My articles concentrate on truth because God’s truth is the only way to set anyone truly free. We have just celebrated the feast of Passover, which all about freedom from slavery but, Jesus taught that he who sins is a slave to sin. What good is it to be freed from Egypt if the sins of Egypt are still in your heart? We have all struggled with this battle and have all fallen to the temptations of Egypt (the world). But, that doesn’t negate the power of the blood of the Lamb to do it’s work of deliverance when mixed with faith and obedience because God stands behind that Lamb! And He revealed the secret of overcoming the sin –

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” – Rom. 8:29

This means we are to think like Jesus thought, to act like Jesus acted, and to work like Jesus worked. He walked by the Spirit always doing what the Holy Spirit directed Him to do. When He spoke, it was to say what He heard His Father say and when He worked it was to do what His Father commanded.

Now you may think, “Yes, but Jesus was perfect, how can I do this?” Because we are predestined to be this way and to accomplish it God sent the same Holy Spirit to us to help us that Jesus had –

“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. … And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.“ – Rom. 8:26-28

You may yet bear the scars of your rebellion and sin and I’m sure the devil reminds you often of your failures but, remember the devil’s goal is to get you to give up and stop trusting in God’s promise to conform you to the image of His Son. If you have accepted Jesus’ forgiveness and the Holy Spirit then, you should know that He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (the devil )!

‘Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”

Now we have a problem. There are many claiming to be Christian who are not. Jesus taught that His church would contain both wheat and tares right up to the end when the angels will go forth and separate out the tares. The wheat are those who have dared to trust in and follow Jesus even though they know they are weak in themselves and the tares are those who settle for the ‘leeks of Egypt’ – more in love with the world than they are with Jesus. But, Jesus knows how to separate them.

“Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” – 2 Tim. 2:19

Iniquity is the twisted mindset of the world and we must reject it and follow God at all costs. There is a false church out there and they are following ‘another Jesus (2 Cor. 11:4)’ as Paul warned. God Himself is giving them a ‘spirit of delusion’ because they did not love the truth but loved unrighteousness instead –

” because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” – 2 Thes. 2:10-12

Paul’s answer to this, no matter what your past may have been, love the truth and remember Jesus is the truth!

“Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.” – 2 Thes. 2:15

While many churches today are forsaking the Christian traditions of yesteryear, I encourage you to hold fast to them. And remember, God has not forsaken the Old
Testament just because we have the New Testament. Jesus did not come to replace the Old Testament but to ‘fulfill’ it. You cannot understand the ‘traditions’ Paul is speaking about in this verse without knowing the Old Testament.

This age is fast closing and I encourage you and myself to stand fast and trust God’s word to transform us into the image of His Son.