Working Out Our Own Salvation Part 2

"Wherefore, my beloved, as ye (you) have obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." - (Philippians 2:12 KJV)

Happy Thriving Thursday and Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Last time, in Working Out Our Own Salvation Part 1, I mentioned on how some people are focused on others and not themselves. I also talked about salvation and 10 steps to receive it. We're going to quickly review the first-half of these five steps, so we can continue with the second-half:

Step 1: Humility.

Step 2: Acknowledging we're sinners.

Step 3: Repenting for our sins.

Step 4: Surrendering our hearts over to Jesus.

Step 5: Believing Jesus has died for our sins.

And here is the second-half in receiving salvation:

Step 6: Forgetting what we "think" we know, or what we have already learned about God by others telling us about their experiences with Him. (It can be positive or negative.) Don't get me wrong. It's fine about hearing others' testimonies on knowing God for themselves. It's a beautiful thing and that's what draws people to know God even more. However, God desires for us to know Him for ourselves. There's nothing like developing a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father. There’s nothing like it. (I'm saying this with a smile on my face, that's how truly awesome being close to God is.)

Step 7: Sincerely hungering and thirsting for God by admitting we want to learn about His Ways. How do we learn about God's ways? We simply read God's Word for ourselves, so we won't be deceived. Every person you meet, who says they are of God, isn't always of Him. The LORD, Himself, will reveal to you if this spirit is from Him or not. Apples don't come from an orange tree, and oranges don't come from an apple tree.

Step 8: Praying to God daily. I want you to know it's not the quantity of time, which makes your relationship with God essential, but it's the quality of your time, which delivers you into all truth about Him.

Step 9: Praising God for all He has done in your life. Counting your blessings is vital. Hey, you're alive. That's enough to praise Him right there, in spite of going through an imperfect situation.

Step 10: Worshipping God wholeheartedly. Worship is a personal and profound adoration toward God of how much He means to you. Once you enter worship mode, this is where God reveals Himself to you in the most dynamic way. It’s a beautiful thing when we relish in His sweet, loving Presence. That's how wonderful God is. He gives you peace, even when you have storms all around you. Yes, His Peace passes all human understanding, which comes from God and God alone.

And once you receive His Peace, everything around you won’t matter because you have assurance that God's in control, and He won't abandon you or lose patience with you because you're feeling lonely. He's not insensitive like we, as people, tend to be at times. 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast all our cares on Him, because He cares for us.

These were the necessary steps I did for myself on knowing God personally. If I hadn't taken these steps, I wouldn't be right where I am, today, to tell you how much I love Him with all my heart, mind, and soul. And I still apply these steps in my life because it humbly reminds me that I can easily fall into temptation and sin.

But thank you, Jesus, we have an Advocate who pardons our sins by forgiving us and tossing them into the sea of forgetfulness. When we acknowledge our errors and don't make excuses for our ways, He actually sees sincerity and remorse in our hearts, and this is where He does a new work in us, so we'll become more like Him.

Before we condemn others about their weaknesses, it's good to remember we're not perfect. I'm learning that cold-hearted and arrogant people are the most uncompassionate and least understanding people I know. They make harsh and irrational judgments about you, like there is something with you and not them. If this resonates with you, and you're reflecting on people, in your life, behaving this way toward you, then you know exactly what I mean. People, who fall into this category, don't listen to what you're saying. They have ears, but they're not hearing you. They're spiritual radars are dull and this is because someone did that to them. You can believe some people are the way they are, because of what was done to them. It's sad, but true. And then, they pass this venomous behavior to innocent people, who genuinely care about them, and this is how the vicious cycle begins. This is the main reason why the world is the way it is. We're so cruel to each other and the way we're behaving toward each other is alarming and deadly.
 

It's the content in our hearts what makes us clean or unclean—not being poor, homeless, or a failure. Our actions define who we are. This is a very important lesson to remember. People will not remember us for fame or fortune, but for the life we lived on Earth. The seeds we sow, whether it’s pleasure (good) or pain (evil), people will remember us by our deeds.

These 10 steps, I listed above to you, are here to help us stay on the right-track of working out our own salvation. These steps will also allow God to show us revelations about the very questions we have about people and our situations.

The girl who e-mailed me admitted to me when God showed her essential truths about her situations, she sees what is of God and what isn't. My friends, she is on the right-track to knowing God for herself, the way God created her. We're all unique. None of us communicate to God in the same manner, when we’re praying to Him. That's what makes us extremely special in His Eyes. He sees beyond our faults and meets our needs. If I were temperamental and self-absorbed with the girl who e-mails me about her progress of growing in God, she probably would have given up on God altogether. And this self-absorbed behavior is what pushes people away from God instead of going to Him.

That's why it irks me when some people in the world call themselves Christians, giving real Christians, like me, a bad name. I don't believe in hypocrisy or false prophecy. If you're going to be a non-believer, be one. If you're going to be a believer, go all the way. There is no half-stepping with God—it's either one or the other. Yes, there are times where we will feel divided because it's a part of life, but division shouldn't be consistent throughout our lives. This leads to being unstable in our ways.

And how you'll truly know who belongs to God and who doesn't, it's through the fruit we bear. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye (you) shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit." - (Matthew 7:15-18 KJV)

Basically, in plain English, we're either one or the other, and we can't display good actions, knowing deep down we perform evil ones instead, when we think no one is watching and vice versa. The truth of who we really are always comes out, no matter how hard we try to conceal it.

No, we can't judge anybody on things they do, when it’s evident that we make mistakes, too. Our judgment is not accurate by what we "think" we "see." Only God and that person know the whole story. So, before we say someone is desperate for attention, they need prayer, or they don't have certain "requirements" to be a Christian. We must, first, reflect what's in our hearts. What's rooting in our spirits when we're making wrongful statements about people? Is this coming from God's perspective or our perspective?

Here's God Perspective on a person who feels unloved and they are seeking attention in the wrong places: My child is hurting. Something or someone has made him or her react this way. He or she has experienced turmoil—he or she doesn't know who is really for or against him or her. I'm going to lift him or her up in prayer.

And this is how one would pray: Father, I ask You to help deliver ___________(person's name), and shower Your love on him or her right now. Bless him or her to overcome this struggle of needing acceptance. Bless him or her to see how valuable he or she is in Your Sight. Deliver him or her out of the hands of his or her enemies, who are wrongfully speaking evil against him or her. Show him or her how to effectively communicate where others are receptive, so You are glorified, and for others to understand him or her better. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

And here's our tainted perspective on the situation: Oh, this person is so desperate or hopeless. It doesn't make any sense what they're doing. They need prayer or help. Something is wrong with that person. What a loser! I would never act like that. I have my stuff together. I’m successful and this person is a failure. I have friends while this person is friendless. This person doesn't have a strong relationship with God. They have no spiritual insight. They need the Holy Spirit like I do.

If you're laughing at how I'm stating this, I'm just showing you, through example, how bad this really sounds and what judging someone sounds like! I don't know one person who hasn't come across a judging, cynical and critical hypocrite. I know it's somewhat blunt, but let's call it for what it is. How is God glorified in the second perspective? How does it encourage the hurting soul, who is in need of prayer? You see where I'm going with this? If so, I'm glad. This means you're growing gracefully in God along with me. We're in this together. My desire is to see you have a bountiful relationship with God, so no one will deter you from God's Truth. We must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. "God is a Spirit: and they that worship must worship him in spirit and in truth." - (John 4:24 KJV)

Prayer: Father, I feel so isolated and trapped. I believe no one understands me. Lord, only You know that I'm doing the best I can with knowing You for myself. But it's hard dealing with people who don't understand me, even when they think they do. Continue to create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. I need Your help through Your Holy Spirit, because it's hard to do on my own. I know now that it's my salvation is what keeps me redeemed through Jesus, who saved me. I know I don't have all the answers, but Lord, I'm grateful with the revelations You show me whenever I pray to You. Father, forgive us, for we know not what we do. Thank You for caring about me when no one else does. Thank You for setting me free from my oppressors and haters. Thank You for dealing with them, on how harshly they're acting toward me and misconstruing who I am. Thank You for saving them, in advance, and blessing them to get to know Jesus as their personal Savior. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

If you believe in this prayer, you are redeemed and set free. Yes, we need deliverance daily, but in order to get deliverance, we must confess what we have done or how we feel inside on what others have done to us. And when we keep our hearts right before the Lord, praying according to God's Spirit and Truth, and not with our fleshly thoughts, He will hear our prayers. He will forgive us when we hurt others or ourselves and those who hurt us. Jesus loves you very much and I do, too! Until next time, be blessed.