“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God…” 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
They were an audience held captive in the ol’ minivan once again – a perfect time to continue our ongoing purity conversation with these handsome teenage boys of mine (doesn’t Deuteronomy 6 say to teach your children when you sit, when you walk, when you lie down, when you get up, and when you ride in your minivan?! Heh.). They’re used to it by now, and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that God uses these conversations to challenge my heart as well. God is such a wise, efficient God like that.
“There’s an epidemic going around, and it’s not just plaguing your generation,” I continued.
There’s a reason why life often feels so crowded, yet so empty.
You see, in the flesh we want to have it all. We want the world, and Jesus too. And it just isn’t working for us.
We can only squeeze so much into the deepest affections of our heart. Eventually it gets crowded in there. And while God patiently pursues, longing for an intimate relationship with us, we settle for Sunday mornings and half-hearted prayers and rely on people and passions around us to fill our deepest longings that only Jesus was meant to satisfy. We’re running to a world that’s highly accessible, but only temporarily fulfilling at best.
“And God wants more for me. For you. God wants our whole hearts so that we can be satisfied in Him.”
Somewhere along the way, I wonder if as believers we’ve convinced ourselves that at least some portion of our soul satisfaction should come from this world. Anyone bold enough to admit it? I hear us ask, “How much can I get away with?” instead of “How can I pursue holy living in a sinful world?” What a slippery slope we travel on with one foot in the world and the other in the Kingdom.
Ever wonder why life feels so crowded, yet so empty?
So tempting, yet so unfulfilling?
So accessible, yet so shallow?
Could it be that Jesus doesn’t really have the first place that He deserves in our lives after all?
Paul had a message for the Thessalonians, and God has given the same Word to us. In short, since we know God we ought to live like it. Where the world indulges in sinful desires, we ought to live holy lives (4:7). To be sure, progressive sanctification – becoming more and more like Christ – is a lifelong process that will only be complete when we see Jesus face to face. But since we know God and the righteousness that comes to us through Christ, our position in Him should spur us on to holy living more and more. Not because we work to earn God’s grace, but instead ours should be a worship response to this sweet, stunning, unmerited, miraculous grace that has been so generously lavished on us. We are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) called to new desires, empowered by the Spirit living in us!
Whether it’s the topic of sexual immorality, modesty, media, or a million other potential compromises that threaten to steal our affection and derail our commitment to what is holy and honorable, it’s never too late to flee sin and pursue righteousness. God’s mercies are new every morning – we can confess, turn, and begin again today! Only in Christ can we find lasting joy and contentment for our souls.
Are you living to please God?
Like Paul challenged the Thessalonians, let’s “urge each other in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.”
At His feet,
Let’s talk: What are some common “slippery slope” areas where we need to be on guard as believers as we live in and not of the world? How can we urge each other to live to please God in these situations?
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I confess that my slippery slope is Twitter. I tell myself that it is to stay informed with current events but many times I feel the Holy Spirit convicting me by asking me will this tweet positivity or negativitly impact my witness? It’s so easy to get sucked into social media’s drama. I must hold myself to God’s standing at all times.
Terri,
Thank you for sharing this. My slippery slop is facebook. When I get on I seem to be always angry by the post of the injustice in this country. I always attempt to provoke my fellow sisters in Jesus that these things are wrong and I argue with them but I know that’s not how Jesus would have me to do that. He has been convicting me for sometime now and I know I have to find a different way to educate by dear sisters. I use the stay informed idea as well. I’m praying about how to better handle these issues.
Terri and Yoli,
Thank you both for joining us on the blog today and sharing from your hearts. I, too, struggle with social media. But one thing that has helped me is realizing most people only share their highlight reel with us! Their posts aren’t a complete reflection of every aspect of their lives, only the great times they chose to share. I have cut back greatly from posting on most platforms, except for this ministry, prayer requests and Happy Birthday or Congratulatory posts. I’ve turned to Google and the news to stay informed about local and world events.
I hope my little bit of insight helps both of you ladies in this area. God Bless You both in your walks with The Lord!
I know this is not a sin but we should be very careful who we follow and listen to when it comes to preachers and leaders. In these last and crazy times, we see of kinds of thing being said by many different people and I see Christians following along. For example, I had one sister attempt to convince me that a certain said sin in the bible was not such a sin. She tried to convince me that I need to listen and learn about that act and not call it a sin. That is scary because I hear many Christians talk about it and say well “people are born that way.” There are many things people say you are born with. I’m sorry but I am not born anyway God calls a sin. I may be born into sin but not to commit sin but please God. We too can fall into these ideas and sayings that displease God but we need to always ask God to help us stay on guard. There are many ways people act and many things they say that are wrong and people say they are right. The scripture tells the in t he last days the right will be wrong and the wrong will be right. God says my sheep know my voice. We have to know the word and stand strong in it.
Yoli,
You make a great point, and thank you for sharing with us!
Yes, we have to use our knowledge of the Bible and God’s plan for our lives when others, both inside and outside the church, offer spiritual guidance. Unfortunately in this fallen world, not everyone has our best intentions in mind! Know that we are praying over you, and God Bless!
What I have done on FB is I respond to posts and I am positive in a way that it reflects how I really am. Once in awhile I have had to say whoa I gotta say something about them posting what I consider provocative pictures of their children asleep in bed and it doesn’t look right to me. I always leave an open door so they know I’m saying it in a non judgmental way. Otherwise I compliment , send prayers up but I try to maintain a positive in what I consider otherwise to be a negative world. My sister said something that I thought was interesting and she said she thinks of FB as her newspaper , but she also said she blocks, even our cousin who continuously posts negative political stuff . I forget about the blocking option. I’m homebound so I consider this my opportunity to spread some light on people whom I thouroughly enjoy having an interface with.
I struggle with comparisons. “Well, so and so does this and she’s a Christian so it must be ok”. I have to remind myself that God has me to a personal walk with Him. I am not living out so and so’s call to follow Jesus but my own. I also struggle with desires for material things. Working hard to get more money so I can get more stuff instead of investing time in loving others and showing them Jesus.
Lacey,
Thank you for joining us on the blog today and sharing with us. As humans, we are influenced by things of this world and seeing the way other Christians lead their lives can be confusing. But you are so right! We each have our own walks and journeys, and need to do our best not to get tempted or side tracked by things that are temporary in this world. Praying for you today. God Bless You!
My slippery slope is having a glass of wine or a beer. Some people perceive this as the wrong thing for a Christian to do. I do not believe there is anything wrong with having A glass of wine or A beer, UNless it hurts your witness as a Christian. This is a tough one, because I enjoy having a drink, but I don’t want to hurt my reputation as a Christian to someone that may not know me very well.
Jo,
Thank you for being with us today and sharing on the blog. We all probably have vices of some sort. It is important that these vices not become addictions or interfere with our spiritual journey. It is a fine line, but all things in moderation and eye on the prize. God Bless You!
My slippery slope happens to be acting. Or at least wanting to always be in something. I’ve been seeing a lot lately that I’ve been chasing all kinds of acting related things and while they are great for a while it comes back to the same problem where I feel insecure . It can be hard to explain. But I know I have let become an idol. And it is going to be hard to give it up for awhile. But I know that if I am going to put God first, I need to lay down things I love most. Maybe in time, He will lead me back to a place where I can pursue acting or something theatre related but right now I have to give it over to him and let him take me on a journey.
Marisa,
Thank you for joining us today and sharing from your heart. You are very wise to notice things in your life that are coming before God and interfering with your spiritual growth and journey! Your passions don’t have to become idols. Your acting opportunities can open doors to minister to others that you might not have had otherwise. Just a different perspective on your passion and opportunities! Praying for God to show you how He would have you approach future opportunities. God Bless You!
My slippery slope is shacking withy boyfriend. Alhough, I have many others , this one is one that gets to me the most. We have been together over 9 years and we have failed to get married. I know this is not pleasing to God but I’m trying to pray and become closer to Him so that I will fully commit to everything that He desires for my life.
Gabrielle,
Thank you for being with us and being so brave in sharing today. It sounds like today’s message is speaking directly to you! We all reach points in our lives where we need to evaluate relationships to determine if they are healthy and mutually beneficial. We are lifting you, your relationship and spiritual journey in prayer. Remain focused and open your heart to Him, and your answers will come. God Bless You!