Every day we are faced with choices. We choose what to wear, where to go, what words we use, jokes we tell, the television we watch, the music we listen to and much more. A Christian needs to base every choice upon God’s Word. Our lives needs to glorify Jesus in everything and we need to be a living sacrifice to God.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

God is truly merciful, and we need to honor Him by living our life for Him. The Bible doesn’t say that it is easy to be a living sacrifice, but a Christian needs to choose to live for Christ and not for the world. That choice needs to be made daily, even hourly. To be a living sacrifice means you make the choice to turn away from the temptations we face and set aside old habits that come between us and our fellowship with God.

These are not easy choices but with prayer and determination, your life will glorify God. Sometimes accepting Christ means that family and friends will turn their backs on you, but if you desire to please God then His ways come first. Again, this is not always easy but it is a sign that you are truly submitting your life to Christ.

The above verse urges the Christian to “…be not conformed to this world…” How often do we ignore God’s Word and go along with what the secular world dictates? A little idle gossip at the office or wearing provocative clothing in public are accepted by the world as normal, but every choice a Christian makes should be based upon whether it glorifies Christ or not. If it doesn’t then we need to change our ways to fit His ways.

Christianity isn’t a list of do this and don’t do that, but we need to draw nearer to God by studying His Word and learning what His desire is for us. If we make choices that don’t glorify Christ then it glorifies our enemy—Satan.

“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19).

Because of Adam’s sin Satan is the “default” ruler of this world and he is utterly wicked. Non-Christians don’t know any different than to follow the ways of Satan. Sadly, even Christians choose to follow him rather than deny the temptations of the flesh and follow Jesus.

Paul tells Christians to “be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We do that by studying God’s Word and then making choices that please Him. When we deny the sins of the flesh we become a living sacrifice for Him.

“…Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Do you fully understand what Jesus said? Today we’ve sanitized the cross to the point that we forget the pain and sacrifice involved in crucifixion. In the days when Jesus walked among us the cross was a common means of execution.

Everyone had seen the agony of those condemned to suffer death on a cross, so when Jesus told the people they needed to take up their crosses, He was telling them of the sacrifice they would have to make in order to follow Him. They knew the sacrifice would not be easy. Some who listened to His words would be put to death for their choice to follow Him, but there would also be other personal costs involved.

The listeners were, for the most part, Jews. If they followed Jesus it would mean that at the very least they would be put out of the temple and their families would reject them. This was a huge sacrifice. When put in perspective, though, Jesus had willingly left Heaven in order to enter His creation to be our atonement for sin.

That alone was an incredible sacrifice, but He did this knowing that He would be rejected, abused, and murdered. He made this sacrifice because He loves you and me and He willingly took up the cross for us. Why, then, is it so hard for us to become a living sacrifice for Him?

We all like the “sins are forgiven” part of accepting Jesus as our Saviour, but when it comes to denying our flesh and giving up the ways of the world, well that’s another matter. There are many things that are not edifying to us, nor do they glorify God and therefore should not be a part of a Christian’s life.

Sexual promiscuity, homosexuality, drunkenness, drug addiction, unbridled anger, and so forth will only move you away from fellowship with Jesus. God forgives our sin, but we need to move away from it.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Romans 6:1).

Paul asks a very good question here. Should we continue to sin in order to allow God the privilege of forgiving us more and more? “God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:2).

You may be able to make excuses for the sin you choose to practice, but in order to be a “living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,” Christians need to resolve every day to follow Jesus…to honor and glorify Him. In order to know how to live for Him we need to read His Word daily and apply it to our lives. We need to prayerfully study His Word to see His will, and not reinterpret its meaning to fit our ways or lifestyle choices.

We need to completely submit to Jesus’ will. When we resolve to obey Jesus we deny our self and surrender to Him. Obeying Jesus is never a self-promoting idea. Too many people today are of the mindset of “What’s in it for me?” In this day and age of the “me generation” submitting to Christ takes much resolve.

The choice to submit to Christ is worth whatever sacrifice we make. There is peace that comes in following Jesus that cannot be found in pursuing the ways of the world.

What does it mean to deny ourselves? We all have things we enjoy, but not all things glorify God. Our society today is not molded around pleasing God, and so many of the things accepted as “normal” are really pagan practices encouraged by Satan. Go to any mall and look at the shops.

Clothing stores promote skimpy attire that is designed for a woman to provoke sexual excitement in men. There are tattoo parlors that promote the pagan ritual of “skin art” and there are piercing shops where (men and women) can have their ears pierced or any other body part they want.
Does any of this glorify God?

When the Israelites had left Egypt and were headed to the Promised Land, God did warn them not to conform to the pagan rituals of the heathens who lived there and who worshiped satanic demons.

“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:28).

Most tattoos and body piercings are not done “for the dead” but they do conform to the world. God created us and we are His workmanship, so why go and purposely deface His work of art? Just try to imagine what would happen if someone poked holes in the Mona Lisa or defaced her with a tattoo?

It would be an act punishable by time in prison. The Holy Spirit lives in Christians and we are of much greater value than the Mona Lisa. We are the temple of the Living God, so why do we think it is okay to poke holes in and deface our bodies? This is conforming to the world and it glorifies the ruler of this world (Satan).

When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians he wrote to a group of believers who lived in a very pagan culture. He encouraged them to not follow the practices of these heathens, but to glorify God.

“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not” (1 Corinthians 10:23).

Getting a tattoo will not condemn you to hell but it is a choice that is worldly. Choose to glorify God and resolve to follow Him. Be that living sacrifice and don’t be conformed to the world.

Sometimes sacrifice means more than just giving up the pagan rituals of tattoos, body piercing, and sexual depravity. Denying yourself and taking up your cross sometimes means you will be rejected by family and friends. Sometimes it means physical death or imprisonment and torture.

Many Christians all around this globe are being put to death because they’ve resolved to take up the cross and follow Jesus. Here in America we still enjoy the freedom to worship openly, although Christianity is being attacked from all sides. Christians remain silent as the ACLU screams out against our rights. Preachers cannot preach on political topics or else their tax exempt status will be forfeited. Does our silence show our resolve to follow Jesus or is it following Satan in his attack on Christianity?

It is following Satan.

When Peter and John were arrested for preaching in the name of Jesus, the authorities told them to stop. Did they deny Him and keep silent? No, they chose to deny “self” and take up their crosses, and follow Jesus.

“But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

That should be our attitude too. Resolve to take up our crosses and follow Jesus. If that means to deny our own comfort or fitting in with the world, so be it. Boldly become the living sacrifice that honors God.

We are about to begin a new year and many people make resolutions for a better way of living. Resolutions are made to eat healthier, get more exercise, save money, and spend more time with family. Instead of making these resolutions, why not resolve to draw nearer to Christ. Resolve to renew your mind by studying the Bible.

Truly study it. Don’t just read the words, but understand the words and allow yourself to be transformed. Deny yourself the things that come between you and proper worship of our Lord. Resolve to live for Him and become a living sacrifice to be used by God for His glory.

God bless you all,

Ron & Nathele Graham

“For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

Do you have any secrets? Secret thoughts you harbor, secret magazines you read, secret movies you watch? Even worldly people know right from wrong but are well able to ignore their conscience. Everyone has a conscience that burns a bit when we do wrong, and the more our conscience is ignored the easier it is to continue in sin.

Even if we try to hide our sin and keep it secret it will one day be brought out and judged. We would expect the secular world to cover or ignore sin, but a Christian has no excuse for allowing evil to enter his or her life and then practice it in secret. Christians have God’s Word and that is what should rule our life. We cannot hide anything from God. He knows our inner thoughts and when we yoke ourselves with ungodly people or do ungodly things, He knows. It is not a secret from Him.

Those of us who claim to be Christians should not take part in anything we feel we must keep secret, unless it is something for the glory of God. Our relationship with Christ should keep us from joining in on anything that is opposed to His ways. Too many Christians seem to put life into categories. There is one way to behave at work, another way to behave when around secular friends, another way when we are around Christian friends, and so on.

Before we accept Christ as our Savior we have no standard by which to pattern our actions, but upon accepting Christ there should be a change in our attitude and our desire should be to please Him.

“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

We should have no fellowship with darkness.

“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret” (Ephesians 5:11-12).

It is easy to fool ourselves into thinking that we can hide our sin, or that the biblical view of sin is outdated. We can trick ourselves into thinking that if other people don’t know about our secret sin then no harm is done. That just isn’t true. When we hide things that we know are sinful, damage is done.

First and foremost our fellowship with Christ is damaged; we cannot embrace sin and still be in fellowship with Him. Then, because of our secrecy, our attitude will suffer and people around us get pushed away. Usually those who are being pushed away are other Christians, but they should be the ones we fellowship with. They are the ones who can help us to turn from sin…secret or open.
If you are a Christian, God already knows your sins and has forgiven you. That fact doesn’t mean it is acceptable for you to continue in sin. Repent. Ask Him to forgive you. Don’t continue in your sin.

Christians should put nothing ahead of Christ. His Word should be our guide in all things and we need to move away from secular friends and activities.

“Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen” (Deuteronomy 27:15).

This verse is talking about idols that men make, such as the golden calf, but anything in life that comes before God is an idol. A car or a house can qualify as an idol if they are above God in your love. The ungodly idols we secretly place on the altar of our hearts are an abomination to God. Our way of speaking, the jokes we tell, the activities we participate in should always reflect Christ.

One of the most despicable things in life is the entertainment industry, and many Christians won’t give up that idol. Television is Satan’s playground. Movies glorify sin, music sing the praises of sinful lifestyles and satanic activities. Most of what passes for entertainment should be banned. Yes, that is censorship, but these things are being heard and watched…taken into our lives and enshrined as idols.

Soon, what was once offensive and only done in secret begins to seem acceptable and is openly embraced. Sin takes on an enticing luster. Soon, Christ’s ways are rejected and sin is embraced. Evil things done in secret are damaging and will negatively affect your walk with our Lord. It is easy to keep away from secret sin if Christ is first in all we do.

“Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:27).

We always have a choice. We can choose to allow Christ to fill our whole being and let His light shine through all of our lives, or we make the choice to turn onto the broad road that leads to destruction and embrace sin whether secret or not. We shouldn’t do anything we would be ashamed to have Christ see…He does see everything.

The Holy Spirit is sealed within every Christian so when we think those angry thoughts about our co-workers or use those profane words when driving in the evening commute traffic, God hears. When you watch vulgar television or read pornographic magazines you are taking God into the gutter with you. You may think it is all done in secret, but you are wrong. God sees.

“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

Many Jews came to Jerusalem for Passover and were unfamiliar with the location of burial places. If a Jew came into contact with a tomb he was ceremonially unclean and would have to go through the purification process. In order to minimize the danger of this happening it was the usual practice for the tombs to be painted white. Making them pretty on the outside did not change the fact that there was death and corruption on the inside. The Creator of the universe knew the secret things that the Pharisees had hidden inside themselves. These men made an outward show of religion but tried to hide secret sins inside.

“Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” (Matthew 23:28).

There is no difference between a Christian who tries to secretly hide sin in his or her heart and these Scribes and Pharisees who made an outward show of righteousness. Jesus knew they were full of dead men’s bones and uncleanness on the inside. What does He know about you?

Secret things aren’t always sin and opposed to God. Good deeds and unselfish giving are things that we should never do with great pomp and circumstance in order to gain the praise of men. These things should be done secretly so as to glorify God. Just as God sees secret sin, He also sees secret kindness.

“Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward” (Matthew 6:2).

When Jesus spoke these words He wanted His listeners to understand that it isn’t the kudos of men that we should seek, but the approval of God. The Pharisees were very good at making a big show of their good works so everyone would be impressed with them, but Jesus called them “whited sepulchres.”

Christians need to do everything for God’s glory. If someone sees your good works, don’t pat yourself on the back and take the glory for yourself—give God the glory.

“But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth” (Matthew 6:3).

The secret things that glorify God are a result of living for Him. If you are trying to hide sinful secret things they will sully the good things you do in secret. Guilt over your evil secrets may cause you to brag to others about your good works in order to cover up the sin you hope will be kept secret. God sees all that you do, good and bad…nothing is secret from Him.

Is it possible to not harbor secret sin? As long as we live on this side of heaven we will always have the sin nature. We will always have to make the conscience choice to follow Christ instead of choosing to sin.

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Our desire should be to please God. I have a friend who is a lovely Christian lady and I turn to her when I need advice or have a problem. I know her words will be truthful and based on God’s Word. She chooses to put God’s Word into the secret places of her heart by reading her Bible every day. She studies a devotional that takes her to various places in God’s Word, but she also reads one chapter from Proverbs daily as well as at least one psalm. God’s Word is alive in her. When she has a choice she doesn’t have to wonder what Jesus would do, she knows. His Word isn’t hidden beneath dirty little secrets of worldly things like secular music or worldly television shows. Secret things need to be godly things, not evil. When we need to know God’s will we shouldn’t have to peel off layers of secret sin in order to find His truth.

I’ve heard it said that we grow to resemble the god we serve. If you have secret things inside of you that are not acceptable to God Almighty then you are serving a false god—a devil—and you will grow to resemble the ugliness of Satan. If the secret things you do aren’t things you would share with a fellow Christian, then you need to pray for God’s cleansing.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).

If the secret things you hide are those of godly virtue and good works that glorify Christ, then you will grow kinder and more loving. You will not be ashamed to have God know the secret things within you.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham