Freed from Bondage

 

As we contemplate the Lord’s glory, which comes from the Spirit of the Lord, we are transformed with ever increasing glory into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:2). In Him we live and move and have our existence (Acts 17:28).

He dwells in us and lives through us (2 Corinthians 6:16), being glorified in us (John 17:10). We are freed from the chains of bondage to this earth into the glorious liberty of the children of God (John 1:12; Romans 8:19-21).

Since we abide in Him, we now walk just as He walked (1 John 2:1-6). In our flesh, we are still able to fall into temptation; but in Christ all the fullness of the triune God dwells in us.

Nothing this world has to offer has any appeal to us any more (Titus 2:11-14). If we take the time to walk in the Spirit, we can enjoy the same spirit-led existence that Jesus and the Biblical characters and writers did (Luke 6:40).

We have fellowship with the triune God all of the time, just as Adam and Eve enjoyed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:8). There is an unbroken tie that transcends barriers of time and space.

As we walk in the Spirit, Jesus lives through us. We follow God's will for us in the smallest details of our life, seeing His Spirit's power and anointing lived out in our lives.

It is not a matter of legalism or dead works, but of abiding in the Spirit in our every waking moment. We listen and we obey and we see the salvation of our God played out in our life and in the world around us.

Prayer:

Father God, Christ, who dwells in us, is Your exact image, even though You are our invisible God. Jesus contains all of Your attributes and character, and since Jesus dwells within us by Your Spirit, then all of Your attributes and character dwell within us as well (Colossians 1:15; 2 Corinthians 4:4).

Your Holy Spirit sanctifies us throughout our lifetime until we are perfected according to the fullest measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ in us (Ephesians 4:13). We can walk in Your holiness and abide in Your Spirit every moment of every day.

Thought for the Day:

We are adopted sons of God (Ephesians 1:5), joint heirs with Jesus (Romans 8:17) and one with our triune God (John 17:22).

Union with Christ - God's Opportunities

At times, the difficulties in life hang like the burden around our neck. God does not want us to try with all of our might to solve the problems by our self. He wants us to know that He is involved with us in every issue of our life.

We are usually overwhelmed by many of our trials, but Jesus can successfully settle every one of them. He gives us courage, wisdom and divine revelation to resolve them, or He instructs us to leave them in His capable hands.

He uses these conflicts to build Godly character in us and to further His Kingdom in the earth. We can embrace every negative issue with faith and peace, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ dwells within us with all the power of the triune Godhead.

This is how we dwell in serenity all the days of our life. It is important for us to understand that God already arranged for a solution for these issues prior to them ever happening.

He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), and He has a perfect plan for our life (Romans 12:2).

Jesus within us breaks the chains of every type of satanic or earthly hindrance that attempts to steal our freedom from us (Psalm 107:14). He encourages us to take His yoke upon us, and to learn of Him; so that we can find true rest for our soul (Matthew 11:29).

Jesus is poised to deliver us from the bondage of every negative emotion and circumstance, and to bring us astounding joy that is beyond words and full of His glory (1 Peter 1:8).

When we see our problems as God’s opportunities, it changes our focus and attitude about them. Our supply for each circumstance, and the wisdom to deal with it comes from Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).

Prayer:

Father God, teach us to view our problems as adventures rather than as challenges. As we trust in You, You work them all out for good, just as You promised You would (Romans 8:28). Life is not about me, but You. You call us to proclaim Your presence and Word to the world in which You plant us.

You provide us with the energy and power to teach and admonish others about what we learn from You (Colossians 1:28-29). We live a life of thanksgiving and praise to You for Your willingness to sacrifice Your Son for our redemption, and for demonstrating Your glory in creation and in our everyday life.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus, the Word, is the physical manifestation of God’s glory, and He exhibits God's glory and divine character in and through every one of us who live a completely surrendered life before Him.

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.

A Triune Being

As a triune Being, God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. To give you an idea of how three beings make up one God consider these: One man is a boy, a father and a grandfather. One apple is skin, flesh and core. A triangle had three points, but is one shape. One basketball is a leather exterior, an inner tube and air. A human being is triune: one person with a body, soul and spirit.

Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedient choices, their spirit died. They still had a body and soul, but they carried around a dead spirit within them. Now, we are all born with a dead spirit within us. Our soul – our mind, will and emotions – finds sustenance and joy in this life; but something is always missing. Our spirit is dead and it wants to be reborn.

The only way for our spirit to be Born Again is to end our willful lifestyle and to totally surrender our body and soul to Jesus Christ (John 3:1-21). Many times people come to God to receive His benefits, especially during emotional and/or physical crisis in our life. We are grateful to Him for His solace and provision and we attempt to serve Him. We get religious for a while.

Eventually, when we recover from our crisis, we decide we are strong enough on our own and we do not need God anymore. What happened at this time is that our soul reached out to God. We embraced Him with our whole mind, will and emotions. We looked to Him as a benevolent Father and we took advantage of His generosity, mercy and grace.

However, our spirit was still dead in sin. That dead spirit, like a millstone around our neck (Matthew 18:6), drug us back down into Satan’s domain, and he made sure that we felt secure and settled in our new place in society.

Conversely, if we ever completely fall upon the Rock of Christ (Matthew 21:44; Psalm 18:2), we no longer live for our self, but for the glory and honor of our King. We receive all of the rights and privileges of a King’s kid; and we serve in God’s army to win the lost and to help to save them from a destructive, degenerate life.

Prayer:
Father God, unless we totally embrace You and Your Word, we will never find the total peace we seek or the fulfillment we desire on this earth. Our eternal destination does not depend on our goodness or corruptness, but on our belief or unbelief. Remind us that if we choose not to believe in and surrender totally to You, we condemn our self to a mediocre life on earth and the flames of hell for eternity (John 3:18).

Thought for the Day:

Unless you completely accept all of the Bible’s Words, God’s gift to us, as the only Truth in life, you will be constantly pulled by other ideologies, with which Satan floods the earth.