TRAPPED IN LIMBO
TRAPPED IN LIMBO
BIBLE STUDY FORMAT
INDEX:
INTRO.
TRAPPED IN LIMBO
WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN (WHAT ISN'T A CHRISTIAN)
SYMPTOMS OF BEING TRAPPED IN A SPIRITUAL LIMBO
4 LIMBO SCENARIOS 1 - SETTLING ON THE RELIGIOUS SIDE
2- SETTLING ON THE WORLDLY SIDE
3- THE ATHEISM CONCLUSION
4- TRAPPED BY DISOBEDIENCE
FACING THE FACTS
THE WONDERFUL NEWS
REBUILDING THE WALL OF SALVATION
THE CLEAN-UP AND THE WORK
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
This profile is not all inclusive but is written in general terms so as to encourage as many people as possible; however, if the information presented is missing the mark and you are needing more accurate and specific answers please contact a solid Pastor or Christian Counselor that he or she may help you overcome in your struggles. Jesus Loves you so much.
I wish to address this topic for the precious saints (brothers and sisters in Christ) who, through various reasons get themselves trapped in a confused and restrictive state where they do not grow in Christ, but seem to drift between faith, confusion, doubt, and fears. Typically they have or had at one point believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but have become ensnared in oppressive doctrines of men, legalism, and perhaps even some sin, or just double-minded about their commitment to Jesus.
TRAPPED IN LIMBO
Years ago a Christian friend stayed at my oldest brother’s place for awhile. Now this brother in Christ was a bit odd and we could never figure him out. He did not seem overly stable. Sometime after he had left my brother’s place I asked my brother how it went with him. My brother refused to say anything. I asked my sister who is always ready to talk. I asked if he was a problem. She affirmed that he was, yes. I asked if he had preached to them. She answered that that would have been good by comparison. I asked what she meant. She told me that he was an alcoholic and he had gotten out of control. I was shocked. He never showed any tendency when around us. He never even talked about it. At last it all started to make sense, why he was so unstable, unpredictable, unsettled in his faith, but he did have faith. The most powerful part of the story is how my sister, who was not a Christian at that time, described his situation to me. She said that, “He had too much of Jesus to be happy doing what he was doing, but not enough of Jesus to be happy as a Christian.” I have never heard it explained more precisely. It is like having your feet in two worlds, but not moving in freedom in either. Jesus said, "I know your works, that you are neither cold or hot. I would you were cold or hot." Revelation 3:15.
This is a most serious and potentially dangerous situation. I am not quoting the next part of Jesus' statement because He was rebuking the lethargy and presumption of the Laodicean church. Many people who are caught in what I am calling Limbo, are victims of bad instruction, bad leadership, and or bad examples, as well as some possible personal unbelief and rebellion. The Lord so wants us to be set free "...into the glorious liberty of the children of God." Romans 8:11. "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1 If we are trapped in the snare of religious duty/legalism and a works program (wherein everything not 'Christian' is evil, and every assumed failure is a sin) in order to be saved (the torment of imposed or self-imposed guilt and condemnation must be unbearable), we will never be able to attain to those demands and have victory. Nor will we be able to live the life Jesus has purchased for us and bear the fruit for His glory that He has ordained for us, let alone actually experience the joy and liberty of walking with Him. "Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples...These things have I spoken to you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John 15:8,11
For some of these people, because they cannot bring themselves to bend to the stringent demands of legalism and man-made convictions, they rebel and refuse to submit to them, which is good. Yet at the same time if there is a deep conviction in their heart for righteousness and the fear of the Lord, they cannot plunge themselves back into the godless lifestyle of unbelievers as an escape either. So they find themselves floating in the almost nowhere land of doubt, confusion, and restraint. They are neither following Jesus in His Kingdom, nor are they worldly sinners. They are neither reaping the joy of walking with Christ, nor able to fully indulge in the pleasures of sin. It is not unlike the brother mentioned in the introduction who was trapped in his own sin since the resulting plight of these people is very similar. On one hand, it is good that they did not submit to the deceptions of man's religion or legalism, yet they miss the wonderful and liberating cross of Christ. They therefore become trapped in a lifeless and powerless existence of doubt, bitterness, and disappointment wherein they cannot find the love and joy of the Lord, nor can they be completely happy or fulfilled living the life of a godless sinner. Furthermore, they may be haunted by the knowledge of right and wrong, but the distaste of their first experience of religion and legalism keeps them from fully abandoning themselves in Christ.
I must say that one of the saddest things in life is watching Christians who are not walking in victory with Christ, whether they are back-sliders, rebels, or just the poor souls who have never discovered the message of the grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are living in constant guilt and condemnation or just plain unhappy. They do not do well in either world. They are often miserable as citizens of the Kingdom of God, but they are also miserable in the world because they realize they should not be a part of it, nor are able to fully extract its temporal pleasures.
You may be asking what I mean by this since both the saint and the sinner alike live in the same world. The Christian activities such as going to church, praying, sharing the Gospel, Bible studies, fellowships, etc... are only enjoyable to someone who is hungry for the Lord and the things of God. The worldly activities that I am referring to are things like worldly parties, drinking, doing drugs, fornication and the like, which followers of Jesus ought not be doing ("Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NAS). Now for those believers who drink, the Bible does not condemn the use of alcohol, only drunkenness. Most all the other activities in life are permissible for the believer because they are just life ("All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient:all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." 1 Corinthians 6:12).
Poor is the soul who has not joyfully jumped in with both feet into the things of God, yet feels that he/she cannot do almost anything that the world calls fun, even some of the more harmless activities. Soon they may find themselves alone, miserable, and often feeling condemned. Jesus did not come to call us into a life of misery! He came to set us free. He said that, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10
“But I fear, lest by any means, as
the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, o your minds should be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3
This passage is referring to Paul’s concern for the church being seduced to follow another god or gospel and in this case will draw people back into the slavery of legalism and religion. What I wish to point out is the trap that some seem to fall into by misunderstanding the Gospel of our Lord, and never learning the simplicity and wonder of the day to day walk with Him. For all intent and purpose it may very well be the instructor's fault. It also may be that they are overwhelmed by all the spiritual information, or misinformation. It is may likely be all the rules, restrictions, and demands put on them, but definitely NOT by the Lord Himself. It could be that to them,, the cross of Christ is too hard to grasp, or His grace has not been clearly expressed. Maybe there is a sin he/she does not want to give up, or just taking up their cross and surrendering their life to Christ is asking too much for them. No matter the reason, there are few people more miserable than those who have known or heard the Gospel and the call to eternal life, and are not fully walking in it. I am not saying that they are not saved, but they are definitely missing the more abundant life that Jesus came to give us.
Not everyone "trapped in Limbo" leads a miserable life. Typically, many find a place in their understanding and faith where they can live comfortably and be at peace, at least with themselves. One concern is that I have found (and I stress the I and not necessarily the Lord) at least the ones I have spoken with, that they tend to shut out the Scriptures that make them feel uncomfortable, if not disregard the Bible all together. This is concerning, because the Bible is not put there by God do condemn His people, but save us from condemnation, and in the end - to truly set us free. Furthermore, it is also probably the most important way our Heavenly Father communicates with us and instructs us - "He has exalted His Word above all His name." Psalm 138:2
WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
A Christian is a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ "And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch." Acts 11:26 A Christian is someone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for our sins, and God raised Him from the dead three days later, and has confessed Jesus as Lord (asked Jesus into his/her heart) Romans 10:9-10. Being a Christian is not just someone who does not party, do drugs, fornicate... There are a lot of people who do not do these things, and yet they may not know the Lord Jesus Christ. A Christian is someone who loves Jesus and who lives for Him. That is where the wonderful and glorious part of our faith bursts forth "He that believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." John 7:38 The sad thing is that so many who have believed are somehow turned from the way, and most likely through no fault of their own. Bad parenting and discipleship are some of the most common ways. Miss-representing Jesus and the Word of God is the primary stumbling block. I myself have made errors.
NO ZEAL - To them, everything of God is a command, a tradition, a duty. To some, Jesus is only there to keep us from doing bad, and for bringing the wrath of God if we fail.The glorious fire of God and the Love of the Holy Spirit is or has become only something that is talked about, and most likely by others.
DIFFICULTY CONFESSING JESUS - Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. If there is no liberty, fire, and zeal, but only doubt and confusion, then speaking about Him will not come naturally, especially if struggling with the guilt of condemnation.
NO GROWTH - The Bible says that we go from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord. If a person is not moving in faith and being led by His Holy Spirit, there is likely little growth as a Christian. There will always be quiet times when nothing seems to be changing, but growth into a Christ-like character is a spontaneous result of a walk with Him as with any plant having water, good soil, warmth, and sunlight. "But we all with open face beholding, as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Corinthians 3:18
NO FRUIT OF FAITH - A walk with Jesus Christ should also bear the corresponding fruit of faith. Along with character growth, there should also be works that are the by-products from a Christ-like character, such as acts of love and compassion where you know that it was not you but Him. Then there is the fruit of the Spirit, ("But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering/patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance/self-control Galatians 5:22-230. These are the Christ-like characteristics which come by living a life of faith in Jesus and abiding in His Holy Spirit.
NO LIBERTY - "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." Galatians 5:1 One of the marked differences between faith in Jesus and religion is the liberty we have in our faith where we are not bound by religious laws, rules, and traditions. We are not referring to moral laws. A life of faith in Jesus is not a license to sin, most certainly; however, nor is it bound by rituals, rules, and regulations that are supposed to be pleasing to God, whereby if we do not practice them we feel that we are sinning in one form or other. Our Lord Jesus Christ has ransomed us to be free from all that, and freed us to love and serve Him and one another with joy, That is true liberty. Furthermore, we can walk freely in the world and enjoy its benefits as unto the Lord without partaking of its sinful ways. This you must figure out carefully. We have His Holy Spirit and His Word to guide us.
NO JOY - "Whom having not seen, you love; in Whom, though now you see Him not, yet believing, YOU REJOICE WITH JOY UNSPEAKABLE, and full of glory." 1 Peter 1:8 Seriously, you may not experience this all the time, but the Joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10. Not everyone's experience is the same, and some peoples's lives are extremely hard; however, the Lord does faithfully provide refreshing from time to time, whereby you know that it is from Him (Acts 3:19) and He thereby gladdens our hearts, even unto joy regardless of what is outwardly happening!
GLEANING NOTHING FROM THE SACRED ACTIVITIES OF FAITH - The sacred activities of the faith that I am referring to are things like prayer, Bible reading and study, worship, church and fellowship. It is from these that we feed our spirits and keep our growth steady. It is serious for any believer if we let these things fall to the wayside or get slack in exercising ourselves in them. Remember that the flesh will either despise them, or if practicing them, can make these traditional and lifeless, yet all the while we feel we are doing God and ourselves a service. But if we are not doing them as an expression of our faith and love for God, then we are profiting no one, especially ourselves. Furthermore, the power and life of these activities are the by-product of the interactions of our spirit with the Spirit of God. To the flesh they are burdensome, useless, and even annoying. If you feel this way about these activities, you are in a most unhealthy state. "But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things..." 1 Corinthians 2:14-15. If this is you, you are not walking in the faith and love of Jesus but are just performing duties in the flesh. Do we then stop them? Not at all. Instead begin to live by the Spirit and do them with all your heart by faith.
NOT HAPPY - Because you are not functioning well in either world, lasting happiness is elusive. Happiness typically requires some measure of a sense of success and achievement. And although you may be successful in your schooling or occupation (includes parenting), the complete person requires success in the broader spectrum of human existence, like social life, recreational life, spiritual life. Because these are broken, overall happiness and satisfaction is difficult to attain.
UNSATISFIED - Regardless of how successful your school is, or business, because you are not free in either the natural world or your spiritual walk, you cannot achieve true satisfaction and contentment. Satisfaction comes from a level of success that is achieved by wholehearted application in the responsibilities and core values of life.
FEELING UNSUCCESSFUL - A FAILURE - VALUELESS - Our personal value is appraised by the success of achieving what we consider most important. We can convince our selves that all our goods, material wealth, and even public opinion makes us successful and valuable, but we cannot escape from the reality of the realization we know deep in our heart that we are falling short in what is truly important - our relationships with one another and especially with God. We are left with the haunting feeling of being empty, a failure, and almost valueless. That is the fruit of a self-centered life.
POOR AND UNSUCCESSFUL RELATIONSHIPS - Relationships are a huge indication of our character's health. Constant broken relationships, and sparse or shallow relationships often point to an internal problem. In the Bible the Lord says, "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" Amos 3:3. If a person who has known the Lord, but is not walking in His ways will not likely find close and intimate fellowship or friendship with other believers because of the lack of common ground "If we walk in the Light as He is in light, then we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. On the other hand, because/ of the knowledge and faith he/she has had, will not be able to walk closely with someone who does not know Jesus because light and darkness does not mix. "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV This is the limbo of relationships.
HOPELESSNESS - Hope is something that God makes available to everyone, but it is up to us to walk in it. If we are walking in faith, believing His promises, having the full assurance of 'the best is yet to come' - Heaven, the resurrection, and eternal life, In these, hope dominates our future. However, with only the fading promises of this life to look forward to, hopelessness and futility looms at the end of the road, "...let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die." Isaiah 22:13. Tell me, what kind of mentality is that for a disciple of Jesus Christ?!
4 LIMBO SCENARIOS
SETTLING IN ON THE RELIGIOUS SIDE
There are those trapped in Limbo who seem to settle in on the religious side, yet all the while they are not truly yielded to the Lord Jesus Christ nor free in Him. They may be faithful church goers, but they lack the love, joy, and the fruit of a disciple's life. If a person is not actually walking with Jesus they will not be able to live the Christ-like character though their attempts may be in earnest. In Christ we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17); however if we have not been born again our old nature remains unchanged and our expressions will be merely mechanical imitations of the real thing, and that is the best we can produce. On one hand, they believe the warnings of the Bible, and perhaps have a genuine fear of God, so they try to live religiously, mainly to please God, but also to make a good impression for their family and friends, yet inwardly they are not surrendered to Jesus Christ, or perhaps even know Him. This is not seeking or living in the Kingdom of God. It is merely worldly religion and self- deceiving. The only true fellowship you have is with others of like mind.
There are also those who are earnestly following Jesus as they know and understand Him, and genuinely so, but are still lacking the revelation of His grace and salvation. Although they may seem just religious, they are doing their best before the Lord, but when they see Him, what a magnificent change. We knew a young man like that when he met Christians he became an earnest and wholehearted church goer. It was fun to watch, and a blessing. He would come to church every Sunday dressed in a suit and did everything that he saw everyone else do. Then one time he went to a youth convention and met JESUS! What a beautiful and radical change. Oh yes, he was just as earnest and dedicated, but now with the liberty and power of someone filled with the Holy Spirit. It was sort of like what the apostle Peter was like before and then after he was converted.
SETTLING ON THE WORLDLY SIDE
Rather than play the hypocrite, the struggling saints may give themselves over to worldly ways while attempting to find their escape in its indulgences (whatever they may be). The trouble is, how can they escape from what they know to be right and true while doing the opposite. One day after work, as I was walking through the alley I noticed a group of men huddling in the corner. They were smoking drugs. I decided to challenge them by telling them about Jesus. One of them aggressively lit into me and fiercely called me down. I turned and walked away. Interesting enough, he followed me, and when he was clear of his friends he told me that he knew that I was right and that he himself was a Christian. NOT GOOD! It breaks my heart. O Lord have mercy.
THE ATHEISM CONCLUSION
Perhaps the most heart breaking of all is when they have had enough of our hypocrisy and double standards, hurts, let downs, and they walk away all together from Jesus and the Father. Sometimes it is hard to blame them considering all the things they have gone through. What is scariest is that they sometimes become the most hostile and even hateful opponents of our faith. The devil has seized their hearts and minds and filled them with disillusionment, bitterness, and even hate. After hearing what some of them have gone through it is easy to understand. Watch the movie "God's Not Dead".
They find comfort in creating a world where God does not exist and will not have to put up with all the associated troubles and garbage that we His people can make of it. They develop their own standards of morals (often very similar to Jesus' but with reasonable and convenient compromises) and strive to find a suitable explanation for our existence, as long as God and Jesus are left out. By the grace of God, prayer, intercession, and repentance on our part can get them out - hopefully. Oh how we need to genuinely walk in love and humility, because we are going to blow it, and when we do, someone gets hurt, and sometimes severely.
TRAPPED BY DISOBEDIENCE
There are times when even solid disciples of Jesus can become trapped in a type of spiritual limbo because of rebellion/disobedience. Jonah is a classic Biblical example. God called Jonah to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. Jonah had good reason as far and human complaint goes. The Assyrian people of Nineveh were violent, brutal, and attacked or overran all the surrounding nations in their day, and Israel felt the brunt of their brutality many times. When the Lord told Jonah, who was all too well acquainted with their ways (and he obviously must have spoken the Assyrian tongue) he was unwilling to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. Apparently Jonah felt that God was asking too much of him. Knowing God's benevolent and merciful nature, Jonah knew that God would end up forgiving and sparing the people of Nineveh. No doubt Jonah did not feel they deserved any mercy from God. But then again, how many of us do? You know the story, in the end God persuades Jonah to see things from His perspective. In the meantime, though, Jonah had spent three days and three nights in the belly of a big fish (limbo) until he had a change of heart and was willing to obey the Lord. Sometimes God has to allow us to eat the hard fruit of our decisions and thinking before we are willing to trust and obey Him. Hopefully we are not too stubborn and will come around sooner that later.
You may have been serving the Lord for years, but may have come across a situation where you do not feel you can or should comply even to the Word of the Lord. You may feel you have valid excuses, but truthfully you know that you are rebelling in spite of all your 'just' reasons. The duration of your stay in the belly of the wale will depend on how much darkness, stench, and torment you are willing to endure to be right in your own eyes. We can be very stubborn. Our Heavenly Father is NEVER wrong. What will it be?
THE WONDERFUL NEWS!!!
To this point I have painted a very bleak picture, but there is always GREAT NEWS and a way out. The Good News is the cross of Christ! We can so easily miss Him amid the confusion of human rhetoric, but the Gospel (good news) of our Lord Jesus Christ is so simple that a little child can grasp it. "Truly I say you, whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all." Mark 10:15 At the cross of Christ there is an exchange of His life for ours, not based on any good thing we may think we have done or need to do. We simply come to Jesus as we are, believe on Him and surrender our life to Him in faith. He loves us so much! Have you done that, or did you end up surrendering your life to a ritual or good works program and then missed Jesus altogether? It is time to get on the right track with Him.
FACING THE FACTS -
OUR DESTINY IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY - Someone may have messed you up the first time, but now that you know better, it is up to you to reconcile with the Lord.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR ACTIONS - We can blame some people for some things, but ultimately we are responsible to God for our own actions and choices when we know better.
WE LOVE OUR SIN- Sin is hardest to escape if we love it. That is something in our heart. If we truly wish to escape it, we must hate it.
WE LOVE TO FEEL SORRY FOR OURSELVES - Strangely, there is a twisted pleasure in feeling sorry for ourselves, so much so that we do not want to actually escape the rut we are in.
WE MUST DECIDE WHOM WE WILL SERVE, THEN DO IT! - "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
"Elijah went before the people and said, 'How long will you waver between tow opinions? If the Lord is God, follow/serve Him; but if Baal is God, serve him.'" 1 Kings 18:21 NIV
REBUILDING THE WALL OF SALVATION
"Violence shall no more be heard in your land, wasting nor destruction within your borders; but you shall call your walls SALVATION, and your gates PRAISE." Isaiah 60:18
In the Book of Nehemiah, the Lord put it on Nehemiah's heart to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Judah and Jerusalem were devastated by the Babylonians because of the sin and disobedience of the children of Israel which had gone on for centuries. Now God was ready to rebuild Jerusalem, but the work was tremendous. The wall was broken down, and there was much rubble and debris. The work was extremely difficult and there was also opposition. The work required three primary tasks; to work with the material that was usable, to remove all the debris, and to reconstruct what was lacking. For you who have been trapped in 'Limbo', it will be much the same. You do have the solid building materials that you know you can work with: the pure Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the Corner Stone; the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and the help of good solid Christians (there are many if you are willing to look in the right places).
There are tools you need to use;
Faith: believing the Scriptures in spite of all the conflicting arguments, both from within and without, and living it out in your day to day life.
The BIBLE - THE Truth! - Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32 This is so critical! It is false doctrines that led you astray. First, a false representation of Jesus, and then a false presentation of the Gospel of Jesus. Anytime anyone presents anything to us about God and Jesus, we should go to the Scripture to verify it. "These were more noble than those of Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so." Acts 17:11
Humility: We need to be teachable and correctable. A proud person does not receive correction or instruction well, so change is less inevitable.
Repentance: Little doubt, after wandering off from the course, either deliberately or through the deception of man, we entangle ourselves in sinful attitudes and even behavior that we are responsible to repent of. To be completely free you must repent of anything or thinking that disagrees with the Word of God and the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
Forgiveness: Often our fall was because of the error or even deliberate deception of someone else. WE MUST FORGIVE! "But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:15 By reason of the bitterness, resentment, and even hate, we can become entrapped because of the deeds of others. We become blind and unable the grasp for the help we need since we are holding on to the issues of the past and all that they produced. Furthermore, we typically neglect our own guilt before God because of our self-justification. Let go, forgive, then move ahead. The Lord is ready to help you forgive, even as He has completely forgiven us.
THE CLEAN UP AND THE WORK
Start with a genuine turning to Jesus. Keep it simple. It is not about church, people, ceremony, it is only about Jesus. There is a Biblical pattern to follow, but that we can look at afterwards.
Get help - Find a good solid Christian, or better still, a good Church, where you can get help. They are out there, and the Lord will guide you to someone. Nehemiah did not do all the work himself.
Gather the Good Rocks - Not all the things you received were wood, hay, and stubble. Were they from the Bible? Were they correctly presented and applied? All building materials have specific use and applications. But if not used in the proper way and place, can cause structural problems or failure. You may need the assistance of another Christian to help you sort these out.
Scrap the Trash - It's funny that it is often the trash that we hold on to the tightest. It is the trash that bogs us down and causes us to stray. The trash that I am referring to is the false religious rules and regulations that we men have put on you. Be free of them! God has left us awesome examples in the Bible, and even people living to this day. "Therefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God." Hebrews 12:1-3
TWO TYPES OF TRASH THAT HOLD US -
1 - UNREPENTED SIN - " ... the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13 Sin is blinding and deceitful. If in our heart we are holding on to a sin, a pet affection, an idol, a lust, a rebellion, bitterness or hate...., you can be sure that you will never make that freeing break in Jesus. It will hold you back and blind you. This will lead you to the next level of trash.
2 - WANTING YOU EARS TICKLED - "For the time will come that they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths " 2 Timothy 4:3-4 NAS There are those who believe in God and maybe fear Him, but they still want to hold on to their sin (whatever it may be). To compensate, they will find teachers who will give them a gospel that will include both, their belief in God, and the thing they want to hold on to. They will not be able to endure the whole counsel of God nor be able to handle much of the content of the Bible. There are those who will promise them freedom, though, so that they do not have to heed all the warnings and admonitions of the Bible. Their damnation is secured, and also for those who follow them. "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption:" 2 Peter 2:19
3 - SCRAP THE OLD ROTTEN FOUNDATION - Scrap everything that is not Jesus Christ the Lord, and build your new foundation completely on HIM and faith in HIM alone. "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 3:11 NKJV
Start Developing with the New and Proper Materials - The Bible provides us with all the right tools and materials we need to build a wholesome life in Christ. Love is the most important tool of faith. Faith is believing and doing what the Lord says, but if the end product of our life's work is not an overflow of the love of Jesus Christ, then we are off course "If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing... And these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:1-3,13 NIV The Scripture says, "Let all that you do be done in love." 1 Corinthians 16:14 NAS
In Nehemiah's day, after all was said and done, the wall as build so quickly that their enemies realized that "this work had been done with the help of God." Nehemiah 6:16 NIV. And so shall it be with you. You are not alone, it is Christ working in you that will enable you to accomplish a new life in Him. "For it is God Who woks in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13
"I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I , but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loves me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20
CONCLUSION
As with most things, before we can escape something, we first have to realize that we are trapped. Then we need to desire to get out. To do that we must embrace our responsibilities and do what it takes to get free. Jesus is there to help you all the way. He is more than worth it. GO FOR IT!!!
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