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If
you were able live in another country for several months,
you might be mildly surprised to discover that the culture
in which you'd been living, had left its imprint on
you. It's hard to remain unchanged, when you are surrounded
by people and customs that are unlike your own. Subconsciously,
you may even adopt their accent, much to the surprise
of your family and friends back home.
While
we may make an attempt to preserve our uniqueness, it's
hard to be separate while also involved in any society.
The children of Israel suffered greatly because of their
inability to rid their "promised land" of foreign people
who served other God's - they eventually became a snare
to them. You are now part of the New Testament Church
and unlike the Children of Israel you have Holy Spirit
to guide you in the right direction - He will help you
to remain separate. You can still be light and salt
in a sin-darkened world, while maintaining your distance
from worldly people, places and things.
Family
relationships can be one of your biggest challenges,
especially when many of your close family relationships
may be with unsaved loved ones. You may be walking out
your salvation but your mom, dad, sisters or brothers
could still be living a very worldly life. Jesus talked
about the division that faith in him would cause in
families in the 12th chapter of Luke:
Suppose
ye that I am come to bring peace on earth? Nay, but
rather division:
The
very nature of our faith causes strife. Remaining humble
and non-judgmental is key, try not to completely distance
yourselves from family members that God may want you
to witness to, when they are ready to listen. Remember
some of the things you use to do, that you are not doing
now. Your family remembers. Our families are often some
of the hardest people to witness to, because they remember
the people we were, and most of us are still evolving.
Even
Jesus himself was disrespected in his own hometown because
they remembered him as "Joseph's son"…they could not
accept him as the promised Messiah, who could have healed
everyone in town.
Our
families can also be used by the enemy to discourage
us. Sometimes God does such a dramatic work in our lives
- changing us into new creatures in Christ, that our
families may be overwhelmed by the difference.
Saul
became the Apostle Paul in the book of Acts. His transformation
from a person who believed that Christians should be
imprisoned and killed, to one who preached the Gospel
of Jesus Christ with an amazing passion was alarming.
The transformation happened almost overnight. Some were
not quite sure how to deal with Paul the Apostle, when
they kept thinking about the actions of Saul.
Protect
your spirit form the discouraging words and actions
by making sure you spending adequate time in the word
and in prayer. You may have to use wisdom if you need
to distance yourself from worldly relatives. Ultimately
it will be your prayer for you family that will make
the biggest difference.
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