"A Manner of Life"

"They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth." (Psalms 73:9) Any time we think that we have things under control, we should take caution of what we are walking into, for there might be a trap waiting up ahead. Typically, every single day of our lives is another day to trust God. It never gets to the point where we should feel as though we have things under control, because we never want to be outside of God's grace and protection. Remembering the message, "The Fate of the Wicked," we must truly understand that every single one of us are capable of being wicked; every single one of us have the capacity within us to turn against each other, no matter how strong you might think that you are, you are not anything without Jesus giving you the power to love. The only difference between those that are saved and those that are wicked is the relationship that the saved have with God. The wicked are those that say they don't need God, while those that are saved know how much they can't live without Him. Basically we have two choices regarding the manner of life we take up; and believe it or not, those same two choices never stop needing to be made, no matter how mature or grounded you might be in your relationship with the Lord. If you have not figured out what those two choices are by now, you should have, because they have never changed since the very beginning with Adam and Eve. The choices are simple to understand, but they are incredibly hard to follow. It's like the post from a few years back about "The Crack" and how incredibly hard it is to get through such a small opening; but with God, all things are possible! Without Him we can do nothing, but with Him, we can do all things! The choices that never change are to obey or not obey; there really is not anything in between, we either do what we are told, or we don't. Yesterday I heard something really sad; it's very true, but it's sad; because people really do not like to be told what to do, even if they know it is God who is the one talking. The point was about those who will jump from church to church, only to hear what they want to hear, and only because something was said that made them uncomfortable with themselves. It does not really matter who said it, if the Holy Spirit convicts our heart, then we need to obey what God is trying to tell us to do. As with most days that have a message, the message was delivered by several different speakers. Another pastor was talking about the fact that sometimes the voice of God will sound like his wife, using the example of asking God to speak to him about a certain topic, and then his wife will come up to him with the answer, without even knowing the question. That is not usually something we are fond of; as a matter of fact, we will usually get offended or engage in an argument with our wives if the answer breaks into our hearts; it's just who we are, and the pride within our hearts...
"So fear the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone. But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15) NLT