Why Isn’t This Working For Me?
Part Four
The post salvation spiritual life begins the moment he or she is born-again (1); having been sealed as a child of God (2); and having had what had been his or her dead spirit, regenerated (3).
The integrity of the salvation and eternal life that a born-again believer has ALREADY received is never in jeopardy (4), but the quality of his or her post salvation spiritual life can turn for the better or the worse, inevitably reaping benefits or incurring consequences, here on Earth and in Heaven, as a result of the daily choices he or she makes.
One will find little or no joy in his or her natural life here on Earth, if he or she is suffering from natural starvation or thirst.
Going to a market or to a restaurant will not benefit anyone if the food is not taken in, digested, and metabolized.
Feeding on contaminated food from a market or restaurant can cause serious health issues.
Feeding on junk food can cause long-term serious health issues.
Likewise, a Heaven-bound, born-again believer will find little or no joy in his or her spiritual life here on Earth, if he or she is suffering from spiritual starvation or thirst.
Going to a Church, or connecting with a ministry, that does not feed your soul with edifying doctrine on a regular and continuing basis, will leave you just as hungry or thirsty as you were when you walked in.
Going to a Church, or connecting with a ministry, that feeds you with contaminated or perverted doctrine, and engages in meaningless traditions of men (5), will cause short term and long-term consequences, as well.
Going to a Church, or connecting with a ministry that does provide you with accurate doctrine and the opportunity to embrace spiritual activity will do you no good if you choose not to take it in and apply it to your daily life.
When the soul of a born-again believer is in fellowship with God, and is being fed with edifying doctrine, there WILL be an increasing appetite for more, and a looking forward to the next opportunity to feed on it again.
Born-again, Heaven bound believers that are out of fellowship with God, will have no such desire, and hearing the truth will only serve to upset oneself.
Born-again, Heaven bound believers become out of fellowship with God as a result of sin that has not been confessed or forsaken. Fellowship is restored if and when the sin is confessed (6). Fellowship is maintained by forsaking (7) the same sin in the future.
The amount of time that a Heaven bound believer spends out of fellowship is a choice that he or she makes. The period of time can be a brief as the few seconds it takes to confess the sin, or for as long as the rest of his or her post salvation spiritual life here on Earth.
Confessing, but not forsaking the sin will result in the born-again believer spending much of his or her post (after) salvation spiritual life in a revolving doorway, going in and out of fellowship with God, repeating the same sin, and not moving forward along the road to spiritual maturity.
This underscores the need to frequently conduct 2Cor. 13: 5 self-examinations and to take corrective actions if our fellowship with God is to be restored and maintained. It also points to the damage that unconfessed, unforsaken, or ongoing sin can cause in the one’s post salvation spiritual life.
Mental attitude sins, such as the sin of refusing to forgive others, can be just as devastating to the quality of one’s post salvation spiritual life as any overt sin.
A born-again believer out of fellowship will feel like a fish out of water. No fellowship, no joy.
For the mature believer, just being out of fellowship with God is enough to motivate him or her to take the corrective action.
In the medical field, blood tests are normally run as a starting point to determine what may be the cause of declining health issues when such things as a loss of appetite presents itself.
In the spiritual realm, when there is a loss of appetite for the things of God, it’s time for a 2Cor. 13:5 self-examination and corrective action.
OK, but where does the “joy” come into the picture in the midst of undeserved suffering, rejection, persecution, sacrifices, and the many other inevitable trials and tribulations associated with Biblical discipleship?
It’s a matter of establishing and maintaining the focus of our attention and devotion to what’s awaiting us in Eternity, instead of focusing on the temporary pleasures and adversity of the here and now.
Jesus, set the classic example, “…who for the JOY set before Him endured the cross“… (Heb. 12: 2 NASB2020).”
The one moment of joy, that makes it all worthwhile and that every advancing disciple desires to experience, is to be like the productive servants in the Matt. 25 parable, that heard these words, “Well done, … enter the joy of your master (Matt. 25: 21, 23 NASB2020).”
(1)\tJohn 3: 5, 7 (2) Eph. 4: 30 (3) Titus 3: 5 (4) Rom.8: 1 (5) Matt. 15: 9 (6) 1John 1:9 (7) John 8: 11