Over the years, the criticisms I’ve received personally for being so legalistic and so harsh.  If there is a wolf here, we’re going to kill it.  If there is leaven, we’re going to purge it out.  “Many are the afflictions that are coming our way, but the Lord delivers us out of them all.”  Hallelujah!  Amen?  How?  By hating the world and loving God with all of our hearts, the Scripture says.

Deuteronomy 6:5, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”  Psalm 119:2, “Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek God with the whole heart.”  Boy, how many of us can quote this by wrote in Proverbs 3:5-6?  “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge God, and he shall direct thy paths.”  Yet, we go so many other places for advice and direction.  Acknowledge God, He will direct your path.  Seek God first, He will direct your path.  Love God with all of your heart, He will direct your path; amen?  “Let God be true, but every man a liar.”  “When I come will I find faith on the earth?”  So, we live in this environment.  Men will not endure sound doctrine.  They will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.  They’ll be friends of the world, James says, becoming the enemies of God.  Jeremiah 29:13, “And ye shall seek me, and find me…”  If we ended it there, it would speak another truth, wouldn’t it?  You have to seek Him “with all your heart.”  “I’ve sought the Lord.”

I know a young person, not too long ago, who walked out.  His parents are still here interceding for him.  He has reached into the church numerous times trying to cause trouble, still trying to stir things up with his family.  He sat in the conference room and he said, “I am no longer following God.  I can’t trust Him.”  He said, “The Bible said if I would seek Him that I would find Him.  I am seeking Him on these issues and I can’t hear His voice.”  I said, “I’ll take you at your word that you are seeking Him, but I can guarantee you that you are not seeking Him with all your heart, because you would find Him.”  Your self-righteousness, your pride, your ambition, your lust is all still intact.  If you’re going to seek Him with all your heart, die to yourself.  Don’t you set the course and expect God to bless it.

As we are preparing ourselves in this last hour, run to obtain, run to obtain, to win.  If you’re going to strive for this mastery of Christlikeness, this mastery that sin no longer has dominion over me because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.  This mastery, of faith, knowing that all things are possible to him that believeth, that whatever I ask in His name, I believe He is going to give me that the Father might be glorified in the Son.  As Paul is speaking here, he said, “There has to be a temperance in all other things.  You have to become single-minded on the kingdom, on the Lordship of Jesus, on the daily crucifying of this old man, through our profession of the gospel.”  As we start our day, “I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. I thank You, Father, that it is by grace that I am saved through faith and not of works.  I thank You, Father, for that great remission of sins through the effectual working of the blood of Jesus Christ.”  We acknowledge the great things that He has done.  We surrender our lives to Him for that day that we’ll live for Him, to glorify Him.