Good day. Today's video Highly Motivated is on the topic of: Are you highly motivated in serving God or men? What is the motive of your heart when you pray, when you worship, when you share the gospel of Christ, is it to be seen of men or are you doing these things truly seeking to please the Lord? We are to enter into our own closet and shut the door and pray to our Father who is in secret, and our heavenly Father who sees in secret (the motive of our heart) will reward us openly. We are to worship our Father in spirit and in truth, for our Father seeks such to worship him (God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth), not as an outward show that others can glory in our fleshly display of worship that men teach. We are to share the gospel of Christ in sincerity and in truth, not for the sake of money or to be seen of men, it is doing all things whole heartedly as unto the Lord and not unto men. We cannot serve two masters; for either we will hate the one and love the other; or else we will hold to the one and despise the other. We cannot serve God and mammon (money); and it is written that the love of money is the root of all evil, and for many they will compromise the gospel of Christ to keep the people happy and in the pews, which stinks to high heaven; or they will compromise their faith and walk in Christ for the things of this life or to please men; money answers all things, it reveals the motive of the heart.

Ecclesiastes 5:13-15 There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand (KJV). John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed (KJV). Proverbs 23:4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom (KJV).

We cannot please God and men; a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. The LORD sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart (the motive), he knows the secrets of the heart, the righteous God tries the hearts and reins (mind) (1 Samuel 6:7, Psalms 44:21, Psalms 7:9). Remember we will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ and give account of our lives, whether it be good or bad. Who or what motivates you? Examine yourself with the leading of the Holy Spirit and find out, and if there be anything contrary to sound doctrine, remove it, get rid of it out of your heart, with the Lord's help. Study to show yourself approved unto God a workman who needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth; because the truth is what will make you free and keep you free indeed (reality). Ask yourself this question: "Do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." If you find that you are pleasing men more than God then make the correction in your life and continue forward in your walk in Christ standing fast in the liberty with which he has made you free and don't be entangled again in that yoke of bondage or any other that may be hindering your walk, including the traditions and doctrines of men. And don't let the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, or lusts of other things enter into your heart which will hinder you and choke the Word that is written in your heart, and it becomes unfruitful; watch and pray always, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Brethren, get highly motivated from above where Christ sits on the right hand of God our Father and put away pleasing man. God bless and keep the faith.
  
​You can view all previous videos by going to our YouTube channel Doctrine of Christ Ministry or by clicking on our archive page link above - Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive.
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​​​​Have a blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day five, written January 21, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.

Friday, January 21, 2011
 
A New Desire
 
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (KJV)
 
You know, it is nice to knock on a door and then have it opened, and to enter into a peaceable realm, or a house that is in order. For many though they are knocking on the wrong door with the wrong motives, then wonder why they are denied access to what is rightfully theirs for the taking. Knowing what door you are knocking on and what the code name is that will get you access will be rewarding to say the least.
 
John 10:1-5 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (2) But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. (3) To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. (4) And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. (5) And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. (KJV)
 
Our Lord is referred to as a fore runner, the first born as well; one who ran this race toward the mark of the prize which is located above and not below here. Our Lord went before us and died so that we could have access to the realm above, no longer entrapped and in bondage to the things below. Have you answered your call today; seeking first the kingdom of God, or were you to busy following something foreign, a stranger who will not get you to your destination?
 
John 10:6-9 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. (7) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. (8) All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. (9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (KJV)
 
You know, when you enter into the Lord’s realm or rest, it is then that you cease from your own works, and desire what He would have for you this day. All that ever comes before the Lord, any other thing or even person that you would put before our Lord on your priority list is robbery, and will not get you what our Lord desired for you to partake of this day.
 
Mark 11:23-24 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. (24) Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. (KJV)
 
In this fallen realm that we are surrounded with many will make mountains out of mole hills, allowing a little leaven to get past their spiritual radar. In our Lord’s realm it is just the opposite; when you make our Lord a priority then what seemed like a big distraction and obstacle, is quickly cut down and removed. But this will only take place when you enter in through the door of our Lord and make Him your top priority.
 
Revelation 3:19-21 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (20) Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (21) To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (KJV)
 
In closing this week, we need to keep in mind that salvation and our prayer life are a two way street; our Lord responds to our requests and desires as we give ear to His. We all want that door in heaven opened, especially in a time of need. By keeping the door of your heart open to the Lord as well will allow you to be an over comer instead of an underachiever.
 
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (KJV)
 
Are you a ‘can do’ Christian? Well, only if you allowed a can did person access to your heart. God bless and continue to desire Spiritual things.

​Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day four, written January 20, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.

Thursday, January 20, 2011
 
A New Desire
 
Psalms 37:4-6 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (6) And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. (KJV)
 
As you draw near to God, He in turn will draw near to you as well; making His kingdom as bright and apparent as a sunrise on a new day, and the results will be as clear as the light at noon. What are you really seeking after, and in hot pursuit of today; is it the things above, or are you settling for something inferior like the things below? The Lord made us spirit, soul, and body; so in order to be complete we will need to address all those areas. My prayer is that you put the Spiritual first, and not last which is why many don’t last.
 
Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (KJV)
 
With both of these words, ask and seek, you will find the term desire as well as crave in the definitions. When you asked the Lord to come into your life you began on a new path that would lead to eternal life. When you sought His word and made it a priority in your life, you then were able to see beyond the veil of the flesh, and come to an understanding of the mystery of the gospel that is hid to the carnal man but ready to be revealed to the Spiritual one. Then as you continue knocking, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are only found in Christ is opened unto you so that you can walk in His wisdom, no longer leaning to your own understanding.
 
Colossians 1:9-11 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (10) That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; (11) Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; (KJV)
 
Paul’s own prayer and desire for God’s people is that they would continue seeking the wisdom and spiritual understanding from above so that they could be strengthened from within. If you notice, there are a lot of things that are available for those that pursue Spiritual things, things that can’t be bought or found in this carnal ream.
 
2 Chronicles 15:1-4 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: (2) And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (3) Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. (4) But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them. (KJV)
 
The Bible is consistent throughout in the fact that with what measure we give to God is then measured back our way in return. You know, instead of waiting for a time of trouble to manifest in your life, many of these heartaches and frustrations can be avoided if you simply made the Lord your only desire. If you notice also, that trouble came a knocking once the people were no longer abiding in the truth of God, but rather were settling for a lie.
 
2 Chronicles 15:12-15 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; (13) That whosoever would not seek the LORD God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (14) And they sware unto the LORD with a loud voice, and with shouting, and with trumpets, and with cornets. (15) And all Judah rejoiced at the oath: for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found of them: and the LORD gave them rest round about. (KJV)
 
In the Old Testament it was a death sentence when they would not pursue the things of God, but rather desired things that were contrary. You will find in your walk too that if you start to desire something other than what our Lord intended for you to walk in, yeah that sunny day you started out with will become darkened with some storm clouds. Do take note also in verse 15, that the result of seeking the Lord was that there was some rejoicing taking place rather than doubt and frustration. So go seek the Lord and He will give you something to shout about today as well.

​Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day three, written January 19, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011
 
A New Desire
 
Psalms 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (KJV)
 
With a new heart will come a new desire; however, your new desire and way of life is totally contrary to the old one. It is our Father’s good pleasure to give us His kingdom; thus the reason why He sent us His Son to buy us back, and redeem us. Now you will notice that throughout your Bible there are terms and conditions for these desires to be fulfilled. Another way of looking at it is referring to your prayer life, not only knowing that your prayers are getting heard but getting some actual results and the response from above that you are looking for. You will also find that in order to get a response from above, you will need to respond accordingly as well. This is what will build your confidence and trust in the Lord, not only knowing that you can go to Him in time of need but that you will respond to His request as well. Yeah, believe it or not this salvation stuff is a two way street.
 
1 John 3:19-22 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (20) For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. (21) Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. (22) And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. (KJV)
 
Ever hear of the term identity theft; you know where someone gets a hold of someone else’s credit card and uses their name to make withdrawals? Many Christians are like that, they come to our Lord in time of need making withdrawals from their spiritual accounts, however, only a few return to see what they can deposit to keep their account open. If you notice above, that if there is peace in your heart then you know that you are still on the right path that our Lord ordained for you to walk on, and you will have confidence as well. However, if your heart is being pricked a bit you have a choice to cease and desist from something unhealthy, or continue on a path that will lead you further from the truth. The word ‘ask’ means to desire or crave; so as long as we continue to ask things that are in line with what our Lord intended for us to seek after, then we will get His results.
 
James 4:1-3 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? (2) Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. (3) Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (KJV)
 
When looking at verse one, I personally don’t see much peace there, rather a lot of turmoil and frustration is starting to set in and take over. As you can see, this is all a result of our desire; trying to fill a Spiritual need with a carnal one, just not happening. Oh, and the more you try to justify yourself the more this stuff just keeps spinning and spinning inside of you, stirring up the more muck and mire. I find that with many, when all you hear is them trashing others, playing the blame game, yeah they are just taking out their own faults and shortcomings on others rather than coming clean and dealing with the real source of their fall.
 
James 4:4-6 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (5) Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? (6) But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (KJV)
 
You know, when you make a commitment to the Lord and then go back to the world and its way of thinking, yeah, that is when you open the door for a world of hurt. Some of these people that you are associating with, even those that say that they are Christians, ahhh, the reality is that they are just like the world, it’s just a different disguise that they are wearing. Your Bible is very clear on what evil communication does to someone who may have started out with good intentions. Yeah, if continued in it, it will corrupt your good morals that you started with in the beginning of your walk.
 
1 John 5:13-15 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (14) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: (15) And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. (KJV)
 
Hey, look what happens when we get our heart right with the Lord, and desire the things above instead of those below the standard that He intended for us. Instead of wars and frustrations, fear and doubt is replaced with words like knowing, believing, as well as some confidence being thrown in the mix for good measure. Do you desire results in your prayer life? Then seek those things above, and you will find them.

​Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day two, written January 18, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011
 
A New Desire
 
Psalms 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (KJV)
 
So where does your delight come from today; is it based on outward events and circumstances, or are you one of the few that has found the inward delight that can only come from above? If you commit yourself to the Lord and stay committed, well, He will stay committed to you as well so that your life will never become stale. You know, with a new heart will come a new desire, something that you definitely should be seeking after.
 
Ezekiel 11:18-20 And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detestable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. (19) And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: (20) That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (KJV)
 
Verse 19 talks about one heart, as well as a new spirit. In order to continue your walk on the path of life that our Lord ordained for you to walk on you will need to keep your mind renewed daily to the things above otherwise you will fall for any cheap hoax below. The Lord did a heart transplant on us once we received His plan of salvation, taking out the stony hard heart and replacing it with something that He can work with and mold, like clay. However, just like with clay, one needs a daily dose of living waters to keep it pliable, or else it will harden again.
 
Mark 4:3-6 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: (4) And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. (5) And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: (6) But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. (KJV)
 
Here we see some examples of what happens when a Christian no longer desires the things above, but rather starts looking elsewhere, thinking that something here on earth would ever satisfy an inward hunger. You know, one of the first things a good farmer will do is go into a field and pick all the rocks out of it before planting a crop. Without some good soil to work with, as well as living waters, the plant will not take root and will eventually wither away. Many of God’s people experience the same results when they no longer seek the things above but rather put their hand to the plow and then look back behind them for answers again.
 
Mark 4:18-20 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, (19) And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. (20) And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. (KJV)
 
You know, once you get your Spiritual house in order it is up to you to keep a watch over it and not allow anything contrary to sound doctrine to enter back in and mess it up. Verse 19 gives us a clear example of what is not desirable as far as the kingdom of God is concerned, and will choke the life out of the believer if they continue to pursue these things. Contrary to what many are teaching today, you know where they make it appear that God owes us a hundred fold return on our carnal riches, we are actually the ones who need to be bringing forth and bearing a hundred fold return on His seed, which is Spiritual. Christ is the only seed; the word of God is the only thing that we should be desiring and becoming rooted and grounded in; while anything else will just dry up and be blown away with many winds of doctrines.  

Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Good day. Today we are posting A New Desire day one, written January 17, 2011. Our prayer is that you will be blessed and encouraged by this series of our writings. ***You can download a copy of the writings for personal use only by clicking on the Doctrine of Christ Ministry Archive page link above and scroll down to the year 2011.

Monday, January 17, 2011
 
A New Desire
 
Psalms 37:4-5 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (KJV)
 
You will find that with any document or contract that there are terms and conditions that are written into them that explain how it works, or is made void and nullified. Our Father in heaven left mankind a will, His will and desire for mankind so that the time that they spend here on this earth would be blessed, as well as their eternal time once they leave this earth. Knowing for yourself how and why God responds to your prayer or desires, petition would be another way of putting it, will build a trust and confidence so that you can know and not have to guess that they have been heard and answered as well.
 
Proverbs 3:13-15 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding. (14) For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold. (15) She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her. (KJV)
 
Oh if you could just bottle this up and then give someone a taste, then they would see how much greater the Spiritual is compared to this carnal fallen realm. In order to find wisdom and understanding, you would need to make these things a desire, or let’s say a priority in your life. This is where many draw the line, call it quits, looking more at what they are walking away from instead of the newness of life that they are walking into. With a new heart will come a new desire, a desire for the things pertaining to the Spirit, no longer being influenced and overwhelmed with the things of the flesh. So start looking up Church, and you won’t be let down by the things of this fallen realm that can never satisfy or bring peace and contentment to the inner man.
 
Ephesians 2:1-3 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; (2) Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: (3) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. (KJV)
 
The term quickened refers to bringing back to life. So your dead end life was a result of the dead end desires you sought after and thought would bring peace. The sad truth is that many of God’s own people are brought back to life for a season; however, that season dies when they think that they can still incorporate the old things with the new man in Christ. A life that we thought would be fulfilled by carnal things needs to be replaced with a desire for the Spiritual things of God if one truly desires to make it to their eternal destination. You will find someday when standing before the Lord and giving an account of what you desired here on earth, that you will definitely desire to hear the statement “well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord”.
 
Matthew 4:2-4 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. (3) And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (KJV)
 
You know, the enemy took a shot at our Lord at a time when the flesh definitely desired to be fed. However, our Lord knew that in order to live He would need to keep His body in subjection to the Spirit, and desire the Spiritual over the carnal. So what is your desire today, and are you feeding the inward first before seeking the outward?

​Have a very blessed and prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Colossians 3:23-25 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (24) Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. (25) But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. (KJV)  

Here is a good frame of mind to be in for someone serving our Lord no matter how small or trivial it may seem to us; putting our whole heart into it, doing it heartily unto our Lord is all that matters for His approval. Even when making a bed, cleaning a room, or doing dishes. Think of the frame of mind you would be in if the president of the United States was coming over, or some famous celebrity or athlete. You would go out of your way checking and double checking making sure everything was in order and done right. Now, keep that same mindset concerning our Lord; if He was coming over personally would it be to His satisfaction, or would you cut corners and do a quick job just to get it done and out of the way, like we do with other people, even the Lord’s people? So how much more diligent would you be; how much more would you pay attention to details knowing the Lord Himself was going to do a personal inspection? Someday that scenario will take place before His judgment seat. If you have become accustomed to serving our Lord whole heartedly and are not ashamed now, then you can be confident you won’t have anything to be ashamed of when you stand before Him either some day. I have seen many in the workplace claiming to be one of God’s people who spend time talking about the Lord in one breath, then basically throw their testimony out the window by their half hearted efforts on the job. Instead of being an example of the believer, giving credence to their belief and the God they claim to serve, they overlook these simple areas of their walk; and by not being faithful in things they consider the least important they never move on in their walk with the Lord, and are unable to be trusted by Him for other things. Just like those that desire the office of a bishop, or any other elder, or overseer of the Church, if they overlook their home life, it being a wreck, then they will be unable to oversee the affairs of the Church.  

Titus 1:15-16 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. (16) They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. (KJV)  

The Bible says blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. When one is not doing the will of God from the heart the motives are no longer pure, but there has been a breach in the heart, something unhealthy has gotten into it. It starts with little things, a lazy half hearted effort that eventually progresses more and more to the point of one becoming a reprobate, which means to be unapproved; unfit and rejected were also included in the definition of reprobate. So how pure are your motives; what is your reason for serving the Lord? Is your relationship with our Lord based on a love and understanding of His word and what He is asking of you, or are you lot more talk than walk?  

1 Peter 3:1-4 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; (2) While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. (3) Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; (4) But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (KJV)  

I use the above example because it not only applies to the wives, but can be applicable for all Christians as well. The word conversation means behavior or conduct, which means that actions truly do speak louder than just words or vain lip service. Do you have enough confidence in your walk that you can be an example of the believers by your walk and not just the talk? The Bible talks about finding a just balance in our lives; and though many can quote scriptures and talk about the Lord they overlook the walk part, and at times when to just keep silent. Remember it’s not how man sees you according to the outward adorning or any other physical apparel, but rather that hidden new man within the heart is what the Lord is looking at; and in His sight a meek and quiet spirit is highly sought after and of great price, or precious is another way of putting it. Just like the old saying in reference to a pig, no matter how much makeup and lipstick you put on it, it is still a pig and will end up running back to the pigpen when given the opportunity. Many who claim to be Christians follow the same pattern; and it seems like the more one has to dress up and adorn the outward, the more they are trying to hide the true inward motives and intents of the heart.  

Psalms 62:7-8 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. (8) Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. (KJV)  

You wonder why at times the heart seems heavy and you are unable to keep yourself focused on the things of God? All that effort you have been putting into hiding from God, and justifying yourself before man is a waste of time and useless. Trusting in the Lord means that you open up to Him just like you would with someone close to you, or someone you have trusted, you now open up to Him and ask for help. Being that He already knows our heart and what our true motives are, only the truth will set us free; and that truth begins on our end also by acknowledging the issue and asking for His help. It’s okay to pour out your heart to God; remember this relationship is a two way street, and so in order to maintain a healthy partnership one needs to be open and honest. Our Father is a God of love and would like nothing better than to be able to give you His truth in the matter, and set you free so that you can serve Him whole heartedly, and not be bogged down with cares and concerns of this life. The Lord is standing at the door of your heart today and knocking, will you open up and let Him in, or are you keeping Him on the outside, looking through the peephole only to catch a glimpse? With what measure you give out is what will be measured back to you; simply put, the more you open up to Him the more He will open up to you. The more you allow Him into your life, into all of your decisions concerning your walk, the more rock solid the relationship becomes.  

God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord.