Perfection

2 Peter 3:18 (KJV) Says, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen." Philippians 1:6 (KJV) Says, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

The above verse of scripture taken from 2 Peter instructs us that we are to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The verse of scripture taken from the book of Philippians tells us that we can and should be confident that God will continue the good work that he has begun in us until the day of Jesus Christ.

Once we accept Christ into our heart, we should have the desire to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to him, and that sets an example for those around us as to what a Christ-like life looks like.  The manner in which we live our lives is a huge part of our personal testimony. When we live our lives righteously it allows the light of Christ within us to shine through us for others to see. With that said, there are key elements that we must implement to grow and mature as Christians.  We should pray, read and study God's Word, attend worship services, fellowship with other Christians, and sit quietly listening for him to lead, guide, and direct us. He can and does speak to us, if we will take the time to listen. He may speak to us through his Word, through other people, through nature, by placing something on our heart, or by clarifying something in our mind just to give a few examples. When we put God first in our lives, and do these things on a regular basis making our personal relationship with him a priority we will build, maintain, and strengthen our relationship with him, and we will grow in Christ. We will never reach the point, however, where we become sinless and perfect because we are human beings, and as such we are fallible.

It is important that we recognize and accept the fact that we will never be perfect so that we don't find ourselves feeling disappointed in ourselves, discouraged, and so stressed out that we are unable to be the disciples he has called us to be. I am by no means stating that we should use our freewill to commit sin purposefully with no remorse for doing so. What i'm say is that we should have the desire to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to God, but that as human beings it is not possible to be perfect and sinless, therefore, when we fall short and sin we should confess our sins to God, ask him to forgive us, and move forward in our walk with him. If instead we continue to beat ourselves up over our sins, and allow Satan to convince us that we are not worthy of God's love and forgiveness then we land in a state of despair and become paralyzed by feelings of discouragement and defeat.

Each and every Christian falls short of the glory of God, and that is documented in Romans 3:23 (KJV) which says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" When go to God in prayer and ask him to forgive us he does so immediately. The problem for many people is they have difficulty accepting the fact that God has forgiven them, and they also struggle to forgive themselves. If Almighty God can forgive us then we should be able to forgive ourselves.

In short, no human being will ever be sinless and perfect. We should strive to live righteous lives that are pleasing to God, but when we do commit sin that was not purposeful we need to go to God as soon as we recognize it, ask him to forgive us, repent of it, forgive ourselves, and move forward immediately. I urge you not to allow Satan to convince you that because you made a mistake you are not worthy of God's love or capable of serving him effectively. Recognize that you are a fallible human being attempting to live your life in a manner that pleases God. Remember that  God forgives you the second you ask him to, that  he loves you tremendously, and that we are all works in progress. Remember that we are growing in Christ, and do your best to please him.

God doesn't intend for Christians to go about beating themselves up because they feel they fall short of perfection, and he certainly isn't behind the spirit of defeat and discouragement that Satan likes to place on us.  If we allow Satan to convince us that we are not worthy because we fall short of perfection then we are buying into his lies, and he is able to distract us from serving the Lord. The Christian life is not some strict, miserable, and unhappy life. It is a joy filled life full of God's love, joy, and divine peace. God is not standing in Heaven with a lightening bolt in his hand eager to strike you with it the moment you commit a sin; that is not who he is. God is loving, kind, forgiving, merciful, compassionate, understanding, and so much more. I urge you to remember these things, and any time Satan tries to paralyze your walk with God using his negative wiles rebuke him, and keep pressing forward in service to God being the bold disciple that God has called you to be.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you!