Unity with God, Our Maker

Once we come to Christ in repentance, asking for God's forgiveness, He exchanges our sin for His righteousness, and we enter a spiritual union with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). The powerful life of the triune God dwells within us from that point throughout the rest of our life. We enter an intimate relationship, which includes a unified life with the Trinity.

God purifies us step-by-step, burning deeper with each stroke of His holy fire, until we radiate Christ’s nature from within us. He replaces our carnal nature with the fruit of His Spirit, which is actually the very nature of God (Galatians 5:22-23). The less we function through our humanity, and the more we wait on God, the more He expresses His divine character and nature in us and through us (2 Peter 1:4).

Resting in Christ is not another religious activity to perform. It simply involves complete surrender of our human life to the Kingship of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-29). Our human way of thinking and feeling passes away, and we are now an entirely new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We bow before our God and Maker (Psalm 95:6).

We embrace God's presence in our soul as well - in our thoughts, choices and emotions. We are constantly responsive to this holy relationship and to our ever-increasing intimacy with Christ (Colossians 3:4). We walk in communion, fellowship and one accord with Christ within us (2 Corinthians 6:14-15). We freely choose to follow the leading of God’s Spirit each moment of the day (Romans 8:14).

Prayer:

Father God, due to Your work in our life, we manifest Your nature in ever-increasing levels of maturity and glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). By faith, Your divinity freely flows through our body, soul and spirit (2 Peter 1:4). Our intimate bond with You is broken only by our propensity to sin. However, if we walk in accord with the direction, wisdom and love of Your Spirit, we will never fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:15-25).

Thought for the Day:

We belong to God’s household as priests and saints, and are co-heirs with Jesus.

God's Fullness

 

In God’s three-fold plan of salvation, He starts by justifying our spirit, which happens the instant we repent. Eventually, He will glorify our body when we see Jesus, because we will see Him as He is (1 John 3:2). In between, He sanctifies our soul a little more each day. Our soul is sanctified as we lay down our life, will and goals; we completely surrender to Christ in us. We are crucified with Christ; and therefore, we live in this world for the glory of Christ (Philippians 1:21).

Yet, it is not we who live, but Christ who lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20). Christ is in us, but we are also in Him. We are totally surrounded by Jesus, inside and out. Nothing can penetrate that shield, unless we allow it to, by living in the flesh instead of in the Spirit. Christ in us prevents the stress of life from negatively affecting us, because we are not dealing with it; He is. Christ in us is working out His perfect will for us through every issue we experience.

God wants to fill us through all of our being with all His fullness, so that we may obtain the richest portion of His presence in our life (Ephesians 3:16-19; 4:13). Therefore, we no longer spend time in prayer; instead, we live in prayer without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We no longer spend an hour in devotional reading; instead, we meditate on God’s Word constantly throughout the day no matter what we are doing (Psalm 119:11). We no longer go with the flow of life; instead, we live in the flow of the Spirit.

This way we react to life first in the Spirit and no longer in the flesh. We live in the fruit of the Spirit rather than by the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-25). God removes the veil from our eyes and we can clearly see spiritual truth. We reflect the glory of God in our thoughts, words and deeds. God’s Spirit changes us from glory to glory a little more each day (2 Corinthians 3:18). We slowly mature until we totally walk in the divine nature of Christ, who is our life (Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 3:4).

Jesus, Elijah and Enoch walked in God's Spirit all the time...we can too. We are the offspring of God. Through Christ, God’s divine nature infuses every part of our body, soul and spirit (Acts 17:28-19). As our focus on our self decreases, the fullness of Christ increases within us (John 3:30). We express to the world around us, the character of Christ within us, which is the fruit of the Spirit. We walk in obedience moment by moment throughout the day. We no longer sin or fulfill the lusts of the flesh. Jesus lives our life instead of us.

Prayer:

Father God, negative emotions illuminate the areas in our life where we have idols. As we lay them down, Satan has fewer and fewer areas where he can hinder our walk in Christ. Show us the ways in which we prevent You from using us each day. Remind us to walk moment by moment and allow us to decrease, so that You may increase in our life. We want to be filled through all of our being with all of Your fullness, so that we may have the richest measure of your presence and become a body wholly and completely filled with You (Ephesians 3:19-21 – Amplified Bible).

Thought for the Day:

God is faithful to us, even in times of our unfaithfulness to Him. – 2 Timothy 2:13

God's Transforming Power

Children of God and children of Satan both obey the Spirit within them (2 Corinthians 4:10-11; Ephesians 2:2). Satan’s children do wickedly. God’s children experience a lifetime of God’s transforming power. Christ is our head and we mature into every aspect of Him (Ephesians 4:15). God’s Spirit renovates us until we mirror the nature of the fullness of Christ within us (Ephesians 4:13-15; Galatians 4:19). God loves us and chooses us to fulfill His purpose for us during our lifetime (Colossians 3:12). First, He washes away the stench of sin from our soul and spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1). Then He calls us to walk in holiness as His Saints (Ephesians 4:12, 24, 1:18; Romans 1:4).

Our cleansing comes in stages, like the rings of the tree or the layers of an onion (2 Peter 3:18). God peels away one stratum at a time until He exposed our core and brings us to the perfection of His Son (Romans 8:29). Our spiritual growth process brings successive changes and development into our life by God’s grace and glory (2 Pet. 3:18). Daily the Spirit renews our inner man from one level of glory to another (2 Corinthians 4:16, 3:18). Christ manifests Himself in and through us to the world around us. He purifies our heart (James 4:8) as a people whom He possesses. We soon desire for Him to use us to perform good works for His honor and glory (Titus 2:14).

We cannot accomplish our own sanctification or purify our self through self-efforts any more than we can save our self (Galatians 3:1-3). Only humble surrender to God’s will and His Spirit accomplishes this goal (Matthew 5:3). God refines us like silver (Psalm 66:10; Malachi 3:13), by putting us through the fire of tribulation until we lack nothing necessary for faith and holiness (James 1:4; 1 Peter 1:7; Hebrews 12:29; Isaiah 4:4). He cleanses us by His shed blood (1 John 1:9; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Hebrews 9:14). God disciplines us as Sons (Hebrews 12:5). Jesus overcame the world and died in our place. Now, He overcomes the world in and through us (Revelation 2:7-3:21; 1 John 5:4-5; John 16:33). He replaces the lusts of our flesh by the fruit of His Spirit (Galatians 5:19-23).

All of our determination and self-efforts to reach perfection fails (Colossians 2:23). However, God conforms us to the fellowship of His death and brings us through the stages of His glory (Colossians 1:24; Philippians 3:10; Romans 8:17). We die daily to our flesh for His sake, and we are a new creation (Romans 6:2,11; Galatians 5:24; 2 Corinthians 5:17). His death on Calvary’s cross was God’s design to redeem mankind for all eternity (Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 7:27, 10:10; 1 Peter 3:18). As we take up our cross (Matt. 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27), our humanity dies with Him and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:3). We live by the Spirit of God within us (Romans 8:13).

Prayer:

Father God, You not only provide us with Your assistance as we overcome our flesh, but also, you renew us daily by the divine life of Christ within us (1 Peter 1:4). Your Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets us free from the law of sin and death. We live in victory over sin because Your Spirit dwells within us (Romans 7-8). You reproduce in us the nature of Christ through His habitation within us, and He lives out His character in us moment by moment throughout the day. We simple keep our eyes on Your Son as He perfects our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Thought for the Day:

We submit to God as He puts to death the deeds of our flesh and we reap the benefits of His resurrection.

Praying in Jesus' Name

Read: Isaiah 43:2

”The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” - Psalm 34:18

Demons tremble at the mention of the name of Jesus (James 2:19). This name is above all names and it has a power that is in no other name (Philippians 2:9). When we conclude our prayer with the words, "in Jesus' name", we are telling God that we are coming to Him with our requests because of the power behind Jesus’ name, especially if we pray together in agreement with other believers (Matthew 18:19-20). We come boldly to the throne of God (Hebrew 4:16) and we ask anything "in Jesus' name" with confidence that we will receive it (John 14:13-14).

After we repent of our sins, we are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and we receive the gift of His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). From this point forward, God spoils His children. We can ask anything in His name and He gives it to us so that our joy will be full (John 16:24). Of course, as with anything worthwhile in life, there are parameters and cautions.

For instance, if we pray covetously to gain this world’s goods, we are praying from our fleshly lusts instead of from our heavenly nature (James 4:3). God feels no compulsion to answer these prayers, whether we pray in Jesus’ name or not. When you pray in Jesus’ name ask for things that will honor and glorify Jesus, not to receive worldly goods. As we seek first the Kingdom of God, then He will take care of all of our needs (Matthew 6:33).

It is not really the words of our prayer that are important, but rather it is the intent with which we pray that matters. So use your own words when you petition God or praise His name. There is no right or wrong way to talk to God. As we pray in Jesus’ name, we are praying in agreement with God’s will.

God is not a genie or an Aladdin’s Lamp to grant all of our prayers with a "Yes". Sometimes, God also answers our prayers with a "No," or a "Wait". He wants our faith to grow and He wants us to love Him more than we want the answer for our prayers. Sometimes, God just wants us to persevere in prayer. In the parable of Luke 18:1-8, Jesus teaches us the importance of persisting in prayer.

God wants us to love Him even if He does not answer our prayers the way we want Him to. He promises to deliver us out of our troubles and make us a testimony for the world to see...just like the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. They refused to worship the king's idol and he tossed them in the furnace to die. Jesus met them there and kept them safe until the King called them out of the furnace again. God will keep us safe too, even in negative circumstances.

If your prayers are not answered, examine your heart, and ask God to show you the truth. Getting right with God leads us back to sweet communion with Him and more answered prayers. All of these areas can keep our prayers from getting answered. Ask yourself:

‎A. Are you asking selfishly?
B. Have you turned away from God or are you walking in disobedience?
C. Are you harboring unforgiveness in your hearts against someone, even yourself or God?
D. Have you allowed discord to creep into your marriage, family, church, workplace, etc? 

Often, Satan blinds us to the fact that God really is answering our prayers. Satan does not want us to see God’s provision in our life. He does not want us to praise God or to give Him any glory. Satan would prefer for us to be mad at God, for our anger to burn against Him and for us to grow cold and fall away from serving Him.

If you take an honest look at your prayers since dedicating your life to God, you will realize that God has resolved each one for you. You may be having continual trials, but that’s because Satan is trying to get you to give up! If you look at these circumstances more closely, God is actually answering every one of your prayers. In this world, we will have tribulation…but be of good cheer, because Jesus already overcame these trials for us and He lives within us (John 16: 32-33).

We can believe in faith that God will deliver us out of every trial and negative circumstance, because He promised that He would ~ not in our timing, but in His own. He will also use our trials to further His Kingdom in the earth and to help us to grow spiritually (Psalm 34:7, 17,19) as we pray in Jesus’ name.

Prayer:

Lord, sometimes You put people in our life to teach us to love them in spite of their idiosyncrasies. Satan will actually use these people to badger us, until they quit bothering us. Help me to remember that these people are actually hurting, and they need You in their life. I may never change them, but they will change me for the better, because You will use them to work Your fruit into my life. I pray for them in Jesus’ name.

Thought for the Day:
When doubts filled our mind, God’s comfort gives us renewed hope and joy (Psalm 94:19).