Godly Intimacy

Through Salvation, we are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, regenerated by His Spirit, sanctified in our soul - our thoughts, choices and emotions - and transformed to walk in a new way of life (1 Peter 1:19; Titus 3:5; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

God gradually draws us to the ultimate realm of intimacy with Him. He enables us to step out of our humanity and to walk in the divine life of the Spirit of God within us (2 Peter 1:4; Galatians 5:15-25).

God's Spirit perfects us from one level of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18). He abides in our spirit, once He justifies our spirit, and then He gradually sanctifies our soul (Romans 6:6; 1 Corinthians 6:11).

As we decrease, Christ in us increases (John 3:30). The world has no more power over us, because we are no longer attracted by it (Galatians 6:14). We are also free from the power of sin.

We do not live to fulfill our passions and goals, but we enjoy our intimacy with God and submit to Christ as He accomplishes His purposes through our life (Galatians 2:20).

We do not even work for God, because we simply allow Christ to live in and through us instead. His truth inspires us and we are compelled by His love (2 Corinthians 5:14, 11:10).

We make Jesus the Lord of our life and follow His Spirit's direction each moment of our life (1 Peter 3:14-15). In our union with the Lord, we are one with Him in Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17).

We live, move and have our being in the power of Christ in us, so that we glorify Him with our every thought, word and deed (Acts 17:28; Philippians 1:19-21). He is all we need.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You so much for teaching us to walk in love, just as Jesus walked in love and sacrificed His life for us. May we reject the temptations of this life and live as a fragrant offering to You instead (Ephesians 5:2).

Remind us that our whole purpose on this earth is Christ, who is our life, and that to leave this world and to enter the next is truly for our advantage (Philippians 1:21; Colossians 3:3-4). We surrender our goals, aspirations and plans to You, and we ask You to guide us in Your will for our life.

Thought for the Day:

From the foundation of the world, Christ gave Himself on the cross according to the will of God, in order to indwell Believers and rescue us from slavery to sin in this evil age.

- Galatians 1:4

We Are All Winners

We are given every opportunity as we grow up from childhood to compete with others in athletics, games, grades, hobbies and even dating. We covet the first place award, and we are so disappointed when we achieve anything less. This drive to reach perfection will drive us into an early grave. It makes us think that we can control our life and the outcome of every endeavor.

We soon learn, through a series of hard knocks, that we cannot control everything. Rather than give us relief, we allow this fact to demean us in our own eyes. We see others who always win; therefore, we must be less in every way than they are. Satan makes sure that we do not recognize that there are many others who are not in first place either.

There can only be one first place winner, and everyone else is second rate at best. Therefore, rather than allowing Satan to accuse us with this fact, allow it to be a comfort, realizing that most people do not achieve first place, but we are all winners if we are IN CHRIST. This way we can rejoice with people who do win, and comfort those who do not.

We have no reason to deride our self or to feel belittled in any way, because even the winners will lose sometimes. They cannot win at everything they try. The real goal is not to win, but to do our best. If you did your best, then no one, not even your self, can expect anything more from you than your best. It is only when we do not do our best that we deserve to come in second best. 

John warns us about the boastful pride of life and points out that this does not come from God, but from the philosophy of the world (1 John 2:16). Satan is the god of this world, and he thinks that he owns the kingdoms of this world. The truth is that God gave the government of the earth to mankind, and Adam relinquished his position by believing Satan’s lie.

We do this same thing every day. We believe Satan’s lies as truth and we discount the Word of God. In truth, King Jesus now has all power and authority both in heaven and on earth. He lives within us and we abide in Him as He abides in us. All the power of the Godhead dwells inside of our spirit; and we can tap into it and share it with the world around us.

Prayer:

Father God, open the eyes of our heart and let us see You. You are high and lifted up and the earth is simply Your footstool (Isaiah 66:1). Teach us that there is nothing in this world that is more valuable than our relationship with You. Remind us that as King’s kids, we are all winners because of what our brother Jesus did for us on Calvary’s cross (Matthew 4:10).

Thought for the Day:

Never think that you can handle life on your own; seek God in all of your circumstances, plans, goals and decisions. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Living in Christ

Righteousness can come from God or from our own soul. The difference is that self-righteousness is birthed from pride and Godly righteousness comes from humility and surrender to God. If we attempt to gain God’s favor by performing holy actions, we fail. All of our human righteousness is like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6). We can do nothing to earn God’s favor or to work our way into heaven. Nothing less than complete surrender to God will do.

We receive God’s righteousness in exchange for our sinfulness, at the moment we repent of our sins and look to Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:3). It is a gift, not something we earn (Romans 3:23). The righteous works of a Believer are simply the evidence of our faith (James 2:14-26), not an attempt to earn God’s acceptance. We only perform the works, which God intended for us to do before we were even born (Ephesians 2:10).

When the Holy Spirit governs our behavior, our works endure and we receive rewards for them on judgment day. When our human flesh directs our works, they are wasted energy and simply burned up on the day of judgment (1 Corinthians 3:15). Although we are still saved, we do not receive rewards for these works, because they are not done in obedience, but by the flesh, which is enmity against God (Romans 8:7).

God created each of us for a purpose, and only these works will survive the test of God’s consuming fire (Ephesians 2:10). When we abide in Christ, we dwell continually in His presence. The Holy Spirit gives us the character, nature and perspective of Jesus, which replaces our carnal persona (2 Corinthians 3:18). God does not give us a list of rules to adhere to, which is the law. But He gives us a whole new way of life in Christ as co-heirs and children of the King.

Prayer:

Father God, You call us to live IN Christ, not FOR Christ. You want Christ to live through us, so that we will accomplish Your will in the earth and bring forth the fulfillment of Your Kingdom. Create a new heart and renew a right spirit in us (Psalm 51:10). We acknowledge Your holiness and stand in awe of You in Your presence (Isaiah 29:23). You formed and made us from the dust of the earth, and we are created for Your glory, not our own (Isaiah 43:7).

Thought for the Day:

God chose us in Christ, holy and blameless in His sight, before the earth was ever formed. – Ephesians 1:4

The Kingdom of God

The Kingdom of God is within every authentic Believer through Christ who dwells in us (Luke 17:21). As we seek His Kingdom first in the course of our day, He provides everything we need to live a Godly and spiritually successful life (Matthew 6:33). His Kingdom reaches far beyond our carnal vision and human wisdom to the eternal realm. 

In His Kingdom, we live in sweet delight with God’s presence within us. We permanently remain in this spiritual state of being, regardless of our circumstances, because Jesus gave His life to provide us with His abundant life both now and in eternity (John 10:10).

God’s Word is referred to as a seed (Luke 8:11). When we sow His truth into our spirit, we reap His good fruit in our body and soul – our mind, choices and emotions – as well.  When God waters the seed, we gain the increase (Isaiah 55:10-11). God’s laws are based on the idea of sowing and reaping. 

If we sow carnality, we reap destruction. If we sow righteousness, we reap God’s blessings (Mark 4:26-28). The idea of falling back into the realm of the temporal flesh is repugnant and distasteful to us. Therefore, we run to His fountain of life, which is constantly supplying all of our needs.

Other religions imitate a facsimile of the transcendental state we achieve by God’s Spirit, but theirs comes by reprogramming the human soul, rather than a rebirth of one’s spirit. Their spirit is still dead in sin (Romans 8:6). 

Even the noblest, most generous person without Christ still lacks Jesus, the essential ingredient to possess eternal life. Their rituals create an emotional and mental cocoon, which makes them feel as if they are fully alive. They use the practice of meditation to still the turmoil of their soul. However, these humanistic methods only provide partial freedom from the cares of this life.

Only Christ in us can completely overcome sin’s temptation and its results in our life, in order to provide us with eternal life. The Kingdom of God is Christ in us. His presence surrounds both our spirit and our soul (Luke 17:20-21). 

Through Him, our soul is raptured into His Kingdom and we transcend the cares and issues of the human sphere and dwell instead in Christ’s divine life within us. Our soul is no longer plagued by worldly cares. God transports us by His Spirit into His eternal rest (Hebrews 4:3). This results in deep quietude and abiding satisfaction, which is full of the joy of the Lord.

Prayer:

Father God, there is no economic summit, council of world peace or humanistic effort that can bring equality to everyone and meet all of our human and spiritual needs. Our only hope is to see You usher in the fulfillment of Your Kingdom on the earth. We thank You for providing the fullness of Your Kingdom in our hearts now. We look forward to the day when Your Kingdom rules all the kingdoms and nations of this world.

Thought for the Day:

Every human being hungers for the Kingdom of God to take root within them, even if they have no idea what it is or what to call it.