{"id":6238,"date":"2021-09-29T06:13:30","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T12:13:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theclarion.org\/?p=6238"},"modified":"2021-09-29T06:13:30","modified_gmt":"2021-09-29T12:13:30","slug":"thoughts-from-the-bible-35","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/?p=6238","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts from The Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Not Too Late to Change<\/strong>
\nby Terry Broome<\/em><\/p>\n

You might have overheard someone make a similar statement as the man in a bus terminal who was heard to say to his friend, \u201cBeen doing it for thirty years. Too late to quit now.\u201d I have no idea what the practice was he spoke of, but in some way it appeared to be a vice that he didn\u2019t feel capable of breaking at this later point in his life. What a defeated attitude this represents. How tragic for anyone to succumb to allowing something to gain control of his life to the point that he is helpless to deal with it.
\nOn the other hand, we\u2019ve had individuals respond to the Gospel invitation who have made the following explanation for their decision late in life to come to Jesus and change their life to live for Him: \u201cI\u2019ve been living in sin for thirty years and that\u2019s long enough!\u201d Indeed it is, and what a contrast in attitudes between one who seems so helpless to make a change in direction, and the one who sees a compulsion to give the rest of his life to the Lord.
\nThe Apostle Peter and the Holy Spirit were convinced that it\u2019s not too late to make those needed changes in our lives. Satan would have us believe the lie that we\u2019re helpless victims of sinful habits. It doesn\u2019t have to be so:
\n1 Peter 4:1-4 ( NKJV ) 1Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God. 3For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles\u2014when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that peer pressure has a lot to do with our reluctance to change life-styles. Some refuse to become Christians because of their friends and the company they keep, or that they might have to quit keeping if they obey the Gospel. Others attempt to keep that same company after obeying the Gospel and are drawn away from the new found hope in Christ. Peter warned us that they might \u201cthink it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot\u201d and speak evil of you. Okay, so let\u2019s not make waves. Stay in the rut we\u2019ve found ourselves in. No indeed! Peter says \u201cFor the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles.\u201d
\nAdmittedly it might take a tremendous amount of will-power to change masters of one\u2019s life, but with God\u2019s help it can be done. His powerful and life-changing Word coupled with a desire in our hearts to make the change can result in being \u201ccrucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me\u201d (Galatians 2:20).
\nThe author can be reached for comments at 256-574-2489.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Not Too Late to Change by Terry Broome You might have overheard someone make a similar statement as the man in a bus terminal who was heard to say to his friend, \u201cBeen doing it for thirty years. Too late to quit now.\u201d I have no idea what the practice was he spoke of, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tho"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6238"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6239,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6238\/revisions\/6239"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.theclarion.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}