Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Matthew

What’s Wrong With the Church?

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Looking around at our culture, it’s easy to ask, “What’s wrong with this world?” As we observe all the evil and immorality surrounding us, perhaps a better question is, “What’s wrong with the church?” How did we get from “One Nation under God” to a fractured nation where everyone does what seems right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25; Proverbs 21:2; Romans 8:5)?

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While we are eager to lay the blame at the feet of Satan, those of us who have fallen for his deceptions bear equal blame. We are the ones who let the devil into the church. We are the ones who thought a little compromise would work a great eternal glory. The world is crumbling because the church is crumbling. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do (Psalm 11:2)?

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Lord of Your Life

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If we aren’t spending every moment of this life preparing for the next one, what is the point of our existence? Jesus is our Lord, and that means we give everything to Him. Every activity, every thought, every interaction, they are all for Him. Anything you do that isn’t for the glory of Christ is a rejection of His Lordship. If we confess Jesus as Lord with our lips but deny it with the way we live, then our confession isn’t genuine. You might be thinking, “It’s impossible to live that way”, and you’d be right.

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Each one of us would be damned to Hell if not for the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ. That grace is His side of the equation. Our side is to accept that gift by acknowledging Him as our Lord. So, if at the core of your being, and with every ounce of your strength, you aren’t intent on pursuing every aspect of your life for His glory, then your surrender to Him as the Lord of your life cannot be genuine.

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Don’t Be Caught Off Guard

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How did you spend your last day off? Or, given the endless responsibilities in our busy world, perhaps a better question might be, “What would a perfect day look like to you?” Playing video games? Watching movies? Sleeping? Eating everything in the refrigerator? How many of us look forward to filling any free time with studying God’s Word?

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Is it any wonder we are always caught off guard when we have an opportunity to share the Gospel? Paul urged the followers of Jesus to be ready to defend the Gospel at any time (2 Timothy 4:1-2). We’ll never be ready as long as we keep our brains engaged with the things of this world instead of what God has written in His Word.

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Genuine Repentance

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After recently writing about repentance (see “Repentance”), I didn’t think I’d be revisiting the topic so soon. Then I came across the following quote from Puritan Josias (Josiah) Shute concerning genuine repentance: “True repentance is when a man grieves for his sin to the extent that he abandons it.” It is one thing to think we are sorry for disobeying the commands of God. It is another to resolve from doing it again.

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But it is something else altogether for our sin to so grieve us that we abandon any thought of pursuing it in the future. We don’t just quit repeating the sin for a moment, or even for an extended period, but become so destroyed by even the thought of revisiting such sin that we scarcely even entertain a thought of it for the rest of our lives.

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Repentance

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While I was praying for the leaders and people of my country to turn their hearts to Christ, I became convicted of the fact that revival occurs one heart at a time. The first heart that must repent is mine. Each of us must repent of all the ways we’ve turned away from God if we ever expect to see revival on a large scale in our land. Until we who profess Jesus as Lord have repented of not walking in the ways of God, how can we expect those who do not serve Christ to turn to Him?

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We first must shine the light of Jesus into the darkness. Never underestimate the power of God working through a single heart surrendered to Him. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit brought several areas in need of my repentance to mind. While certainly not proud of these, perhaps they will inspire you to repent of the same in your life or remind you of other areas you’ve allowed to fester unsurrendered for too long.

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