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Wednesday, January
23, 2008
Prove
It
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Wherefore
henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ
after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (17) Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new. (KJV)
Up to the point of our
conversion we were limited in our thinking and only able to discern things
according to what we were able to see, hear, and touch; basically limited
to our carnal senses. Once you became a new creation, which can only take
place to those that are in Christ, you are now able to see things through
the eyes of the Spirit and look into a whole new realm and a whole new way
of thinking. Every day should be a new day. Like with a child, they
continue to learn more about the things around them, the things of this
realm they recently entered themselves. Your old way of thinking, the way
you determined things and made judgments based solely by outward
appearances is passed away; you are now able to discern and make judgments according
to what the Lord says, who knows the thoughts and intents of the heart.
1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 Prove
all things; hold fast that which is good. (22) Abstain from all appearance
of evil. (23) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God
your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ. (KJV)
Thayer’s definition for
prove:
1381 dokimazo- 1) to test, to examine, to
prove, to scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals 2)
to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, to deem worthy
Before you put your stamp of
approval on something, or I should say God’s stamp of approval on it (after
all you are now a representation of Him), do you take the time to check it out
to see if it lines up with the word of God before you get involved in
something that He doesn’t approve of? If there isn’t peace in the situation
that would be the first indication that it is not of God. Secondly, it has
to line up with His word before you should proceed forward, otherwise you
may find yourself like the prophet Baalam who ended up blaming the wrong
ass for the ungodly situation he put himself into. Case in point, last month
when many said it was Christmas time many jumped on the bandwagon and went
for a worldly ride. But the truth be known, which by the way it is
available to those that are willing to listen, is that it is nothing more
than a cheap hoax, a worldly retailers celebration supposedly in the name
of Christianity. Not only has this abomination evolved into an ungodly
mess, if you take the time to go back to its origins you will find that it
began as a pagan ritual which a bunch of half baked milk toast Christians
adopted and imitated; which sad to say, not much has changed over the
years. So if you desire the peace of God in your life and someday plan on
presenting yourself to Him wholly and blameless, spirit, soul, and body,
then you need to be more watchful about the doctrine you allow into your
spirit and the things you put your stamp of approval on so that you don’t
allow a little leaven to leaven the whole lump.
Isaiah 5:20-21 Woe unto them
that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (21) Woe
unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (KJV)
This is exactly what takes
place when someone doesn’t take the time to rightly divide the word of
truth; when someone jumps into a situation just because it looked good and
sounded good by the outward appearance, but inwardly was an abomination to
the Lord. What you put your stamp of approval on can have dire consequences
if it is not of the Lord and a misrepresentation of His word. So like the
old song says, ‘look before you leap do waters run deep’ otherwise you may
find that so called pool you’re diving head first into is nothing more than
a mirage. The devil painted a pretty picture to Eve back in the Garden of Eden
and made it sound too good to be true if she would just partake of the
fruit. The same deceiver is still out and about portraying himself as a
minister of righteousness with cheap watercolors that can be easily erased
when doused with the living waters of truth. What a pretty picture he will
try and paint in your mind, showing you the highlight reel of what you are
missing in the flesh so that he can get you living in an imaginary realm of
deception and lies. So before you enter his studio, take the time to hear
the Lord’s answer and discern the truth; before you allow the devil to
paint you into a corner.
2 Timothy 2:15-16 Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth. (16) But shun profane and vain
babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (KJV)
I have seen so many people
try and imitate other people that they considered godly and miss the mark
because they were more concerned with man’s approval and not the Lord’s.
You have entered a whole new realm people, which is completely opposite of
the one we lived in the past. So in order to walk in the Spirit you have to
start thinking in the Spirit, and that will only take place as you renew
your mind in the word of God on a daily basis. Otherwise you find yourself
back in the realm of the flesh which should be dead, died and buried to
those in Christ.
Commentary:
In the ancient world there
was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money
was made from metal, heated until it was liquid, poured into moulds and
allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off
the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft and of course many
people shaved them closely. In one century, more than eighty laws were
passed in Athens, to stop the practice of shaving down the coins then in
circulation. But some money-changers were men of integrity, who would
accept no counterfeit money. They were men of honor who put only genuine
full-weighted money into circulation. Such men were called
"dokimos" or "approved". --Donald Barnhouse
Oh how the world keeps such a
close watch over their treasures to make sure they don’t get shortchanged.
How much stronger would the Christian be if they made their spiritual life
as much a priority as their financial welfare or even beyond. I have seen
many people who study cults, then go out and about getting in debates over
their doctrines. Now with people in banking today, they don’t waste their
time studying the phony bills but rather study the genuine bills; that is
how they are able to spot the counterfeit ones and there is no debate, case
closed. The Bible says it is the truth that will set you free so that you
can be free indeed. So how much time have you spent today in the word of
truth so that you can know the truth and be approved of God as genuine and
the real deal?
Proverbs 10:32 The lips of
the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh
frowardness. (KJV)
Are you truly a Christian? Prove
it.
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