Divinity Dwelling within Us

God dwells in His children by the new birth we receive from Christ through Salvation (John 1:12). He rejoices as we grow in the knowledge of our salvation (1 John 3:2), but He waits for our realization that we are also the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Once we begin to submit to the Spirit for sanctification of our flesh, then He teaches us about the divinity of Christ, which dwells within us (Galatians 2:20).

We are not separate from Christ, obeying Him in our own power. He permanently dwells in us and expresses Himself through us (Colossians 3:3).

We are children of His death, but we are also children of His resurrection (Luke 20:36). We are transformed into Christ’s image in ever-increasing increments of glory, which come from the Lord’s Spirit.

Then, as unveiled mirrors, we reflect to the world the glory of the Lord within us (2 Corinthians 3:18). In our daily life, as His Spirit molds us into His image, we experience and express all of the attributes of God because He is within us (Romans 8:29).

Jesus gives us the glory that God gave Him, so that we are one with our triune God, just as they are one (John 17:22). If we do not recognize this divine power within us, then we will never live up to our full potential as Christians.

Jesus’ sacrifice enables us to share in His divine nature and to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil human desires (2 Peter 1:4).

As we mature, we attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ who dwells within us (Ephesians 3:16-19). We put on our new self, shaped by the Spirit to be like God, with all of His virtues and holiness within us (Ephesians 4:13,24).

Prayer:

Father God, we often limit our understanding of life to what we perceive through our five senses. We also rely heavily only on what our human mind envisions. We ignore the supernatural and the eternal aspects of Christ within us.

Therefore, we hinder the expression of Your power in and through us. Remind us that You impart Your Spirit to us in order to allow the glorious nature of Christ in us the freedom of expression through us (Colossians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 12:27).

 

Thought for the Day:

With Christ in us, it does not matter where we live, with whom we live or even if we live alone; Christ’s presence within us rises above the limitations of this earthly realm and our circumstances in it.

Messengers of God's Love

 

God abides within every one of His children. He makes His presence known to us in our spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The intimacy of His presence within us fills our heart with peace and joy as we focus our mind on Him (Isaiah 26:3). Regardless of the tribulation we endure, we can recognize God's hand in it. He uses our trials for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28).

Trials are God's messengers of love, preparing us for what we will face in the future, building Godly character in our soul - our mind, choices and feelings - and proving to us the extent of His power and love for us. We can accept testing without reservation as God's emissary of love. When we are the weakest, then we are the strongest in Him.

We glory in our limitations, because then the power of God can work in and through us (2 Corinthians 12:9-11). As we wait on the Lord each moment of the day, His Spirit guides us and prepares the way for us (Isaiah 40:31). We can continually abide in God's presence. He never withdraws from us; it is our sin, which separates us from Him (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Yet, repentance brings forgiveness and restores our fellowship with our Lord and King. As we dwell in Christ, He keeps us safe (Psalm 27:5). Therefore, we can rejoice in our trials, knowing that they are only temporary (James 1:2; 1 Peter 1:6). We rejoice because our hope is in Christ alone, regardless of the circumstances occurring in our life.

God's Spirit helps us to be patient during our tribulation, especially as we constantly pray throughout the trial (Romans 12:12). We can take heart and walk in peace, because Christ in us overcomes the trials through us (John 16:33), and nothing can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39). This life is only worth living if we live it in God's will and way.

Prayer:

Father God, allow Your Holy Spirit to fill us through our entire being with the fullest amount of your divine Presence, so that we are completely overflowing with all of Your spiritual richness (Ephesians 3:19). Let Your Spirit dwell in us and lead us in Your paths throughout our life. In every trial, You hide us in the shelter of Your tabernacle and You set our feet high on the Rock of Christ (Psalm 18:2).

Thought for the Day:

The Lord will rescue us from all of our trials. - 2 Peter 2:9

 

True Self-Worth

 

Paul tells us to work out our own salvation, but then turns right around in the very next verse and reminds us that it is God who gives us both the power and the desire to obey Him. With Christ within us, He does all things through us with His strength (Philippians 4:11-13). He gives power to the weak, and renews our strength until we rise up like eagles on the wind of His Spirit (Ephesians 6:10; Isaiah 40:29, 31). When our soul – our mind, will and emotions – melts from the heat of trials, God strengthens us with His Word (Psalm 119:28).

Spiritual pride is a source of haughtiness and self-confidence. We inflate with self-importance and brag foolishly about our accomplishments. On the other hand, the humble boast in the Lord, realizing that everything they produce is the direct result of the Spirit’s direction and provision in their life (Psalm 34:2). They give God praise and adoration all day long for every blessing and even the trials, which He provides (Psalm 44:8; James 1:2-12). When other people praise the humble, they appreciate the encouragement, but they give all the glory to God (Proverbs 27:1-2).

We may lose a battle, but Jesus already won the war on Calvary’s cross. We may have momentary failings, but we have no permanent failures. Belittling our self is always easy, yet has no positive results (1 John 3:20). God teaches us the secret of contentment in any situation. We work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, by realizing that God works in us, and instead of us, as He births within us with the desire, ability, power and strength to walk by His Spirit’s direction in the exact center of God’s will (Philippians 4:12-13).

Those with Godly self-worth freely admit to our faults and our negative choices. We realize that blaming someone else is useless and stunts our spiritual progress. We will never grow in Christ if we do not take responsibility for our own actions. God gives us all of the talents and abilities we need to live as good stewards for His glory. He wants us to realize our limitations, however, and to volunteer to meet only those needs for which His Spirit directs us. He only equips us for the activities He wants to accomplish through us.

There is no more condemnation in the life of an authentic Christian Believer (Romans 8:1-2). We merely need to repent of our mistakes and believe that He is the God who rewards everyone who diligently seeks Him (Hebrews 11:6). God has mercy on us according to His unfailing love and endless compassion. He blots out our transgressions, washes away our iniquities and cleanses us from all of our sins (Psalm 51:1-2). This gives us true Godly self-worth.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for exchanging Your righteousness for our sins, and Your holiness for our ungodly thoughts and behavior. Occasionally, we may continue to do bad things, but that does not mean we are bad people. You faithfully forgive every sin we confess and sanctify us from any ungodly behavior (1 John 1:9-10). As long as we walk by Your Spirit’s direction throughout our day, we will accomplish the works You called us to do.

Thought for the Day:

God’s Spirit dispells our feelings of defeat and doubt, and gives us the faith to move mountains. – Matthew 17:20

 

Something to Crow About

 

Whenever you find yourself unhappy, put on your praise music in the car or at home. Dance around the house as you do your chores, or fill the car with praises sung to the Lord as loud as your heart desires. This is an opportunity to worship God without distraction. Lay your cares at His feet. Reject Satan's whispered lies in your thoughts that discourage and depress you. God provided for you throughout your life. Praise Him for His blessings. Then, thank God that you possess only what He wants you to have. 

If you are lonely, realize that actually you can still be alone with a mate or in a crowd. If you need people, God will send them to help you at just the right time. However, you are never alone as long as Christ lives within you. Do not just spend time with the Lord, or even most of the day with the Lord. Spend all 1440 moments of the day and night with Him, listening to His Spirit's encouragement, counsel and direction. Rejoice in God’s continual provision for all of your needs. Rest in Him as you pray and read His Word. Obey His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day (Psalm 46:10).

A gardener cuts the branch from one tree and splices it to the trunk of another. This brokenness then transforms the tree and the branch with new life. New colors and shapes infuse the flowers on the tree because of the splice. God splices us into the Vine of Christ. He is the source of our true self-worth. Our self-worth does not come from what we have, who we are or what we do, but from our relationship with God, and His Christ (Colossians 3:3-4). He makes us kings, priests and saints, as well as co-heirs with His Son, Jesus Christ (). Now that is something to crow about!

Our body, soul and spirit each have their own place and function in our life. God gave us the ability to make choices, to admit to the consequences of the result of those choices, to realize our limitations without putting our self down, and to recognize our gifts and talents without taking the glory for them. When our physical desires as well as our thoughts, choices and emotions are subject to God’s Spirit, we start to reflect the fruit of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our goal for completion in Christ is fulfilled step by step throughout our life.

Prayer:

Father God, Jesus died to give us a full life (John 10:10). However, the busyness of life interferes with our relationship with You. Remind us to rise above the distractions of this world to unite our life completely with you. Then, You can live and move and have Your being within us, just as we live and move and have our being in You (Acts 17:28). Help us to seek Your Kingdom first and to live in righteousness, rejoicing in Your provision for our every need (Matthew 6:33).

Thought for the Day:

Jesus did not tell us to seek His Kingdom along with everything else in life, but to seek Him first.

God Is Our Help

Paul tells us to work out our own salvation, but turns right around in the very next verse and reminds us that it is God who gives us both the desire and the power to obey Him. Christ strengthens us to do all things as we walk in the Spirit each moment of the day (Philippians 4:11-13). He gives power to the weak, and renews our strength until we rise up like eagles on the wings of His Spirit (Ephesians 6:10; Isaiah 40:29, 31). When our spirit, body or soul – our mind, choices and emotions – melt from the heat of various trials, God strengthens us with His Word (Psalm 119:28).

There is a pre-requisite, however. God tells us to love Him with ALL of our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). Then He gives us His love to share with the world around us. His grace is totally sufficient for us, and His strength is made perfect in our limitations. Therefore, we can actually boast in our weakness as Paul did, because the power of Christ overcomes them. We can also take pleasure in our trials and tribulation, because when we are weak, He is strong within us (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

When we come to God in our hardships and suffering, He helps us to feel joyful in them (James 1:2). He guides us on a straight path because of our enemies (Psalm 27:11). He helps us to rise above our circumstances and to see His purposes in them (Philippians 1:19). They turn from drudgery into an adventure! God uses our suffering and loss to perfect us, just as He did in Jesus’ life. Like Jesus, we learn obedience from the things, which we suffer (Hebrews 5:8).

There is no evil or hardship in this world that did not originate with a selfish choice on the part of some human being. Sin is the source of all wickedness in life, beginning in the Garden of Eden. God counteracts our suffering when we trust in Him with all of our heart (Psalm 147:3). He provides us with strength and refuge in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1). There is no need for us to entertain fearful or depressing thoughts over our circumstances, because God’s joy becomes our strength through them (Nehemiah 8:10; Isaiah 12:2).

God bends His ear down to hear our prayers (Psalm 116:2). He is never far from us, and He always hastens to help us, even when His timing is not as fast as we would like it to be (Psalm 22:19). When the fiery darts of Satan try to pierce us, God is our shield. Our heart is secure, as it trusts in Him, because He always rescues us and enables us to prosper. His provision gives us joy and fills our heart with songs of praise for Him (Psalm 28:7-8, 118:14).

Prayer:

Lord God, be gracious to us as we wait upon You. Search us and show us if there is any sin in our life separating us from complete, intimate communion with You. Thank You for giving us Your strength with each new morning and saving us in our times of trouble (Isaiah 33:2; Isaiah 40:29-31). You give us stable passage as You call us to walk among the mountain tops with You (Habakkuk 3:19). We give You all the praise and honor due Your name.

Thought for the Day:

Through His Spirit, God provides power and authority in our inner soul, according to His abundance in glory. - Ephesians 3:16