You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth.
Job 35:12-13
12 There they cry [tsa`aq], but none giveth answer [`anah], because [paniym] of the
pride [ga'own] of evil men [ra`].
13 Surely God ['el] will not hear [shama`] vanity [shav'], neither
will the Almighty [Shadday] regard [shuwr] it. KJV-Interlinear
12 'There they cry out, but He
does not answer Because of the pride of evil men. 13 'Surely God will not listen to an empty
cry, Nor will the Almighty regard it. NASB
A robber when he is content in his chosen pattern of
life, is not remorseful while he enjoys reasonable success in his
lifestyle. However, when he gets caught,
then his remorse is in getting caught, not in his error in choosing criminal
activities for his pattern of life, not in causing harm to those whom he has
robbed, not in discovering the error of his ways and resolving to change.
And so it is with people who disregard God, Christ,
doctrine and their spiritual life. Far
too many people have their own ideas as to what the spiritual life is. They are wrong. They believe that the spiritual life is
living a good life, a good life of their own definition and convenience.
Under their thought pattern is an extremely subtle disillusionment
regarding their ideas as to what life is all about. In words, they may acknowledge God, but in
their soul, they lack the spiritual resources for a legitimate spiritual life,
because their lifestyle is nothing more than a pretense with appropriate
substitutions of whatever it is they prefer for living their life.
Then trouble strikes.
And with trouble comes the revelation that the person
has no spiritual resources, because they have been living the lies of their
pretended spiritual life, that they have foregone Gods plan in preference for
there own ideas of life, and now that their lifestyle choice is not working,
their remorse, phony as it is, turns to anger, rage, self-pity, and a variety
of other emotional reactions. All of
which do not even begin the change process in their life, but tend to find
excuses, blame, and even continued self-justification of the way they really
want things in their life.
Lacking spiritual resources, God does not hear their
cries of prayer, if they pray at all, because they do not know how to pray to
God. They pray from within their state
of sin, and not from within the spiritual state of fellowship.
Do we know what that difference is?
Two people pray.
One has confessed his sins and is in fellowship. God hears his prayers. The other has not confessed and is out of
fellowship. God does not hear his
prayers.
Two people pray.
One has pursued a daily study for a very long time and understands the
spiritual life. The other has not and does not.
The former has spiritual resources in their soul and the corresponding
stability of life, poise, maturity and so forth. The other is immature. Whose prayers are more productive? Whom does God hear?
God is perfect.
God respects that which is perfect.
Doctrine is perfect. Doctrine in
your soul is perfection residing within your soul. God recognizes the content of your soul and
honors that content, or ignores it depending on what it is you have elected to
learn and live by in life.
God has no respect for you. You are dust.
But place some gold inside of dust and which receives the attention?
Spiritually negative people are like the robber. When their life finally messes up, and it
will, then they do not turn to God, but wallow over the failures they are
experiencing. Complaining, not praying,
for their problems to go away and for their former ways to resume.
Their life is a lie, their prayers are a lie, their
solutions they hope for are a lie.
Who will listen to, and provide relief for, a liar. Who will listen to, and provide relief for,
the one who possesses gold?
Now is the time to post a prayer.
End Of Lesson
Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
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