A is for Abstain

Just as there are things we should actively do, there are things we should steer away from from.

"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:14-15, 22-24

Here we are warned to abstain from what does not measure up to Godliness.

At the beginning of this passage there is a warning to not be tricked into listening to those who are teaching falsely or what doesn't quite measure up to what God's Word says. Don't accept the teaching and preaching you hear at face value as being "gospel." Test it with what you read in the Word with the help of the Holy Spirit as your Guide. This is something that must be modeled to those we are passing our heritage down to. We must all be able to discern what is sound doctrine and what is not.

We remember that when we accepted Christ, we became new in the attitude of our minds and made to be like God, holy and righteous. We continue to grow into this, becoming like Christ, which may mean that be abstain or stay away from things we might have been involved in before. Now we live as a new person.

For me, this abstaining is further proof of how important and precious this Godly legacy is to me, and thus critical for me to pass on.

Have you encountered teachings that go against God's Word? Have you had to use Scripture to show someone else that a teaching was untrue?

Take a moment, as I often do, and analyze whether your old self has crept back into your life. Make a point to put it off and renew your mind in accordance with God's Word.