Changing the spots of our leopards – Part 2

We should also know that Jesus Christ’s statement has nothing to do with physical hatred. Rather, it has a lot to do with, having to run away from things of the world, for things of heaven. It is about doing away with those things including friendship, which could deny us the relationship with the Messiah.

In the case of Simon Peter, Christ was of the view that the time this fisherman spent on fishing could have been minimised, if he had created time to fish for God’s work. He and his co-fishermen laboured for several hours, but had nothing to show for it. Simon was used to hours of laborious work and little to show for it. His leopard had no strategy of how its spots could be changed for fresh spots, until he met Jesus Christ. Peter had told Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:5, after he was asked to launch his nets to catch fish – …Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

Verse 6 then said that – and when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes; and their net brake. It was at this point that Simon Peter, James and John knew they needed to change their leopards’ spots. They then made up their mind to use their wasted time to fish men (catch men), so that the time would become valuable for soul winning. As we have said, it will be very impossible for us to think that we could serve God and worship Him wholeheartedly, with the same heart and mind that we had, when we were in the world – something must give way.

Wealth must give way; inordinate ambition must give way; idolatry must give way; animal sacrifices and the likes must give way; pride must give way; fornication must give way; adultery must give way; hatred must give way; backbiting must give way; covetousness must give way; ungodliness must give way; wickedness must give way; lying must give way; selfishness must give way; self-righteousness must give way, as well as a whole lot of other unholy practices. The truth is that these aforementioned can only give way under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. When this is done, then we have succeeded in rejecting the old man for the warm embrace of the New Man – Jesus Christ.

This was why Jesus Christ came, changing the old and established order, for us to be free from condemnation and gain eternal life. He came for us to reject darkness and embrace light, which He represents. He came for us to stop using our precious time on sinful things and irrelevances to God’s kingdom for things of heaven; and He came for us to be free from the power of law of man, to come under the Grace of God, which is immeasurable.

Therefore, if our leopards had not changed their spots, there would not have been any hope for us. And if Christ had not come to sacrifice Himself, it would also have been impossible for our leopards to change their spots – we would have died in sin.

May we not go back to our sinful way of life in Jesus name.

Remain permanently under God’s banner!

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