There are many false prophets, false teachers, and anti-christ spirits in the world today. Their messages vary in many ways but they all have one thing in common. They all deny the necessity of the gospel in the daily life of the believer.

Jesus said if any man would follow after Him, he must deny himself, take up the cross and follow. The cross is the gospel. Just as the cross was the instrument of Jesus death, we too must die to self if we hope to receive His life. We must enter into the gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection if we are to save our own life.

Death is a process and it can be painful. At first, it may be difficult for you to even say the words, not my will but thy will be done Lord. Your flesh will not want to say this. Paul says that your flesh wars against your spirit and actively tries to stop you from doing the things that you should do. But that is the first step. Not my will but thy will Lord.

When Jesus taught the disciples to pray, the first thing he said was “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” That is the first thing we should pray for. Not our own will but his will. Not our kingdom, but his kingdom. Not in the future, but now. Not just in heaven but in the earth. In this earth, your earth, your earthly body. Isn’t that what you are, earth. Weren’t you made from the earth?

Once you are willing to say these words, the process begins. Many people think that once they say these words, God will immediately launch them into some great ministry or some great work. That’s why most are afraid to ask for His will. But God won’t change your natural state until he first changes your spiritual condition. The change always begins in your heart.

Many seek to clean up the outside of the cup. But Jesus said it’s not what goes into a man’s mouth that defiles (pollutes) him. He said it’s what comes out of a man’s mouth that defiles him (Math 15:17-20). Because what comes out of your mouth is what is in your heart. Jesus said that your heart is full of murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies. These are the things which defile you.

God begins to reveal these things to you a little at a time. He does this so you can repent. First He changes your heart, then your outside actions will follow. When He reveals one of these things in your heart, you must acknowledge it and lay it down.

This is what bearing fruit is all about. This is the process of being conformed into the image of His son. This is how we begin to show the character, nature, and authority of Jesus.

Few people understand this. Most have been lied to by the apostate leaders of today. You’ve been told that when you said the sinner’s prayer, every evil desire was removed from your heart. This is not true. The bible does not teach this.

When you said the sinner’s prayer, you received forgiveness for your sins, and you received power to resist sin but your heart did not instantly change. This misunderstanding is why so many Christians struggle with sin all their lives. This is why so many continually re-dedicate their lives to Christ thinking that this time things will be different. This time, I’ll really change.

In Romans chapter 7, Paul talks about the battle between the flesh and the spirit. He was not speaking to unbelievers, he was talking to born again believers in Rome. He said that the good thing that he wanted to do he didn’t do. And the evil thing that he really didn’t want to do, he ended up doing. He said this was because in our flesh dwells no good thing.

The solution to this dilemma is found in chapter 8. It is the gospel.

Rom 8:11-13
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Do you see it? You must continually mortify the deeds of your flesh (crucify your flesh) if you are to live by the spirit. If you don’t you will die.

In Mathew chapter 7 Jesus spoke of the two paths available to us.

Math 7:13-14
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

If you are like most people you have read these verses to mean that the world is on the broad path and the church is on the narrow. This is not true. Jesus was not speaking of the world. He was speaking to his covenant people. Within the religious system of the day there were two paths. The same is true today for the church.

God showed me this very clearly. I won’t say it was a vision but I did “see” the two paths in my minds eye.

First I saw a narrow path. It was completely straight. The further it went the narrower it got. There was no one on the path for as far as I could see. I could tell that some had gone this way though because at the entrance lay piles of luggage. There was a variety of suitcases, and garment bags, and steamer trunks. Each suitcase had a label. Some said adultery, some said murder, some said idolatry, some said covetousness.

As I started down the path I could see more luggage along the way. Beside the road lay cases labeled fornication, theft, and blasphemy. The road continued to narrow. It actually seemed sort of dark and foreboding. I still saw no one ahead of me. 

Then I looked to my right and saw a wide road. The wide road was full of people. They were happy, smiling and laughing. It was a bright and sunny road. They all looked excited to be going somewhere. And they were all carrying luggage.

Some carried more than others. Some had just a few suitcases but others carried huge steamer trunks. Some even pulled wheeled carts piled high with all sorts of bags and cases. There was plenty of room on the wide road for all the people and all their luggage. No one had to leave anything behind.

Which path are you on, the broad path with the many or the narrow path with the few?

If you’re on the wide road, you don’t have to stay there. You can come over to the narrow path. The two roads are side by side. Only a short distance separates the two. Of course if you do change paths you’ll have to leave your luggage behind.

Prov 16:25
There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Steve Lumbley 2004  www.apostasywatch.com
This article may be reproduced and distributed free of charge as long as it remains in its original form.