Belief

Would you say that it was impossible for a person to live inconsistently with his or her belief system?  The Bible speaks of strongholds:

2Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds ;)

Two words are used to describe a pulling down;  STRONG- Having physical active power, or great physical power; having the power of exerting great bodily force;

HOLD- To stop; to confine; to restrain from escape; to keep fast; to retain.

Here we see a picture of an active power that restrains from escape.  We are also told that the weaponry that is used to pull down these strong holds is not weapons that are made by humans, but they are powerful weapons from God. Ok, so how do you and I get these powerful weapons from God? Maybe this will help; you and I live in a war zone every day of our lives.  We have the opportunity to do the right thing but we also have the opportunity to do the wrong thing. In the Gospel of Mark and chapter 5 we see a man in awful shape; it seemed as if his strong hold now has him bound and no one knew just what to do. This man was living in the grave yard and by what we understand others had tried to help this man.

Mark 5:3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains:

Others had tried to bind this man but had failed. This man may have wanted to do the right thing but because of his belief system the only thing he knew how to do was evil. As I was talking with a man on this past Saturday he asked a question “How do you know for sure that you are going to heaven with you die.”  Good question! I know that because of my belief system. You see, I don’t put my finger in boiling water because my belief system tells me that will burn.  How did I build that belief? By experience! Paul said this;

2Corinthains 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (Rejects, cast away)  Ok, let’s examine it; a belief must have a foundation.

John 8:32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Ok, where is the truth?

John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

The foundation is the Word of God. Now we are told from the Word of God this;

2Corinthains 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 

For a person to be in Christ he is a new creature and old things are passed away. There was a day when I asked Christ to come into my life and forgive me of all my sins.  He did just that and now the fruit of that is a New Life.

Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

Colossians 3:9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;

There are some things that have been put off but like the clothes we wear when we take off we must put on.

Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

With the putting off there was a putting on of God’s knowledge that comes from His word. Therefore if God’s belief system is wrong then I’m wrong but it’s not wrong for it has been tried and tested not only by me but 1000’s of others. That’s why Paul tells us to examine ourselves. It’s just a little test for if there has been no change you might want to check up on what your beliefs are built on. It’s going to be a great week just you wait and see.