YOUR FREE WILL IS NOTHING MORE
THAN A SLAVE.
Integrity - H8552 taw-mam'
to complete, literally or figuratively, accomplish, be clean, be (make) perfect, upright.
In our modern dictionary the word integrity has two meanings.
1.
the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, morally upright.
2.the state of being undivided, whole, complete.
Genesis 20:4 - 6 (NKJV) 4But Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? 5Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.” 6And God said to him in a dream, “Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.
When doing a Bible study it is important to slow down and take a close look at every thing God has to say.
In this passage we have Abimelech telling God that what he did, he did with integrity and innocence. Remember you can never lie to God for he knows everything. He proves it here when he says “I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart.”
God not only sees what we do but he knows the dark regions of our hearts, those areas that prompt us to do what we know are wrong.
Jeremiah 17:9 - 10 (TLB) 9The heart is the most deceitful thing there is and desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is! 10Only the Lord knows! He searches all hearts and examines deepest motives so he can give to each person his right reward, according to his deeds—how he has lived.
God also proves once again his sovereignty over mankind, and their actions. We can only do what God allows with his permissive will. “For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.“
We must realize that it is because of God’s permissive will that we are able to get into so much trouble and mess things up so easily.
Abimelech, though a gentile still had his own form of ethics and integrity. The world knows what is expected of those that call themselves Christians and they watch closely any who claim to be Christ like. It is what they have seen so often in our actions and words that tell them we are no different. What do they see of integrity in you?
Job 2:3 (RSV) 3And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause.”
If God destroyed your life without a cause would you still retain your integrity?
No matter what faults Job may have had his integrity was very strong. So strong that not only did God see it but Job’s wife saw it also.
Job 2:9 - 10 (RSV) 9Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God, and die.” 10But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Job speaks well here when he says we should accept the bad as well as the good. God has promised us that we will have trouble, trials & tribulations while we live. How well does your integrity hold up when your dreams are shattered? How well does your integrity hold out when you are walking away from another failed attempt? How well does your integrity hold when you have a choice and you think no one is looking? Did the casher give you back a dollar to much? Or would it have to be $10 before your integrity would kick in?
THE CONCEPT OF A TOTALLY FREE WILL IS COMPLETELY FALSE.
Both philosophy and religion discard the very idea of a free will. Your will is a slave to your hearts desires. If a choice is set before you, you will chose what your heart is wanting not what is right.
Your heart controls your will, your will dictates your level of integrity.
Proverbs 4:20 - 23 (KJV) 20My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh. 23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
Mark 7:20 - 23 (ESV) 20And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Out of your heart the decisions of life are made. If you do not incline your ear to the sayings of God and keep them in your heart then your inclination will be toward the lust of the flesh. God calls us to keep His Word in our hearts because our wills are controlled from the heart.
Galatians 5:24 (NKJV) 24And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Have you crucified the sins that you love, the ones that so easily beset you?
We will not give up a sin that we love and enjoy, not until we determine in ourselves that we no longer want to love that thing. Then we go to God and he will strengthen our resolve to gain victory over it. When you have determined in your heart that you no longer wish to be controlled by love for your sin, then Jesus will help change your heart and help you gain the victory. We have to pray His will in our lives. Not my will but thine be done.
Romans 7:18 - 25 (ESV) 18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
AGAIN WE CAN NOT DELIVER OURSELVES.
25Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! …
Your heart controls your integrity. If you are not considered a person of integrity you can not please God. If you are not pleasing in His sight, He will not hear your prayers.
Isaiah 59:2 (RSV) but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you so that he does not hear.
John 9:31 (NKJV) 31Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.
1 Peter 3:12 (RSV) For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those that do evil.”
God tells us over and over again, to keep the flesh under control with Bible study and prayer. You can not fill your life with the things of this world and still keep your heart on God.
In Romans, Paul tells us that we are to run the race. We are to strive for that which is perfect. We are not perfect, we are to strive for perfection with the help of Jesus Christ, our Lord and deliverer.
You do not have a free will. It is a slave to your heart. Where is your heart?
It is the heart that determines the will of a sinner and it is the heart that guides a Christian.
It was in the garden that satan first stirred up the fleshly desires to go against God.
Genesis 3:6 (KJV) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Here we see where satan stirred up pride within Eve, she was going to be wise.
Look at me I’m wise in my own eyes. It was pleasant to her.
1 John 2:13 - 17 (KJV) 13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. {HOW, IS WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW} I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. 14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, {HOW, IS WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW} and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Do you love this world? Do you find yourself saying, “Jesus, Don’t come back yet. I’m not ready. I want to do this or see that, I want to see my children – grand kids grow up. MY, don’t come back yet.
16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
satan’s strategies have not changed since he spoke with Eve.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
It takes a power outside of yourself to change you. Your natural inclination of the heart is to stay in sin. You not only can not change yourself, you would not, with out God’s Help. God has shown us all his will. It is written in His Word. If you say I am not convicted of my sin, I see nothing wrong with what I am doing, then your heart is growing hard towered God. Get down and cry out to God for mercy. Ask him to change you so that you can live for him the way he desires. Thank him for giving you a longing to be like Christ.
Our heart does not just control our integrity, it controls all of what we are.
We will not give up any sin that we love and enjoy. Not until we determine in ourselves that we no longer want that thing in our life.
Then when we go to God, he will strengthen us and help us gain victory over the sin. The victory comes from Jesus. We can not clean ourselves of sin, but we do allow the Lord to change us.
We not only have to pray His will in our lives, but we have to release our wills to him. NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE.
Romans 7:18 - 25 (ESV) 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! …
Having a true Christ like conversion is what makes the difference.
It is like a person with normal sight in a world with no light. The world is filled with beauty but the person can not see it. They can not understand nor comprehend what they are missing, until the light is turned on. They do not desire it nor do they seek it because they are blind to it.
Romans 8:5 - 8 (ESV) 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
God tells us over and over again to keep the flesh under control with Bible study and prayer. It is impossible to fill your life with the things of this world and still keep your heart on God. How can you listen to the entertainment of today curse God and make a mockery of his commandments and say it’s ok? It’s only entertainment. A hart truly in love with God will not be entertained by the worlds sin.
God is coming back for his church soon. He tells us that he is coming for a church that is striving for him and calling out for his return.
Hebrews 9:28 (KJV) So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Titus 2:11 - 14 (NKJV) 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
2 Peter 3:14 (NKJV) Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
In Romans Paul tells us that we are to run the race. We are to strive to be like Christ. We are not perfect and will not be until we have our eternal bodies, but we are to - be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
We have to crucify the flesh daily, submit ourselves to God daily, resist the taunts of satan and his demons daily and spend time in his word daily.
We need to commune with our God and the lover of our souls. Talk to him as your father and friend. Talk to him throughout the day.
YOU DO NOT HAVE A FREE WILL. IT IS A SLAVE TO YOUR HEART. WHERE IS YOUR HEART??
Spend the next few minutes reading God’s Holy Word and just communing with him.
