The trauma, inconsistencies and callous aspects of life,
wear on our human soul, which intensifies over the years of our lifetime. Since
conception, the abuse, injustice and deprivation turn us from skeptics to
raging maniacs. We shut down emotionally or we allow negative habits to rule
our behavior. We over-react to situations through our habitual self-defense
mechanisms.
God is love. (1 John 4:8). His love for and in us removes our reasons to
fear, which is the root of all of our negative emotions (1 John 4:8; Romans 13:10). As we
surrender to His love, God’s Spirit fills us with more and more of His divine
nature. Love banishes our selfishness, envy, pride, and rebellion, and fills up
our soul – our mind, will and emotions (1 John 4:20). God displays His love through us to the world
around us (1 John
4:12).
We cannot achieve this love in our own power or effort,
but only as a gift from God through His perfecting power (Romans 5:5). God’s
Spirit within us sanctifies us, and gradually gives us the divine nature of our
Father God (Philippians
2:12-13; Ephesians 2:10). This results in a mind, which is set on holy
and spiritual thoughts and desires (Colossians 3:2). God’s Spirit does not change our carnality
overnight.
God’s Spirit imparts one aspect of God’s divine nature to
us at a time. He peels away our sin nature one layer after another, replacing
each earthly characteristic with His fruit (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23). He
exchanges our carnal tendencies with a display of spiritual fruit. He reveals
them in our behavior each time we allow Him to do so. The entire gamut of
spiritual fruit, the nature of God, is in Christ in us.
Therefore, we
already have each of these fruit resident within our soul through the abiding
Holy Spirit. God replaces hatred
with love, depression with true joy, discontentment with peace, irritation with
patience, criticism with gentleness, backbiting with goodness, pride with
meekness, excess with self-control, and worry with the faith of God as we are
controlled and guided by His Spirit. The closer we walk in God’s will, the more
holiness and spirituality we exhibit.
Prayer:
Father God, the perfect triangle of Your love for us, our
love for You and our subsequent love for one another is a witness to the world
of Your power (John
13:34-35). Heal our wounded hearts and remove any lies in our soul,
which Satan planted in our subconscious mind. Share with us Your Truth about
the trauma we experienced in this sin-filled world, and pluck Satan’s lies
right out of our belief system. Allow us to view our self as You see us...as
perfected in Christ.
Thought for the Day:
God’s divine nature in us is not something we use for
personal gain or reputation, like so many people in this modern society, but
for the glory of God and to further His Kingdom in the earth.
