"No Gray areas"

I used to think, "well it's not real clear in scripture,
IT'S A GRAY AREA" and my decision on whether or not I can do it. Then God told me "if it's a gray area DON'T DO IT!" Thus was made alive this devotion for you! =========================================== "No Gray areas, the difference between a Champion and a Survivor"
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us." - Hebrews 12:1
"And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." - Romans 14:23

Gray areas I feel are to be avoided in the Christians life as much as possible, they will only fall into two areas, those gray areas are either weights or sins, both of which we should not have in our life as Christians. Obviously this devotion won't mean as much to those who know they are willingly living in sin (which you need to confess and repent of). But for the many of you who are not willingly living in sin as you read this, then the subject of "getting the gray areas out of your life" will take on more meaning in your desire for a closer walk with Jesus.

This is not a legalistic message but one of freedom,
as anything that helps us to walk closer to Jesus is FREEDOM!

So let's look at 2 gray areas:

1. Weights - Heb. 12:1 "...let us lay aside every weight..." These are not sins, but things that hinders us (weigh us down) in our walk with Jesus. Weights are not just external things (worldly hindrances), they are also heart issues. When a thing gets a place in your heart that is not in the heart of God for you it is a WEIGHT.

When it comes to weights it is not clearly an issue of right and wrong (their gray areas), but of deciding whether something will be a hindrance in our Christian walk.

In this passage of Hebrews, the Christian life is compared to a race. The ultimate goal of the race (the Christian life) is to be able to say as Paul said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith." - II Tim.4:7. Paul also said, "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain." - I Cor. 9:24.

God wants us to give our all in this race. You can't expect to give your all if you have heavy weights in your life, they will slow you down spiritually!

Can you imagine a champion runner, running with 120 pound sack thrown on his back right before the race, though he may be the best in the world, you would not expect to see any world records broken on that day. Though he's the best, that 120 pound sack is going to slow him down. Well, my fellow Christian that's exactly what weights in the Christian life will do to you, they will turn you from a Champion for God to a survivor for God. Get rid of those weights and run this race of the Christian life like the Spiritual Champion that God created you to be (Rom. 8:37 & II Cor. 2:14).

Gray area:
2. Lack 100% faith or confidence before God in doing something (gray area) - Romans 14:23 - "...whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

If you don't have 100% faith to do something, then DON'T do it! We must never go with a doubting conscience. If you don't have a 100% faith to do something even if a brother or sister says, "Yeah that's okay for Christians to do, I do it all the time." I really don't care if a brother/sister says it's okay for them. First of all, they might think it's okay for them, when if they were living right it wouldn't be okay for them either. Secondly, even if we believe that person is on fire for God, if it looks gray to me and I honestly don't have a 100% faith, confidence (which includes a clear conscience) before God, then I CAN'T DO IT, or it is sin to ME! I encourage you to read the entire chapter of Romans 14.

There are things that I have had in my life that I felt were grayish and you know I would rather live without them, than to live without 100% faith, confidence before God doing them (that's sin). This chapter also deals with your "freedom" causing a brother to stumble. I don't want to get into that in this devotion, as that's a full devotion in itself. This devotion today is to get you to look at your heart and those gray areas in your life. My question to you (and me) is, if you are not 100% in faith/confidence/clear conscience before God, what in the world are you doing fooling with it! I even believe there are things that God may say to me in the future, "Hey Jim what about ___________". I could say, "Lord, you want that to go? Lord what's wrong with that?" The Lord would say, "Jim it's a weight," or say, "Jim do you really have a 100% faith before Me in doing that?" And there will go some more stuff in the life of Jim. Poor Jim! Nope BLESSED Jim! FREE Jim! I want to be used of God, I want you all to be used of God, I want you all to be truly FREE in Jesus! So in closing let's remember it's time to get rid of the weights and sin of Less than 100% faith before God!

And live as God has called us to be Champions for Him not survivors.

Heavenly Father,
We come before You and ask that You reveal to us by your Holy Spirit those things in our life that our weighing us down, and also those areas we have been doing things without 100% faith in You being in it. We thank you for the liberty that will come forth as we get released from weights and sins, and that we will then walk as Champions in You! In Jesus Name AMEN!

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Jim