Paul urges us in Romans 6:
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
We have the responsibility to stay away from sin. We do not have to submit to lusts. Its our choice. Worst case, do nothing until you have received guidance from Scripture to begin a walk in righteousness. It is clear that Paul states we have a choice in the matter and we are not destined to be vessels of dishonor. It is our decision whether or not we present ourselves as instruments of righteousness to Our Heavenly Father.
An instrument has a specific purpose for one who knows how to use it. Tools in a craftsman’s hands produce a superior result. We should expect Our Heavenly Father to use us as HIS instruments on this earth and create a result second to none.
How do we know if there is an unresolved issue in our life? As we study HIS Word, those subtle issues of the ego surface with some conviction.
Hebrews 6 explains the importance of Scripture:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Our Heavenly Father’s Words are full of life and power and are given to us by Love. Who better to open our eyes to our unrighteousness than a Father who loves us! We are not isolated and distanced from HIS presence. HE is not in some distant galaxy but HE is THE discerner of your thoughts and intents. We will all give account of our thoughts and intents. Those who are quick to seek mercy and HIS grace will find their correction to be more tolerable. Either way, an accounting will occur.
My advice: Take your pain early. Our Lord Jesus Christ understands our challenges and He is our example to follow. You have not been subjected to any temptation greater than what He was exposed to and overcame. The throne of grace is for our use in our time of need:
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
As we are transformed from vessels of dishonor to vessels of honor, we will become instruments of Our Heavenly Father as HE establishes HIS Kingdom on earth, as it is in Heaven. We should not expect to simply be observers as this manifestation comes to pass, but instead be squarely in the middle of what HE is doing on earth. But first, we must present ourselves. Those who do this are members of the Remnant.