Sin in progress

May 5
	But after two years, Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room; and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.
	Acts 24:27
Felix and his wife, Drusilla, both had an opportunity to hear the Gospel, but they put off making a decision. This is not surprising. Eighty-two percent of all Christians are saved at the age of nineteen or younger. The lower the age, the higher the percentage of those who make a commitment to Jesus Christ. Why? Because a person who puts off a decision, saying, ‘I’ll think about it; I’ll wait until later; I want more information,’ Will find himself falling into a pattern that becomes more and more difficult to break. He trembles when He says No to the Holy Spirit the first time. The next time he hears the Gospel and says No, he trembles less. The third time, it’s pretty easy to say No. The fourth time it’s a piece of cake. This happens not only when the Spirit is convicting unbelievers, but also when He convicts Christians. The first time we are tempted to do wrong, we tremble. The second time the temptation comes our way, it still kind of bothers us, but not as much as it did the first time. The third time bothers us a little less. And the fourth time, giving in to temptation doesn’t bother us at all. Folks, the conscience must be guarded very carefully because it can become seared very easily (1 Timothy 4:2). In fact, not only will our conscience become seared, or desensitized, it will become evil (Hebrews 10:22), justifying wrong by whispering to us, ‘Don’t worry about what you’re doing, or the show you’re watching. That’s simply the way society is. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just life.’ Felix and Drusilla went from having a tender conscience — shaken when they felt the convicting work of the Spirit (Acts 24:25), to having a seared conscience — when they didn’t tremble quite so easily, to having an evil conscience — where they were only interested in making a deal monetarily. The result? Their lives were destroyed and they were damned eternally. You might be saying, ‘What if I’m doing things which used to bother me, but don’t anymore? What if I have a seared or an evil conscience? Is there any hope for me?’ Yes. The Lord is so faithful. He comes to us over and over again, giving us opportunity to get right with Him. But in Genesis 6:3, God said, ‘My spirit shall not always strive with man. I’ll come to you. I’ll speak to you. But I’m not always going to wrestle with you.’ Therefore, if you are so graced to hear His voice in your heart speaking to you about an issue — don’t follow the folly of Felix. Respond immediately and you’ll be blessed eternally. You really will. DUX' THOUGHTSPsalm 1:1 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; It starts with listening to ungodly advice or soliciting opinions from people who do not have a relationship with Jesus. What you would get from them are counsels that do not go with God's ways and simply full of the world's foolishness. Opinions that if followed would lead you to more pain and danger and farther from the truth. After listening, you will find yourself taking time to STAND in the path of sinners. Standing is understood to be CONSIDERING to take the path that leads to death. Standing is identifying yourself with your choice. Whose stand are you taking? What ideology are you bringing in the streets? The danger of frequently hanging out with the ungodly is callousness over sin grows with it. The discomfort of offending the Lord loses its flavor and convenience in missing the mark comes forth. In the end, you will find yourself comfortable, being seated, as the scornful. Instead of being a channel of blessing or a person that points others to Christ, you will be one of the world, another person who gives ungodly counsel to others. There is nothing wrong with having ungodly friends and acquaintances because Christ himself was a friend of the sinners. We should be in the world but not of the world. Romans 12:2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We are in this world for missions: 1.  To let others know of His saving grace 2.  To be a blessing to others in our words and deeds 3.  To bring glory to God with the way we live To experience love and to share love---that's our calling. God is love and love never fails.