What is God saying today? Part 5

What is God saying today?
I have been reading the Book of Revelation and struck again how God specifically and passionately spoke to each of the 7 Churches mentioned.
And I felt challenged to break each message down and see how that relates potentially to each of us today.
The writer regularly used the phrase "anyone with ears...listen to the Spirit..."
Let's see what the Spirit is saying to each of us today...

Revelation 3:1-6 niv - Message to the Church in Sardis
“To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.

Reputation - funny how we value it many times and it maybe is not even the reality of someones life?
If you spend all your time trying to cultivate a reputation that doesn't match what God sees of your life, well that is pointless.
Before it gets too late sort it out. Come back to your first love.
Has God asked you do something? - complete it.
I bet you already have some idea what God wants from you. Just have the faith and courage to see it through.

Many years a go I used to hear a phrase preached...
Have an "ongoing short account with God".
No one graduates from repentance! No-one! Not me as a Pastor or anyone else I know.
Because I have sinful nature and a flesh that rages against my desire to honour God, many times I come up short of what is right.
Everyday I ask God to forgive me. I try and keep my account short.
God honours humility and contrition.

4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

What is all this talk about clothes, dirty clothes, white clothes?...
In the 2000 years since this was first written for us, some things have not changed. You can tell a lot about someone by their clothing.
The clothing spoken of here is spiritual.
Dirty clothes indicates a life lived with sin struggles and where the person has given in to that struggle.

We get to choose the clothing of our soul. Clean or Dirty?

White clothes indicates a life lived where the person has exchanged this own unrighteousness for Christ's righteousness. They have chosen to live for Him. They don't want to satisfy their own sinful nature.
Victory over whatever personal struggle we may have is only possible by living for Christ and Him alone!

What is God saying to you today?
Be encouraged, be challenged, be listening...

Why this little series...?
I have for a long time believed that God speaks to everyone.

Since the beginning of history there are account after account of people hearing God speak to them. From Adam through Moses and then to today. Spoke has spoken and continues to speak.

(Apart from when He promised to be quiet for 400 years - and kept His promise.)

Scripture tells us that God gave us each ears, not just to hear naturally with, but also to hear supernaturally with!

Scripture shows us as well that God can speak audibly, through angels and others, circumstances and His Word. He has a lot of communication tools in His toolbox...