Obedience is the Christian's assurance.
Oh! To be faithful to Jesus.
I see one of the greatest temptations is not the great big sins of pride, fear or drunkenness, but the subtle influence of the world of sin all around me. This sinking, sin-filled world is a great agony to the spirit-filled man - oh! to be free from its surrounding dark influences. Truly, James was wise when he exhorted: "...and to keep himself unspotted from the world." And truly we don't need to do anything to 'spot ourselves', to get a blemish here. What I mean is this - just neglect prayer, just neglect praise, just go a moment without the need for His living Word and you've got a blemish.
This temptation to ease, comfort and flight is a great blind spot in Christianity today. Many say, "Well, I've got the root of the matter in me: I was born again last year (or ten years ago) and now I'm coasting into heaven." The problem / promise is that 'Today' is the day of salvation. If you have to travel back ten years for evidence, you're too late! Oh! For the daily striving, fighting, laboring, mourning, groaning, praying and preaching brand of Christianity - the kind that wins heaven at any cost; the kind that takes heaven by violence. Jesus will come for an unblemished bride, a bride with oil in reserve, and He will take that unblemished bride with Him to heaven. The other maids will be cast into outer darkness.
"Oh! To be like Him...stamp Thine own image deep on my heart."