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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781490733807 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Trafford Publishing |
| Publication date: | 04/22/2014 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 86 |
| File size: | 225 KB |
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Saved, Single, and Satisfied
By Vickie Blakeney Mitchell
Trafford Publishing
Copyright © 2014 Vickie Blakeney MitchellAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4907-3379-1
CHAPTER 1
Salvation
That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
—Romans 10:9
What must I do to be saved? Salvation is attained only through faith in Christ. In order to receive salvation, one must believe in your heart and then confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and he has risen from the dead, and then you will be saved. The Lord gave his only Son to be sacrificed on the cross so that we can be free from sin and from Satan's control. Salvation grants us freedom from the darkness of Satan's dominion, and he no longer has any power over us. It is through God's grace that he has delivered us and brought us into the light of his kingdom. We no longer have to live in bondage; we have been set free.
Salvation cannot be earned because it is a gift from God and available to all that desire it. It cannot be purchased and cannot be taken away. Salvation is by God's grace. Receiving salvation means to turn from our sins and is a desire to have a relationship with God. Those that receive salvation become God's children, united with him, and heirs to his throne.
In the seventh chapter of Luke, we are reminded of how a sinful woman anointed Jesus' feet. Simon the Pharisee asked Jesus to have dinner with him. Jesus went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When an uninvited woman from the town that lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume and stood at Jesus' feet, weeping. She began wetting Jesus' feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured the perfumed on them. Unlike the Pharisee that did not offer Jesus any water for his feet, she was forgiven of her sins. Jesus told the woman she was saved by her faith and to go in peace.
Jesus loves us, and through salvation, no matter how many times we sin, he will always be there. We can repent and ask for forgiveness. He said he will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Even at times in our lives when we have turned away from him, he was still there. David stated, "If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there" (Psalm 139:8)
THE WORD
Colossians 1:13-14
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
John 1:12-13
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Ephesians 2:1-3
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
John 10:9-10
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
SISTA TO SISTA
Go in peace, my sista! Jesus died so that you no longer have to be controlled by your human nature. You no longer have to live in darkness under Satan's dominion. If you have faith and believe in your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and he has risen from the dead, then you are saved. You can go to God through Jesus and ask for forgiveness when you sin. He is a loving God, and he wants the best for you, which is life in his eternal kingdom.
When you realize that you have sinned, repent and ask God for forgiveness. He is a loving God and will welcome us back into his arms of protection. We are saved through his grace, and absolutely no one can take that away.
CHAPTER 2Purge and Purify
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
—2 Corinthians 7:1
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
—Psalm 51:10 KJV
In today's society, we are living in a sea of impurity with endless temptations to lead impure lives. We are constantly reminded of the wickedness of the environment around us. In the media, we have music videos that are sexually explicit, and professional athletes, movie stars, and politicians with multiple partners, resulting in countless children out of wedlock. Illegal drugs are available on every corner, and women are being exploiting day in and day out.
The media continues to glamorize what is contradictory to biblical teaching; that one should remain pure until marriage and thou shalt not commit adultery are among a few. Many would think or believe that purity is a thing of the past, believing that this way of thinking is old-fashioned and outdated. However, the Lord requires purity for a number of reasons, including not defiling the body, avoiding diseases, and not causing separation between us and God.
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). Your body doesn't even belong to you. Do you know that when you are living in the world, you possess evil spirits that make you do whatever is pleasing to the flesh? So in sexual relationships, when you join your body with another person, you are merging your spirit with their spirit. This is why the Word tells us to wait until marriage. Every time we engage in fornication, we take on that person's spirit. That's why another person can have control over your emotions, physically and mentally.
When your spirit is not clean, you will attract unclean spirits. This include people that don't want a committed relationship, people who don't want to respect your desire to wait until marriage, and unsaved people who have no desire whatsoever in seeking salvation. This is why we have to purge and purify ourselves by asking the Lord to wash us clean. You will continue to attract the wrong kind of people if you don't ask the Lord to cleanse you. It's all over your body, and that's the image that comes out. Again, we have to remember that our bodies do not belong to us; we are bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus.
So you may ask the question, "How do we stay pure in a filthy environment?" We cannot do this on our own. We must have strength more powerful than the tempting influences around us. So how do we find the strength and the wisdom? By reading God's Word and doing what he tells us to do.
Just as the Corinthians were encouraged to have nothing to do with paganism, we too have to break away from the world and our past and give ourselves completely to God (2 Corinthians 7:1). We have to allow the Lord to purge and purify us in order to live by his will. Purge is to get rid of anything in the body or the flesh that causes us to sin. Purify is to make clean. It takes the blood of Jesus to make us clean. Like David, we have to ask him to cleanse us and then ask for a new heart and a new spirit because we know "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9). The old heart wants the flesh to be happy. Take the vow of purity, a vow to be married to him, and remain pure until you are earthly married. Let go of all bitterness and strife from past relationships.
Just as the Lord promised to Solomon, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14). Here we have four conditions: (1) we must humble ourselves, (2) we must pray, (3) we must seek his face, and (4) we must turn from wicked ways (sin). These are the conditions for sin to be forgiven and for healing to take place.
THE WORD
Psalm 51:2
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
1 John 2:16-17
For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-7
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.
Matthew 15:19-20
For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Jeremiah 3:14
"Return, O backsliding children," says the Lord; "for I am married to you. I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion."
2 Chronicles 7:14
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
SISTA TO SISTA
Sista, stop allowing men to defile your temple. Repent for past sins of sexual behavior, and ask the Lord for help to guard your thoughts and actions against lust and premarital sex. Stay out of situations that would cause your flesh to get weak and fall into temptation. Continue to pray for strength and call upon the Lord when the flesh is weakened. Schedule more opportunities for you to interact with small groups of people with similar interest, and engage your thoughts and actions into other avenues. Remember, he is a loving God and is waiting with his arms stretched wide for you to return to him.
CHAPTER 3Growing in Christ
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
—1 Peter 2:1-3
I am saved, I am saved, I am saved! Now what? After you receive salvation, you become a new creature, and a conversion should take place. You are, at that point, a new convert. You will then receive the Holy Spirit, and you are considered born again. In the ninth chapter of Acts, we find Saul's conversion. Saul, being led by his Jewish beliefs, led a campaign to persecute all who believed in Christ. He believed that Jesus had died and was buried in a Judean grave, and there he remained. As he traveled to Damascus in pursuit of Christians, he was confronted by the living Christ. There was a light that shone around him from heaven, which caused Saul to fall to the ground. Saul heard the voice of Christ, saying, "Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me?" Saul then realized that it was indeed the voice of Christ. Saul then became obedient and asked the Lord what he would have him to do. Saul began to pray to the Lord and, after receiving his sight, was filled with the Holy Ghost and was baptized. Saul began to spend time in fellowship with his disciples who were at Damascus. He preached Christ in the synagogues as a testimony that he is the Son of God.
Like Saul, as a new creature born again and filled with the Holy Ghost, your life should change. These changes may consist of places you go, people you spend time with, how you treat people, the way you dress, and your inward and outward appearance. Others should be able to see there is a difference in you as a change or a conversion. New creatures in Christ should not walk around grumpy, mad at the world, with a frown on their face and an unapproachable attitude. The way you carry yourself and the way you act should be a reflection of Christ. Others should look at you and want or desire what you have, which is a relationship with Christ.
"Then Peter said unto them, 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit)'" (Acts 2:38). When we receive Jesus Christ into our lives, we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells within each Christian believer to guide us to live like Christ. He leads us to live holy and to do and say the right things. Our Christian walk begins when we receive the Holy Spirit into our lives.
We have to humble ourselves and repent for our sins, whether by omission or commission, those that we are aware of and those that we are not. Learn to pray and ask for his will and not your own. Many times when we pray, we want God to do what we want him to do and not what his will is for us in our lives and the lives of others. We can seek God's face and guidance by reading and studying his Word and should ultimately be willing to live and grow in Christ.
We should learn to be led by the Holy Spirit. Learn to keep silent before speaking and search for his words and thoughts. Always ask yourself, "What would Jesus do?" Before making a move, be sure you have sought out his advice and waited upon the Lord for an answer. This type of relationship does not happen overnight. It takes some time to learn and to know his voice. We have to learn to listen to his voice and his voice only. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).
When we grow in Christ, we should no longer desire to go to some of the places or events that we visited while in the world. As Christians, we are to be set apart from the rest of the world. It is not a sin to go to a club, for example; however, once you become saved and you desire to follow Christ and live according to his standard, you should no longer desire to go to some places as before. Our lives should start to mirror that of Christ.
When we grow in Christ, the way we dress should also change, and this includes our appearance when going to church. Many of us have heard the expression made by many churches, "Come as you are." This expression can refer to both your inside and outside appearance. We are, at this time, focusing on the outside. Once you have gained salvation and desire to follow Christ, our respect and responsibility to ourselves and those around us should change. We should love ourselves and others the way Christ loves us. Therefore, we should not want to cause disrespect to ourselves or cause others to be distracted or stumble and fall. We should have no desire to show our body to others outside or inside the church. You may feel that showing cleavage and thighs is very innocent, but unfortunately, it may cause a man to lust and not be focused on the Word.
You do not have to exploit your merchandise or advertise yourself as if you are on the trading block. The cleavage of a diamond shows an area where they are weak or unstable. What does showing your cleavage or your thighs say about you?
When you grow in Christ, others should see a difference in you. Like Saul, you should have a conversion. The things you used to do, you may no longer desire to do. God's light should shine around you and entice others to want what you now possess.
THE WORD
Acts 2:1-36 (The Gift of the Holy Spirit)
Acts 9:1-22 (Saul's Conversion)
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Luke 11:28
But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"
Matthew 10:38-39
And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Saved, Single, and Satisfied by Vickie Blakeney Mitchell. Copyright © 2014 Vickie Blakeney Mitchell. Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Contents
Preface, ix,Introduction, xi,
The Message, xv,
Chapter 1: Salvation, 1,
Chapter 2: Purge and Purify, 6,
Chapter 3: Growing in Christ, 12,
Chapter 4: Relationships, 18,
Chapter 5: Dating, 23,
Chapter 6: The Role of Man versus the Role of Woman, 43,
Chapter 7: Are You Spiritually Ready for Marriage?, 51,