Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation,
And leaves no regret,
But worldly sorrow brings death.
2 Corinthians 7:10
The ransomed of the Lord will return! They will enter Zion with singing! Everlasting joy will crown their heads! Gladness and joy will overtake them,
Sorrow and sighing will flee away! God says:
“I, even I, am He who comforts you.
Who are you that you fear mortal men.
That you forget the Lord your Maker
Who stretched out the heavens,
And laid the foundations of the earth.
That you live in fear every day.
Isaiah 51:11-13
The world is the ransom of the Lord! Why then are so many perishing on their way to perdition, when Christ has paid the price for their ransom: save, redeem, buy, liberate, recover…Deception has them completely fooled! They have refused to believe the Word of Truth! They refuse to love (appreciate, treasure, value, delight in…) the Lord, and allow Him to save them. Therefore, God allows them to believe lies with all their heart
(2 Thessalonians 2:10-11.
“The tragedy of self-deception is that we do not even know when we are self-deceived; because if we did, it would not be deception. When this happens, we find ourselves on a downward spiral of moral decay.” This excerpt was taken from the blog “The Power of Deception,” written by Steven Fessler and posted here.
Though the “drug” of choice he wrote about was sexual addiction, we could say “fill in the blank” _________and the following would apply regarding any lust of the heart: “They don’t know how to break free from the chains that hold them captive, and therefore live a life enslaved to their deceptive “drug” of choice.”
If the choice was made to hear the truth, to focus on Jesus, as the Apostles did, then it will be understood, what Christ once imparted He is right now imparting to us. For God’s Word is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). Unfortunately, not everyone who thought themselves to be a disciple of Christ’s experienced, as Paul did, the Power within God’s Word of Truth. However, Paul spoke of how often he did the things he hated to do.
He wrote, “O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from the shackles of this body of death?
O thank God! He will! through Jesus Christ, the Anointed One, our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin,” Romans 7:24-25 AMP.
When the love of God is known, then transformation (conversion, metamorphosis, changeover, shift…) occurs in how we think and feel. Though mistakes will be made. There is much to learn and unlearn so for now – we can be kind to ourselves.
God has blessed us with life both physical and spiritual. One is temporary determined by the hands of time, while the other is eternal, for God has put eternity in our hearts. Yes, He has made everything beautiful in its time, but no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV).
There are secrets the Lord our God has not revealed to us, but the Word He has revealed is for us and our children to love and honor and obey forever (Deuteronomy 29:29 TLB).
A sincere commitment, a life-changing transformation begins when God and His Word and Holy Spirit recreate (restore, renew, revive) our spiritual being! Their work won’t be seen or felt, it will become evident when we’re thinking, behaving, believing somewhat differently right now, right here on earth!.
FINE – Favorable, Illuminating, Noteworthy, Effectual
Adjustments are made, for God imparts spiritual gifts – Faith, truth, wisdom, knowledge, prophecy, healing, counsel, fear of the Lord, joy, peace, discernment of spirits….Gifts that change us from the inside out so we can: Arise and shine when heaven’s Light comes and the glory of the Lord rises upon us (Isaiah 60:2).
Lift up your eyes and look about and be radiant!
Your heart will throb and swell with joy,
To the honor of the Lord your God
The Holy One of Israel
For He has endowed you with splendor!
Isaiah 60:3-9