Pastor Martin Carl Jarvis mcjarvissr@yahoo.com #8 "Abhor Bad Things"

LIBERTY WORSHIP CENTER www.lwcenter.org The Twelve Point Focus of the 21st Century Church (return)

     After we became believers, the tendencies were still there.  Some work for the negative, others the positive.   Even the act of receiving Christ is a "positive" self centered act.  The self centered mindset is actually your desires, which are not bad if they are focused in the proper direction.

     It is imperative to the physical survival of the believer to quickly understand desires, as our actions create consequences.  We certainly reap what we sow.  This problem is often not addressed in church, as we have embraced grace to the extent of justifying our destructive habits and lifestyles.... as our desires.   And, that our manipulation of circumstances to attain them, is actually God responding.

     The scriptures reveal that we cannot help our brother get the speck out of his eye until we remove the beam out of our own.  Here we are not being told not to help get the speck out of our brothers eye, but that it is not possible (or at least, very difficult) while something is in our own eye.  The beam can be identified as self pride, which is also a destructive mindset, as the scriptures tells us that it "Pride that comes before the fall."

   With an open and humble heart before God and people.... we will begin to change.  We can begin to affect my desires to gravitate toward the positive by (1) Managing our prayers in accordance with the scriptures.  Ask God to take away all that is not like Him.... and to fill us with His desires.  And (2) Check ourselves.  List our desires (wants).  Examine them.  Are they all about us & things?  Or, about God & others?  And then pray accordingly. Amen.