There’s a couple of quotes i’d Like to use that i’ve heard over the years; one of them even made by me.

The first I’ve is from an evangelist as he sit playing a piano. He suddenly stopped and made this statement. If you knew me like I know me, you’d get up right now and leave this Church. You wouldn’t listen to a word I have to say. We all laughed and he began to play a little more on the piano. The song he was playing and going to sing was ( He touched me ). In just a few seconds he stopped again and said this: however if I knew you like you know you, i’d get up and leave also.

The second is more of a story about me. I was speaking in a Church one and trying to make a point about how God can change people but, all we use to be is still within us. We just have to choose to whom we are willing to follow. I walked out into the congregation and made this statement: I use to curse worse than anyone you ever heard. These was no curse words known to man that I wouldn’t use. I want you to know, as I stand here and preach this message: I still have all those words within my head, I can still curse just like I use to. I’ve just made a choice not to speak that way because my desire now is to be pleasing to my Lord. I told those people in that Church, if you like I can say them now, you want to hear them? Of course they all laughed and we moved on.

The point that I, and the evangelist was making is we are sinners and just as ungodly as any other person on the face of this earth. It’s simply a choice of we decide we want to be pleasing to.

The Apostle Paul put it this way in ( Romans 7:15 ) For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. Now, if you look on down to ( verse 24-25 ) he says this: O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? ( 25 ) I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Within this, I see myself and the struggle we all have with sin. I thank God through Jesus Christ for his tremendous love toward us and his unwavering forgiveness. Like the Apostle Paul I strive to kill my flesh daily but often fail and sin takes over. It’s a continual battle. As I said, I use to curse terrible however, as I not seek to walk in God’s spirit I often tell people that when I began to think, mind you, just think curse words I realize it’s time for me to humble myself in prayer and ask God to help me fight back my sinful thoughts. If I go as far as actually say those words, shame on me when that happens.

What I’m going to say here is something I know I battle with and I also believe that all people that are saved do as well. It’s common to all of us. I know I don’t like for people, know that I’m saved to see or think of me in any way other than Godly. Often we don’t even like to admit that as part of our testimony. I see this as a detriment to our spiritual walk especially towards our children and grandchildren.

My children need to see Jesus Christ living within me and not my sinful self. That also goes for our husbands, wives, friends and co- workers. At the same time we need to be perfectly willing to tell them how we use to be before we were born again and made the choice to allow the Spirit of God to control our lives.

Very often we come across as ( holier than thou ). This especially to the people that know us well, like our children. The people that know us and are around us the most are going to see us at our worst and best, When we act as though and talk as though we are above sin then allow that part of us to be seen; what then do our children read into what they see and hear?

I heard a true story once from an evangelist that actually seen this happen. He shared with us how that a teenage girl came down to the alter one night of a revival he was holding to pray. He dad was a deacon in that Church and her mother was well respected. When they seen their daughter go to the alter they went to pray with he, one on either side of her. When they knelt and touched her she jumped up and said: don’t come pray with me, I know how you live at home I don’t want you praying with me. These two parents desired for people in Church to see them one way but never thought about what people really thought about them by what they were really acting out, especially their daughter.

My desire is to live a life that glorifies my Lord and Savior but, I never want to come across as a person that is perfect by any means. The Bible says to confess your faults one to another. ( James 5:16 ) It also says there ( and pray one for another ) after that it says, ( that ye may be healed.

When we willingly confess our sins; openly let people know our weaknesses, those same people pray for us. This works together to bring about spiritual healing of those weaknesses. When we try and hide those sinful habits, we are deceived into thinking no one knows about them when all it’s truly doing is making our spiritual walk weaker before those around us.

To all that might read this; I want you to know just how weak I am, how much I need your prayers that I might become all God wants me to be, living above my weak frail flesh.

My sinful being is not who I desire to be. My desire is to walk as Christ walked and be a spiritual giant for the glory of God. ( I must decrease and allow him to increase in me).