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When heeded, they guarantee Spiritual Growth, Victory, Peace and Joy in life. (From an article
by Connie Giordano)
1. "Abstain from all appearance of evil." I Thessalonians
5:22
As followers of Yashua, we are to refrain from all form of wickedness or evil, and everything
that looks like, leads to, or borders upon Sin.
2. "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against
the soul." I Peter 2:11
We are to suppress all sensual urges, evil desires, and passions of the
flesh. These sinful desires will rob our souls of comfort and peace. Like soldiers doing military duty, they war against our
conscience, understanding and judgment. They fight against our mind and emotions, bringing them into captivity. The
Scriptures repeatedly caution us to abstain from such evil pleasures.
"Let us walk honestly...
not in chambering and wantonness. Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." Romans 13:13-14
"Cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit." II
Corinthians 7:1
"Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
Galatians 5:16
"Flee youthful lusts." II Timothy 2:22
3.
"Quench not the Spirit." I Thessalonians 5:19
We
are exhorted not to quench, (suppress) the workings of the Holy Spirit in our lives, which is likened unto fire that must
not be put out. Neglect of prayer, Bible Study and watchfulness over our hearts smothers the Spirit's work. Worldliness,
vanity, pride, anger, malice, revenge, love of the world, and carnal lusts and affections extinguish the fires of the Spirit
and render us cold and lifeless.
4. "Neither give place to the devil." Ephesians 4:27
Never
give the devil room to work in your life. Do not nurse any grudges or let the sun go down upon your wrath. Never give
the enemy a foothold or a position that he can use as a base for further advancement. Instead, stand against the
wiles of the devil, and quench his fiery darts (Ephesians 6:16) and resist him at all costs (James 4:7) for he is
surely seeking someone whom he may devour. (I Peter 5:8)
5. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of Elohim." Ephesians 4:30
We
are called upon to refrain from anything that would offend, vex, or sadden the Holy Spirit. Sin
will cause Him great sorrow. What kind of sins would this include? Theft, falsehood and lying, corrupt communications,
licentious thoughts and desires, ingratitude, filthiness, anger, bitterness, and malice, to name a few.
6. "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." Ephesians
5:11
Take
no part in and have nothing to do with the fruitless and worthless pleasures of evil and darkness. Through our godly
lifestyle and our witness for Messiah, we bear testimony against all evil doers, endeavoring to convince them of their wrongdoings.
"I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers. I
have hated the congregation of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked." Psalm 26:4-5
"Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men." Proverbs 4:14
"Forsake the foolish, and live." Proverbs 9:6
7.
"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings." I
Peter 2:1
Let us put off all evil as we would take off an old garment. We must be done with any ill-will
or the disposition to injure others from a spirit of revenge. We must rid ourselves of deceit of all kinds - counterfeit piety,
false appearances, flattery, and delusions. We must get rid of any hatred of others because they possess something we
do not have as well as all defaming and evil speakings against others.
"Cast away from you all
your transgressions." Ezekiel 18:31
"Cast off the works of darkness." Romans 13:12
"Put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts." Ephesians 4:22
"Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily beset us."
Hebrews 12:1
"Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness." James
1:21
8. "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey
it in the lusts thereof." Romans 6:12
Do not allow Sin to reign in your life. Unless conquered as a ruler and king, it will govern
the desires of your mind and body and control your life. We must never allow it to rule
and reign for it will surely reign unto death. Romans 5:21
"Let not any iniquity have dominion over me." Psalm 119:133
9. "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." II
Corinthians 6:14
We are not to be improperly united to or mingled together in friendships and acquaintances with
unbelievers or wicked people. Several times in the Scriptures we read of the forbidden practice of using a disparity
of kind:
"Ye shall keep My statutes. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with a diverse
kind: thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed: neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee."
Leviticus 19:19
"Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds. Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass together. Thou shalt not wear a garment of
divers sorts, as of woollen and linen together." Deuteronomy 22:9-11
The reason why such yoking is forbidden between believers and unbelievers can be found in Psalm
106:35 "They were mingled among the heathen and learned their works."
The believer in most cases learns the works and ways of the unbeliever and becomes defiled.
10. "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye seperate, saith Yahveh, and touch
not the unclean thing." II Corinthians 6:17
We are to separate ourselves from all works and workers of iniquity, and keep at a distance
from the proud, the arrogant, the wicked, and those opposed to Yahveh as we would avoid those who have leprosy and the
plague. At all times we must take great care to keep ourselves from being defiled with the filthy conversation (lifestyle) of
those who are unholy or living in sin.
11. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind." Romans 12:2
As believers in Yashua, we are not to copy the behavior, vain fashions, pleasures
and pattern of this world or take on the habits, styles and mannerisms of a people who know not Yahveh. Instead, we
are to reject them and be different and in keeping with Yahveh's Word.
The Scriptures warn us that the whole
world lies in wickedness. (I John 5:19) Therefore, we are to keep ourselves "unspotted from the world." (James 1:27)
Since we have escaped the "corruption that is in the world through lust," (II Peter 1:4) we are not
to fashion ourselves according to the former lusts. (I Peter 1:14)
12. "Keep yourselves from
idols." I John 5:21
Let
us be on guard against anything that would occupy first place in our hearts before Yahveh, and give Yashua the supreme
place in our affections. Our love for other things must always be subordinate to our love for Him.
What
is an idol? It is anything that alienates our minds and hearts from Elohim. It is anything that prevents us
from seeking and finding our all in Yashua. It can be pleasure, wealth, fame, a new house, education, titles or friendships.
If we take heed to these warnings, we will receive many Blessings. If we disobey, the wrath
of Yahveh will be on our lives. The choice is ours! A Blessing or a Curse - which will it
be?
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