All Things are Lawful for Me

“But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead. I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death; for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.” (Romans‬ ‭7:8-11‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Sin in the flesh is an opportunist who lies dormant in wait for the chance to rebel against what is good.

The more you tell it to do right, the stronger it will rebel by going on a rampage of wrongdoing.

This is why the strength of sin is the Law.

It is like dealing with a rebellious child who just finds pleasure in doing the opposite of what you tell him to do.

Your “I must not” and “Don’t do this” rules make sin in the flesh really bloodthirsty.

These rules, laws, and commandments have good intention, which is to produce a beneficial result by abstaining from unedifying activities, but it is a counter-effective method for the sinful flesh.

I suddenly understand why the apostle Paul wrote the following shocking statement;

““All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are expedient. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

“What? You mean it is lawful for me to sin as much as I want??”

Yes, it is, and God will never be angry with you or punish you for it because Jesus was already punished for your sins at the cross. This truth befuddles a legalistic person’s mind.

But ironically, when you say that all things are lawful, sin in the flesh remains “dead”, having no opportunity to rise up and go crazy.

People have good intentions of stopping sinful acts by creating laws, rules, and commandments, but they do not know that these only serve to empower sin in the flesh.

Take a moment to say this now: “All things are lawful for me!” When you say this, you will notice that you have no desire to sin, because sin remains dead when there is no law to stir it up.

That is not all that Paul said. He also said that even though all things are lawful to us born-again believers, not all things are expedient (profitable or beneficial).

Without sin in the flesh influencing our thoughts and desires, we can choose the best way to invest our time and focus. The most expedient choice would be to keep our eyes on Jesus and receive God’s word into our hearts.

Instead of choosing to be brought under the power of sin which brings nothing but death, I will choose to be brought under the power of the Holy Spirit to enjoy fullness of joy and peace!

- - -

Lies, seduction, intimidation. These are some of the serpent’s choicest weapons to use against Christians. In my book, “Silencing the Serpent: How Christians Can Emerge Victorious in Spiritual Warfare”, you will learn how to recognize Satanic deceptions and stand firm in the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You will be introduced to certain beliefs that the devil uses to trap believers with, and how he tries to draw Christians away from God’s word. For every wrong belief, you’ll receive the corresponding right belief according to Gospel truth based on Jesus’ finished work at the cross.

Replacing wrong beliefs, casting out fears and the renewal of your mind with each chapter will surely cause many demonic bondages and strongholds to be broken by the power of the Holy Spirit. It's time to silence the serpent for good!

Get the eBook/paperback copy of Silencing the Serpent: https://bit.ly/silence-the-serpent-now

Many Christians are sincere about breaking free from sinful habits and bondages, but they don’t have the revelation on how to succeed in it.

“But sin, finding occasion through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of coveting. For apart from the law, sin is dead. I was alive apart from the law once, but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death; for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me.” (Romans‬ ‭7:8-11‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

Sin in the flesh is an opportunist who lies dormant in wait for the chance to rebel against what is good.

The more you tell it to do right, the stronger it will rebel by going on a rampage of wrongdoing.

This is why the strength of sin is the Law.

It is like dealing with a rebellious child who just finds pleasure in doing the opposite of what you tell him to do.

Your “I must not” and “Don’t do this” rules make sin in the flesh really bloodthirsty.

These rules, laws, and commandments have good intention, which is to produce a beneficial result by abstaining from unedifying activities, but it is a counter-effective method for the sinful flesh.

I suddenly understand why the apostle Paul wrote the following shocking statement;

““All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are expedient. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything.” (1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭WEB‬‬)

“What? You mean it is lawful for me to sin as much as I want??”

Yes, it is, and God will never be angry with you or punish you for it because Jesus was already punished for your sins at the cross. This truth befuddles a legalistic person’s mind.

But ironically, when you say that all things are lawful, sin in the flesh remains “dead”, having no opportunity to rise up and go crazy.

People have good intentions of stopping sinful acts by creating laws, rules, and commandments, but they do not know that these only serve to empower sin in the flesh.

Take a moment to say this now: “All things are lawful for me!” When you say this, you will notice that you have no desire to sin, because sin remains dead when there is no law to stir it up.

That is not all that Paul said. He also said that even though all things are lawful to us born-again believers, not all things are expedient (profitable or beneficial).

Without sin in the flesh influencing our thoughts and desires, we can choose the best way to invest our time and focus. The most expedient choice would be to keep our eyes on Jesus and receive God’s word into our hearts.

Instead of choosing to be brought under the power of sin which brings nothing but death, I will choose to be brought under the power of the Holy Spirit to enjoy fullness of joy and peace!

This teaching is part of our new Patreon Bible Study series called [ Revelations of Grace from “Romans” ]. Romans is such a great book, full of important revelations about grace. For people who are new to reading the Bible, I always recommend starting with John and Romans.

When you become a “God Every Morning” tier or above patron on Patreon, you will be added to our patron Bible Study chat group to receive this new series day by day. You will also receive my daily devotionals by email, and all my eBooks.

If this ministry has been a blessing to you, partner with us as a patron if you are blessed with the means to do so. Praying that your seeds sown will surely produce many bountiful harvests by God’s Grace, so you will always be well-supplied for every good work: http://Patreon.com/miltongohblog

Holy Spirit Indwelling Old Testament Saints

Who says that the Holy Spirit did not indwell anyone in Old Testament times before the cross?

The following passages show some examples of men who had the Holy Spirit in them (in means “indwelling”, not just “on” which is the temporary anointing upon a person that lifts after the Spirit has completed His purpose).

Joseph had the Spirit of God in him:

“And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.” (Genesis‬ ‭41:38-39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Joshua had the Spirit of God in him (The Lord said so):

“And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight.” (Numbers‬ ‭27:18-19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Daniel had the Spirit of God in him:

“But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation.” (Daniel‬ ‭4:8-9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Now, before you say that Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar are not trustworthy sources because they were pagans, do not forget that God uses rulers as mouthpieces sometimes—even those who did not have true faith in Him. An example would be Caiaphas the High Priest who kept on resisting Jesus:

“And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.” (John‬ ‭11:49-52‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

Jesus said that those who don’t believe or heed His words are not of God, but of their father, the devil. Caiaphas may have held the office of high priest, but he was not a true believer in Yahweh since he kept opposing Jesus.

This makes him no holier than Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar.

It is interesting to note also that God called Nebuchadnezzar His servant, and later on, Nebuchadnezzar did place his faith in Yahweh.

“And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him.” (Jeremiah‬ ‭27:6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

The Holy Spirit cannot indwell a defiled spirit that is dead in sin. Since He was able to indwell Joseph, Joshua, and Daniel, this means that Jesus’ blood at the cross has always been effective to cleanse people from their sins. There were vessels fit for the Holy Spirit even in Old Testament times.

It was just God’s mystery hidden from the world, until the right time came to proclaim this truth openly. Some Old Testament saints tapped into this truth unknowingly, and received the benefits of God’s grace.

Consider how Enoch and Elijah, two men who lived before the cross, were able to be received into Heaven. They have never died and are still alive there. How can they have sin in them and be accepted in Heaven? They must have already been cleansed from their sins.

Read my article and understand much more about how the cross has been a finished work ever since before the foundation of the world: https://ko-fi.com/post/The-Cross-Finished-Before-the-Foundation-of-the-W-Y8Y41VVJK

本書中文書名《《#生存的12條法則》《12 Rules for Life》作者 Dr. Jordan B Peterson 從多年臨床心理角度，分享 #人生建議，對於 #職涯發展、尋找人生意義、提高#生活滿意度 都很有幫助。
▸訂閱我的頻道：https://goo.gl/VsQgD2
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本書作者 Jordan B Peterson 是近來在西方國家受到矚目的臨床心理學教授。他在知識問答網站 Quora 上所回答的問題，擁有好幾百萬人次的瀏覽，其中這本書的內容，就是從一個迴響最多的題目中延伸出來。如果你想尋找人生更多的意義，或是覺得人生正處於一團亂的情況，希望在生活裡感受到更多的安全感、快樂，這幾個準則還蠻值得你多思考的。

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★這些人氣影片也別錯過★
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高效習慣，成功者每天都在做什麼？
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10本可以改變人生的書
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▶︎書本資訊◀︎
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《12 Rules for Life》原文書介紹：http://a.co/ajfvdAu
中文版介紹：（目前尚未出版）

書中12條法則：

Rule1：Stand up straight with your shoulders back
法則1：站直、肩膀往壓（抬頭挺胸）

Rule2：Treat yourself like someone you are responsible for helping
法則2：你如何對待你有責任照顧的人，就如何對待自己

Rule3：Make friends with people who want the best for you
法則3：結交希望你成為最好自己的朋友

Rule4：Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today
法則4：跟昨天的自己比，而不是跟別人的今天比

Rule5：Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them
法則5：不要讓小孩做出你會不喜歡他們的事

Rule6：Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world
法則6：在你批判這個世界前，先把你的房子整理好

Rule7：Pursue what is meaningful (not what is expedient)
法則7：追求有意義的事情（而不是方便、好做的事）

Rule8：Tell the truth – or, at least, don't lie
法則8：根據事實說話，至少不要騙自己

Rule9：Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't
法則9：你在聽別人說話時，假設對方可能有你不懂的事情

Rule10：Be precise in your speech
法則10：演說時，表達要簡潔精確

Rule11：Do not bother children when they are skateboarding
法則11：小孩在玩滑板時不要打擾他們（內文想表達不要限制小孩發展）

Rule12：Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street
法則12：在街上遇到貓咪時，撫摸牠