Love God. Yes! but do you still follow your own desires?

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There is one major root problem for today’s Christians. That’s why I would like to address “We who love God but at the same time choose to follow our own desires.”

Jesus said; “- Go away you workers of iniquity!”
(You say you know me – but I say I don’t know you. There is nothing of me in you) Luke 13:27
What does Jesus mean? And what should we not do?

What we should do is to get away from our croocked ways and behavior. Instead we should get closer to God. Because when we draw ourselves closer to Him – He will get closer to us. And when we have spent time with the Lord, when we are continually filled with His Holy Spirit, we don’t have to struggle to resist our fleshly desires in the same way we otherwise would.

In the book of James chapter 4 we read that we should; “Cleanse your dirty hands clean [metaphor for cleaning your outer way of behavior and actions], you sinners”.
“Purify your hearts [metaphor to clean your inner life, way of thinking, your mind], you who are parted in two (literary ”two-souled”). [You who love God but at the same time FOLLOW YOUR OWN DESIRES!]”

Make up your mind, don’t be double minded and go back and forth continually sinning.

How can we say we love Jesus and at the same time betray Him, by continuing to trespass against His commandments? We are in a personal relationship with God , just as in a marriage.

The chapter in James continues; “[When you get closer to God.] Feel deep regret and cry [over your unfaithfulness ], let your laughter be changed to sorrow, and the joy to grief [because of your sins].”

Source: Book of James 4:8-9, free translation from Amplified Swedish

To “Cleanse your hands” is something you can do outwardly when you take control over your mind & will.

To have your heart purified is a passive and a submissive action that only God can do!
Only God can circumcise your heart Spiritually (a man can only physically circumcise the flesh like in the case of circumcision of a newborn). (See also Psalm 51 “Give me a new heart of flesh.)

Baptism in water is an action we willingly do, to repent and willingly change our outer behavior, but also to cleanse our minds.
The baptism of our inner man with the Holy Spirit on the other hand, is up to God.

James also says, let a yes be a yes and a no a no. Do you break your commitments to God and yourself – are you double minded? Do you occasionally sin because you are double minded and have two minds about it?

Let God have His way in you!