13/01/2012 - THE CHRISTIAN WALK

• 
• 
• 
• 

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.

Ephesians 4:1

We have been called to be truly free; after all, Jesus assured that (John 8:36). Nonetheless, it hurts to see God\’s children trapped in sin because this is not the Almighty\’s plan for their lives. We must walk worthy of the calling with which we are called instead of being dominated by the actions of the enemy. Dishonesty, lies, adultery, addictions and other evil actions cannot exist in the life of those who have been handpicked to belong to the Lord forever.

Our call is to be witnesses of Christ. This means that not only our words must be in line with the Scriptures, but our behavior must also be pure and holy. It is infinitely better to lead a simple life – and even be considered by many as a fool – than to have the mark of sin in our life, after all whoever is in sin cannot testify about our Lord, who is holy, pure and perfect.

What pleases the Almighty is that we walk just as Christ walked (I John 2:6), for He was not a spiritual snob, but someone who followed God\’s guidance just as the Lord had determined. He walked around doing good, without ever leaving a trail of dirt wherever He went. Therefore, no one could accuse Him of, for example, of having dishonored someone’s home or taken something that did not belong to Him. Instead, people saw in the Son of God the extension of His Father. This is precisely the meaning of walking as Jesus walked: when people see us, they will also see the Lord.

We must not give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27), because besides tempting us, he makes us promising offers – which are actually nothing but lies – and instills bad feelings in our hearts, causing us to hate someone who is in sin. Sometimes we do not even give it a thought and actually make every effort to win the lost person to the Lord, but when a brother falls into transgression, we almost always close our hearts and cast him out of our Father’s house. With such attitude are we giving place to God or to the devil?

The Almighty did not entrust His Word to any religious group, but rather to His disciples. Therefore, we have the key to the Kingdom of Heaven with which we can lead many people to heaven or to destruction. May God help us not to be stumbling blocks in anyone’s way! Therefore we must ask the Lord that when opening our mouths we pronounce words of healing, deliverance and salvation. In so doing we will please our Father.

Woe to him who causes offenses (Matthew 18:7)! Your bad testimony will not go unpunished because it may lead more people to hell than those who you conducted to heaven through a lifetime of preaching and demonstration of the divine power. Escape from the snares of the evil one! Live at the feet of the Lord and take care not to fall and take precious lives to suffer for all eternity. It is not worth being carried away by the wiles of Satan!

In Christ with love, 

R. R. Soares