Do you have an umbrella?
What is its purpose?
We use umbrellas to protect ourselves from the rain. If you were going for a walk in the rain wouldn’t you want to have one? I think that all of us would unless we enjoy getting wet!
So we use umbrellas to keep from getting wet. Can you imagine standing in a rainstorm under an umbrella? This is something most of us have probably experienced.
What would happen if we decided that God would love us regardless of whether we continue to stand under the umbrella or not? If we stepped away from the protection of the umbrella we would get wet wouldn’t we? The answer obviously is yes, we would get wet but God would still love us!
So if we stepped out from under an umbrella in a storm would it be logical to blame God for the resulting wetness? This would be ridiculous wouldn’t it?
There is a supernatural protection in the spiritual realm similar to a natural umbrella. We are able to stand under this protection when we walk in obedience to God. Disobedience is equivalent to the person who steps out from under an umbrella in a rainstorm!
We cannot obey God without first knowing His instructions. These are found in His Word. If we do not spend time giving careful and considerate thought to the Word of God every day, we will not walk in obedience.
Most Christians do not look at the Bible between church services. It sits on the shelf gathering dust. We essentially have put down the umbrella of His protection and then blame God for the resulting consequences.
God created us. He knows what is best for us. His instructions may not always lead in directions we find easy to pursue but they will always lead us into the plan and path He created us to walk in.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Leaning on our “own understanding” is the path of disobedience. It will never enable us to achieve all that God has called us to accomplish in life.
The victorious Christian life is an obedient one. It will require us to place our complete trust in God and His guidance.
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11
God does not make people sick as some in the Church think He does. He is not the source of our suffering and He is not punishing anyone.
If we are loved by God unconditionally does it really matter if we live holy or sinful lives? Paul answered this question in Romans 6.
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Romans 6:2
The Greek word translated “sin” is used 49 times in the book of Romans. Only one of these references is not used in context of man’s sin nature.
Paul’s question was really, “How shall we, that are dead to this sin nature continue living in it?”
We are not dead to “sins” per se. It is still possible for us to commit sin actions. We are dead though to the sin nature!
If we have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior our sin nature is dead and gone. There are people who act holy, attend church, or even stand in the pulpit that have not received him as their personal savior. We must realize that God does not deal with us based on our “holiness” or service in church each week. Our relationship is solely based on the blood of Jesus and change of nature.
Our ability to walk in the victorious christian life is based on who we are in the spirit. It will never be based on our actions or the way we think!
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