No More Sour Grapes by Don Nori

Author:Don Nori
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Religion, Philosophy, Christian Life, Love & Marriage, General
ISBN: 9780768420371
Publisher: Destiny Image
Published: 1999-06-30T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Power of Your Holiness

ost fatal car accidents occur either at dusk or at dawn the time halfway between darkness and light when —t h i n g s are not clearly visible. The same is true in our spiritual lives. The worst place to be is halfway between darkness and light, the territory where you think you are all right but are unaware of the dangers that lurk in the half-darkness.

In this half-darkness, the conviction and leading of the Holy Spirit are shaded in your life. That's why the moment you take a step toward God—the moment you step into the light—sin often appears in your life.

This happens because you're getting into the light, where everything that was hidden in the darkness is now exposed. You see things that have been there all the time but were hidden by the darkness. Therefore, as you get closer to God's Presence and begin to see the sin in your life, you may think, "I'm backsliding!" Just the opposite is true. You are, in fact, in a very good place.

Explosive situations

A child rummaging around a construction site might find a little box, which he happily plays with until someone tells him that it is filled with plastic explosives. Immediately the child carefully sets down the box and runs! Why? His perspective has changed. The danger didn't suddenly increase—he had been in incredible danger the whole time. The difference is that the child is now aware of the danger because he knows what's inside the little box that he has been tossing into the air. In fact, when he is made aware of the danger, the danger actually decreases because he is no longer playing catch with the box.

This is what holiness is. It is coming into an understanding of what is keeping you from your Lord. Before you gain this awareness, you play with sinfully explosive things without realizing how dangerous they are. Only when you see the truth in the light of His Presence do you lay those things down, turn, and run from them.

Flee youthful lusts that wage war

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul (1 Peter 2:11).

There are some things that are obviously sinful: murder, adultery, witchcraft, drunkenness, etc. These sins are thought of as "the biggies," and most people know enough to keep away from them. The danger is in not being aware of the significance of the so-called "little things."

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21).

Please notice that discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, and envy are listed there right alongside sexual immorality and witchcraft.38 All the works of the flesh are dangerous and destructive because they keep us from God's Presence and His purposes for our lives.

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