Have you ever fallen tragically in your walk with God and are afraid you'll shame Him again? I think some fear of sin is good, it keeps us on the alert for a stumble and watchful of the enemy's attempts to trip us up and hinder us. But in Jude verse 24 God says, He will keep me from stumbling and He will make me stand in His glory, blameless with great joy. True joy is knowing you are in right standing with God; He is pleased with you and all that He has is yours. You can't mess it up, it won't fall apart, He won't lose interest in you, ever. Nothing is better, nothing. It's such a heavenly gift, one never to be mimicked on this earth in any way, yet we try to counterfeit it all the time.
Colossians 1
V 21 Although you were once formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
V22 yet , He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-
V23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven , and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
Are we staying firmly attached, grounded and steadfast? Are we easily moved away from the things of God through circumstances? This week let's dig in and be determined to live out our hope and be firm in our faith. Stay focused!
Jude
V5 Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once and for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
V6 And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
V7 Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example, in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.
We should be very careful of the things God addresses in our lives that we refuse to correct. Take some time in these verses; I did, and was humbled by the areas I need to be more alerted to and careful to watch in my own life.
V8 Yet in the same manner these men, also by dreaming , defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.
V9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, " The Lord rebuke you."
V10 But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.
V11 Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
V12 These men are those who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear.
V13 wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever,
V14 And about these also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, "Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
V15 to execute judgment upon all , and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.
V16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
V17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words, that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
V18 that they were saying to you, "In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts."
V19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
V20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit;
V21 keep yourself in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
V22 And have mercy on some who are doubting
HOW COULD ANYONE DOUBT WITH STUFF LIKE THIS IN OUR GALAXY
Those of you who are snatching the bodies out of the fire, don't look at the fire too long- just get 'em outta there! Sin, even if you didn't invite it, can be very tricksy. Have mercy but do it with fear ( always protecting your salvation). You have to hate sin, don't rationalize it or minimize it.
V24 Now to Him who is able to keep from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of his glory blameless with great joy,
V25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever, Amen
Never give up, Never give in!
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