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‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord´

“Igniting soul’s through the proclamation of Jesus Christ”.



A Fire Grows Dim



Do you ever feel yourself growing cold toward God? Perhaps you have, maybe you are right now. Though we, who are His children, can never lose our salvation, it is possible for our spiritual passion to cool. You may ask, “well how would you know?” Some things I know through personal experience.



Focus Scripture for this topic is 2 Timothy 1:1-11. The word says, “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.” (KJV)



Writing out the Scripture does make the literature rather long, seem long winded, however I have adopted this habit for reason of explanation and reader view. How many will assume what the Word of God says on never check for themselves? And so, this passage reveals that even Timothy experience a decrease in his excitement for God. Think of it, that’s why Paul wrote, encouraging the young Pastor at Ephesus to fan the flame of his Faith. This also reveals that, Spiritual ‘cooling’ can happen to any Christian. Often it starts when tragedy or disappointment diverts one’s attention. You see, instead of crying out to the Lord and finding shelter in Him, the believer gradually ceases reading the Bible. The Word of God is like wood in a fireplace, the flames can be kept alive only when there are logs to burn. As less time is spent in Scripture, other aspects of the relationship with God are affected. One’s church attendance diminishes, giving becomes sporadic, and prayer, which seems increasingly stale, is used only for emergencies.



No longer willing to stand up for what he/she once deemed important, the Christian soon start to compromise. One may feel plagued by guilt and become defensive about the way they are living. Finally, the joy, contentment, and peace from God are replaced by worry, doubt, and fear. Sin. A believer who allows himself to drift will miss out on the joy and fulfillment of a rich relationship with the Lord. Think back now. Is your excitement about the things of God stronger than ever before? Or has it diminished over time? If your fire needs stoking, get into the Word and ask the Holy Spirit to

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‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord´

“Igniting soul’s through the proclamation of Jesus Christ”.





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High Cost





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“But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.” 1 Kings 11:1-11





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We all occasionally succumb to a case of the “I’d never-s”. You know, like the, ‘I’d never cheat on my spouse, I’d never steal from an employer, I’d never betray a friend, etc.. While uttering the words, we are confident of living up to them. What Believers often don’t realize is that the journey from ‘I’d never’ to ‘I did’ is made up of small steps, each one a compromise.





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The young and spiritually fervent Solomon certainly would have said, “I’d never be a lust-driven slave to false gods.” Yet he ended his life with a multitude of wives and lovers who demanded his allegiance to their deities. Neglecting the laws and principles of the true God cost him dearly. Solomon knew all the warnings against marrying foreigners, “They will turn your sons away from following God to serve other gods; then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you”, Deit. 7:4. But the political advantages of an alliance with Egypt convinced him to compromise those high standards, 1 Kings 3:1. The fact that God didn’t instantly react to his rebellion must have made rationalizing the next marriage even easier, after all, a nation was more secure if its king’s harem lured his heart away. He broke a divine covenant and forfeited his family’s claim to Israel’s throne.





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God’s commands are meant to protect us from sin and heartache. Compromise can look tempting and even advantageous, but taking one step off the high road makes the next step even easier. “But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, "First seek the counsel of the Lord." 1 Kings 22:5 This verse is from the wonderful story of Micaiah the prophet. Jehoshaphat knew not to trust the counsel of false prophets. He was adama

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‘As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord´

“Igniting soul’s through the proclamation of Jesus Christ”.





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Compromise





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“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep Thy precepts diligently. O’ that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments. I will praise Thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep Thy statutes: O’ forsake me not utterly.” Psalm 119:1-8





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Compromise injures a Believer’s spiritual life as surely as landmines wreak havoc upon the body. Our testimony is damaged or destroyed when we bend God’s principles. I am sure you may have heard the example whereas a young Christian woman meets an attractive man who doesn’t share her beliefs. For years, she has known Paul’s caution, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers” and recognizes the Apostle’s intention to protect Christians from worldly influences, 2 Cor. 6:17. But she rationalizes that one date won’t hurt her. Actually, she is probably right. However, a first date leads to a second and a third and then to a relationship. He offers marriage, she accepts, and the bent principle becomes a broken rule.





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To navigate a spiritual minefield, we must look a few steps ahead for possible danger. Even choices that seem trivial may have far-reaching consequences. But the Lord equips us with a divine GPS, ‘God’s Positioning System’, the Holy Spirit’s sounds an alarm in our spirit if we veer into dangerous territory. For us to hear these warnings, our heart must be tuned to the Holy Spirit’s wavelength through Scriptural study. Reyying on our own understanding can lead to trouble. But those who trust the Lord and apply His principles will find straight paths through potentially explosive situations. Prov. 3:5-6





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The young woman in the example knew Scripture and felt the Spirit’s cautionary nudge, but she ignored it. For safe travel through this dangerous world, decide to obey His initial warning so you can steer clear of compromise.





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Love in the Lord

Paul/Hayman

"Igniting passion in the people of God through the proclamation of truth."

http://www.mychurch.org/FellowshipIn...

http://themightysword.multiply.com

E-Mail: Dagwood944@comcast.net

http://www.myspace.com/paulhayman

http://360.yahoo.com/hayman5944





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Soon, the group “MightySwordChristianFellowship” on MSN will no longer function, but direct anyone attempting to post to the new home on Multiply. After January 28 the MSN site will no longer be available, not even for archive or reading purpose. Please sign on to your Multiply to access the new site and share in the fellowship with us. If you do not yet have a Multiply ID please sign up for one either by way of the groups site or go to www.multiply.com then come on over to the new Mighty Sword.





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