Hi Ray,
This is Rene' from Virginia. I pray that all is well with you. I was thinking about what Jesus said in Matt. 24:24 regarding "false prophets" attempting to deceive, if possible, even the "elect", and I realized how blessed we few have been in the last couple of months. I pray that you see this also.
My question: I express a lot of zeal and excitement when given the opportunity to share the truths I have been shown from God's word to others. 1 Peter 3:4 speaks of a wife with a "gentle and quiet spirit" which is very precious in the sight of God. How can I manifest such a spirit even in my zeal?
Your Sister In Christ,
Rene'
Dear Rene':
A "gentle and quiet spirit" is a GIFT from God. One cannot attain such gifts by themselves or on their own. You will develop the fruit of the Spirit by living a godly life.
God be with you,
Ray
You will develop the fruit of the Spirit by living a godly lifeThis statement seems backward to me. I get that red flag when I read it because the church always put such importance on living a godly life and I never could do it. They said it was all finished by Christ and all I had to do was appropriate that into my life and go and sin no more. I kept failing. Then God used the commandments to show me my sin nature and all I could do was confess and tell the truth about who I am. Since that time the truth that God taught me set me free from a lot of things that held me captive. I believe that anything that holds us captive is a lie. If it's the truth that sets us free then it must be a lie that holds us captive. If I'm not free that tells me that I'm still deceived in areas of my life. If I am set free then I am set free to live a godly life by the law of the spirit of life.
Romans 8:2
2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
I'm sorry this is long.
When I look in at myself all I can see is my sinful nature in thought, words, and deeds. Outwardly I don't look that bad, but inwardly my sin nature is always present and utterly sinful. My "Godly" living feels like a white washed tomb to me. 15 years ago God took me out of the church spent 5 years of revealing truth to me. Then God was completely silent for 10 years. I've spent years searching for others who of like mind. It has only been my brother and myself for all these years. We went through this journey together. God would show him part and me part and when we put it together we learned amazing truth.
God made me a promise.
2 Corinthians 3:3
3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
The Spirit, Not the Letter
4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit;[a] for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
If Christ is the new covenant then it is Christ that will be written on our hearts by the Spirit of the Living God. I think this is what it means when the bible tells us they will make their abode in us.
John 14:23-24
23Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
On the 50th day Moses received the law on tablets of stone at Mt Sinai and 3000 died
On the 50th day the believers received the new covenant written on their hearts at Pentecost and 3000 were saved.
I feel like I've been stuck between the 2 laws for years. It's really hard to live that way.
Thanks for listening.