Be faithful in what
God has called you to do. As a book titled Experiencing God
has reminded me recently, the Christian Life is all about following the Holy
Spirit. Unless we have a walk with God, as we will see in Scripture, our
Christianity is really meaningless and perhaps even false.
Not every one that
saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that
doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matt 7:21 (KJV)
But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and
I work….19 Then answered Jesus and said
unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth
the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son
likewise.
John 5:17,19 (KJV)
When we accept Christ as Savior and Lord,
we surrender our own will, purposes, ambitions, hopes, dreams, and
plans. We lay them all down to embrace God’s will, His call on our lives. Jesus
said that many will call Him Lord—a title of respect and someone being
your master—yet only those that do the will of their Father, in other Words
that Know God, that are in an obedient relationship with the Holy
Spirit (depending on Him, not “speaking in tongues” necessarily).
Now I know
that the ladies often are in our thoughts quite a bit as young men. I
won’t tell you that that is wrong, because God did design men to be attracted
to women; however, what you think about is important. If you dwell on lustful
thoughts in your mind, you are going to reap mental consequences first of all
that you are not going to like. Your mind can get to a point where it is
bombarded with the lustful imaginations. My encouragement is that when ever you
recognize the thoughts you are dwelling on, pray for the young lady and
for your future spouse instead. Pray some scriptures back to the Lord.
If you
are under the attack of the enemy: here is what Scripture teaches: If you fight Satan w/Scripture, he'll flee (Matt 4), but
if you entertain lust~you've opened the door to sin (James 1:14)~you can't
blame the devil!
Guys, I know that today I have given you too points to consider: one about the
ladies and another about truly having a relationship with the Lord. You may
think that these too are unrelated, but I can tell you this, they are anything
but unrelated. As a matter of fact they are indelibly intertwined. God has
designed as men to have a longing to one day have a wife my our side who
respects us, encourages us, and labors by our side—a helper, a companion. But
until God brings her along, there is a lesson that God is trying to teach us:
rely on His Spirit for what we need. The Holy Spirit is also a helper but also
a teacher and guide. One day after you get married, you will hopefully have a
woman by your side who is truly a companion and helpmeet—a blessing to
you—however, for now, you must draw close to the Lord. Because when you are
married you will be responsible to lead your wife and family in a walk
that is honoring to the Lord. As the leader of the home, you need to have a
vibrant relationship with the Lord. I know that we guys don’t like
“relationships,” but think of God as your Father, Jesus Christ as your Master,
Commander, your Lord, and think of the Holy Spirit as your Best Friend,
Teacher, and Daily Guide (wait for His step by step instructions before making
a move for you are a soldier in a war!)