The desires of the flesh bring about our downfall. The desire of The Lord Jesus Christ is to raise us up with Him.
Putting on Christ requires us to believe in The Name Above All Names [Philippians 2:9] and to speak out our belief on His Name by acknowledging that Jesus Christ Is Lord.
Acts 16:31 (AMP Bible)
And they answered, “Believe in The Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe].”
Romans 10:10
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 13:14
But put on The Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (desires).
See? How hard was that? The most difficult part of any journey is the first step. The first step in becoming a Christian, a Christ-follower, is to believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. Truly believe it in our own hearts. And then speak our belief in His Name out loud, whether we shout it, whisper it, mouth it or speak in our normal voice, "JESUS IS LORD", we are proclaiming that we believe what we have said.
It is the second part of being clothed in His Righteousness that many walk away from. Choosing to be obedient to God's Word and remove the lures of sin from our presence. It is not that we can't partake of the things we used to do and say, it is that we don't want to do those things any more.
For we are aware now that those things we used to do have kept us from the presence of God. And we like being here in God's kingdom. We prefer to Live For Jesus now, instead of for the devil. We have made our choice, a sound decision, with sober minds, to follow Christ.
Should He choose to lead us back to where we came from it will only be because He knows we can go back without falling back into our old ways. We go back to bring the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ to the ones we left behind. We don't want our former companions to die in their sins without giving them the opportunity to know Christ Jesus as their own Savior and Lord.
We speak The Name of Jesus Christ to our families; and even when they disown and ridicule us for loving Jesus Christ so much, we persevere in our course to draw ever closer to Him. We have the knowledge that God will answer our prayers for them to know this same joy we ourselves have now.
For years my Mom wanted me to stop pursuing this idea of being a preacher. Until she picked up her family Bible and read it for herself. And then she gave her heart to Jesus Christ. She told me once that she thought she was saved until she read that she wasn't. So she gave her heart to Jesus. And that was that.
Then she stopped insisting that I quit my faith. We got to share daily Bible verses that were inspiring us to live for Jesus and be better people. Not long after that leukemia hit her body fast and hard; and she died. But she died knowing Jesus as her Lord and Savior. And she's with Him in heaven even now. No more aging, no more sickness. Only Eternal Life.
I sang Jesus to my Dad. I sang of His saving grace to any who would receive it. I sang of His death and His resurrection to all who would believe it. And my Dad believed and got saved. He, too, is with Jesus Christ. And someday I'm going to be reunited with them and everyone else who has believed on The Name of Jesus Christ for their salvation, and followed through in life, living for Jesus.
It is never too late to clothe one's self in Jesus Christ. Not in this life. When we take our final breath, then it's too late. Now is the time. Today is the day. Come to Jesus and Live.
Just As I Am I Come To Thee
{Dedicated to Kathy Spencer. Written while I was doing a study on holiness}
Just as I am I come to Thee.
I come to the cross Where You died for me
I fall on my knees At Calvary
It’s there that Your blood Is applied to me
Just as I am I come to Thee
And I give You my heart
Which was broken for You
Fix it, fill it and break it anew
Do as You will, I will follow You
Just as I am I come to You
I come to the tomb Where they buried You
I come to the grave Where Your linens lay
I come to the garden To hear You speak
Just as I am I come to Thee
And I give You my heart
Which was broken for You
Fix it, fill it and break it anew
Do as You will, I will follow You
Just as I am, Just as I am, Just as I am
I come to Thee
