Christ's Divine Life in Us

The Trinity originally created mankind in their image (Genesis 1:6). Adam and Eve enjoyed an existence of body, soul and spirit in close fellowship with the Father. They maintained the same divine nature, which Christ exhibited.

Yet, when they believed Satan's lies, they chose to ignore their divine nature and to give in to Satan's temptation of their human nature instead. As a result, their spirit died; and at birth, our spirit is also dead in sin.

This did not take God by surprise. He already knows the end of time from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). That is why, before He created the world, He planned to become Emmanuel (Genesis 1:1; Matthew 1:23).

He paid the ransom for the sin debt (Romans 4:25, 5:6) of anyone who will choose to submit to His will, rather than to our human desires or the devil's temptations (John 3:16-18).

God's Spirit regenerates our spirit and sanctifies our soul so that we will live in the divine nature of Christ in us, rather than through our human nature with its carnal thoughts and desires (2 Peter 1:4; John 1:1, 12-14).

This is possible, because our spirit is Born Again. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20; Romans 12:2, 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). We live, move and have our existence in Christ alone (Acts 17:28).

The life, which we live in this body, is lived through the faith of God's holy Son (Galatians 2:20). We are united with Christ in our spirit, just as Jesus' humanity was united with God, while He lived on this earth.

We continue the work of Christ and we do greater works, as we function as His Body (John 3:3-6, 14:12). We think, feel, speak and act in the will of God as we follow the leading of His Spirit through every decision we make and every action we take (Proverbs 3:5-6).

This affects our behavior and words in our vocation, marriage, family, neighborhood and church Body. We live as a city on a hill, and we never hide the light of Christ within us or darken it by sin (Matthew 5:14-16).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for helping us to renew our mind through the washing of the water of Your Word (Ephesians 5:26). Since Christ set us free from sin, then help us to stay free from its destructive clutches (Galatians 5:1).

Teach us how to walk in the divine nature of Christ in us. Help us to live and move and have our being in Him, so that we can walk in Your will, exhibit Your character and do the works of Christ all the days of our life.

Thought for the Day:

Even though our body will die, because of the sin that curses this world, God's Spirit gives our soul His divine life as He resides within our regenerated spirit once He justifies us through salvation in Christ. - Romans 8:10

Three Warning Signs

The doctor takes a blood test, which informs him of our health issues. We have the choice to heed his advice, or to ignore it and reap the consequences. We often look in a mirror and see the stress in our soul reflected in our face; yet we do nothing about it. There are spiritual signs in our life too, which let us know that our spirit is dead in Adam’s sin (Romans 5:15).

If we ignore these three warning signs, we will perish (John 3:18). We fail to believe the blood test, the signs of stress in our face or the spiritual death of our spirit within, and we continue to live life after our own plans and goals. We struggle to find true happiness, and we neglect what is important in life to pursue the trappings of this world.

God calls everyone to come to Christ for His redeeming life. The Word of God will alert Believers in this same way. It informs us that our spirit is sick from our sin. If we surrender to God, He gives us an entirely new life. We will stop pursuing fleshly desires and worldly gain, which make us spiritually unhealthy. People see a difference in our life and they want that same blessed lifestyle, which we found in Christ.

Connected to the Vine of Christ, we produce the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We magnify the Lord in our thoughts, words and behavior, and God blesses us for our faithfulness to Him (Psalm 35:27). He wants us to come to Him with our needs and to ask Him to meet them. When we do, we receive His overwhelming love and His generous provision (John 16:24; Matthew 6:33).

Prayer:

Father God, until we completely surrender to You, we do not realize that Your plan for our life is absolutely perfect (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 139). True significance, peace, satisfaction and success are ours, even if none of our humanistic goals are ever achieved. We feel Your Fatherly pleasure in us, and this love and acceptance mean more to us than anything this world can offer. We never have to wonder if You have a minute to listen to us, because You have a whole lifetime full of them.

Thought for the Day: 

If we pay attention to the guidance of Your Spirit within us, and walk away from our sinful lifestyle, we find spiritual life as well as physical energy, joy and clarity in our soul. - 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Our Divine Identity

 

 

Human beings are born with a body and soul, which are alive, but our spirit is dead on arrival. Our spirit is buried under the layers of generational sin since the time of Adam and Eve (Ephesians 2:1-5). Our living soul – our mind, will and emotions – is fragile and often fails under the weight of life. Circumstances beat us down relentlessly.

Our dead spirit and our unhealthy soul affect our body as well. Without Christ as our Savior we are crippled in life. We search relentlessly to find the missing piece, which will make us whole. What we lack is the vital power of God. No one is intrinsically good except God (Mark 10:18). Therefore, we need Christ to move into our life.

Once we come to Christ we are totally complete in Him (Colossians 2:9-10). Jesus is our only way, truth and life (John 14:6). We have no meaningful existence without Him (2 Corinthians 13:5). He lives through us, making good choices, which last for eternity (Colossians 3:3). He anoints us with His Holy Spirit and power (Acts 10:38).

We live, move and have our existence only in Jesus (Act 17:28). Christ actually does the work of God through us (Romans 12:15; Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:27). Our true identity as Authentic Christians comes from Christ living in us and expressing God’s character through us (Hebrews 13:20; Galatians 5:22-23).

We are all united with Christ in His Body. He uses us as individual members, each with unique gifts and talents. We work in ministries both to a corporate, church Body and to the dying world around us. God equips us to walk in His will through Christ in us. We live to fulfill His eternal purpose with our life (Matthew 11:29; Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, You give us Your eternal life, which no one can take from us (John 10:28). We are unified with You, and we are beneficiaries of Your divine will (1 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Peter 1:4). We have constant fellowship with You, Your Son and Your Spirit (1 John 1:3, 9; Phil 2:1). Thank You for seating us in heavenly places in Your Son (1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 2:6). We give You all the praise, honor and glory.

Thought for the Day:

Any identity not centered in Christ is merely temporary and fleeting.

 

A Triune Being

As a triune Being, God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To give you an idea of how three beings make up one God consider these: One man is a boy, a father and a grandfather. One apple is skin, flesh and core. A triangle had three points, but is one shape. One basketball is a leather exterior, an inner tube and air. A human being is triune: one person with a body, soul and spirit.

Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedient choices, their spirit died. They still had a body and soul, but they carried around a dead spirit within them. Now, we are all born with a dead spirit within us. Our soul – our mind, will and emotions – finds sustenance and joy in this life; but something is always missing. Our spirit is dead and it wants to be reborn.

The only way for our spirit to be Born Again is to end our willful lifestyle and to totally surrender our body and soul to Jesus Christ (John 3:1-21). Many times people come to God to receive His benefits, especially during emotional and/or physical crisis in our life. We are grateful to Him for His solace and provision and we attempt to serve Him. We get religious for a while.

Eventually, when we recover from our crisis, we decide we are strong enough on our own and we do not need God anymore. What happened at this time is that our soul reached out to God. We embraced Him with our whole mind, will and emotions. We looked to Him as a benevolent Father and we took advantage of His generosity, mercy and grace.

However, our spirit was still dead in sin. That dead spirit, like a millstone around our neck (Matthew 18:6), drug us back down into Satan’s domain, and he made sure that we felt secure and settled in our new place in society.

Conversely, if we ever completely fall upon the Rock of Christ (Matthew 21:44; Psalm 18:2), we no longer live for our self, but for the glory and honor of our King. We receive all of the rights and privileges of a King’s kid; and we serve in God’s army to win the lost and to help to save them from a destructive, degenerate life.

Prayer:
Father God, unless we totally embrace You and Your Word, we will never find the total peace we seek or the fulfillment we desire on this earth. Our eternal destination does not depend on our goodness or corruptness, but on our belief or unbelief. Remind us that if we choose not to believe in and surrender totally to You, we condemn our self to a mediocre life on earth and the flames of hell for eternity (John 3:18).

Thought for the Day:

Unless you completely accept all of the Bible’s Words, God’s gift to us, as the only Truth in life, you will be constantly pulled by other ideologies, with which Satan floods the earth.

Are You a Child of God?

 

Many people believe that everyone is a child of God. However, the Bible tells us just the opposite. We are born in Adam’s sin and our spirit is dead. We are children of the devil. If we live a sinful lifestyle, we are not born of God; and, therefore, we are not children of God (1 John 3:8-10). Children think and act as their father thinks and acts. Who are you emulating with your thoughts and behavior? You say that you are a good person, but this concept goes deeper.

Do you live for the pleasures of the day or are you focused on eternal matters? Do you spend your time and money pursuing the world or investing in God’s glory? Are you led by your fleshly, carnal desires or for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God? I do not mean that you have no times of fun to lighten your soul, but what type of fun do you partake in? Is it in decadence and sin or in enjoying God’s creation and wholesome fun?

Do you give God an hour of your time a week, or do you seek Him in all of your ways (Proverbs 3:5-6)? Are your thoughts and actions in harmony or in perpetual discord with God’s intentions (Revelations 15:3; Isaiah 35:8; Ephesians 2:10)? Are you continually dissatisfied, or do you find Your joy in the Lord (Isaiah 61:10-11)? When God is calling us to Himself, He allows trials to drive us to the cross. He wants us to realize the futility of our rebellion.

God may allow sickness in our life when we strive for health, opposition when we desire harmony or debt when we want financial stability, etc. He does not do this out of a perverse sense of humor or to harm us in any way (Jeremiah 29:11); but to wake us up to our powerlessness to control our life, and to see that His infinite ways are higher and better than our finite human ways (Isaiah 55:9). He wants us to realize the truth that only in Him do we find ultimate safety and provision (Psalm 34:7, 91:1-11).

Prayer:

Father God, even if we conquer the world in our lifetime, we still must face eternity alone. Help us to realize that only in You do we find complete peace and fulfillment (Hebrews 13:5; Psalm 86:13, 138:8). Show us that walking with You requires union with You in body and soul, as well as in spirit. We must be Born Again (John 3:1-7). We find no ultimate peace in this life, unless we trust in You alone (Psalm 31).

Thought for the Day:

Even in times of insecurity and stress, we remain calm and assured in the arms of God. - Psalm 31:21