Forgotten Promises Resurrected, Matthew 10:28

Matthew 10:18 NKJV

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”.

As I continue with this series of “Forgotten Promises Resurrected” it has come to my attention that I might be opening up some old wounds, or like poking some people in the eye on reminding them what the Bible warns/teaches/tells us.  And it has become clear why the promises have been forgotten.  When we really dissect the promises and apply them to our lives, I’m going to say “we” in so many cases find ourselves lacking. 

I, for one, do not like to admit my faults and find it much easier to ignore them as if they were not there.  Let's be honest with ourselves, non of us our worthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven without Jesus. We are all "works in progress" but, if you're like me, a long look in the mirror occasionally and self reflection does wonders with who I really am, who I want to become and who I don't want to be. And, I thank God for Jesus almost every day.

Who are You?

I wrote an article a couple years ago that was titled, “I’m Not The Same Man I Use To Be” and in that article I explained, very briefly, of how I was glorifying myself with gifts God gave me.  At the same time, I walked in a way that everyone thought I was a strong Christian.  In their eyes I did everything right. 

But, I knew that I was lacking, I knew I should be doing more to glorify God. But, in a sense, I had to external motivation because I was so good at pleasing man that they just assumed I had a strong relationship with God.  I’m really not a betting man, but I bet a lot of you reading this article can wholeheartedly relate.  

Escaping the Trap

The question becomes how you get out of that trap?  I’d like to say it’s easy, but this world has way of keeping us ensnared in status quo or worse.  It took me having a stroke to really bring me into reality that I’m nothing without God.  Just to reiterate, when I mention, God, it this context, I’m referring to God The Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. After my stroke, all of a sudden it did not matter to me what man thought as long as I was glorifying God.  And when I let go of the fear of man everything else fell into place.   Before my stroke, I could talk about the Bible or Jesus at length but I would not bring those subjects up if I didn’t know where a person stood concerning those subjects.  Think about it, what kind of sense does that make?  But now, I want everyone to know what I know and if they will listen, I’ll definitely tell them how great God is.  So what is the secret to go from pleasing man to pleasing God? It boils down to knowing God is real. It's not just head knowledge even though that is important. It's that you know in your heart that God is real and each person has a unique set of circumstances surrounding their life that prove God is real. As you take a deep dive into the mirror of self reflection and you are honest with yourself you'll see glimpses of God from day one.

Love and Faith

For me, it comes down to love and faith.  I know without a doubt that God chose me and He loves me.  Because I know He loves me I also have faith that He’ll always take care of me.  And that means when I feel that little nudge to do something that out of the “normal” that I also have faith He’ll be there right along side me to support me and even give me the words to say.  I have to ask, is it time for you to take that step of faith? It doesn't matter who you are, you will know the answer to that question. But, do you have courage? Well, I have good news for you because 2 Timothy 1:7 gives you the answer, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind".

The verses in Romans 12:2, Galatians 1:10 and John 12:43 come to mind to help you when are in the vicious circle of pleasing man instead of God:

Roman’s 12:2

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God”.

Galatians 1:10

“For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ”.

John 12:43

"for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God",

Not for the Faint of Heart

This world is full of deceptions, lies, and temptation and following Jesus is not for the faint of heart.  Jesus said we would be persecuted if we followed Him.  He also said in Mark 8:34-38, “When Jesus had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” Wow! These are some very hard hitting words.

Full Circle

This brings me right back to Matthew 10:28, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”.

What Motivates You

Please think about it, what are the motivations for your actions?  Are the motivations to please man? If so, you have some self reflection to do.  Pray and repent and ask God to guide you.  Everyone’s story unique, and God gave each of us a unique purpose so even though we may have similar experiences we all have unique ways of dealing with ourselves and our relationship with God. I can remind you, I can tell you to self reflect but it is you who knows where your walk with Lord is and it’s you who has to make the decisions that will strengthen your relationship with God.

May you always walk in the Truth