1Tim. 2:4, 2 Tim. 2:25, Titus1:1b, Eph. 4:15, 2Pet. 2:20a, John 14:6, Heb. 12:2+15 At first glance focusing on the off-ramp of God seems like a daunting idealistic expectation but in fact it is the easiest part of exiting from a self-destructive compulsion. Please continue on to the sixth “Exit” post for the details.
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