| 2 Cor  13:5-Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove (or test)  your own selves (by God’s Word).
 Know ye not your  own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be  reprobates?
 (or departed  from obeying the Gospel)
 (or departed  from God’s calling)
 (or departed  from being led by God’s Word or God’s Spirit
 and as Demas  did, forsook Paul and went off to do what his own desires wanted to do).
 During the  course each of us have in this life, the goodness and honesty of our heart will  be tested. As we grow in  faith and in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, we all should be  ready to move on to perfection, holiness and like subjects.  So then why are we still struggling with our  own flesh, our own desires, our own emotions? God’s Word tells  us of this generation: 2 Th 2:1-17-Now  we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our  gathering together unto him (which is the Rapture)2-That ye be not  soon shaken in mind,
 or be troubled,
 neither by  spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at  hand.
 3-Let no man deceive you by any means:
 for that day  shall not come, except there come a
 falling away first,
 and that man of  sin be revealed, the son of perdition (which is the Antichrist)
 4-Who opposeth  and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so  that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
 5-Remember ye  not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
 6-And now ye  know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
 7-For the  mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until  he be taken out of the way.
 8-And then shall  that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his  mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
 9-Even him,  whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying  wonders,
 10-And with all
 deceivableness  of unrighteousness (in them that perish); because they received not the love of the truth (which is God’s Word), that they might  be saved.
 11-And for this  cause God shall send them strong  delusion, that they should believe a  lie:
 12-That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in  unrighteousness.
 13-But we are  bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,  because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through  sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
 14-Whereunto he  called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus  Christ.
 15-Therefore,  brethren, stand fast,
 and hold the traditions which ye have been taught,  whether by word, or our epistle (which is God’s Word).
 16-Now our Lord  Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath  given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
 17-Comfort your  hearts, and stablish you in every  good word and work (God’s Word, which he ordained  for you to be faithful in even before the foundation of the earth).
 1 Cor  12:12-22-For as the body is one, and hath many  members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so  also is Christ.13-For by one  Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,  whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
 14-For the body  is not one member, but many.
 15-If the foot  shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not  of the body?
 16-And if the  ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore  not of the body?
 17-If the whole  body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were  the smelling?
 18-But now hath  God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
 19-And if they  were all one member, where were the body?
 20-But now are  they many members, yet but one body.
 21-And the eye  cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the  feet, I have no need of you.
 22-Nay, much  more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:
 1 Cor  12:25-27-That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members  should have the same care one for another.26-And whether  one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured,  all the members rejoice with it.
 27-Now ye are  the body of Christ, and members in particular.
 There is a  message here for the body of Christ that many today do not seem to understand. The Scriptures  tell us that Demas departed from Paul.   Judas forsook Jesus. God has ordained  each of us to be a part of the body of Christ according to His purpose.  Our hand has a specific purpose in relation  to our body, as does our foot.What if the hand  decided to forsake its calling, because it wanted to become a foot?  The body would be greatly weakened and  suffer.  It would not function properly  as God intended.
 What if one of  you didn’t like the calling God had given you and sought another calling, just  as the hand wanted to become a foot?  The  hand would be out of God’s will.  Or if a  foot wanted to become an ear, it would be out of God’s will.
 So it is with  us.  If someone is tempted of the devil  to become a different part of the body and so forsakes their calling—they have  forsaken God’s calling and leading.  If  you are called to be a hand, but forsake that calling, the body greatly  suffers, because the hand is missing.
 The hand that  chooses to become a foot and forsakes his calling of God, if he does not  repent, will be rejected by God.  If he  will not obey God now in this time of testing, he will not inherit eternal  life.
 Be satisfied  with the calling God has given you.  Seek  not another calling as Demas did, or Judas did.
 Stand fast (be  faithful) in the calling God has given you, without wavering or disobeying the  Scriptures in any way.  Do not let your  own desires or wandering eyes lead you, for they will surely lead you astray.  The person that leaves God’s calling to  pursue another calling will convince themselves they have done right, because  it “feels” like the right thing to do.   It feels like the right thing to do, because it fits the desires of  their unrepentant heart.  If a person  forsakes all of their worldly desires and now their only desire is to serve God  steadfastly in the calling He ordained, this person should grow in the Lord;  however, the person that seeks to serve two callings may find that hell awaits  them.  For you cannot serve two masters.
 Let us all  consider carefully what has been said to us from God’s Word. This is the time  of falling away from God’s calling for many people.  It is not an easy time to grow, but grow we  need to do, despite the times we are now in. When correct  biblical understanding ceases and correction is not received or understood,  then biblical faith is also departing. 
 
   
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