Psalm 4:3(ESV) says, “But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.” To be Godly is to exhibit qualities that are in God’s nature. These are qualities like being loving, kind, generous, thoughtful, joyful, peaceful, full of faith, strong, consistent, and persevering. Heavenly Father has seen to it that we can demonstrate these qualities and more, because He has woven them into our beings through Jesus Christ. These qualities exhibit Godliness, and this is what sets us apart from other people. Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created human beings in His image because He wanted a family. He created us to be His children, and because we are His kids, we have the great privilege and honor to walk in God’s love through the Lord Jesus Christ.
God has showed us how to demonstrate His love through His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. In Ephesians 5:2(ESV), God tells us through the Apostle Paul, “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” The Son of God left our Heavenly Father’s throne to come to earth to save us, and we desperately needed saving. We were living in sin and walking in darkness, but God rescued us from satan’s bondage, and now we are His children of light. He tells us in 1Thessalonians 5:5(NLT), “For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night.”
This is incredibly important for us to know as God’s children, because we sometimes think that we can indulge darkness and continue to enjoy the benefits of the light. This isn’t true. God allows us a certain grace, but there will come a time when we are in desperate need of a breakthrough, and this breakthrough is blocked. Not because God is blocking it, but because our actions are rebelling against the light. Rebellion is the opposite of Godliness. Rebellion is a guaranteed blocker of blessings, and it is an enemy of the humility that God requires for His rewards. Rebellion is the refusal to give up the things that God has told us are not good for us. It is to continue to indulge sinful behavior despite what God has said in His Word. We need to pray that Heavenly Father will work within us through His Spirit, and trust that He is helping us to leave our old sinful nature behind.
Our Heavenly Father instructs us in 2 Corinthians 6:17 (NIV), “Therefore, “Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” We live in a world of instant everything; instant gratification, instant pleasure, instant food, and instant rewards. We make the mistake of thinking the things of God operate this way, but God’s system is different from the world’s system. The world’s system is spearheaded by satan and operated by darkness, and God’s system is governed by Jesus Christ and operates by God’s love and light. We can in no way confuse the two.
God tells us in Romans 12:2(NLT), “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” We cannot be like the world and do as they do. We must exercise self-control and discipline, because we have been set-apart by God to live and accomplish His purpose and plan. Heavenly Father doesn’t love us any less because of our mistakes, but the consequence of rebellion through disobedience and sin will cause us to go in reverse rather than going forward to the blessings we desire. God will not force us to obey His Word. It’s our choice to be blocked or to allow Him to direct our paths and lead us to higher blessings and abundance.■
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“A Guaranteed Blocker”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.