TODAY’S INSPIRATION: “ALMOST” RIGHT…

I was raised up to know the difference between right and wrong, and that there were consequences when I chose to do wrong. I believe that most parents teach their children right from wrong. It is important to do so because choosing wrong could get them in trouble, hurt, or even be deadly. As a follower of Christ, choosing right or wrong is even more important because it can impact our spiritual walk with Christ. Unfortunately, these days we have another choice, “almost”  right. There is so much deceitfulness in the world today, it is now not just a matter of knowing right from wrong, we need to be able to recognize right from “almost”  right. The enemy knows how to mix just enough truth in with false teachings in an attempt to mislead and confuse the people of God. Think about this; cyanide is a white crystalline material that looks like table salt or coarse sugar. If you mix one-part cyanide to nine-part regular sugar, the experts say one or two spoons full will contain enough to poison and kill the user. (https://www.chemsee.com/foodpoison)

This is exactly how “almost”  right works. It is just enough to poison and deter or kill your spiritual walk. At the least it will dim your light that Jesus said to let shine!

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6)

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (revelations 3:15-16)

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven”. (Matthew 5;16)

For those who may say I have Salvation and I am God’s Chosen, so I cannot be deceived. You are absolutely correct about Salvation and being God’s Chosen, but if you think that Christians cannot be deceived, the deception has already begun. History shows us that Christians have been, and are, capable of being deceived. From the beginning, satan has been deceiving God’s people. (Genesis 3:13). John’s vision of the millennium ends with a worldwide rampage of deception on satan’s part. (Revelations 20:8). Even today we see how “ministries” that have proved to be different in reality from what they professed to be are accepted and followed. Sadly, entertainment, signs and wonders, and feel-good messages are more easily accepted than the Word of God. Because of worldly temptations one can easily be enticed to live by the “if this is wrong, I don’t want to be right” or the “your truth, my truth” mentality, instead of God’s Truth which is the only truth. The enemy’s hope is to deceive even those chosen by God who believe that Jesus is the Christ. Remember he tried to tempt Jesus. The good news is that in Matthew 24:24, Jesus also says, “if possible,” and scripture also tells us that no weapon formed against us will prosper. (Isaiah 54:17) This leads me to believe that the true elect cannot possibly be lost by God, however it is possible for the true elect to lose sight of God. That is the plan of the enemy. Which is why Jesus warns us to be alert and sober minded. He is talking to Believers, not unbelievers who the enemy already has.We do not want to be distracted for even a moment less we be deceived! The enemy is subtle. He doesn’t just push you in, he draws you in little by little with his “almost” right trickery.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

“For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. (Matthew 24:24)

“So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin”. (James 4:17)

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

When we choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our Salvation is set in stone. What we must understand is that once we are saved, works follow salvation, as we are witnesses to what has happened to us and begin to walk in Christ. As someone put it, “we are not saved (by) good works, but we are saved (for) good works.” And if we choose wrong or “almost”  right there will be consequences. The way we choose to live will affect our Heavenly rewards and our lives here on earth. The Bible teaches that God rewards Believers for their obedience and faith and that these rewards are given after death. Also the way we choose to live can affect our rewards here such as peacefulness, love, wisdom, and healing. Making the wrong choices in life may cause us to miss the opportunities to witness how amazing our God is!

“For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.”
(2 Corinthians 8:21)

“A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9)

“Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!” (Psalm 119:1)

“Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, In the same way, people who hurt the prophets who lived long ago.” (Matthew 5:12)NIRV

How do we make the right choices? We rely on the Holy Spirit to be our voice of conscience, the voice of reason, wisdom, good sense, and good judgment. We pray for discernment and we make it a habit of listening to and obeying the Holy Spirit, who protects us against the schemes of the evil one.

Jesus says, “But the Holy Spirit is the one who will help you. My Father will send him in my name. He will teach you everything that I have said to you. His Helper will remind you of all that I said.” (John 14:26)

As Christians, we should seek to do what is right and acceptable before God and our brothers and sisters. We have to decide whether we will lie or tell the truth, do the job right or fake it through, take the easy road or the right road, etc. Life is filled with temptations, obstacles, frustrations, inner struggles and dilemmas that we all have to cope with, things that the enemy will use to trick us. Our values, our thoughts, our words, and our actions is what others see and think about us. But it is much more than what others think of us, it is about our character, which should reflect the character of Jesus. Our character is who we really are, even when no one is watching. God cares more about our character than religious performances. To be a witness for Christ, we have to walk a separate road rather than the popular road. The popular road belongs to the world. We can’t have both, Our character is influenced and developed by our choices. The apostle John writes in 1 John 2:6: “he who says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way as he walked.” In other words, if we claim to be Christian, we must strive to be Christlike. God’s purpose is to make us like Christ. God’s way to make us like Christ is to fill us with His Spirit. When we surrender our life to God, we gradually conform to what God has revealed to us about His nature and will.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8-10)

“I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (1 John 1:4-7)

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8-10)

To be a Christian means to follow Christ and to live a life that is pleasing to God. It is a process. It takes prayer. It takes connecting with the Holy Spirit living inside of us, and it takes the study and knowledge of God’s Word. And if you are ever confused about what you should or should not do, I quote Brian Troxel who wrote, “Love is the only motive that will cause us to walk worthy by His call.” Brothers and Sisters, we need the Holy Spirit, especially in these trying times to not be deceived and to make the right choices. Love and Blessings…