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SOUL DANCE (excerpt): Shun and Run!
by Tonja Taylor This world is crazy, and even some Christians have been deceived (tricked) about what is really good and what is really bad. This creates a huge problem in the earth, especially for our dear children, who are the main ones being harmed! So how can we know how to recognize and shun evil; what is not of the true and living God Who creates and sustains all life; Who is pure and all good; and how to run to the truly good life God gave Jesus so we could enjoy it? Knowing the Word of God is the best protection against being deceived--and destroyed! We can learn to tune in to what our dear Father God is saying through the Holy Spirit, to help us know how to shun--escape from--evil, and run to the light of God! No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. - I Corinthians 10:13, ESV The enemy has no new tricks. He uses the same junk to tempt us--whether it's wrong relationships; overeating; overspending; being in strife with others; being jealous and/or envious; covetous of others; being prideful and arrogant; not walking in the wisdom and love of God toward others; being unthankful; being greedy; etc.--yet, our dear Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. - Hebrews 12:1-2b, NLT The victorious Christian life is not a sprint, but a marathon. In school, I excelled at winning sprints and hurdle races, but I hated long distance, even in practice. However, the long distance running was necessary to keep me in shape for the other races. The Holy Spirit is our Coach, and the Word of God is our Guidebook for Success. It tells us the difference between what is right (read: What pleases God, Who is pure, Who is unchanging Truth, and Who is holy, just to name a few of His glorious facets!). Our dear LORD, Who is Love (I John 4:8), and Who does not change, and Who sees us (us truly born again ones, by faith in His Son, Jesus) as righteous (covered by the blood of Christ Jesus), is the ultimate perfect Parent, Who only has our best in mind. He knows we have to deal with this world system and the enemy (the deceiver and destroyer), and God has much Grace for us, praise Him! God loves us! Just like in the Garden of Eden, He never wanted us to experience the pain and fear of evil (Genesis 2:17, 3:11). He wanted us to have a Heavenly life! So, because every person ever born after Adam and Eve would be doomed to hell, the LORD made a way of escape for people--through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. -- Romans 5:6, NLT And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.--Romans 5:9-11, NLT
Through knowing Christ, we can recognize, shun and run from sin; from what displeases God (Whatever displeases Him is against His pure, loving nature, and would harm us.)
With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge and superior discernment shall the righteous be delivered. - Prov. 11:9, AMPC God, through His Holy Spirit, gives us wisdom, knowledge, and discernment to shun evil and go for the good--and all the more as we spend time in His Word, prayer, worship, communicating with other true Believers, and listening to Bible-based teaching! Just like when I could have been stuck in slow-moving bit-city traffic many times, the LORD showed me to take the service/side roads, for they usually parallel the interstates, and can do so for miles. Many times, in my travels through the years, I would lose my peace about the traffic and feel I should get off the road, or at least from in front of a tail-gating vehicle behind me (I forgive them and pray deliverance and peace for them, sometimes after calling them an "ijit" (short for "idiot")....), and I'd look up, and there would be "a way of escape"--a road or driveway, or even a shoulder wide enough for me to pull onto, so the impatient drivers behind me could get on down the road. Other times, I would need or desire something, from a small thing, to the right place to live, etc., and things would come across my path that seemed to my mind to be good and right--but my heart, my spirit; the real me, would not be at peace about it. The LORD would help me wait on Him, and continue to praise and thank Him that He ever leads us in right paths for His names sake (Psalm 23:3), and that we who fear, revere, and worship Him (which He helps us to do, then rewards us for doing them!), we He does teach the right way to choose (Psalm 25:12). Who is the man who fears the LORD [with awe-inspired reverence and worships Him with submissive wonder]? He will teach him [through His word] in the way he should choose. - Psalm 25:12, AMP Sure enough, a few days or so later, the right thing or situation would appear in my life, and I'd have that "aha!" knowing that this was from the LORD, and was His best. It would be a win-win for me and all involved, by the way! Hallelujah! The LORD is so faithful! He knows every moment of our lives before we live it, awesome God that He is, and thus He goes ahead of us, His precious kiddos (We are His kids if we have repented of our sins and truly believed in Christ Jesus, God's Son, to cleanse and save us by His holy blood shed on the cross over 2,000 years ago, and have spoken that belief out of our mouths! Hallelujah!), and always has an answer for whatever problem we encounter. It may seem "last minute" to us--like the time I was in a job interview, and my peace started leaving, as I realized that, if I took the job, I would be promoting something that was very against God--and my mother (who never calls me on my cell phone) called during the interview, needing me to pick her up that minute from the eye docs, cause her eyes were dilated and she couldn't see to drive! That was a "way of escape" from being involved with a company God did not want me to be part of! He has done that for me so many times that I remember--and so many that I have not even be aware of! He is good! His holy angels and His Spirit work continuously (not stopping), 24/7, even while we sleep, to protect us from harm (deception, which can always lead to destruction), and to guide us to our best life on earth, which LORD Jesus died the most horrible death to give us! We must choose to shun and run from what is not of God, however "good" it may seem. Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Shalom). Knowing the Word of God, and asking the LORD to help us know in our hearts (conscience; guided by our spirit, which is one with God, Who is the Holy Spirit) when something is right--from Him--and to have that peace, then to not have peace when it's not (no matter how "right" it seems, or even if it's not the best, for which we must sometimes wait on the LORD--but which is always worth it!) So, just like we teach our kids, our students, our other loved ones to avoid the bad and go for the good, God's ultimate Plan in having us shun and run from sin is so we can enjoy the heavenly Zoe life He planned for us from the beginning! God is good, and all good! He knows everything (way before we do!), and He wants to help us have the best life possible--the life that LORD Jesus shed His blood to give us! The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. - John 10:10, NLT Whatever you're struggling with, ask God for help. He will hear and answer, and teach you how to take His way of escape to shun sin, and run to the good! You'll be so glad you did! 4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade on your right hand. - Psalm 121:4-5 It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will listen. - Isaiah 65:24, NASB So that with good courage we say, "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can man do to me?" --Hebrews 13:6 Through books, courses, presentations, service, prayer, worship, and more, Tonja and her husband live to exalt God. Her series for girls, P.O.W.E.R. GIRL ADVENTURES, is now out (books I-V), along with LEGACY; YOUR HOLY HEALTH: VISIONS OF THE KING, and more. See the "River Rain Creative" YT channel. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |