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God’s goal for us is to make the right choice and choose the way of Jesus. Admit that doing God’s will is not easy for us naturally. Admit that we need His Holy Spirit to give us supernatural courage. Admit it.

That confession frees us up to live a life that meets His goals for us.

Sometimes we are particularly good at pretending. We want it to look easy. We don’t want anyone to know that living the life God wants us to isn’t as easy as it looks.

Jesus challenges us in His manifesto (Matthew 5-7)to live a moral life of a whole different way that we normally think. Jesus challenges us live differently. God’s will demands that we love Him first and everyone else all the time. Jesus challenges us to not live in “pretend city”.

Most of this is about choices. We get to choose living a tough life in obeying God or an easy life doing what we want.

  • What choice will we make today?
  • Will we choose God’s way?
  • Will we accept God’s challenge?

If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.

English Standard Version. (2016). (Matthew 5:29–30). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

How do we get victory? By purifying the desires of the heart (appetite leads to action) and disciplining the actions of the body. Obviously, our Master Jesus is not talking about literal surgery; for this would not solve the problem in the heart.

  • The eye and the hand are usually the two “culprits” when it comes to sexual sins, so they must be disciplined.
  • Jesus said, “Deal immediately and decisively with sin! Don’t taper off—cut off!”
  • Spiritual surgery is more important than physical surgery, for the sins of the body can lead to eternal judgment.
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