Ignore the word of god at your own peril!

Symptoms

Are you getting weaker in faith?

·         Your zeal for God is getting weaker and weaker.

·         The presence of God seems further and further away very distant.

·         You opened the bible and did not find any delight in God’s word

Diagnosis 

· You require a total restoration from God. A honest cry of the heart is a good place to start.

Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.

How could a believer drift away? 

God gathers us(sanctifies) for himself by purifying us through his word. The opposite [drifting] happens when we allow sin to enter our lives.

 How can we be restored? 

God’s way of finding Life full of Joy can be found in this single statement

joh 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. no one comes to the father except through me.

Restoration is a 2 Step process involving forgiving [dealing with Sin on God’s end] and cleansing [Dealing with sin on man’s end by making us free from sin’s effects (e.g. guilt)]

Examine the Truth and Agree with it 

John 17:17 sanctify [make them pure] them in the truth; your word is truth. All answers to life are found here

Psalm 37:31 the law of his [righteous person] god is in his heart; his steps do not slip.

So in order to have this purity we need to spend time with Jesus by meditating on the word of god [bible] and obeying it.

Forsake your way and Follow the Lord’s Way

 

Through Inner Purity 

Forsake Our Ways   1Pe 2:1  So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.

Follow God’s Ways 1Pe 2:2  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation--
1Pe 2:3  if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Through External Purity

Forsake Our Ways : Psalm 1:1  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners [joining with sinners], nor sits in the seat of scoffers [Becomes like a sinner themselves]. (Note the 3 levels of increasing comfort with sin. Walk , stand ,seated)

Follow God’s Ways  Psalm 1:2  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.

Receive THE divine Life

word of God is divine life

Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

word of god is divine Protection

Eph 6:17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

Restoration is God’s will

That is why Jesus came to seek and save the Lost or to restore the lost to their rightful place

[Based on teachings by Paul Sudhakar]