God's Eternal Nature in Us

God loves us and shows Himself to us (John 14:21). He calls us through the gospel to obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:14), and claims us as His children (Ephesians 1:4-5).

God is the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9). He created us in His own likeness with a triune nature - our spirit, soul and body (Genesis 1:27; Hebrews 12:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:23). His Spirit transforms us with the divine nature of Christ.

We are born of the first Adam from the dust of the earth, but also Born Again of the second Adam, Jesus, by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 15:45). God created us as physical human beings, but He also gave us a soul - thoughts, feelings and choices - and a spirit.

God made Jesus the firstborn among many adopted brethren  (Romans 8:29; Ephesians 1:5). He gives us exceedingly great and precious promises of salvation, so that we might be partakers of Christ’s divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

He sanctifies our soul throughout our lifetime, until we are holy and without sin in His sight. His rich grace abounds in our life, and He gives us His wisdom to deal with every issue we face (2 Corinthians 9:8).

God wants to fill us through all of our being with all of His fullness, so that we may obtain the richest portion of His presence in our life (Ephesians 3:16-19; 4:13).

As we contemplate the Lord’s glory, we are transformed into His likeness with an ever-increasing resemblance to Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2). Jesus is equal to God, and He lives in us, sharing His divine nature with us (John 5:18).

We have the same potential, which Jesus did, of becoming spiritual beings, because Christ in us is Spirit. When we crucify the deeds of our flesh, walk in the Spirit and pray without ceasing, we make a difference for the Kingdom of God.

Prayer:

Father God, by Your glorious grace we gradually walk into the divine nature of Christ in us, and we walk away from the corruption in this world (1 Peter 2:2-4). We are growing in our understanding of the amazing magnitude of Your power available to all authentic Believers. It is the same dynamite power that resurrected Christ from the grave and returned Him to His glory in Heaven (Ephesians 1:19-20).

Thank You that He fills us with this life and supplies us with everything we need to function in unity with You and to accomplish Your will for us in the earth (Ephesians 1:23). Enable the world to see that You sent Jesus on their behalf, by making our life a living testimony to them (John 17:21-23).  

Thought for the Day:

Eternal life is not some future event that we will experience some day; it occurs within us, as we come to intimately know Jesus, and our God who sent Him. - John 17:3

The Anchor for our Soul

 

Eternal life is God’s promise (1 John 2:25), which enables us to know God intimately (John 17:3). This takes place both now and in eternity. It requires no self-effort, just total rest in His presence (Hebrews 4:10). God’s promises also provide pardon for sin, support in trials, the glorious resurrection, and eventually, immortality. God’s promises encourage us to cleanse our self of every evil desire (2 Corinthians 7:1).

When we choose not to live in God’s Will during each moment of our day, we lose the power of Christ in us. It is only through total surrender to His will that we accomplish all that He prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). God shrouds us with His divine nature, which is the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, meekness, self-control and faith (Galatians 5:22-23).

As we mature, we increase in the measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:13). God disciplines us to enable us to share in His holiness (Hebrews 12:10). This empowers us to put on our new self, which is created to be like God in both righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24). Our humanity is dead and we are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). As we walk in God’s promises, we receive His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Confidently, we cling to God’s promises in tribulation. They are the anchor of our soul and the foundation for our hope. God keeps all of His promises (2 Corinthians 1:20). The nation of Israel wandered from God; yet, God is faithful and is keeping His promises to them (Zechariah 13:8-9; Romans 11:25-26). God guarantees His Body freedom from the law, sin and death. He freely provides us with eternal life in Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

We partake in the divine nature of God through Christ who dwells in our spirit. When we indulge in fleshly pursuits, the divine nature of God is grieved. However, as authentic Born Again Believers, we cannot continue to live in sin (1 John 3:9). God’s Spirit gradually makes all things new (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we bear His image through continual transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Prayer:

Father God, Your Holy Spirit teaches us to deny unholy conduct and lust, at the same time He encourages us to live serious, blameless and holy lives (Titus 2:12). As we do, we inwardly partake of Your divine nature; which causes us to refrain from outwardly partaking in sin and degradation. Our body houses Your (1 Corinthians 6:15). We are members of Christ’s body, flesh and bones (Ephesians 5:30; John 14: 16-17, 17:20-23). You make Your home in those who love and obey You (John 14:23).

Thought for the Day:

We are now the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but when we see Him return in the clouds, we will be exactly like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. - 1 John 3:2

 

Christ, Who is Our Life

Peace in this world is fleeting and superficial. It depends on our circumstances and the people we are with. However, the peace of God allows us to glide serenely through any trial or difficulty (John 14:27). God’s peace is a fruit of His Spirit and His Spirit is ever present within us (Galatians 5:22-23). His peace is supernatural and everlasting. We cannot understand His peace, but it always guards our heart and mind in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).

The closer to God we live, the harder it is for Satan to attack us. God is our shield, our high tower and our defense (Psalm 28:7). As we hide in Him and clothe our self in His armor (Ephesians 6:10-12), He is with us, even in the depths of hell on earth (Psalm 139:8). He never deserts us or abandons us (Hebrews 13:5). When the fiery darts of Satan attack us, God shelters us through it all (Psalm 91).

The demons of hell are actually powerless against us, because our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Luke 10:20). As we walk in obedience to God, we are surrounded with legions of angels and they protect us from Satan and his demons, as well as any harm man plans to impose on us (2 Kings 6:8-23). God always works everything out for our ultimate good, even if it is to work His nature into our life (Romans 8:28). Without Him, we are hopeless and helpless (John 15:5).

Life is not about us, but about Christ living in and through us (Galatians 2:20). Having Christ as our life is more than enough for us (Colossians 3:4). We live every moment of our life on earth only for the glory of God (Philippians 1:21). We surrender our plans and aspirations to His will for us (Ephesians 2:10). We pray without ceasing by communing with God each moment of the day through His Spirit within us (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer is our key to abiding in Christ (John 15:4-7).

Prayer:

Father God, our hope of living in glory lies in the fact that Your Christ lives within us (Colossian 1:27). Our life in You is more than salvation, more than dedication, it is a life where Christ is all we need, as well as in all we say and do (Ephesians 1:22-23). We are one with You in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10). Now, we labor until we see Christ formed in our family, friends, associates and neighbors (Galatians 4:19).

Thought for the Day:

We are partakers of Christ’s divine nature, and one with Him now and for eternity. – 2 Peter 1:4; John 17:23

The Flip Side of Death

 

 

 

We all lived as children of wrath in the spirit of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2-3). Our father was the devil (John 8:44). We were lost in sin and owed their wages of death, which we could not pay (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Yet, God gave us the free gift of His Son, Jesus, who died to pay our sin debt and to bring salvation to each one of us. By His Spirit, Christ now dwells within our renewed spirit and allows us to partake of His divine nature both now on this earth and for eternity (2 Peter 1:4).

 

Now, the only way Satan has any influence over our life is if we give it to him by submitting our thoughts, words or deeds to him. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross of Calvary and He will come again to take all authority back from Satan, the current god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Jesus will eventually lock the devil in the lake of torment forever. That is the fate of everyone who refuses to come to faith in Christ Jesus (Revelation 20:15).

 

On the other hand, those who surrender to Jesus are now joint heirs with Him (John 8:17), and will inherit everything God has in store for Him. Death is not an end, but the beginning of our true life. Our last breath on this earth is followed by our very next breath in Heaven. We graduate from the school of life and are carried into heaven by the angels to receive our diploma into the eternal Kingdom of God (Luke 16:22). We passed every test, and earned our rewards from the King.

 

God rejoices in the death of His Saints (Psalm 116:15). He is our guide and our refuge, even through death (Psalm 48:14; Proverbs 14:32). The day of our death is actually better than the day of our birth (Ecclesiastes 7:1), because we are no longer separated from God. We dwell in the reality of His Kingdom forever with all the Saints that have gone on before us along with those who will come after us. We will never die, because we take on the immortal aspect of angels, and we are the sons of God, the Body of Christ, whom He raised from death into new life (Luke 20:36).

 

Prayer:

Father God, our body, soul and spirit are filled with joy. We know You will never leave us among the dead. You will not allow Your beloved children to rot in the grave. Thank You for Your many joys in this earthly life, which You bestow on us. Our most exquisite pleasure is to enjoy Your eternal Presence both now and in eternity (Psalm 16:9-11). Create in us a clean heart, and renew our spirit until we come to spend eternity with You (Psalm 51:10).

 

Thought for the Day:

We are confident in the fact that if we are absent from our body, we will undoubtedly be with the Lord. – 2 Corinthians 5:8