Over the past several months, I have been learning to meditate on scripture line by line & verse by verse by going through a book & praying it back to God one phrase at a time. It has been a very impactful tool for me.
This past week, I have been in I John 1 & 2. Several verses have been striking blows to my spirit. Check this out:
"He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked..." (I Jn. 2:6)
Wow. I could really end this blog right now. This is such a provoking statement & it really seems impossible--and it is without abiding in the Spirit.
Abiding in the Spirit is not a gray area. It is black & white. You are either in the Spirit or you're not. And those who say they are abiding in the Spirit can be measured by their fruit. Do they look like Jesus or not? Now, before you start looking at other people, look at yourself first.
This verse is meant to slice us. It is that sharp two-edged sword that divides truth from lies, soul from Spirit, & cuts the dead branches from the vine (Jn 14:6, Heb. 4:12, John 15:4).
We ought to walk as Jesus walked, but we must first rest in the Spirit & learn to walk in His strength, not our own.
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Great read. It hit me hard. You are so right. It is not a gray area, we often fall back to that position, but as we grow in faith we stop that thinking. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
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