Redeeming Time
Ephesians 5/4
“REDEEM THE TIME
BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL.”
I consider this a call to arms in a spiritual war.
WE ONLY REDEEM those things that are precious, that have value.
Act like people with good sense and not like fools. These are evil times, so make every minute count.
EVERY MINUTE EVOKES a sense of purpose and passion — Begin applying this good sense in the spiritual realm, and it will seep into our physical lives. All effort that’s initiated in the eternal will affect what’s in the temporal.
Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless . . . but firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. Do not be drunk with wine, which will ruin you, it makes you lose control. (Eph)
NUMBING from pain and harassment? That’s a copout not a solution. Don’t join them; help them.
Don’t get drunk with wine, because it makes you lose control.
Instead, keep on being filled with the Spirit.
Don’t ‘beat yourself up’ over it. Be filled . . . E P I P H A N Y !
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“But I’ve failed.”
Then REDEEM the time!<>
GET YOUR MIND OFF THE beat-yourself-up LAW. Instead be filled and make the rest of your minutes count. The Law is not meant to govern God’s children (1 Tim 1:9).
One mindset is legalistic; the other is a response operating out of freedom.
The more Holy Spirit you pour into your heart, the freer you become, the less appetite you have for cop-out solutions.
IF WICKED PEOPLE can plan in advance to do evil, then the righteous can also plan ahead. Instead of wallowing in a corner and chanting, “I shall not do this, I shall not do that…,” shift our focus to advancing. Victory starts with 2 simple prayers: “Lord, help me.” And the second, which is equally as important, “Holy Spirit, fill me.”
Let your spirits and minds
keep being renewed, and clothe yourselves
with the new nature created to be godly,
which expresses itself in the righteousness
and holiness that flow from the truth.
DO I KNOW BY EXPERIENCE where real and unfailing help comes from? If not, how can I live effectively? Do I have what it takes to live right and do right? NO! Not without the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.
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Difficulties of life are hard enough to cope with alone.
Depression⇒suicide.
(Robin Williams, RIP)
INSULTS can devastate us. Weakness & illness aren’t leaving. Coping with our ever-present troubles through the help offered by men does minimal good. A vigilant refusal to participate in society’s numbing, cop-out lifestyle is a supernatural byproduct of a Spirit-filled life.
God says, “My grace is enough for you,
because power is made perfect in weakness.”
So I’ll gladly brag about my weaknesses
so that Christ’s power can rest on me.
Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses,
insults, disasters, harassment,
and stressful situations for the sake of Christ,
because when I’m weak, then I’m strong.
GRACE: the empowering presence of God in my life, enabling me to do and to be . . . despite circumstances.
Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control—against such things there is NO LAW. Religious ritual has no power.
“Redeem the time
Because the days are evil.”
BE FILLED!
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The Way of the Embattled Spirit
