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Bondman · 07-23-2008, 06:45 PM

Message #119

THREE 'SECRETS' TO SERIOUS AND PRACTICAL CHRISTIAN LIVING

These 3 "SECRETS" took me so long to discover: I tried for so many years to get a handle on what exactly is the ESSENCE of the Christian life. I needed to be able to have that clearly in my mind. Every time I found something, and tried to live it, eventually it would fail. I just couldn't seem to get the BASICS so I could live them! - which was incredibly frustrating!! In the end I decided there was no such "secrets"... But here they are in their incredible simplicity – and I most solumnly assure you THAT THEY WORK!

Remember the chorus of the old hymn that says: Trust and obey, For there's no other way, To be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey! (You may be able to hear it here). THAT'S THE FIRST TWO: you MUST have FAITH and you MUST OBEY God!!! Without both of these you are going NOWHERE!

1. OBEYING THE LORD

To me being OBEDIENT to my Lord is perfectly easy to understand: it simply means DOING WHAT HE SAYS!!! Now you cannot start doing that the very moment you're saved – but YOU CAN START WANTING TO DO IT the very moment you're saved!! And you should have!! So are you there? I sure DO hope so!!

2. FAITH – TRUSTING AND BELIEVING IN THE LORD

The word BELIEVING in the Greek, as the Amplified Bible spells out in Romans 10 below, means believing in your heart in Jesus - which means joining yourself to Jesus, relying on Him, being in HIS party. Believing is VERY SERIOUS!!! Believing is not passive, BELIEVING in Jesus means ACTION!! You and He are joined. You belong to Him. You speak up for Him. You want to totally OBEY Him!! Let's now look at the power and truth of these two verses God wrote through Paul:

Romans Ch 10:9 Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

3. TAKING JESUS AS YOUR LORD

That's the THIRD of these 3 "secrets", and I've spoken about it many, many times: you must let Jesus be LORD in ALL of your life, giving ALL of you to HIM, living TOTALLY for Him!! Anything less than that is NOT true New Testament Christianity!! That's what it's all about!! Verse 9 above says that you must ACKNOWLEDGE WITH YOUR LIPS plus CONFESS WITH YOUR LIPS THAT JESUS IS LORD!! So LORDSHIP IS VERY SERIOUS TOO!!! It's living a new kind of life where Jesus is King. It's not just going to church, reading the Bible, praying, or any of these things, it's NOTHING LESS THAN GIVING CONTROL OF THE WHOLE OF YOUR LIFE OVER TO JESUS!!!

With all my love and earnest wish that this will be your life forever and ever! Amen.

- BM, with his Lady

TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY
FOR EVER AND EVER! AMEN!