In the Book of Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 we have the teachings of Jesus most commonly referred to as the Beatitudes. These chapters contain valuable truths essential to living as Christ commanded us to live. I would like to share some thoughts that the Lord has impressed upon my heart that have been life changing for me.
The more we hunger and thirst after righteousness, the more we shall receive from the Lord. He reveals Himself to the humble, (the poor in spirit), and withholds much from those who are proud. If we know we are needy in areas, He is faithful to reveal Himself to us in that area of need. If we are walking in pride and self-sufficiency then we do not receive from the Lord.
I recall many years ago when a dear Christian lady was honest enough to tell me that I had a lot of pride. I honestly did not know what she meant or what she saw in my life, but those words she spoke have never left me. Through the years as I have been walking with the Lord I have been able to understand more as the Lord has dealt with me in areas of my life that needed changing. Pride has raised its ugly head many times! I am so very thankful that our Lord did not come to condemn us, but, to save us and set us free!
We are called to be Salt and Light in the world. We may profess Christ in our life, but, if we do not allow the Lord into certain areas of our lives, we do not shine as we should. One of the snares of the enemy is to tempt us to compromise when we are with others who are not Believers. May God, by His Grace, enable us to stand now and in the days to come when the darkness becomes even darker!
Christ did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill the Law. His Laws are now written upon our hearts as we yield our lives to Him in faith and obedience, desiring to please Him in all that we do. Grace is actually higher than the Law. Grace enables us to overcome sin and the devil. Some have perverted Grace into License, which is total deception. We must desire to do God’s Will in our hearts because we want to, not because we have to do so. We begin to walk in the full joy of the Lord when we make Him Lord of our lives.
All sin originates from our heart or mind. Whatever we entertain in our thoughts eventually comes out in our actions. It is vitally important to deal with unrighteous thoughts by repenting right away instead of ignoring that it is happening. One of the greatest temptations and snares the enemy uses in our lives is Lust. Mighty men of God have fallen, and some have lost their ministry and family because they did not guard their thought life, and instead gave into the temptation to entertain sensuous thoughts which became desires and eventually actions that led to their downfall.
Another example regarding our thoughts is murder. Murder originates in the heart. It doesn’t just happen! The root of murder is hatred. Our thoughts are hidden to others, but not to God! He judges the hearts of men! This is why repentance is so vital to our Christian growth. If we have hidden sin in our lives we are only fooling ourselves. We will pay a big price for our folly!
We definitely need God’s Grace to be able to walk in forgiveness. We cannot afford to harbor unforgiveness in our hearts! We are the ones that will suffer if we do so. We meet many offenses along life’s way and it is vitally important that we do not react, but that we learn to respond to God’s Grace so that we can be freed of any thoughts of revenge, etc.
Genuine repentance will activate God’s Grace in our lives! When we refuse to repent we give ground to the evil one in our lives. He is out to destroy us. If we do not forgive, we are opening ourselves to a great attack by the enemy.
The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:8–13 is the best example we have of forgiveness. These were not idle words spoken in verses 14 and 15 when Jesus said, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” These are strong but true words! We must walk in the Light of the Word of God in order to walk in victory!
