OUTLINE:
There’s no substitute for experience.
Prov. 1:17-18
For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these men lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.
“The American Dream Is a Trap”
Diary of a Journeyman – Volume 1
Careful What You Sacrifice
Nothing is more valuable than the Word of Truth. Anything/anyone that takes you away from taking in the Word ought to be hacked out of your life (violently, if necessary). Nothing is worth sacrificing your relationship with God…and love.
Withdrawing from the “Parent ATM”
Children (of all ages) are users when they expect their parent(s):
– To always support them (e.g., financially, emotionally, spiritually)
– To bend to their child’s whims and compromise their integrity
– To play “pretend” with them and endorse their delusional, worldly thinking and actions
Ro 2:11
[ESV] For God shows no partiality.
[KJV] For there is no respect of persons with God.
The Fruit of Partiality
Children who were enabled in their homes grow up to resent their parents. The goal of parenting is to be like our Father in Heaven, who judges impartially, and we (in humility) love Him all the more for it (even though we are disciplined by Him at times).
Ecc 1:9
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done,
and there is nothing new under the sun.
Careful What You Sacrifice
Nothing is more valuable than the Word of Truth. Anything/anyone that takes you away from taking in the Word ought to be hacked out of your life (violently, if necessary). Nothing is worth sacrificing your relationship with God…and love.
Mt 23:33
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?
Ro 11:21
For if God did not spare the natural branches [Israel], neither will he spare you.
Privileges
You are not entitled to anything unless God decides to give it to you. Even if your parents are disobedient to God in their vain attempts to accommodate your flesh, God won’t tolerate it (both parties will be punished in the end).
The Crucible
Faith must be tested for it to be consummated. In other words, while God always knows the purity of our faith, we must have it “tested by fire” (ala 1Pe 1:7) in order to understand its purity for ourselves.
Proof of Humility
We must willingly go into the crucible to be tested by fire. It’s never enough to say, “God knows the truth.” We must understand the truth about ourselves fully and confess it to God in order to be truly delivered from whatever impurities still remain in us.