Abiding in Christ

Effective evangelism is motivated by the love of God. When we share the love of God, we and those we minister to are filled with God, because God is love (Ephesians 3:19; 1 John 4:8).

When our personal relationship with God is evident, people will want this same intimacy with Him, which we enjoy. Our testimony emanates Christ's life, which entices people to hunger for God too (John 13:35).

God gives us His peace and His Spirit who dwells within us (1 Corinthians 2:12, 14:33). We prosper in every trial through Christ who abides in us (Romans 8:37).

Jesus already overcame the world and the trials through which we live; so He encourages us from the inside out (John 16:33). Therefore, we can always flourish in the work of the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58).

There is no condemnation for past sins, because we are now in Christ (Romans 8:1). He became sin on our behalf and gave us His righteous standing with our Father God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

God’s Spirit gives us liberty from bondage to the flesh, the world and Satan (Galatians 3:13-14; 2 Corinthians 3:17). Since God is in our corner, nothing which comes against us can succeed (Romans 8:31).

We are never alone again, because Christ never forsakes us or leaves us alone (Matthew 28:20). He expresses Himself through our thoughts, words and deeds (Hebrews 13:5).

We learn to be content with whatever God provides for us on a daily basis, knowing that if we need something, He will provide it in His own way and time (Philippians 4:11).

 

Prayer:

Father God, regardless of the obstacles life uses to hinder us, You conqueror over them all. Thank You for leading us by Your Spirit and making us Your children and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:14, 17).

You help us to understand what Your will is for our life and You enable us to walk in it (Ephesians 5:17). Remind us to obey Your Spirit and to look to You for the fulfillment of all of our needs.

Thought for the Day:

We serve at the pleasure of our King Jesus, who dwells within us; therefore, we abound in every good work. - 2 Corinthians 9:8

Confidence in Christ Alone

So many Christians still fall into the trap of attempting to gain their esteem through self-effort. We want to feel good about our self, because of the belittling, condescension and criticism we receive. Life positions us for this tendency by giving us praise for our successes, good behavior and accomplishments; and then rejecting or punishing us for our failings.

The good news is that, in Christ, our failings are not failures. They are simply lapses in judgment, over-reactions in a situation or misinformed decisions. The solution to this is to walk in God’s Spirit each moment of the day, with our focus on His direction and not on our human thoughts, plans and goals (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Walking in the Spirit requires thinking with the mind of Christ, rather than relying on our human observations (1 Corinthians 2:16; Galatians 5:15-25). God’s plan for us started before our birth and continues to our last breath (Psalm 139:13-14; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 2:10). At salvation, we died to our human mind-set, and Christ is now our whole life (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3-4; 1 Corinthians 2:3-5).

Through God’s Spirit, we have the ability, confidence, love and self-discipline to live a successful life (2 Timothy 1:7; Proverbs 3:26; Psalm 138:8). Our self-esteem comes from Christ in us, and God’s unconditional love for us. Even during trials, our confidence in God and His promises remain steadfast and true (Hebrews 10:35-36; Matthew 6:34; James 1:12).

We boldly approach God’s throne to receive forgiveness and grace in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). Christ and His Spirit within us strengthen us to walk in God’s will all the days of our life (Philippians 4:13; Acts 1:8). This gives us more confidence than anything we could ever accomplish through our own self-efforts.

Prayer:

Father God, no matter what we face during our lifetime, we have no need to fear, because we rely on Christ in us rather than our human capabilities (1 John 4:18). Even if the most horrendous issue ever known to mankind comes against us, we have confidence in Christ abiding within us (Psalm 27:3). You are with us no matter where we live, what surrounds us or what occurs in our life (Joshua 1:9). We have all of our confidence in You, rather than in our self, because we know that You work out even the negative issues of life for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Thought for the Day:

We find joy, even in the most trying difficulty; because when we pray with gratitude in our heart, surrender to God’s will and have faith in God’s faithfulness, He guards our heart and mind through Christ in the most miraculous ways. - Philippians 4:4-7

A Place of Abiding

We have certain goals in life, which often turn into an idol. We live, dream and breathe these goals, neglecting everything else in our life. 

We even neglect God in the process. This does not really help us to reach our goals, however; and everything starts to unravel after a while.

These idols also cause negative emotions to rise up in our soul. We get grouchy, intolerant and frustrated. We avoid anyone who threatens our agenda. 

Negative emotions are a clue that our soul is out of balance. We are either neglecting some aspect we need, or we are pursuing the wrong goals.

When broken dreams, heart-wrenching desperation, and a loss of appetite and sleep wear us down, we finally come to the end of our own resources. 

We look beyond our human capabilities and we finally trust in the Supreme Ruler of the Universe. God is intimately acquainted with our deepest needs.

God's Spirit cleanses us and accomplishes His will in our world. He will deliver us from our self, and His Spirit will exchange our carnal nature with the divine nature of Christ (2 Peter 1:4). 

When we make Jesus Lord, He always give us more than we could ever imagine. When we totally surrender to the work of God's Spirit in our life, we arrive at the place of abiding.

Prayer:

Father God, bring forth Your Spirit's fruit in our life until we exhibit them to the world around us, instead of the fruit of the flesh (Galatians 5:22-23, 5:19-21). 

Once we surrender our idols, which are causing us to sin, Your intimate presence fully returns to our life. Remind us not to lower Your Word to our level of experience, but to elevate Your Word as life-giving Truth.

Thought for the Day:

Temporary disappointments are not failures, but stepping-stones toward the ultimate mountain top experience of abiding in Christ.

Abiding in Christ

 

Most people just want to live a quiet, normal life. The real question is...what is normal? Jesus promised that in this world we are going to have tribulation, so we can count on experiencing trials. The only way to deal with them is to change our attitude about them. Each interruption to our normal schedule is actually an adventure in Christ and a potential miracle.

Happiness is not the absence of problems. Happiness is knowing God and walking in His precepts. We do not have to rely on another person to help us to make decisions, to feel happy or fulfilled or to be complete. We are already complete through Christ in us (Colossians 2:10). We can minister to our own needs as long as we do not get self-centered with it.

Abiding in Christ means to dwell in Him, to stay connected and to continue to walk by His Spirit’s direction each moment of our day. As we do, we are amazed at His character that is birthed within us, and His perspective on life, which becomes our own. We do not simply obey the dead letter of the law, but we have our Living Lord abiding within us.

At times, we slip back into the flesh. We may be tired, hurt, perplexed, anxious, overworked, unappreciated, neglected or emotionally wounded. We forget all about the Spirit and allowing Him to live and move in and through us. We strike out in the flesh to make the negative experiences go away. However, living in the flesh is unproductive and grieves God’s Spirit.

We need to ask anyone we hurt while we reacted in the flesh to forgive us. The flip side is important too, that we forgive those who hurt us. We do not erase the person’s behavior with forgiveness, but we free our self from the bondage that unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment cause in our own soul. Our healing is facilitated by forgiveness and frees us from past negative experiences.

Prayer:
Father God, You are the one constant in our life (Hebrews 13:8), and You never abandon or disown us (Hebrews 13:5). Your Spirit will give us wisdom in decisions, comfort in grief and direction to keep us in the center of Your daily will for us. You give us Your peace in the middle of horrendous physical and emotional tribulation. As we keep our mind on You, You abide in us and we abide in You (Isaiah 26:3). You heal our heart and give us Your lasting peace and joy.

Thought for the Day:

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead, abides in us. - Romans 8:11

Christ, Who is Our Life

Peace in this world is fleeting and superficial. It depends on our circumstances and the people we are with. However, the peace of God allows us to glide serenely through any trial or difficulty (John 14:27). God’s peace is a fruit of His Spirit and His Spirit is ever present within us (Galatians 5:22-23). His peace is supernatural and everlasting. We cannot understand His peace, but it always guards our heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

The closer to God we live, the harder it is for Satan to attack us. God is our shield, our high tower and our defense (Psalm 28:7). As we hide in Him and clothe our self in His armor (Ephesians 6:10-12), He is with us, even in the depths of hell on earth (Psalm 139:8). He never deserts us or abandons us (Hebrews 13:5). When the fiery darts of Satan attack us, God shelters us through it all (Psalm 91).

The demons of hell are actually powerless against us, because our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Luke 10:20). As we walk in obedience to God, we are surrounded with legions of angels and they protect us from Satan and his demons, as well as any harm man plans to impose on us (2 Kings 6:8-23). God always works everything out for our ultimate good, even if it is to work His nature into our life (Romans 8:28). Without Him, we are hopeless and helpless (John 15:5).

Life is not about us, but about Christ living in and through us (Galatians 2:20). Having Christ as our life is more than enough for us (Colossians 3:4). We live every moment of our life on earth only for the glory of God (Philippians 1:21). We surrender our plans and aspirations to His will for us (Ephesians 2:10). We pray without ceasing by communing with God each moment of the day through His Spirit within us (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is our key to abiding in Christ (John 15:4-7).

Prayer:

Father God, our hope of living in glory lies in the fact that Your Christ lives within us (Colossian 1:27). Our life in You is more than salvation, more than dedication, it is a life where Christ is all we need, as well as in all we say and do (Ephesians 1:22-23). We are one with You in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10). Now, we labor until we see Christ formed in our family, friends, associates and neighbors (Galatians 4:19).

Thought for the Day:

We are partakers of Christ’s divine nature, and one with Him now and for eternity. – 2 Peter 1:4; John 17:23