Counsel and Conscience 8-18-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. With my spirit, soul, and body, I welcome You Father, Son, and Holy Spirit into every area of my life and every moment of my day. … “ ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up. Do not seek your own advantage but that of the other…. For why should my liberty be subject to the judgment of someone else’s conscience?…. So whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:23-31). To You, all hearts are open and all thoughts are known. You know every thought and intention before we ever speak or act. And as we open our hearts to You, You are changing our hearts and renewing our minds to be more like You each day. With our lives entrusted to Your guidance, correction, and care, we are not like we were, nor are we yet fully like what we will be (1 John 3:2). We’re a work in progress, a life in process, being conformed to image of the Son of God through all the experiences and encounters of our lives. And each choice we make, through the grace You give in the freedom we have, determines the depth and length of our personal transformation. Every choice of every moment of every day becomes our opportunity to grow in spiritual maturity, to grow in the image of Christ—or not. “(Willing choose to) present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Willing choose to) not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God, what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). And we are all at different places on that journey with You. Even among all who have Your Holy Spirit living within us, at work within us, to make us more like You each day, we are each a different place of transformation, of sanctification in spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). It’s not our place to judge one another, but to judge ourselves. It’s not our place to compare ourselves with one another, but to compare ourselves with You—which always keeps us humble and hungry for more of You and less of us, more of Your holy nature and less of our worldly nature. You’ve given us great liberty, great freedom through the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. For whom the Son sets free is free indeed (John 8:36). And “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). And with that liberty, You are redeeming our consciences, redeeming our sensitivity to the conviction and leading of Your Spirit. For the children of God are led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). But we must not be enslaved to consciences of others. We must be subject the conscience of ourselves. We must be willing to hear the wisdom and godly counsel of those we trust, but we must also have the courage to choose for ourselves what we believe is right by the leading of the Spirit of the Lord, grounded in the authority of the Word of the Lord. “To thine own self be true” to the degree that we have submitted ourselves to the will of God as best as we can and all by Your grace. So help me grow in my humility to hear others and my sensitivity to hear You. Help me be courageous to seek and listen, and then faithful to trust and obey what I believe You are saying and how I sense You are leading. Because at the end of the day, it will only be me who will stand before You to give an account of my faithfulness to my conscience You’ve been conforming to Your image (Romans 14:12). So help me God, to do everything for the glory of God, living true to the place I am on my journey with You, as best as I can and all by Your grace. And help me give that grace to others. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Come to The Fountain! This Friday Night August 20th at 7PM, the 3rd Friday Night of every month, for our Messiah Ministries monthly city-wide gathering for prayer, praise, and healing worship. Led by Messiah Ministries and hosted at Centenary United Methodist Church, 2800 Tates Creek Rd.; Lexington, Kentucky. Come drink deeply from The Fountain of Living Waters as we worship Jesus in the freedom of His Holy Spirit. Our Healing Rooms equipping team from Madisonville, KY led by Rush and Barbie Hunt will be with us to minister to everyone in healing prayer ministry this month. All are welcome and please spread the word! Contact Marilyn Walker, our Dir. of Ministries for details 859-317-1591 or DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries: MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org To order my books and our ministry resources or contribute to our ministry on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org Messiah Ministries; 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 God bless you!