From The Crucible (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

Obeying God is a subject that cannot be covered in a few short words, but I think we can cover some very important themes today. There are seven points I would like to make:

1. The Lord gave us the 10 Commandments more than 3,000 years ago (Exodus 20:3-17) and they are still relevant today. Isn't that amazing? But we need to know that this written covenant was never given so that the people who kept it could be saved. If it were enough, there would be no need for Jesus to die.

2. These commandments were given so people might realize that as hard as they try, they cannot do what God wants them to do, even when God writes it down on tablets of stone (Romans 3:20). The law was given that man might realize that he is helpless and hopeless when left to himself to try to obey God. God wanted man to realize that his only hope to receive the righteousness of God is by faith in Jesus Christ.

3. Ask God to forgive you and have Christ enter your heart. Let Him bring the changes and level of obedience to God you cannot do by yourself. Remember, the 10 Commandments are golden, the Bible is golden, but our only hope is to receive the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ.

4. So–o–o, it is not good enough just to obey the 10 Commandments; it is not good enough just to read the Bible. We need Jesus…for what He did on Calvary can save an individual, and it can save a nation!

5. If you have been struggling to obey God and yet are failing, you may be trying to do God's will with your own, broken, unfixed will. It will never work and you will give up as many, many others have before you.

6. Don't give up, though. It will work if you do it the right way first. Get a few quiet moments with just you and the Lord. Ask Him to forgive you of all your wrongdoings, He calls it "sin"... the wrongdoings you know of and the ones you don't know. Ask Him to come inside of you to bring His perfect nature into your soul. That way, you start on the road with Him and not just yourself and the broken nature. Then, and only then, will you be able to have success where there was once only failure. The deal is this – you crucify your nature and don’t let it rule, then you submit totally to the indwelling nature of God. The change will be dramatic. You will be able to love where you could not love before and forgive in situations where it was impossible to forgive. Any and all circumstances will be changed forever with God influencing your every thought, word, and deed.

7. Be careful, though, God is not on your time frame or method of repair! Just take it one slow step at a time and He will lead you in the way in which you are to go. What a great God we serve and worthy of all praise. Endure the fire—it’s producing pure gold!

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