Life is No Longer a Struggle

After surrendering our life to Christ, we experience a struggle between our soul and spirit. Our spirit is born again by the Spirit of God at salvation. Our carnal nature is now dead, and our life is hidden with Christ in God. Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:1-4).

Yet, there are predispositions in our life through habits and addictions, which continually pull us back to the deeds of the flesh (Romans 7:14-24). Thankfully, our redemption through Christ rescued us from serving as slaves to sin (Romans 7:25).

We can trust His Spirit to slowly sanctify us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). The result is that we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:15-26). We bear holy fruit in our life and share this fruit with those God brings our way (Galatians 5:22-23).

We cannot accumulate enough good works to earn God's love (Ephesians 2:8-9). While we were still sinners, He already gave us His unconditional and unmerited love as a free gift (Romans 3:23, 5:6-8, 6:23).

He gives us an example of how to love our children, spouse and other family members and friends. Our love for them is not based on their behavior or accomplishments, but as a free gift. 

When we believe that our self-worth is based on our performance, we lose respect for our self if we fail. When we base our identity on Christ in us, we always succeed because we follow His Spirit on a daily basis.

This frees us from wearing masks to fit in or lying or living a hypocritical life in order to live up to the image we believe people expect from us. Receiving our worth from Christ in us keeps us humble and totally dependent on God.

We rely on God to point out our inconsistencies, to effect these changes in us and to help us to accomplish the works He pre-ordained for us to do (Psalm 139:23-24; Ephesians 2:10). He is our all in all through every moment of every day (Ephesians 4:6).

Prayer:

Father God, we choose to enter Your rest and to bear fruit through Your Spirit and by no effort of our own (John 15:4). We trust in the saving work of Christ on Calvary's cross rather than on our good works; and we accept our holiness, righteousness, justification and sanctification as gifts from Your Spirit.

Thank You for rooting and grounding us in the soil of Your love and for caring for us as our Vine dresser throughout our entire lifetime. We pray that as we submit to Your will for our life, we will glorify You by bearing much fruit for Your Kingdom through Your Spirit's work in our life (John 15:8; Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:

God searches our heart and tries us, seeing our fears and anxiety and healing us of every hurtful memory as He leads us in His everlasting way. - Psalm 139:23-24

Worldly Gain or Eternal Power

Money, fame, relationships, employment, ambition, pride, rebellion, reputation, worldly goods, houses, etc. are all parts of our carnality, which Believers continue to cling to in this world. 

God calls us to give up worldly gain for His eternal power. There really is no contest between the two! God also gives us the power to relinquish our will to His.

Where He sends us we will go, even if we do not want to go there; and we will not go where He does not send us, no matter how much we want to go. Jesus died for us, so that we can die in Him. 

Our new life belongs to Him, not to us. We wait before the Lord each new day to hear His will for each moment. We surrender each facet of our self to Him and He purges us and breaks sin's hold on us (Isaiah 6:5-7).

At salvation, God raises us up to sit in Heavenly places with Him. We are no longer concerned with earthly issues, but we seek first God's Kingdom (Ephesians 2:1-6).  

Our salvation is provided in justification and our self-life is crucified during sanctification. God fills us with His Spirit's joy and power, which is our strength to accomplish His works with our life (Ephesians 2:10).

As we give God's Spirit full reign in our spirit, soul and body, He takes up residence as His Temple (1 Corinthians 6:19). Without reservation, we surrender to God’s Spirit, and offer our soul’s submission without any reservation (Romans 12:1). 

He renews our mind with the mind of Christ, and our character is replaced with God’s nature, which is the fruit of His Spirit and the divine life of Christ in us (2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 5:22-23).

Prayer:

Father God, when You call us to Yourself, we lay our sinful nature and our natural talents at the Cross. Although it is hard to relinquish our life to You, we know You simply require a willing attitude. 

Christ slowly becomes our whole life (Colossians 3:2-4). We live, move and have our being only in Him (Acts 17:28). Your Spirit in us enables us to enter into Your Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).

Thought for the Day:

We work out our own salvation, but it is God who gives us both the desire and the power to do this. - Philippians 2:12-13

The Blessings of Relationship

The world in which we live has values, which they hold dear. People in our world judge each person according to their worldly standards. However, if we live in order to be accepted and esteemed in this worldly system, we end up as an abomination to God (Luke 16:14-15). If we follow Biblical admonitions, we cannot earn the world’s respect and admiration, although we will earn God’s pleasure (Ephesians 1:6).

There are a few people, like Mother Teresa, who honor God and also manage to earn the world’s respect. She gave up her life for the indigent and abused, making their life better in any way she could. God gave her a gift, and she responded to His call for her life. God has a special purpose for each of us too. It is up to us whether or not we fulfill His desire for our life (Ephesians 2:10). We may not reach world fame, but God will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Our self-righteous attempts to please God with our natural efforts and accomplishments are worthless. They give off the terrible stench of human nature as we offer it to the Lord (Isaiah 64:6). It is not pleasing to Him, because He only accepts the sacrifices of those who rely only on the righteousness of Christ for their salvation (Romans 3:22). In God’s eyes, our good deeds are nothing more than dirty rags (Isaiah 64:6).

We cannot earn salvation or justification by our works (Titus 3:5-7). However, Jesus gives us His holiness as a free gift in exchange for our humanity. He took our sin and nailed it to the cross, triumphing over both sin and death (Colossians 2:14; 1 Corinthians 15:57). We trust in Christ alone and possess His righteousness as our own (2 Corinthians 5:21). Then, we radiate the love and light of Christ to the world around us.

Prayer:

Father God, we live in Your joy and take pleasure in each moment of our relationship with You. Christ is our only life (Colossians 3:4). Remind us to allow You to use us to bring reconciliation to the world around us (2 Corinthians 5:11-21). Many people will reject our message and may even reject us. However, You will delight in our ways. Remind us to use all of the resources You have given us, not for our own advancement in life, but to further Your Kingdom in the earth (Luke 16:1-18).

Thought for the Day:

If I think I am somebody, then God is not everything to me; but when I realize that I am nothing, God becomes my all in all. That is when He fully reveals Himself to me.

His Exact Replica

After Salvation, we often focus our attention outwardly. We see God on His throne in Heaven, but we see our self as struggling alone in life and in need of His divine help. Some people say we are nothing but puppets, forced to serve as our Divine Manipulator dictates. However, we are more like a glove. Christ exactly fills us and we are perfectly molded to His character and nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Our union with Christ involves our spirit, soul and body. He unites them in vision and purpose with Christ. Through this union, God expresses His heart through us in sympathy for the hardships of others, in patience in tribulation, and in devotion in Bible study, prayer and fellowship with other Saints of God. Consequently, God fulfills through us His purpose for us in the earth (Ephesians 2:10).

In this manner, the union between the Creator and the created, the divine and the human, the eternal and the temporal is complete (Colossians 2:10). The Spirit directs us, and we move as His exact replica on the earth. Jesus also walks beside us, as well as living within us. He completely surrounds us, finishing His work of sanctification in our soul. We live, move and exist in Him (Acts 17:28).

Christ redeemed us from sin by the cross, and He works out His intentions in us and through us (Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 2:9-10). Jesus is our all in all (Colossians 1:17). He justifies our spirit; sanctifies, inspires and directs our soul; and will eventually glorify our body. Jesus is the expression of God’s glory and the exact image of God’s being (Hebrews 1:3). He speaks the oracles of God through our voice (1 Peter 4:11).

Also, Jesus heals a sick body through the laying on of our hands (Mark 1:41; 6:5; 5:3; 7:32, 33; 8:23, 25; 16:18; James 5:15). He sees a need and meets it through the resources He provides for us (1 John 3:17). He will even raise the dead, cleanse the leper and cast out demons in and through us (Matthew 10:8). As we walk in union with Christ, by the direction of His Spirit, we walk as shining stars, shedding His light in the dark, lost world around us (Colossians 1:27; Philippians 2:15).

Prayer:

Father God, Your will flows from a combination of Your divine love and wisdom. Harmony in our relationship with You increases as we live in union with Christ. This guarantees that more accord abides between our will and Yours. We soon find that our purpose is to do nothing more in life than to allow Christ to work through us. Fill us with the spiritual gifts and fruit of Your Spirit, and help us to lay down our plans and expectations, so You can use us for Your purposes each moment of our day. 

Thought for the Day:

If we only focus on Christ on the cross, we may forget the fact that the risen Lord dwells within our spirit.

Assurance of His Promises

When Christ takes possession of our spirit, He gives us His rest for our soul – our mind, will and emotions. His righteousness, peace and joy give us a new life, which replaces our life of worry and deprivation (Romans 14:17). He provides all of our needs according to His glorious riches (Philippians 4:19). We live in ceaseless wonder at the sacrifice He made for us, and the heavenly home, which He provides for us, as we abide in Him forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

We no longer seek to sanctify our self by crucifying our flesh or by our works for God (Galatians 3:1-3), but we accept the work of Christ on the cross for us, which gives us eternal salvation simply by our relationship with Him (John 17:3). By faith, we accept His sacrifice on our behalf (Hebrews 7:22), and we submit to His Spirit as He crucifies the deeds of our flesh (Romans 15:16).

The nation of Israel is a perfect example of God’s people who try in the power of their flesh to live for God (Hebrews 8:7-9). They occasionally made great strides, but they constantly failed to keep the law. We have no more success than they did in obeying God’s Word on our own. We fail just as miserably.

As we rely on our triune God, He sanctifies us through our union with Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2,30), the washing of the water of His Word (Ephesians 5:26) and our obedience to His Word (Hebrews 12:14; 2 Timothy 2:21-22). We are the sons of God (1 John 3:2), members of Christ’s Body (Romans 12:5), and filled with the fruit of His Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We do not work for God, but Christ lives and works in and through us (Colossians 1:27; Ephesians 2:10).

Our justification, sanctification and glorification are not obtained through our human effort, but by the work of our triune God within us (Titus 3:5). Our Father God provides our sanctification (Hebrews 8:10-12; Philippians 2:12-13), Jesus is the instrument of our sanctification (Ephesians 5:26), and the Spirit does the work of sanctification within us (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

 

Prayer:
Father God, Your Word is truth and You sanctify us by it (John 17:17). We are heirs of Your promise (Ephesians 3:6). We find our rest in Your everlasting arms (Deuteronomy 33:27). Thank You for giving us Jesus as both the fulfillment and the guarantee of Your covenant with us. You cause us to walk in Your ways and to keep your statutes (Ezekiel 36:7), and You give us Your assurance by Your promises (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Thought for the Day:

The more we abide in Christ, we deeper we realize the security and blessings of our position and promise in Him.

 

Why Don't Christians Act Like Christ?

Are you disappointed with church people? Did a church let you down in the past? Maybe the imperfect people there did not respond to you like you envisioned they would. Possibly someone was rude, or curt or made you feel uncomfortable. However, most churches are full of caring people who are making every attempt to overcome their carnal, fleshly nature.  Have you ever heard the quote; “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven”? There is a great deal of truth in that statement. Most church people really care about each other and other people.

Some people come to Christ with learned negative behavior, a broken heart or insecure living arrangements. These obstruct our sanctifying process in certain areas. We may be mentally and emotionally lame from abuse. At times, we have life circumstances that hinder us from healing in those areas; and sometimes they even compound our other issues. We may still exhibit negative emotions, character, habits and, at times, lifestyle choices that give Christians the reputation for being hypocrites.

That is why the Bible exhorts us not to criticize one another, because God is our only judge. We stand or fall by His opinion and judgment, not by the condemnation of our peers (Romans 14:4). The proof of salvation is a changed life; however, we do not change instantaneously in every area all at one time. However, this does not excuse any penchant to sin that we refuse to relinquish to God, because our consistent Christian lifestyle is our greatest testimony to the world.

Our justification for salvation, and our glorification of our body when we see Jesus are instantaneous occurrences. Unfortunately, our sanctification – the process of becoming holy – takes a lifetime. Our spirit is dead in sin until we come to Christ for salvation (Ephesians 2:1-5). Then the Holy Spirit inaugurates the sanctifying process at the moment of our spirit’s rebirth. However, the evidence of His ministrations is hard to see sometimes. God teaches us to correct, rebuke and encourage one another with unceasing patience and diligent discipleship (2 Timothy 4:2). 

God gave us all different spiritual gifts and He expects us to use them to build one another up (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Discernment is one of these. If you see a fault in someone, do not judge them, but pray for them and for God to heal their deepest wounds. According to the grace and faith God gives us, we can use our gift of prophesy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, compassion and administration with patience and cheerfulness to build up the Body of Christ (Romans 12:6-8).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, You encourage us to hate what is evil; yet, You command us to encourage the sinner, realizing they are a work in progress. When we are offended by someone’s words or actions, remind us that they may be dealing with underlying hurts and hindrances that prevent their victory in this area of their life. Help us to show compassion and grace to those people at church, work, in our neighborhood and especially in our own family. Allow us to reap this same favor from others.

Thought for the Day:

Living a surrendered life to God allows us to walk in a consistent manner that promotes our positive testimony to the world around us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dichotomy or Trichotomy?

Read: I Thessalonians 5:23


“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Gen 2:7

There is a distinct difference between the topics of the Dichotomy of man, which limits man to a body and a soul; and a Trichotomy of man, which states that man possesses a body, soul and spirit. There are Bible verses, which imply that the soul and spirit are the same entity (Matthew 10:28; Luke 1: 46-47; Acts 2:31; 1 Corinthians 5:3; 6:20; 7:34; 2 Peter 2:11). Then other verses distinguish between the soul and spirit (Proverbs 25:25; Luke 1: 46-47; Romans 8:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12; 3 John 2). This is another one of those mysteries of the faith, such as the Trinity, which represents three persons in one God.

I believe that God made man as a Trichotomy...Spirit, Soul, and Body. Created in the image of God, we are a trinity also, just as He is the Father, Son and Spirit. We have a spiritual nature that is separate and distinct from the body, in which it dwells; and from the soul through which it thinks, feels and decides upon an action. We experience life through our Body, we acknowledge life through our Soul, and we influence life through our Spirit. God formed man of the dust (body), and breathed into him the breath of life (spirit); and man became a living soul (soul) (Genesis 2:7). This is His original plan for mankind.

When Adam and Eve sinned, they brought death into the world. Every baby is born with a body and soul, but their spirit is dead because of this original sin. Their spirit remains dead until they come to Christ and their spirit is Born Again. The spirit of the unsaved person is dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). They do, however, have a body and also a soul. The soul contains our mind, will and emotions.

There is another reason that I believe in the Trichotomy of man. In Luke, Jesus tells a story about two men who lived at the same time. One was a very rich man. The other was a beggar named Lazarus, who ate crumbs from the rich man’s table. The beggar ended up in Heaven and the rich man saw him there from hell. He asks Abraham to allow Lazarus to minister to his physical needs (Luke 16: 23-24). Since the rich man’s body is still in the grave, how could he see, hear, feel and identify these torments?

Simply put, the rich man’s soul is experiencing everything the body would experience. In the resurrection, the rich man’s immortal body will join his soul in hell, and he will experience double torments for eternity. This is one reason Jesus gave the church the imperative to win souls; in order to keep people from experiencing this intense anguish in hell forever.

We care for our Body with proper rest, exercise, and nutrition. We care for our Soul through developing our mind, submitting our will to God’s will, and by meeting our emotional needs through our interactions with people, pets and some physical aspects of life. We care for our Spirit through Bible study, church attendance, prayer, fasting, Christian fellowship, service, and sharing our faith with others.

What we do with our body affects what we think and feel in our soul, and how we receive God’s direction through our spirit. What we allow ourselves to focus on, or to act upon, affects us in our body, soul and spirit. Without fully developing all three parts of our being, we live as handicapped individuals. Unless we acknowledge and nurture each entity, we will never reach wholeness within ourselves or be able to completely nurture others in our life.

Our spirit is instantly Born Again through Justification. Our soul is transformed through the life long Sanctification process. Eventually, our body will be instantly immortal, when we see Jesus and go through Glorification. The Body is our existence, the Soul is our expression, and the Spirit is the essence of our life.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to use our body, soul and spirit to make a difference for You in our world. Help those of us who are not in touch with their emotions, who do not care about developing their mind, or who are not Born Again in their spirit to spend time meditating on these aspects of our humanity and allowing You to transform each part of them. Help us to take Your Word seriously and to realize that You intend for us to be witnesses for You to everyone we meet.

Thought for the Day:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires (Hebrews 4:12).

The Choice is Ours

Read: Phillippians 3:1-11

"Apart from Me you can do nothing." - John 15:5

The Bible declares that Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20). Scholars call this theme “Paul’s Obsession”, because he used the phrase “Christ in me” or “In Christ” more than 170 times in his writings. If we have Jesus Christ living in us, He daily delivers us from sin’s dominion by His resurrection life within us (Romans 5:10). He also gives us new values, priorities and goals in life (2 Corinthians 5:17). He gives us His peace that transcends human understanding (Philippians 4: 6-8). If we do not have the Son of God living in us, however, we do not have any of this (1 John 5:12).

Christ’s salvation goes beyond the spirit to the soul and body as well (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The original Biblical language uses three words for salvation: sotheis, sezosmenos, and sozomenos." They mean that believers are currently saved in our spirit through Justification, that we will be saved in our body when we see Jesus through Glorification, and lastly that we are being saved in our soul – our mind, will and emotions - through the lifelong method of Sanctification. Salvation is a process, three stages in an exciting journey that gets sweeter as the days go by.

I desire to know Jesus more intimately every day and to see myself grow into His beloved, mature child. My right standing before God is by faith in all that Christ accomplished on my behalf. I do not have to work for or earn this position. If I really believe this fact, then I will take advantage of the opportunity, which He gives me, to get to know Him more intimately as my redeemer, friend and brother. I do this by spending time reading God’s Word; by prayer – talking and listening; by attending a Bible teaching church; by fellowshipping with other Christians and by sharing with others what God is doing in my life.

On a recent trip to visit my friend in the hospital, I spoke to a lady in the elevator whom I did not know. She wore a beautifully ornate cross around her neck. I asked, “Do you know the Jesus who died for us on the cross?” Shocked at my question, she blurted out a bit sarcastically, “Well, not personally.” I felt so sad for her, so I said, “Well, He wants to have a personal relationship with you. Just read your Bible and attend a Bible teaching church and He will be your best friend just like He is to me.” The elevator door opened and I never saw her again. I truly hope she took the time to meet my best friend.

God freely offers everyone this gift of a personal relationship with Him. We have the option to either embrace His friendship or to refuse to acknowledge Him. The choice is ours. God gives us this opportunity to get to know Christ and to grow in our understanding of His power, His resurrection and in what He has to offer us in eternity. We can experience first hand both Christ’s sufferings and His victories as we walk through our trials with Him within us. Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5); but in Him we are conquerors over every trial, because He loves us (Romans 8:37).

Christ suffered rejection by the religious leaders of His day. They did not believe they were actually crucifying the living God, because they did not recognize Him for who He was. We do know Him, however. We have the opportunity every day to fellowship with Him; to walk in His mercy, power and grace; to be led by His Holy Spirit and to live with Him in eternity in Heaven. When we put our trust in Jesus and allow Him to live in us and to work through us, His power flows through us and from us as it changes the world around us.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your death on Calvary’s cross, which paid the penalty for my sin (Romans 5:8). Thank You for Your resurrection that gives me life in my spirit, soul and body. Thank You for Your redemption that guarantees me a place in eternity with You. Thank You for life to live on this earth. Help me to make every day count for Your glory.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus gives me the opportunity to be one with Him in perfect love and acceptance, apart from any good deeds, pious performances or imposed restrictions, which come from my  self-effort.

Living Lives of Grace

Read: Romans 5:17-21

“I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” – Exodus 31:13b (NKJV)

Adam brought condemnation on all of mankind when he disobeyed God’s only commandment for him. Consequently, this sin nature is passed down to every baby born throughout the centuries of time. God relinquished His only Son, Jesus, to give His life for the forgiveness of all sin and to restore our fellowship with Him.

Sin, of any kind, results in death (Romans 6:23). Even the smallest white lie bears negative consequences in our life. Though we do not deserve this love, Christ’s sacrifice demonstrates to the world the true definition of God's grace (Romans 5:8). This grace comes to us with conviction for repentance and reigns through righteousness to produce eternal life in us.

The concept of grace is hard to communicate to people through words. Therefore, we can show them by our loving actions toward them that God does not condemn the world, but desires that all men might be saved (John 3:17). Grace grants us an intimate relationship with Christ that begins at salvation, continues through a lifetime of sanctification and ends in our glorification when we see Jesus Christ face-to-face (1John 3:2). Though we often hurtle headlong into sin because of our freedom to choose, amazing grace convicts us to repent and to surrender to God’s will. Living lives of grace toward our self and others makes a huge difference in our world.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, be with us through every step of our journey in life. Keep us on Your path for us and help us to convey your grace to others by living as an example of your unconditional love.

Thought for the Day:

God's love covers our all of our sins and His grace gives us strength to do better the next time.

Invaded by God's Spirit

Read: Philippians 2:5-11

“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”
- 2 Corinthians 10: 5

God’s Spirit invades our lives like a conquering hero. He immediately begins His renovation process, gutting us like an old house and fashioning us according to His will and purpose for our lives. He does this through a three-stage process, which we call Justification, Sanctification and Glorification.

Justification takes place in our spirit in an instant. Our spirit, once dead in trespasses and sins, is born again. God fills us with His Holy Spirit, and we take in our first breath of the celestial air of eternal life. At this same instant, Jesus crosses the borders into our soul and the work of Sanctification begins.

Our soul – our mind, our will and our emotions – is where Sanctification takes place. It is a life-long process and requires much humility and surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit, as He perfects us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit purposely enters the cerebral territory within us and unseats Satan from his throne in our lives. Then He starts the process of vanquishing the carnal flesh’s hold on us (Romans 8:7). We mature in our spiritual walk day by day, as God’s Spirit turns our motivation and desires from earthly lusts to spiritual passions.

Thankfully, He continues to conquer every temporal area of our mind, bringing them all captive to the mind of Christ (Romans 8:6). He humbles our will and makes it submissive to His. Then He heals our emotions from wounds of the past and brings them under the control of the Spirit of God. 

One day, Glorification will occur. When Christ returns, we shall instantly exchange our earthly bodies for immortal ones and we shall be like Christ, because we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, helps us to step out of Your way and to allow Your Spirit complete reign in our lives. Make us more like You with each passing day and perfect us according to Your will.

Thought for the Day:
Christ came not to condemn us, but to give us life. We condemn ourselves by our unbelief (John 3: 17-18).