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~band.of.brothers~htbc.weekly.mens.

devotion Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so WALK in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and ESTABLISHED in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete. Colossians 2:6-9 I have been thinking lately about why we have such short memories and even shorter attention spans. We so easily lose our focus letting our attention be misdirected toward things that do not matter. Worse yet, we too easily forget the depths of depravity and despair we were rescued from when we received Christ. What is it that causes us to get out of step with Jesus? If we are to WALK in Him why do we even think blazing the trail on our own can be a good thing? Perhaps part of the problem is that we arent fully committed. We havent relinquished our control and died to our passions and desires. I have spoken of this recently but I believe it is critical that we revisit it. If we are in Christ, that is, if I have received Him as Lord, I am a new creation. The old has passed away. The new has come. I cant continue living as the walking dead. I must bring every effort and attention into being raised to newness of life. I need to get into step. Only by walking in Him will I experience true freedom and victory. Paul tells us in this weeks passage that since we have received Him we are to walk in Him. When we make that decision, something needs to start happening. We need to replant ourselves in the fertile ground of Gods Word. If we do this, our roots become firm. It becomes more and more difficult for satan or anything else in this wicked world to uproot us. If our roots are not firm, if we are not being nourished and fertilized by the Living Word of God it becomes far too easy for our spiritual life to wilt and wither. Our lives stop producing fruit. We become a useless shoot on the vine, draining energy and strength from the rest of the plant. Jesus tells us a shoot that becomes useless is good for nothing but being cut from the plant and burned in the fire. We need to start producing something with our lives, brothers. It does the Church no good to have a body of consumers. The Church desperately needs fruitful lives producing glory to the Name. As our roots become firm, our faith becomes ESTABLISHED. For some reason I have always liked the word established. For me it means permanence. It suggests something that is set, unmovable, and complete. If my faith is set, unmovable, and complete I can move past my life of ignorance and selfishness into a life of victory. I so desperately desire to be ESTABLISHED. It should be the desire of every child of God and follower of Christ. Being established recognizes that we are part of that unshakeable Kingdom. We have been adopted into the family of God and it is an adoption that is irrevocable. When something is established it is done. That is the beauty of this whole thing. Christ has done it all. It is complete and all I need do now is walk in Him. I dont have to blaze the trail because Christ goes before me. I would much rather follow His lead than mine. My track record is a sorry thing. His is perfect. Finally, we must be extremely careful to pay attention to His Word and not be suckered by the philosophies of men. Too many professing believers today just want to be told what the Bible says instead of seeking the Holy Spirits inspired help in reading it. Scripture always proves Scripture. We cannot fall for the interpretations of men who do not take into account Scripture in its entirety. We must search out the whole Scriptures and see Gods complete picture of things, not one verse or passage taken out of context. Gods entire Word is in agreement with itself. It doesnt contradict and it doesnt mislead. My prayer is that we will discover together the importance of being Word bearers. We would be so completely in love with the Word of God that we have an answer for any who would question our faith, Gods Truth, or Christs supremacy. Overflow with gratitude and praise, my brothers. In Christ, we can find our answers. In Christ, we are complete. To Stand and Not Fall, Ric

***MENS BIBLE STUDY CHRISTS SECOND COMING TUESDAYS, AT 6:30PM OR SATURDAYS, AT 7AM*** ***DONT FORGET!!!! FATHER/SON RETREAT, FRI., OCT. 7 THROUGH SAT., OCT 8 AT CAMP BENSON -- $10/PERSON, MEALS PROVIDED CHOOSE TO PITCH A TENT OR SLEEP IN A CABIN -- ?S SEE PJ, MYLES, OR RIC***

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