The Head and the Heart

[Angel]

Have you ever gone through a time where you had a lot of good Christian head knowledge, but did not live what you preached? What was it like when you finally repented and started living out the Word?

Repentance, in my experience, can be exhilarating! Good things happened to those who obey. God answers prayers in awesome ways when you do what he asks.

I'm no expert on repentance, and I'm no ace when it comes to fighting the flesh. I just want to know if others have had the same experience?

 

[Jethro Bodine]

Have you ever gone through a time where you had a lot of good Christian head knowledge, but did not live what you preached?

For me it was a time of not having knowledge. I longed to know the truth. I did not do any preaching. I didn't even know what 'Christ died for our sins' meant, let alone telling others that. I knew I was separated from God. I couldn't live what I knew I should be living. I wanted to know the truth about God and salvation so I could be saved but knew nothing about that.

What was it like when you finally repented and started living out the Word?

You're speaking of the day I got saved. I became a new person. I made peace with God and my life changed forever. Twenty-seven years ago.

 

[Deborah13]

Repentance, in my experience, can be exhilarating!

This is how I see repentance.

Repentance is another gift from God. He doesn't want satan to have a road away into our lives through guilt and condemnation, as it stifles are Christian walk. In His mercy and grace towards us He gave a way to be done with that junk that is not of Him.
When we repent we are turning to Him rather than away from Him. We can see clearly what He will have us to do and to draw from Him the strength that we need to have victory over sin in our lives.

 

[farouk]

Repentance is a wholesome and essential experience, which Romans 2 expounds wonderfully. It's of the very goodness of God that sinners are brought to repentance.
[MENTION=93058]Deborah13[/MENTION]: Yes, it's really like a gift from God Himself, isn't it?

Blessings.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

For me, I realized one day after being fed the word of God, that Jesus really was God.
Then I gave my heart to him.

 

[Deborah13]

For me, I realized one day after being fed the word of God, that Jesus really was God.
Then I gave my heart to him.

Allen, I see in you a man who seeks the heart of God and continues to give his heart to God.

 

[Atonement]

There was a time when I rebelled after becoming a Christian and fell back into the world, living a worldly life. It was not until I fell on my knees coming to the foot of the Cross in tears confessing all what I had been doing and turning from the world and giving my whole heart to God, this is when I personally started to notice God moving in my spirit and opening doors for me. I try not to preach, but a lot of times it just comes out that way lol.

 

[farouk]

There was a time when I rebelled after becoming a Christian and fell back into the world, living a worldly life. It was not until I fell on my knees coming to the foot of the Cross in tears confessing all what I had been doing and turning from the world and giving my whole heart to God, this is when I personally started to notice God moving in my spirit and opening doors for me. I try not to preach, but a lot of times it just comes out that way lol.

Atonement:

Well, Jeremiah said that God's Word was as fire in his bones, and he was weary with forbearing and could not stay, right? (Jeremiah 20.9)

Blessings.

 

[iLOVE]

1. We need the grace of God to operate in true holiness (Hebrews 12:14, 15, AMP).
   1. When we are at our weakest point, God’s ability is at its strongest (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).
      1. His grace is sufficient.
      2. “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 1:24 NLT).
   2. We must cooperate with His grace. God has His part, and we have our part.
      1. Our part is to spend time in His Word daily, renewing our minds and obeying the Word.
      2. We also cooperate by resisting our sins, shortcomings, failures, bad habits, and addictions.
      3. We resist temptations knowing that God will help us overcome them.
      4. In resisting the urges to do wrong, we train ourselves to do what is right. This is proof that we are growing spiritually (Hebrews 5:13, 14, AMP).
2. When we operate in God’s grace, we are invincible. Our vicious enemies, including Satan, cannot overtake us (Isaiah 35:8-10).
   1. This promise does not apply to Believers who do not walk in true holiness.
      1. If we do not walk in true holiness, there are certain benefits we miss out on—both here on earth and in heaven.
   2. If we develop holiness, we will not fall away and return to our old sins (2 Peter 1:9, 10, NLT).
   3. By becoming born-again, we escape the wickedness of the world.
      1. Those who get entangled in sin after they have been born again are in a worse position than they were before (2 Peter 2:20-22).
      2. God does not expect us to be perfect, but He does want us to pursue holiness.
      3. Holiness is being of one mind with God; it is agreeing with His Word.
3. In the last days, there will be many worldly Christians. Sin will be rampant everywhere (2 Timothy 3:1-5; Matthew 24:12, NLT).
   1. These Christians will reject holiness and live in a lawless manner.
      1. Their love will grow cold.
      2. Christians who are not committed to living holy will ultimately become fruitless.
4. We are slaves to whomever we obey. We cannot say we are serving God and serving sin simultaneously (Romans 6:16, AMP, Contemporary English Version).
   1. Living in a way that goes against God’s Word produces death of all kinds (Romans 6:16; Romans 8:12; 1 John 5:16; Jude 1:12,13 )
      1. Those who endure in holiness will be saved.

 

[Sparkey]

Have you ever gone through a time where you had a lot

Nope. Frankly I've never gone through such a time because I'm in it now. But that is not to say that it is the same today as it was back in the day and so yes, I do understand what is meant. So yes, I've gone through many, many "times" but not in the sense that I am though. Or that I've gone through or somehow may speak of this which is happening as a past event. To me, this is like hmmmm... cones that are spaced within cones. So at some point a change starts and I notice it and the Lord blesses it and it continues and then, while this continues something else becomes less of "head knowledge" and more of how to say it? Muscle knowledge because it too is acted on and then known in the heart or known in the mind and in the spirit and by the hand... and then? Yes! There is a certain momentum that may build up and even more truth is revealed, more seeds are sprouting and growing, but not too long of a time goes by and there comes a time where my enthusiasm for the Lord diminishes... Seeds are marvelous things. Even if a whole forest burns down, there remains the seeds of life for that forest to grow and thrive again. This by the Mercy who is God.

Sadly the collapse or shrinking of my commitment and drawing back toward sin and desires that were there can happen, has happened and with me? It got so bad that I had to be "snapped out of it" by hearing the gavel of a judge pound down while the sentence was spoken some 20 years ago... but then? Well, it's a process. It took three months of sobriety for me to ask myself (or for my drunken ways to be mended sufficiently for me to hear the Lord ask), Why will you stop drinking? For that Judge? Or for you? So there was a sober thought. And there and again comes the blessing and the layered turning of the heart of this son to his Father.

 

[evenifigoalone]

I received Jesus as my Savior at an early age, grew up in church. So I knew a lot about Christianity, or thought I did. Church members would say that I knew more about the Bible than most children my age. That actually made me feel bad, because I realized that I spent most of my time watching cartoons or playing, not reading the Bible. Once in a while I'd get this feeling when listening to or singing hymns and think them the most wonderful songs in the world--I was worshiping, I guess. But not most of the time. Most of the time I fidgeted through church services, and couldn't wait for them to be over. Of course, I was just a kid.
When I was 14, some things happened that at first made me question my faith but in the end strengthened it and made me eager to hear more from God. I began to read Christian allegories, too, and these helped. I loved seeing the similes and connections to Biblical truth in the stories I was reading. When I got into Star Wars, I began to find ways to allegorize it, and shared them with my dad, who thought it was pretty neat.

 

[farouk]

I received Jesus as my Savior at an early age, grew up in church. So I knew a lot about Christianity, or thought I did. Church members would say that I knew more about the Bible than most children my age. That actually made me feel bad, because I realized that I spent most of my time watching cartoons or playing, not reading the Bible. Once in a while I'd get this feeling when listening to or singing hymns and think them the most wonderful songs in the world--I was worshiping, I guess. But not most of the time. Most of the time I fidgeted through church services, and couldn't wait for them to be over. Of course, I was just a kid.
When I was 14, some things happened that at first made me question my faith but in the end strengthened it and made me eager to hear more from God. I began to read Christian allegories, too, and these helped. I loved seeing the similes and connections to Biblical truth in the stories I was reading. When I got into Star Wars, I began to find ways to allegorize it, and shared them with my dad, who thought it was pretty neat.

questdriven:

Yes, it's good to train one's mind to think critically, and weigh up ideas; and the more Scriptural background one has, the better, of course.

We need the indwelling Spirit to interpret the Word for us, naturally; this privilege is receive at the new birth. Sadly, some Christians never seem to be able to discipline their minds to think clearly and apply principles to situations: it's easy just to want some Fundamentalist preacher to tell you what to do, to give his arbitrary list of do's and don'ts, instead of searching our hearts, in the light of God's Word.

Blessings.

 

[Sparkey]

Thought 1: . o O (Luke, I am your father.)

Thought 2: . o O (Get thee behind me, Satan.)

Thinker 3: . o O (The Spirit is strong in him...)

. o O No! It's the power is, ahhh.. no. It's the thingy is strong in him... No. Moment give me; thoughts to collect have I...​

Thinker 3: . o O (... The Force is strong in him...) (Yep, 'ticket that is', says I...)

Thought 2: . o O (But God does not 'Force', He is gentle, He is kind...)

****************************************
Sparrow's thought: . o O (And He's not a party-pooper either).

 

[evenifigoalone]

Thought 1: . o O (Luke, I am your father.)

Thought 2: . o O (Get thee behind me, Satan.)

Thinker 3: . o O (The Spirit is strong in him...)

. o O No! It's the power is, ahhh.. no. It's the thingy is strong in him... No. Moment give me; thoughts to collect have I...​

Thinker 3: . o O (... The Force is strong in him...) (Yep, 'ticket that is', says I...)

Thought 2: . o O (But God does not 'Force', He is gentle, He is kind...)

****************************************
Sparrow's thought: . o O (And He's not a party-pooper either).

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