God's Fullness - Abiding in God's Presence

Any area of our life, which we do not surrender to God, holds us back from receiving the fullness of His presence. Negative emotions are the indicators of areas to which we are still clinging.

When we feel negative, we can inspect our soul to discover the root of the issues. We may need to repent of our attitude or actions, to forgive our self or someone else, or to change our focus about this issue until it no longer bothers us.

Total surrender opens the windows of heaven to fill our life with all of God's fullness and blessings. Obeying God's Word and walking in the Spirit are the steps for success in our journey through sanctification (Galatians 5:15-25).

As we yield to God's will, we learn that He always works out everything - even the most painful human experience - for our ultimate good, if we will only relinquish our plans and embrace His will (Matthew 13: 44-46).

Satan will attempt to hinder us with his lies, fear of the unknown, grudges over past treatment, and carnal desires that thwart God's purposes in our life.

However, Christ in us is greater than Satan and his demons (1 John 4:4). We are filled with God through Christ in us. He fills us with his holiness, peace and joy as He fills us with His Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

We realize that we are simply stewards of all the material blessings, which God gives us; and if we use then as He directs us, He will give us more, and often something better to use and share.

As we grasp the immensity of God's love, we live and walk in His presence, giving preference to His will in our life, rather than pursuing our own goals, dreams and desires.

We have no greater desire than to be used by God to further His Kingdom in this earth and to take as many people to heaven with us who will humble their pride and surrender their life to Him too.

Prayer:

Father God, show us the reality of Your presence indwelling within us (Matthew 28:20). Thank You for walking through the trials of this life with us, giving us green pastures and still waters, and restoring our soul (Psalm 23:1-2).

Remind us not to have faith in what we want You to do for us, but to have faith to do what You want us to do for You. Help us to focus on Your will and to understand that the prayer that never fails is, "Lord, not my will, but Yours be done on earth, in my life and in Heaven." (Matthew 6:10)

Thought for the Day:

The intense focus of God’s heart is to live as one with us, just as He is one with Jesus. - John 17:22:23

Eternal Connection

Prior to Jesus’ death on Calvary’s cross, no one had the privilege of Christ dwelling in them. Only those of us born in this dispensation of time have this blessing of union with Christ (Colossians 1:25-27). This is one of God’s mysteries, because it seems impossible for all of us to have Christ in us at the same time. However, this occurs by God’s Spirit dwelling within every Born Again Believer as one Body (1 Corinthians 6:17; 1 Corinthians 12:27).

We are no longer two separate beings. Jesus dwells in us and we dwell in Him. He functions through us as one entity. We are one spirit with Him (John 17:21). The entire power and majesty of the Godhead dwells in Christ and He dwells in us (Colossians 2:9). Our carnal humanity is replaced with His divinity within us, which manifests through the process of sanctification (Romans 8:9; Galatians 2:20).

Jesus changes our whole life. We fellowship with other Believers and enjoy Jesus in them (1 John 1:7). We feed on His Word. We depend upon His fullness in us (Proverbs 30:5). We tithe of the first fruits of our income to increase the ministry of His Kingdom on the earth (2 Chronicles 31:5). We praise Him with our whole heart, because He inhabits our praises (Psalm 22:3). No exercise or ritual can bring us closer to Him than we already are.

As we stop relying our self and others, and trust in God instead, we grow in faith with a new perspective on trials (John 3:30). Now, we experience trials as adventures ending in God’s special miracles, tailored just for us. There is no need to draw any closer to the God of the universe, who is sitting on His throne in Heaven, because this same Christ is eternally connected with each Born Again Believer.

In our union with Christ, we live, move and have our entire being and identity in Christ, who is our whole life (Acts 17:28; Colossians 3:3-4). He is now the central focus of our choices. We are not autonomous any more, which also means that we are no longer afraid, insecure, lonely, unhappy and unfulfilled. We follow God’s plan for our life, and we exemplify His nature to the world around us (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:4).

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that we are no longer the focus of our life. We no longer live to amass worldly goods and prestige for our self. We live only for Your honor and glory. Regardless of our lot in life, we are forever linked with the almighty power of Your Godhead dwelling within us in complete fellowship. We are Your children and Your Spirit leads us moment by moment throughout the day (Romans 8: 14).

Thought for the Day:

We are dwelling in Christ, and He is in perfect union in us. - John 15:4

A New Nature

Jesus learned obedience through the things, which He suffered, just as we do (Hebrews 5:8). He dealt with the common curse of His pesky human flesh all the way to cross, just as we do (Hebrews 4:15). He laid down His human life on Calvary’s cross and came forth from the grave in His immortal glory, just as we will, once He returns for His Bride (1 Corinthians 15:54). We receive our redemption through His blood, and we gain the indwelling of His Holy Spirit through His resurrection and ascension.

When we come to intimately know the living Lord, we start to experience eternal life right here on this earth (John 17:3). He gives us the love, which God gives to Him (John 17:26). We live in this world, just as God sent Jesus into the world, to accomplish God’s will for our lives (John 17:18, 20). At the same time, Jesus gives us a new nature and makes us holy (John 17:17-19; Colossians 3:10). The Spirit teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live disciplined, holy and Godly lives, not by our own self-efforts, but through Christ Jesus within us (Titus 2:12).

Slowly, the Spirit changes us from glory to glory until people see Jesus when they look at us (2 Corinthians 3:18). In Christ all the fullness of the triune God dwells and Jesus dwells in us, at the same time that we are in Him (Colossians 2:9; Romans 6:8). We are united to the triune God through Christ. Our spirit is infused with power through His Spirit, and Christ lives in and through us (Ephesians 3:16-17). Since Christ is in us, even though our body is dying, His Spirit gives us His life (Romans 8:10). We have supernatural strength regardless of how we feel in body and soul.

When Jesus moves into our spirit, we walk by the direction of His Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25). Following the leading of God’s Spirit moment by moment throughout the day results in physical productivity, a healthy mental and emotional life, spiritual power and material blessings that we cannot even imagine! We submit our negative thoughts to the Lordship of Jesus Christ for healing. We even lay down our positive thoughts; and, instead, take up His thoughts as our own (Philippians 2:5). We submit our will to His will. Out of God’s glorious riches, He provides all of our needs (Philippians 4:19; Matthew 6:33).

Rather than to spend our financial blessings on frivolous amusements and earthly treasures that are here today, but gone tomorrow, we actually prefer to donate to our local church and to missionaries doing the work of the Lord. This makes the fruit of our labor last into eternity; 1 Corinthians 1:9, 6:17; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Ephesians 1:3-14, 4:32, 5:22-33; Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 15:28). When Christ is foremost in our thoughts and we pray about His order for our day, even cleaning the house, tending the children, working in the secular world, ministering at church, preparing meals and spending time with our family is the result of a spirit-filled life.

Prayer:

Father God, You love us so much and You reveal Yourself to us in a multitude of ways all throughout the day (John 14:21).  We often get too busy to even notice Your blessings. We spend our time so absorbed in our own plans and the issues in front of us, that we fail to see Your provision and direction for us in the midst of it all. However, You continually give us exceedingly great and precious promises of salvation, for the purpose of us partaking in Your divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). You sanctify our heart of flesh and give us Your Spirit to perfect us. As we keep our focus on Your glory within us, we are transformed into the likeness of Christ with ever increasing holiness, which comes from the sanctifying work of Your Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2).

Thought for the Day:

We have the potential of becoming spiritual beings in a carnal world, because of the divine power and authority of Christ in us. - 1 Corinthians 15:48



Thank you, Peter Dehart, for the use of your photo.