A Strong Tower

I want to say first, and I really feel like shouting -- the LORD IS A STRONG TOWER, He is safe to run to! His way is the best way! He is the good and faithful God who will see you through your day if you but trust him.  Chose to take up your cross and follow JESUS! not other women, nor men, or doctrines of men, but ONLY JESUS CHRIST.

Ok.. there .. I said it.. let's continue on our journey ..

We are taking a few posts to study a little more in depth Lesson #23 Motives to Stir You Up to Fear God.  In Lesson twenty-three, we were to match up the motives list with the Bible verse list.

Here's some further study for Motives #4 and #5:

#4 -- A motive to fear God is that the fear of God keeps every grace in exercise.
EXERCISE: to use, to exert, to train, to cause to perform certain acts, to cause to act

Have you heard the cliche "if you don't use it, you'll lose it" ? What happens if you were to sit on the sofa for a month and never get up?  You muscles would cease to work properly, you would lose significant strength in you legs, feet, and core muscles.  You might try to stand but your body wouldn't be able to support your weight .. no matter the actual pounds.

We can see that if we don't put into use the things the LORD shows forth in his word, we will not be strong in them.  We will fail and fall.

Take a closer look at Colossians chapter 3.

It is our responsibility to PUT OFF certain activities listed as the 'old man' .. that is to say before we were born again to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

We are to mortify our members: that is our own hands, feet, eyes, mouth, thoughts, and actions. But what does mortify mean?

MORTIFY: Subduing, humbling, restraining, tending to humble .. no longer seeking our own pleasures.

Listed in the PUT OFF category are the following words. Pay attention to the definitions:

INORDINATE: disorderly, excessive, immoderate
CONCUPISCENCE: lust, irregular desire of sexual pleasure
MALICE: disposition to injure others without cause, spirit of revenge, unprovoked spite
BLASPHEMY: reproachful, contemptuous, or irreverent words uttered impiously against Jehovah

WOW! WOW!  And just when you think you've got that all under the cross, the Scripture then lists some very detailed heart issues.  Look at verse eight of chapter three.

Next we find the very things we are to PUT ON.  These are the attributes and actions that we ought to be following after and doing.  List those here: (there are 8)

So how will you exercise the grace that the LORD has given you to fear God?

GRACE: God's ability in you to obey God.  He gives the strength and the want to, we yield to God and do his word.

**Notice these are the "works" contained in the NEW Testament for us to DO**

Of course, we are not saved by our works; but we are not brain-dead, zombies that just do whatever is socially acceptable.  Jesus paid a dear price, the ultimate best price for redemption, why would one want to spit on that thinking that our Saviour will just live our life for us as we continue to blaspheme the written Word of Almighty God??
*******************************************

#5 Motive to stir us up to fear God is it is the way of the wise:

I think that we would agree that most folks want to make the right choice in any given matter.  We want to handle ourselves wisely.  We want to do things correctly.  Don't you think so, too?

Here I will list three words for you to define and several Scriptures for you to look up.

It's your choice -- you can be wise in the ways of the world which is enmity with God -- or you can chose to be wise in God's eyes which leads to life eternal.

DEFINE:

• WISE
• WISDOM
• WAY

LOOK UP:

• Proverbs 1:7
• Psalm 51:6
• Psalm 111:10
• Matthew 24:36-46
• Romans 1:17-32
• I Corinthians 1:18-31
• James 3:13-18
• Colossians 1:9-14

I truly hope this has stirred you up! Stirred you up to fear God and know HIM better by His written Word.  Remember that Jesus IS the Word of God! (Revelation 19:13)