Heart-suffering because of sin is the best proof that the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart.- Johann Arndt
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."
We are called to be the salt of the world, but oftentimes we lose our taste and experience. Our value becomes diminished and Christ says that salt that has lost its taste is only good to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.”
We often lose our experience because in some way in our life we have forgot that we are not above our Master, and in trying to put everything how we think it should be we break this great principle.
“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.”
We have to be willing to come back to the place where we give up our life for His purposes. In doing so we again place ourselves in the position of a disciple and not the master.
“I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”
When we give up our life, and begin again to see ourselves as disciples and Christ as our master we can enter into fellowship with the Father. In that fellowship like Christ we can like Christ hear from the Father and act according to what He says to our hearts.
”This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; “
We have to be careful to not be deceived and think that we can walk both in darkness and light or sin and righteousness and remain in fellowship. We are lying to ourselves and everyone else, when we enter into lifestyles that are not what God has asked of us.
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."
However, we can confess our sins one to another and receive prayer that we can be healed. That healing can be for our erroneous thinking, sinful life, hurts and pains that lead to a broken heart, or even our lack of faith that all result in us not apprehending what God has asked of all of us.
“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. “