BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

6 : B V O V satan. When you receive Jesus as your Savior and LORD, His Spirit comes to live inside you. Your body becomes the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you, and you are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). You belong to the One who redeemed you from death, hell and the grave with His own blood. Turn away from those old ways of your former lord, the god of this world's system. Set your heart to "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:2: We have renounced [those] disgraceful ways (secret thoughts, feelings, desires and underhandedness, the methods and arts that men hide through shame); we refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly). And so we commend ourselves in the sight and presence of God to every man's conscience (Amplifi ed Bible, Classic Edition). More than just refusing to walk in the ways of the world, draw into Him and live from the inside out as a new creature in Christ Jesus. The old ways in your life are dead and gone, washed away in the blood of Jesus, and "behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). Honor God by walking like the new creature He made you to be. Your new life in Christ is to walk in and be led by your born-again spirit—not by the selfi sh, manipulative ways of your fl esh (Galatians 5:16). Remember, the life and nature of God are now inside you—in your spirit. Let that life rise up and reign in your mind, will, emotions and fl esh by identifying with the resurrected LORD of glory, instead of with the world. The Apostle Peter talks about some of the works of the fl esh—things the world considers "normal." In his fi rst letter he says, "We have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same fl ood of dissipation, speaking evil of you" (1 Peter 4:3-4, New King James Version). To walk in godly honor is just the opposite. The dictionary defi nes it as walking with "a keen sense of ethical conduct." It is often used to refer to giving your word as a guarantee. Honor, then, is "personal integrity," or "adhering to moral and ethical principles." Words that describe it are "upright, honest, righteous, virtuous, honorable." One of the Hebrew words for honor is kābôd. It means "honor; glory; great quantity; multitude; wealth; reputation [majesty]; splendor." Many times, honor and honest are used in the Bible to refer to the character of someone who fears The LORD. For example, in Luke 8:15, Jesus was explaining to His disciples the meaning of the parable of the sower. He said the seed represented The WORD of God. When it's sown into "an honest and good heart," a heart that's "good ground," the hearer, "having heard the word, keep[s] it, and [it] bring[s] forth fruit with patience." Peter later said in his letter to the Jewish believers in Asia Minor, "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fl eshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conversation [manner of living] honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation" (1 Peter 2:11-12). After Jesus' resurrection, His disciples called together all the believers to choose seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. They were to serve tables and minister to the widows so the ministry sta could spend more time in The WORD and prayer (Acts 6:3-4). By their example, we can see that those serving in the Church should be honest, honorable and good examples to others. Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom." The word fear in this verse is the Hebrew word yir'âh, which mainly means "reverence." Because I am in Covenant with God, I reverence Him. I go to even greater lengths to honor Him. And because He is in Covenant with me, He goes to greater lengths to honor me. When God cut covenant with Abraham, He became El Shaddai Abraham—Almighty God of Abraham—or the God born of Abraham— We're currently hiring for a variety of roles. Visit kcm.org /careers Come Change the World with Us! More than just refusing to walk in the ways of the world, draw into Him and live from the inside out as a new creature in Christ Jesus."

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