A New Testament, new covenant believer should be a born-again Spirit being.
Christianity is not a religion of rules and regulations – but alive relation with a loving God. Children of God should be personally led by the Spirit of God in the different affairs of life.
- As a new creation, those that are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Romans 8:14).
- If you are a son or daughter of God, you should be led by the Spirit and nothing else – not by circumstances, money, your flesh or what other people say.
- Because we are a Spirit, we know God by our Spirit and heart.
Trust the Lord with all your heart – lean not on your own understanding
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
Jeremiah 17:5-10 NLT
- If you trust your own understanding, wisdom or ability (arm of the flesh), according to the Bible, you will be cursed.
- If you trust the Lord with your heart, you will be blessed.
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do. But not the wicked! They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
Psalms 1:1-4 NLT
The law of the Lord
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Gal. 3:13) but we will be judged by the “perfect law of liberty”.
- Jesus didn’t go according to a rule book. He seemed to treat people differently because He saw people’s heart, the “real issue” and dealt with that.
- He perfectly answered in love and by the Spirit.
“The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8
- Christianity is not a religion, but a living relationship with Jesus.
- What’s right for one might be wrong for another.
Matters of conscious
Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.
Romans 14:22-23 NKJV
- Religion gives rules but you, as a child of God, are supposed to be led by the Spirit, through your heart. If you have doubt, don’t do it.
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.
Jeremiah 17:5-10 NLT
- Moses didn’t get to his blessing – the promised land – because he didn’t obey the directions.
- He heard the voice of God clearly, but he struck the rock instead of speaking to it.
- Moses didn’t lose his eternal salvation, he lost his blessing. Because he didn’t exactly follow the voice of God.
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
James 1:5-8 NLT
Don’t be double-minded!