100% Part 1 and 2
Why am I good at sinning?
We have a lot of responsibilities as part of our relationships: school, work, parent, son, daughter, friend, community, and so many more. These responsibilities require our attention, time, and ultimately, our commitment. Along the way, we may have added God to this list, and we try to carve out as much time in the week to spend with God as possible. But how much commitment does God want from our relationship with Him? 20%, 50%, 80%? If we are honest, most of us claim victory if we spend 50% or more of our time each week committed to God’s plans, His Word, and in prayer. Some weeks, we might even celebrate 20% commitment depending on our other priorities.
The sobering truth is that we will always have as much of God as we want. There is no luck when it comes to having God’s presence and direction in our lives. We get the level of God that we desire.
We may even wonder why refraining from sin is so hard. Sin feels good. It satisfies our selfish desires. But it also leads to our ruin and destruction, pulling us away from God. When we keep a commitment to what we like, we are good at it. If we find ourselves still in sin, that sinful behavior reflects our commitment to the sin. But in our commitment to sin, we are committing to the very thing that is not God. If we want to do great things for God, then it can only start with our commitment to Him.
When we seek God’s forgiveness and repent of our sinfulness, God wants our commitment to be absolute, 100% - no holding back. That doesn’t mean we will be perfect in doing so, nor does it mean that it will be easy when we are pressured to make other commitments, but it should be our goal, and when we find ourselves straying from a full commitment to God, we should repent and come back to Him. That is why God sent us Jesus. To help us walk in full commitment to God, walking fully in our purpose, leaning on His strength, not our own.
Until we give 100%, we will find it a struggle to read our Bible, to pray, and to go to church. But when we give 100%, we will be glad to read our Bible, be glad to pray, and be glad to go to church. If we are struggling, in any of these areas, then we should ask ourselves what level of commitment are we giving to Jesus?
As we read in Psalms 91, David explains how if we fully commit to God and abide in Him, we will see amazing things happen in our lives. God wants to protect us, free us, save us, bless us, and answer us, delivering us from every form of evil. But will you dwell with him completely? The only thing God wants from you, is YOU!
In John 4:34, the Bible tells us “Then Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing His work.”
We leave you with this inspiring example of what being fully committed to God can look like.
Unashamed
By Dr. Bob Morehead
I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made...I am a disciple of Jesus, I won’t look back, go back, hold back, let up, slow down, back away, hesitate or be still! My past is redeemed, my present remade and my future re-aimed. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, dwarfed goals, deficient faith and cheap grace.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, prestige or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my gift is grace and my God is good...my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear and my power sufficient. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, distracted, deterred or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, wilt in the heat of the battle or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or burn up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, worked up and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I walk in good company; I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach until all know, stay until all go and work until He stops. And when He comes to get His own, He’ll have no trouble recognizing me...my colors will be clear!
We have a lot of responsibilities as part of our relationships: school, work, parent, son, daughter, friend, community, and so many more. These responsibilities require our attention, time, and ultimately, our commitment. Along the way, we may have added God to this list, and we try to carve out as much time in the week to spend with God as possible. But how much commitment does God want from our relationship with Him? 20%, 50%, 80%? If we are honest, most of us claim victory if we spend 50% or more of our time each week committed to God’s plans, His Word, and in prayer. Some weeks, we might even celebrate 20% commitment depending on our other priorities.
The sobering truth is that we will always have as much of God as we want. There is no luck when it comes to having God’s presence and direction in our lives. We get the level of God that we desire.
We may even wonder why refraining from sin is so hard. Sin feels good. It satisfies our selfish desires. But it also leads to our ruin and destruction, pulling us away from God. When we keep a commitment to what we like, we are good at it. If we find ourselves still in sin, that sinful behavior reflects our commitment to the sin. But in our commitment to sin, we are committing to the very thing that is not God. If we want to do great things for God, then it can only start with our commitment to Him.
When we seek God’s forgiveness and repent of our sinfulness, God wants our commitment to be absolute, 100% - no holding back. That doesn’t mean we will be perfect in doing so, nor does it mean that it will be easy when we are pressured to make other commitments, but it should be our goal, and when we find ourselves straying from a full commitment to God, we should repent and come back to Him. That is why God sent us Jesus. To help us walk in full commitment to God, walking fully in our purpose, leaning on His strength, not our own.
Until we give 100%, we will find it a struggle to read our Bible, to pray, and to go to church. But when we give 100%, we will be glad to read our Bible, be glad to pray, and be glad to go to church. If we are struggling, in any of these areas, then we should ask ourselves what level of commitment are we giving to Jesus?
As we read in Psalms 91, David explains how if we fully commit to God and abide in Him, we will see amazing things happen in our lives. God wants to protect us, free us, save us, bless us, and answer us, delivering us from every form of evil. But will you dwell with him completely? The only thing God wants from you, is YOU!
In John 4:34, the Bible tells us “Then Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing His work.”
We leave you with this inspiring example of what being fully committed to God can look like.
Unashamed
By Dr. Bob Morehead
I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made...I am a disciple of Jesus, I won’t look back, go back, hold back, let up, slow down, back away, hesitate or be still! My past is redeemed, my present remade and my future re-aimed. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, dwarfed goals, deficient faith and cheap grace.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, prestige or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, lean by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my gift is grace and my God is good...my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear and my power sufficient. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, distracted, deterred or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, wilt in the heat of the battle or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up, or burn up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, worked up and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I walk in good company; I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go until He comes, give until I drop, preach until all know, stay until all go and work until He stops. And when He comes to get His own, He’ll have no trouble recognizing me...my colors will be clear!