The way it should be according to God's Word
First get this one thing straight; there is but one forgiveness equal for all and equally available to all.
Being forgiven and saved is totally separate from having the gifts of the Holy Spirit, access to true wisdom, knowledge, healing and understanding.
Forgiveness is a free gift from God given to those who repent (honestly repent) and confess to make Christ their master in life. Every thing else has to be earned or sought out. Generally speaking, people that have paid a higher price will often have a higher level of respect for what they have. However the bottom line is that God knows the sincerity of your heart and your desire to really know him or whether you are just using him. Most of what a lot of Christians know about God comes from what they hear at church, from friends, from stories they have heard and from songs about God. For a simple example; as I traveled the country doing meetings and other ministry things, I am always shocked to find how many Christians think that the animals went into the ark were picked 2x2. That is what they have always heard. Read it for yourself sometime. Remember that in life even the smallest details can become vital. When I was in the military the small details from training often saved your life.
Four quick points that God made: 1) My people perish (die) because of the lack of knowledge. 2) Many are called; few chosen and very few make it in. 3) Before the end there will be a great falling away from God. 3) God speaking to a lot of Christians at judgment; depart from me you wicked servant I know you not. These are people that went to church, said they believe in God, used God's name, gave their tithes and so on. 4) Jesus said, "You will know the ones that are truly saved by the signs that follow them. They will cast out devils. They will lay hands on the sick and the sick will be healed. They shall drink deadly poison and it shall not hurt them and they will even raise the dead." What he is getting at is very basic. People that are truly saved will do what God said they would do, and others are just want-a-be's!
God also said to study and show yourselves approved by God, ready to answer any person's questions about God at any given time. God said why do you take even one moment of worry or stress over what you will eat, how you will pay the bills, how your problems will be solved, how you will be sheltered, you of little faith do you not know that the birds take no thought of any of those things, yet God feeds and shelters them, how much more will he take care of you? Does he mean his words or is it all just a joke? The time may come when nothing else can save you and it will be to late to decide if you believe what he said or not and you can't believe it if you don't know it and didn't fervently study it!
You see Christians getting involved with all kinds of worldly goings on, which is they're big down fall and will ultimately be their demise. Read the parable of the sewer and the seed. You will see that the cares of this world will steal the things of God from you, and possibly your physical life and ultimately your eternal life.
Generally speaking, people with grave sins have already learned that this world has absolutely nothing to do with any thing and has no answers for anything. Most Christians depend heavily on the world. They loose some business or their job or their car breaks or they have trouble with a neighbor and their whole world falls apart, O MY! Another thing that keeps a lot of Christians away from the power of God is their own lack of forgiveness and their unwillingness to step away from their old life ways of getting things done. They might change or get rid of some habits but they have the same old attitude and still depend on the same old ways.
I make a distinction between religious people and truly saved Spiritual people Religious people are often judgement and bound by a set of rules that are set by people, and are generally self righteously. You will often hear them say things like; I don't smoke, cuss, drink, lie or commit adultery! Yea but you also don't set your mind on the things of God as though your life depended on it either and your security is in your physical possessions like your job, what people think of you and your bank account! Christians have to understand that we are here for only one reason, to be soldiers in a war. The war for souls, the Spiritual war of good vs. evil! If you think it's about more than that, you are blinded by this world and are not of God. Yes we have to work and pay bills.
The Bible says we are not here for fun and games and to carve out a life for ourselves. So let me ask; how much time each day do you spend truly seeking out the things of God, not the things that God will do for you, not reading or bible study, but seeking the things of God until you forget about being hungry or thirsty or tiered, until your flesh is so weak it is powerless. How bad do you want to be a part of his Eternal Kingdom? If you do seek him out, you will find that what he has for you is evil defeating and soul saving tools and your daily needs met.
The only things that you will do, for all of your life here, which will count on that Great and Notable day when you stand before God, is the things that were a part of seeking out the lost and getting them saved! Every part of your life should be geared in some way toward the goal of getting lost souls saved. This does not mean getting them to stop smoking and or drinking and getting them in church on Sunday, those things have no significance what so ever. It means getting them saved so they will become part of the soul saving, stomping out evil army of God.
This might sound extreme to you, but God is extremely serious about it.
