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One of the easiest ways to live the life you are called to live is to hate what God hates and love what God loves.
In order to do this one must:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
You must read His Word. His word will correct you, protect you, and ultimately lead and guide you in the path of righteousness. God's way will bless you with the desires of your heart, giving you the life that He promises.
However, the problem with our culture is that we are more impressed with what the world loves and what the world deems as acceptable. We are so fascinated with things that add no value to our lives. When the world is our gauge for happiness and success, we end up living according to those standards – ultimately, loving the world and all its wickedness which automatically separates us from our relationship with Christ.
We are more fascinated with believing our hearts rather than believing the truth about God's word. (The human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked, who really knows how bad it is. Jeremiah 17:9).
If God tells us to forgive our enemies, then just do it (Matt 18:21-22). The irony of that is your enemy doesn't get a pass for the mistreatment of you. However, YOU get freedom from living in bitterness and resentment, because when you don't forgive it's like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.
If God says to trust Him with all of your heart and to not lean on your own understanding (Prov 3:5-6), that is what He means: your understanding is finite, His is infinite – this will keep you from trying to understand a situation you are going through in real time because it will be a hindsight moment; this is simply understanding the storm once you are no longer consumed in it.
If God tells us to operate in the fruit of the spirit that is because when we do this, we are in real time protecting ourselves against the things that God hates such as the works of the flesh, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. (Gal 5:19)
These are the things that separate us from God, God has no relationship with sin and therefore we become open to all that comes with the consequences of sin. Those who walk in the flesh walk in plain rebellion against God - this is simply a place you do not want to live in because ultimately you will be in a state of constant recovery and your eternal resting place forfeited.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
When we walk according to the Spirit, we are in constant relationship with God. We are upright and nothing can accuse us because we are fulfilling the perfect will of God. To know God is to love God. Your life is laid before you, it is up to you which path you will take.
Today, God has given us the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. He will call on heaven and earth to witness the choice we make, so that we would choose life, so that we might live! We should make the choice to love the Lord our God and obey Him and commit ourselves firmly to him, for this is the key to life and if we obey the Lord, we will live long in the land the Lord promised (Deut. 30:19-20).
Prayer: Lord, today I choose You. I will not be conformed to the world but will allow Your word to transform me by renewing my mind. I will meditate on Your words day and night. Lord, please let Your ear be attentive and Your eyes open that You may hear the prayer of Your servant which I pray before You now day and night, in Jesus Name. Amen.