Christian Ministry and a fight for Purity and to get Christian things done!

Matthew 5:8 KJV
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Titus 1:15 KJV
Unto the pure all things are pure : but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled .

2 Timothy 2:22 KJV
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

When evangelizing I find the hardest time is afterwords? I either feel extremely lonely or I really fail the Lord! Even before evangelising I find that is a battle for my mind to stay pure, are any of you like me need constant prayer for purity or you have an absolutly wondeful time with the Lord and next moment you come crashing down!

Philippians 4:8 KJV
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

I also find aswell I have things that I have so desperatly wanting to either write down and a distraction comes in the way or a thing from scripture or series of scriptures and it seems a fight to even write them down.

Another thing is you desperately want to pray and you have to struggle to get alone or there are many other tasks or you have a new idea to help you evangelise and it takes you almost a year to even get the resources together and every obstacle of the devil is at hand say!

Like Greg you put on a New Revival Conference and every enemy attack through financial means , family or other things hinders you, I was just using this as a hypothetical example or you want to create a new tshirt or get a new book so you can understand the scriptures more easily

2 Peter 1:3 KJV
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Does anyone either struggle with doing anything for the Lord either with Purity or any other issue that is a hindrance in serving the Lord better? Whether it is actually yourself or sin?

or you have an absolutly wondeful time with the Lord and next moment you come crashing down!

To this I can relate - 100%

I teach an adult ladies' Sunday School class. Since I started teaching we have gone through 1 Timothy and are now in 2Timothy 3. After 2Timothy we will go into Titus.

I love to teach Bible, regardless of the age group - be it children, teens or adults, I just love it.

Last Sunday I felt the power of God in a real way in teaching and then on the way home the devil started in - accused me of preaching (I got real passionate about the subject - 2 Timothy 2), saying I am so dumb...can't do anything right. But I know the source of this oppression...

Brother, I have heard that preachers have to deal with this a lot when they preach.

As far as the purity issue, I am sure when you go into the public yo will be tempted. As females we look on these scantily clad females with disgust....either way it is a problem for all who are concerned with purity.

God bless you brother...

ginnyrose

I think Elijah would understand. After
the challenge on Mount Carmel and after
the LORD GOD in HIS Majesty brought a
triumphant victory; this man of GOD runs
for his very life and tells the LORD he
is discouraged and tired. The LORD said
OK; just remember the battle is mine,
remember Who fights for you, and the
victory is in HIS Name and by HIS Spirit!!

Dear brother, this was the story of my life for many years. The Lord would allow great victories and times of amazing intimacy in the spirit and revelation in the Word, only to be followed by crushing defeats. Then, it would seem I'd work my way back up the mountain only to slip and fall back down again. This cycle would go on and on. I would hear liberating messages by the likes of Zac Poonen and Keith Daniel and be profoundly impacted by the writings of Watchman Nee and others, but, invariably, a new fall would come, and I would plunge each time into a deeper pit of despondancy and chagrin and futility in the hopes of experiencing a consistent life of victory before God.

It took ten years for God to show me that the flesh cannot be improved. This lesson brought me much pain, mental torment, secret tears, untold despair. For ten years I had tried to "measure up" to a standard I could never achieve, despite all the fiery exhortations by men like Ravenhill and Wilkerson, and all the gentle, step-by-step nurturing toward "Absolute Surrender" by Andrew Murray; despite all the hours of mulling over and memorizing vast quantities of scripture and inducing myself into periods of daily prayer. I just couldn't produce -- or convince God to produce in me -- the state of unbroken victory I so desperately craved in my personal life.

Do you know what I mean? The secret thoughts, the hidden stuff....the perpetual unrest and squirming discontent that goes on deep inside your spirit, no matter how ardently you strive to be pure. The constant haranguing of past failures, even though you know they've been cleansed by the blood and are long gone. A sense of futiliy soon cloaks your Christian duty, because you begin to think: "Last time I fell, I was in the midst of studying the Word, of keeping a vibrant prayer life, and trying to do my best and surrender all to Jesus -- and I fell deeper than I'd ever fallen." A day without reading the Word, then a few days, then a week. Such failure. "If only other believers knew how unspiritual I really am," you think. "I can't even remember the last time I sat down to really study the Word of God in the Spirit."

As I said at the beginning of this thread, this was the story of my Christian life for many years. It took God a long time to get me to the point of abandoning flesh in the hopes of achieving sanctification. I will tell you that the answer to all this was so divinely simple in that Christ Himself -- His actual Life -- was to be the key to it all, and with all my learning and preaching and Bible study and listening to anointed sermons I had totally misunderstood what it really meant when Paul would speak those two blessed, childlike words that we see wallpapered throughout the entire New Testament: "In Christ".

Such a seemingly simple concept, and yet the colossal ramifications of this statement. God must open our eyes to this all-liberating revelation, but the truth is, such revelation usually comes when we exhaust all our human resources in trying to sanctify ourselves through any means available -- including Bible study and prayer. Bible study and prayer are very important, of course, but we cannot use them as divine transports if we have not understood the depth of reality of what it means to be "In Christ". If our eyes have not been opened to taste its all-incompassing truth and appropriate its power, the Lord will see to it that we fail in all our holy endeavors of self-sanctification. Like America's 9-11 it's just a matter of time before the towers come down.

Peace and joy and despairless Christian living (despite manifold trials, hardship, testings and temptings) are instantly wrought when our eyes are opened to the truth that all power and victory are soley by virtue of Christ's Life being supernatually manifested in us. But the incredible thing is that God grants us this power not when we have proved ourselves sufficient by our unwavering faithfulness in duty or study, but when we have failed sufficiently enough in duty or study. If the Holy Spirit is in you, each failure will work with amazing potency toward your good (though you find yourself on the brink of despair and wretchedness); God's aim is to lay low any support beam you may be leaning on and replace it with His Son.

Brother Paul

"Peace and joy and despairless Christian living (despite manifold trials, hardship, testings and temptings) are instantly wrought when our eyes are opened to the truth that all power and victory are soley by virtue of Christ's Life being supernatually manifested in us. But the incredible thing is that God grants us this power not when we have proved ourselves sufficient by our unwavering faithfulness in duty or study, but when we have failed sufficiently enough in duty or study. If the Holy Spirit is in you, each failure will work with amazing potency toward your good (though you find yourself on the brink of despair and wretchedness); God's aim is to lay low any support beam you may be leaning on and replace it with His Son."

Brother Paul,

Your testimony of deliverance is amazingly similar to mine, and I believe that it will help every brother that finds themselves in a Romans 7 experience. Deliverance only comes when we know through experience that in me, that is in my flesh, there dwells no good thing. But then we see that Christ has won the victory. Christ has overcome, and Christ is not only my substitute bearing my sin, and my old self, but He is my substitute in life, living His life in me. "Not I but Christ."

Mike

Amen Mike.

I had to spend many years in Romans 7 before I could move on to Romans 8. As I talk to other overcomers, I find their experiences paralleling mine. And certainly this was Paul's own experience!

With each day I face, the temptations are still there: the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, the choice of becoming bitter towards another person, of backbiting, of criticizing, of condemning, of becoming friends with the world, but I also know that God has given me the life of His dear Son and that by faith I can look unto Him for complete and instant victory in all the above. It's like living your life hidden behind a bodyguard that fights all your battles for you. And nobody can overcome this bodyguard; He's stronger than all the bullies in the schoolyard, they all fear Him. He speaks one word and all the defeated powers of hell quake and bow the knee. If you're tempted to sin, duck quickly behind Him and you'll be okay, because He's perfect and will never fall prey to internet pornography and gossip. Although He's the Prince of Glory, He never puffs Himself up and sharpshoops those whose glory is less than His.

Our life's ambition should be to pursue this Bodyguard, to hide ourselves deeper and deeper in Him, just as He is hidden in His Father. He is our ever-present source of refuge and strength for whatever we encounter in life, good or bad. Think of it: weak children need bodyguards to protect themselves from bullies. The child who is self-confident and thinks himself strong has no need of a bodyguard. But the kid that finally gets a bodyguard is the one that has endured beatings and extortions to the max and is loathe to continue on in his own power, at last coming to grips with his own inferiority. He then comes to his senses: "These bullies are too strong for me. They get me to do what they want every day." In the same way, Satan strongarms and extorts believers to give up their peace and joy by doing things they don't want to do. After years of trying to fight him off and receiving beating upon beating and defeat upon defeat, the logical conclusion for such a believer should be: "Enough. I need a bodyguard."

This was Paul's cry, the summation of Romans 7, which led to the introduction of the Bodyguard in chapter 8. I have wonderful news to every beaten and bruised believer in the dire straits of battle and failure right now: Stop fighting! You are not strong enough! Praise God that you cannot win this war. You may win temporary battles, but not the war. The Victor who has already won the war and vanquished the enemy 2000 years ago lives inside of you, and will manifest His power in every situation, and live His life through you if you will only stop fighting, admit your weakness, and by faith duck quietly behind His back like a small, trusting child.

Brother Paul

Thank you brother Paul. Your words are a blessing to me.

yes Thank you paul for sharing this life-giving testimony.
It was an encouragement for me as well.
Michelle.

So encouraging. Hope maketh us not ashamed. Thank you so much for sharing brother.