So...do you want to be ‘saved’ and escape the ‘wrath of God’ that is on the world today? (John 3:36; Rom. 5:9) You might give careful consideration to the words of instruction that Jesus came to give us – ‘Repent’ (turn from the way we have been walking- Eph. 2:1-3) and start following Him. (Matt. 4:17,19).

If you don’t repent, things don’t bode well for you, and I don’t say that to threaten anyone; I’m just telling you what Jesus said in Luke 13:3,5. And honestly friends, I don’t know any better way to express what God’s word teaches other than to remind you that this loving and gracious God is ‘long-suffering towards us, not willing that any perish but that all would come to repentance’ (2 Pet. 3:9).

Jesus did not come to condemn anyone, given we were already under the penalty of sin (which is death), and condemned. He came to save us from it (John 3:17-18).

But there’s just a tad more to this ‘getting saved’ and ‘being conformed to the image of Christ’ than just saying a simple prayer and then start showing up at a building full of nice people every Sunday and taking part in all the ‘spiritual activities’.

We were warned that ‘perilous times would come in the last days’...where folks would be manifesting a lot of bad (carnal) fruit...yet ‘walking in a form of godliness while denying the power...always learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth’ (2 Tim. 3:1-7).

And it’s this ‘carnal fruit of the flesh’ that will be our downfall...if we fail to repent. It doesn’t matter how many times you have been baptized nor how many Bible verses you have memorized and can quote; if you continue to live according to the flesh (nature), you will surely die (Rom. 8:13). Why is this? Because to remain carnally-minded makes you hostile towards God, unable to subject yourself to God’s law, a law I should mention...that was never done away with. (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 2:13; 8:7-8).

Want to guess who the true ‘children of God’ are and who ‘belong to Christ’? Take a look at Galatians 5:24: “Those who belong to Christ have crucified (put to death) the flesh with its passions and desires.” Did you catch the ‘past tense’ use in that statement? Now I realize that might not ‘fit’ with your current understanding based on ‘doctrines’ you have learned previously. But some helpful advice I learned some time back...when ‘my doctrines’ clash with what God’s word declares...I better lay my doctrines down and stick with God’s word. “Let God be true and every man a liar”. (Rom. 3:4 Mark 7:6-13)

There was quite a collection of religious folks back in Jesus’s day who were well versed in scripture and were convinced they too...were ‘children of God’. Jesus kind of shredded that misconception when He told them their father was the ‘devil’...and that they were incapable of hearing God’s word (John 8:44).

And in case there was any confusion as to who God’s children are, we are told in 1 John 3:9-10, Romans 8:14, and 1 Pet. 1:14...God’s children are ‘obedient’ children and are ‘led by His Spirit’.

God’s sheep (children) ‘hear His voice and follow Him’ (John 10:27)...and it will be evident to all...because of their ‘love for one another’ (John 13:34-35). You cannot conceal nor disguise ‘fruit’ which comes from the heart (Luke 6:45). And imagine this- if you were going to plant a vineyard and grow some good fruit, it would seem to me, being the ‘non-agricultural’ person I am...that one would need to ‘clear some land’ first.

Guess what Jesus came to do in our ‘land’ (hearts)? He came to purify our hearts, because they were in great need of being made ‘pure’ and ‘holy’. (Jer. 17:9-10; Mark 7:21-21; Matt. 5:8). And this process of ‘clearing the land’ is called ‘sanctification’ where we are ‘made holy’ and set apart. It might be a good reminder to mark Hebrews 12:14 that ‘without this process of sanctification and being made holy...that ‘no one will see the Lord’. Yes, that is what it says in your Bible.

In the same way that God’s Spirit was going to lead the Israelites through the land of Canaan, if we learn nothing else from that story as God prepped His people before crossing over the Jordan River, it was to drill into them that there were some bad people that needed to come off that land. Failure to follow through on this would be devastating to them, their children, and their grandchildren. He also make it quite clear that it would be HIM...doing this, overtaking their enemies...then ‘delivering them into their hands to eradicate’. Sounds like a ‘cooperative effort’ there if you ask me (Duet. 7:1-2). It is no different with us today; but as you should know by now...it’s not ‘physical enemies’ that we are contending with that need to come ‘off the land’ (Eph. 6:12; Mark. 7:21-23).

As we continue on in this walk of faith, following the leading and voice our Great Shepherd, we will overcome all the schemes of the enemy who has ‘taken people captive to do his will’ (2 Tim. 2:24-25) so that we can in turn...’do the will of God’ (Matt. 7:21).

And may I say it again one more time for all the folks in the back...following the leading of God’s Spirit is NOT some ‘holy option’. That is what ‘children of God’ do- they are ‘led by His Spirit’ (Rom. 8:14)...and IF...IF...IF...they are ‘walking in the Spirit’...the “will not be fulfilling the lust of the flesh nature” (Gal. 5:16). Care to guess why that might be? Because the Spirit of God will lead you to ‘put to death the deeds/practice of the flesh nature’ (Rom. 8:13). I would also add that we cannot emphasize this enough to the body of Christ today, and all those who ‘claim’ to be a part of that body.

Oh...in case you have not figured this out yet...oftentimes, this ‘leading’ brings us into these ‘testing areas’...where we God is trying to ‘expose’ those areas within our hearts so they can be dealt with (James 1:2-4). Any chance you seem to keep having the same ‘test’ over and over again, maybe with patience or greed or anger or lust or ________? Yeah, there’s a reason for that. These are important tests to overcome and pass; otherwise...we are of little use to God to work in and through. Remember that law that existed years ago, and still does today in many states with student athletes – ‘No Pass, No Play’? Yeah...guess who else is a fan of that rule?