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Weekly Wisdom Winnows
by Lisa Mendenhall
Abiding or sliding, which one are you doing? Abiding in Jesus is NOT something that comes automatically for the believer. Your lifestyle (habits and everyday routines) has to have discipline and effort. We have to choose to give ourselves and our attention to Him constantly. It is an every minute of every hour of everyday lifestyle. It is not something you can do once or twice a week and then forget about it. (Like doing your grocery shopping or going to church.) I am talking about constantly abiding in Jesus.
What exactly does the word "abide" mean? It means to stand fast in, continue in, remain steadfast, and be constant. It means to make your home in or to have a permanent residence. So how do I consistently abide and why is it so important? Let's address the importance of it 1st. You have to continue abiding, (studying the word, praying, talking to God, listening to teaching and preaching, listening to praise and worship music, praying in the Holy Ghost) ALL THE TIME! You can do this while you are getting dressed, cooking, cleaning, driving to and from work, working on your car, exercising, going to bed and when you get up. You have to surround yourself with God and the things of God every minute of every day you can. Why? You have a world system pulling on you constantly. This natural world is full of ungodliness, immorality, lasciviousness and selfishness. Your fleshly body, soul and mind will give in to the pressures around you and you will start slipping and sliding away from God. Notice I did not say step away - I said slip away. You will not recognize it at first. The devil is very subtle. The moment you stop abiding in Jesus and moving closer to the world you will always 100% of the time start drifting away. There is no neutral or park in the Christian walk - only drive and reverse.
So how do you constantly abide? You walk in the word, talk the word, study the word, teach others the word, listen to the word, pray in English, pray in the Spirit, talk to God, share your day with God, share your frustrations with God, share your victories with God, praise God, sing praises to God, sing in the Spirit, dance before the Lord, shout to the Lord, worship the Lord, be grateful to the Lord, be thankful, count your blessings, think on God, fill your mind with Him and love on Him all the time. How do you abide in your home? You do everything in it. If your walls could talk, they could tell you more about yourself than you know, because you abide there. Abide in Jesus, every minute of every hour of every day. Practice the presence of God. It will change your life and it will change the lives of those around you!
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'To separate the chaff from (grain) by means of a current of air. To rid of undesirable parts. To separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate: winnowing out the errors in logic. ...separate grain from chaff...separate the good from the bad...examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift...' (www.dictionary.com) 'This study gave me direction and focus for my teaching. God had placed a longing in my heart to teach the body of Christ how to separate from carnal thinking and rid themselves of old ways that hinder their Spiritual growth. I desire to see them live victoriously, by the 'higher ways' of God's wisdom.'
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