Let's explore, the word virtue.
Virtue is moral excellence, goodness & righteousness. It is conformity of one's life and conduct and ethical principles unto God. It is uprightness. It is integrity. And, integrity is honesty. I truly don't believe that one can have integrity out side of a relationship of knowing God. Having an accountability to someone may make you watch your P's & Q's when you are around that person, but integrity requires having an accountability to God. Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one else is watching. Are you honest with others? Are you honest with yourself? Are you listening to God's direction for your life? Or, are you merely going through the motions in order to deceive those who would look after your soul, and bring you into accountability. Don't be deceived! God is not mocked! His love for you will shine His light into the hidden places of your heart to expose the rebellion in you. And, He has already done so, as evidenced by this WORD.
You tread on dangerous ground when you willfully sin. The Bible says to pray for those who sin in ignorance or unknowingly. But, it clearly says not to pray for those who do so willfully knowing that they sin, and we only know that we sin by the grace of God. So, in willfully doing so, you grieve the heart of God. It is the sin of rebellion, and that clearly is against God. You have moved out from under the protection of His Grace and now you are at the mercy of His judgement. He equates this to a dog returning to eat it's own vomit or a swine returning to wallow in the mud after being cleansed. These things should not be so.
This message is one of love for His church. But, you are not merely a part of His church, you are called His BRIDE. Are you spiritually committing adultery by joining yourself to idols? You may not have a Buda on the shelf so to speak, but when you hide in your secret place, are you not hiding from God? And, do you not think that He can see into your secret place? God, is who you should be meeting in the secret places of your heart! But, you have closed the door of your heart to Him and followed your own way, your own lusts.
Maybe you have gone through the church motions & had the church stroke you in her mercy, ..." there, there
Christ died for all your sins." That is a TRUE statement in salvation. But, what have you done with "the rest of the story" ? Have you continued in your rebellion against being 'transformed into the image of Christ'? If you say that you have love, yet hate your brother, are you not a hypocrite? Maybe you would say, "I don't hate anyone." But, do you not hate the correction of God when He brings it through His Body? Is that why you can't find the time to study His word? If the Spirit of God is within you, your own heart convicts you! It is rebellion, and it is rebellion against God at it's worst! Do you avoid me or other members of the Body that you know will see the truth? Of course you do! And, so, you walk in shame. You would do well to study the life of King David. A Royal screw up he was, in his flesh. (pun intended) But, His heart was a heart that desired a right relationship with God.
So here you are once again. At the crossroads of virtue & rebellion. God is watching, not just me. Will you throw out the old man who is unregenerate and under the law or will you drink in the virtue of fruitfulness that is the resurrection life of Christ. It's your choice, you decide TODAY, which master you will serve.
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