Awake From Your Sleep
When a person is tired and sleeping, one of the hardest things sometimes is to wake up. When we are dreaming and in a deep sleep it is like we are in an alternate reality which at the time seems very real. Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid and intense that when you woke up it took a moment for you to understand, it was just a dream? Before we came to Christ, that is exactly how we were, we were living in an alternate reality where sin had a completely different meaning. In this this reality we were governed by our emotions and intellect and not by the spirit of God. We were very comfortable in this reality and had know desire to change it. We were in a deep sleep and it was intense. This is why we should never stand in judgment over non Christians who are not willing to accept the gospel message when we are witnessing to them, because we were right where they are. What we need to be are beacons of light, which they can look to that will point them to Christ. Sometimes we can be too hard on people and wonder why, instead of being drawn to Christ, they are being pushed away. That is like an alarm clock that wakes someone up so abruptly, the only thing the person does is hit the off button and goes back to sleep. We are to love them into the kingdom, so it is not an abrupt awakening and instead of hitting the off button, they may just hit the snooze button. They may even hit the snooze button a few times, but eventually they will wake up: 1Co 3:4 For when one person says, “I follow Paul,” and another person says, “I follow to Apollos,” you’re following your own human nature, aren’t you? 1Co 3:5 ¶ Who is Apollos, anyhow? Or who is Paul? They’re merely servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord gave to each of us his task. 1Co 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God kept everything growing. 1Co 3:7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is significant, but God, who keeps everything growing, is the one who matters. 1Co 3:8 The one who plants and the one who waters have the same goal, and each will receive a reward for his own action. 1Co 3:9 For we are God’s co-workers. You are God’s farmland and God’s building. We do not need to try and do the Holy Spirit’s job for him, he is more than capable of handling his own affairs. When a person is sleeping they are so deeply connected to that sleep that their body has to go through a chemical reaction in order to wake up, but once awake they are seeing life with new eyes: Paul recognized this from a spiritual perspective when he wrote this statement. Rom 7:7 The Law Shows Us What Sin is What should we say, then? Is the Law sinful? Of course not! In fact, I wouldn’t have become aware of sin if it had not been for the Law. I wouldn’t have known what it means to covet if the Law had not said, “You must not covet.” Rom 7:8 But sin seized the opportunity provided by this commandment and produced in me all kinds of sinful desires, since apart from the Law, sin is dead. Rom 7:9 At one time I was alive without any connection to the Law. But when the rule was revealed, sin sprang to life, Rom 7:10 and I died. I found that the very rule that was intended to bring life actually brought death. Rom 7:11 For sin, seizing the opportunity provided by the rule, deceived me and used it to kill me. Rom 7:12 So then, the Law itself is holy, and the rule is holy, just, and good. Rom 7:13 The Problem of the Sin that Lives in Us Now, did something good bring me death? Of course not! But in order that sin might be recognized as being sin, it used something good to cause my death, so that through the rule, sin might become more exposed as being sinful than ever before. Have you ever noticed that the things you used to do that were not an issue when you where not a Christian, once you accepted Christ and woke up, became a serious issue? This is because the law is meant to expose sin to those who think they are good people, but then Grace is meant to help them understand that the price has already been paid, so they can trust the one who paid it. There are many people that are in coma’s that need to be revived and everything in this world is aimed to keep them asleep. So we need to be those beacons of light that are coming alongside them and gently shaking them saying “Wake Up” Parallel Business Principles The challenge that we face when trying to show someone a different way of looking at developing an income in our business is going to be the person’s mindset. You see most people are trained and conditioned from an early age to trade time for money, so it takes them a while to truly understand the concept of residual income. Many people are sleeping to the possibilities that are out there and if you try to awaken them too abruptly, they will just hit the off button. This is why in Reliv we use the stories to gently let them to understand, so that even if they hit the snooze button a few times, they will eventually wake up. ****************************************** Jason Gregory Business Coach & Mentor Reliv ******************************************
2 Comments
Jerry Lafayette
4/21/2016 03:10:25 pm
Great analogies Jason.
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Click Image below to see an opportunity to work with a group of believers, passionate about helping people with their health and their finances. Click image Now!Me and Aneela with the European Chairman of Reliv International Click below to watch some powerful Christian videos KINGDOM PEOPLE AuthorFor the past Eight years, I have been hosting a weekly prayer call for the believers in the offline company that i work alongside. Looking at biblical principals and seeing how we can apply them into our businesses. Archives
May 2018
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