Our True Reality is in Christ

There is no need for us to frequent the "self-help" shelf at the library or bookstore, because the Holy Spirit is changing us through His sanctifying process, until we come to the fullness of Christ in us (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When we come to the end of our self, God's Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, becomes our comforter, guide, wisdom, encourager and the voice of Christ, who also dwells in us by His Spirit, as our way, truth and life (Colossians 3:4; John 14:6).

Christ in us is not a separate entity from who we are. He is as much of an integral part of us as He is to our Father God (John 17:21). Living in the center of God's will is the happiest place on earth.

We surrender the control of our life over to God, because to think that we actually have any control over our life is ludicrous! Life happens and is always out of our control.

Just as Jesus did nothing of Himself, we follow His example. We die to our self and trust only in God. We live in union as one person with Christ in us. He is our whole life (Colossians 3:4).

The sooner we come to this place of total surrender to the will of God, content in the circumstance which He provides (Philippians 4:11), the freer and more joyfully we experience each day, captivated by His Spirit and His will.

As we decrease in our desires and control over our life, He will increase His control and put His desires in our heart (John 3:30; Psalm 37:4). Christ in us is our only true reality now and in eternity.

We are dead, and He now lives in and through us (Colossians 4:3-4). There are no formulas to follow, no effort on our part, no striving or quoting Bible verse, which can make this happen.

We simply surrender all to Him by letting go of our anxiety, negative emotions and idols, which imprison us, and letting God have His way in our life.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for revealing to us that this life in not about us; it is totally and abundantly about You in us (Colossians 1:27). You free us from bondage to the devil, the world and the flesh; and You allow us to walk intimately with Your Trinity abiding within us (Galatians 5:15-25).

Surrendering to Your rest is the only step we need to take to enter into this union life with You (Hebrews 4:10-11). We stop our stress, strain and list-making and follow Your Spirit during each moment of our day. When we walk in the center of Your will we find true peace, joy and rest in Your Spirit (Romans 14:17).

Thought for the Day:

It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me, because we are unified as one being; He is the head and I am the body, which He uses for His glory. - Colossians 3:3-4

Living In God's Presence

Many people are too busy to hear the call of God's Spirit within them to abide alone in His presence and to come and rest a little while. We fill our days and nights with chores and activities, and then sit in front of the TV or radio if we have a moment to spare! 

We also have texting, instant messages, and social media to keep us occupied; sometimes, even after we turn off the light and go to bed! God's Spirit is calling us to cease from our labors and to enter into God's rest (Hebrews 4:1-10). 

God captivates us and draws us closer to Him with each passing day. He calls us to wait on Him and to luxuriate in His holiness, love, peace and joy. In our spirit, we experience the delights of fellowshipping with the Spirit of the King of Kings. We focus only on God and tune out the world around us.

Our desire for intimacy with God increases daily. In our quiet times, He reveals to us the truths of His Word and the answers to our questions. We choose to make our self available to service in any area, which God highlights for us to do. 

We live in more and more victory over sin and more peace in our soul (Isaiah 26:3). The angel of the Lord camps all around us to protect and care for us (Psalm 34:7). The divine nature of Christ replaces the carnal nature of our humanity (2 Peter 1:4). 

We are more spiritually minded and we care less about the aspects of this world. We sit at Jesus' feet and soak up His presence, even if we sit in companionable silence. We eventually physically leave this place of solitude, but we remain there spiritually through each moment of the day.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that we can come to the place where we live in Your presence and never leave. We can carpool the children, give our boss 100% of our effort, provide for our family and nurture our mate as we dwell under the shadow of Your wings. 

We can view life's disappointments, heartbreaks and successes from Your eyes and react to life's stresses with Your character rather than our human nature.You fill our entire being with Your presence and You make us Yours forevermore.

Thought for the Day:

We continually remain in God's presence each moment of the day and walk in His Spirit to accomplish the works, which He calls us to perform. -  Ephesians 2:10

Drawing Near to God

 

The natural world in which we live, and everyone in it, is held captive by sin. However, through faith in Jesus Christ we are given God's promised salvation (Galatians 3:22-23). Now, with a sincere heart, we can draw near to God. Our mind, sprinkled by the blood of Christ, is cleansed from a guilty conscience and the pure water of God's Word washes us clean (Hebrews 10:22).

We can only abide in God after we first seek Him and His Kingdom, and live in the truth that He lives in and through us. He will never, ever, for any reason leave us (Hebrews 13:5). As we wait on Him day by day, He grants us the grace to abide in Him. We rejoice in His fellowship and we work in His power. We completely give up our self to Him and live by faith in His faithfulness.

God allows trials to test our faith, which increases our perseverance through them (James 1:3). Thankfully, Jesus is both the developer and the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). Even the prophets of old knew that the righteous live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4: Romans 1:17). Since Jesus' faith and Spirit abide within us, we multiply the works of Christ on this earth (John 14:12).

The core truths of God's Word energize the authentic Christian and thrill our soul. First and foremost, we wait on the Lord, we live in His presence continually and we enter into His eternal rest on a daily basis. Once we completely surrender to Christ, God takes us up spiritually into His Holy Temple (2 Corinthians 5:1). We abide in His rest, and all of our work on earth is done only through Him.

Prayer:

Father God, even if other people refuse to believe in You, their unbelief does not make our faith in You worthless (Romans 3:3). Through the blood of Jesus, we become Your righteousness, and You wipe away our sins through Your love and forbearance (Romans 3:25). Help us not to grow weary or to lose faith in Your promises, but to remain strong in Christ's faith in us, as we give You all of the glory (Romans 4:20).

Thought for the Day:

We are justified and reconciled to God by faith, not by our own good deeds. - Romans 3:28, 4:14; Ephesians 2:8-9