The Buzzard Within

 

While sitting outside at a Veteran’s Day celebration, we all glanced skyward to view the Sheriff Department's fly-over. In the thrill of this meaningful moment, I also noticed a majestic kettle of vultures.

Their wings spanned forty-eight inches and never flapped, as they soared on invisible wind currents. One of these birds nose-dived to the earth and landed within a few feet of me.

Once I recovered from the shock of his sudden close proximity to my chair, I realized that what I always thought was a beautiful, agile bird of prey actually had an awkward and grotesquely revolting appearance.

This reminded me of our unsaved heart. We disguise our disfigured soul within us with an outward coat of cosmetics and brightly colored clothing. Yet, we remain nothing more than whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27-28).

The good news is that Christ died to make us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our spirit is washed anew in the blood of the Lamb of God (Revelation 22:14). Through His sanctifying work, God's Spirit makes our soul beautiful in His timing and way (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

On this earth, God's Spirit crucifies our soul and frees us from slavery to sin. He makes us holy and frees us from the bondage and destruction, through which sin hinders and overwhelms us.

He unites us with Christ through the new birth and provides us with the blessings and promises of eternity both in this life and the next. He frees us from dwelling on our past or fearing the future (Isaiah 43:18).

In heaven, He will glorify our body by giving us an immortal existence with Him forever. We look forward to a body free of age-related issues, illness and fatigue.

We look forward to continuing to live in God's presence, adding the physical existence to our soul and spirit's enjoyment of His presence now. Our salvation will be complete in body, as well as in spirit and soul, and we will dwell with Him for eternity.

Prayer:

Father God, we live in Christ with Christ in us, and death has no more mastery over us. We also die to sin and live for You. Then in eternity, You glorify our body and provide us with immortality for our body, as well as our spirit and soul (Romans 6:4-11).

Thank You for forgetting who we used to be and giving us a new identity in Christ (Isaiah 65:17). You give us a new heart and put Your Spirit within us (Ezekiel 36:26). We rejoice at the thought of seeing Your Kingdom in all of its glory, since we are born by the blood of Your unblemished Lamb (John 3:3).

Thought for the Day:

God buries our old, carnal nature in Christ by baptizing us into His death; then He sanctifies us through one stage of glory to another and gives us a new, resurrected life.

Eternal Union

In three places, the Bible states, “Ye are gods” (Psalm 82:6; John 10:34; Isaiah 41:23). Some people take this to an extreme and declare that they are a god and equal to God. Some declare that God dwells universally in everything; therefore, we are all God.

The union between God and mankind is relational, we do not become a god or equal with God (Genesis 3:5). The verses following those statements prove that God is not referring to people as equal to Himself (Psalm 82:7; John 10:35-36).

These verses actually refer to people being God’s representatives as His Saints; or to us as children of God and co-heirs with Christ, living worthy of our calling in Christ (Romans 8:16-17).

We are not God or a god, but we achieve an intimate union with God through Jesus Christ within us. We totally depend upon His divine power filling every part of our body, soul and spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17).

The key element of living in union with Christ is to submit the absolute control of our life to God. Unconditional surrender to Christ offers us eternal life now in this life, which brings us total peace and fulfillment.

Jesus takes our sins and gives us His righteousness in exchange (2 Corinthians 5:21). He lives in us and He loves humanity through us. At the moment of salvation, we become a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus gives us His knowledge of eternity. We readily believe God, not with our human faith, but with the divine faith of Christ who lives in us (Galatians 2:20).

Prayer:

Father God, we are often so busy with our own little world, that we fail You time and again. Moses requested Your presence as Israel obeyed Your directive to conquer the Promised Land. He knew that Your presence would distinguish Israel from all the other nations of the world (Exodus 33:15-17).

We have You within us by Your Spirit. Use our relationship in You to help us to win the unsaved for You. You desire a people filled with Your presence and reflecting Your glory, a living testimony of Your love and power in the earth. Teach us to be a city on a hill and to shine Your light in us for all the world to see (Matthew 5:14).

Thought for the Day:

May we be a people who demonstrate the ‘shekinah’ glory of God – the manifest radiance of His glory - to a lost and dying world all around us.

 

I do not Feel God's Presence - The Main Reason

 

There is a big difference between Conviction and Conversion in a person's life. I want to explain the difference to you in case you may have been convicted, but never converted.

If we say that we are saved, but our life is not transformed, and we do not feel His Spirit within us or see a difference in our thoughts and behavior, we were convicted, but not converted.

Believing in our mind is not enough, because even Satan believes and trembles” (James 2:19).

There are many examples of good people in the Bible who thought they were saved, but they never had a personal relationship with Jesus. (Matthew 7:21, 25:11; Luke 6:46, 13:25). 

Satanic strongholds in our life may keep us struggling with our walk with the Lord. Maybe God told you to stop doing something that grieves His Spirit, but you are still doing it. Then, you will not feel God's presence (Psalm 32:3-5).

Possibly, you are more interested in what God can do for you, rather than what you can do for God. Your motive in believing may be to change your circumstances, but God calls us to first change our heart and obey Him (John 14:15, 23).

We cannot save our self, we need God to save us through Jesus' sacrifice on Calvary's cross. God is not our servant, but we are His servants.

He is not the granter of our wishes or requests, we serve Him whether He gives us what we ask for or not, because He is God and He is worthy.

Prayer:

Sincerely pray, giving ALL of your life to God and holding nothing back for yourself:

"Lord Jesus, I do not want to live my life as a slave to myself, sin or Satan. I ask You for Your forgiveness and that You save me completely. I relinquish my sinful nature to You.

"I dedicate my life to You. I submit my life to Your Holy Spirit to live within me, to change me from the inside out and to direct me through each moment of my day. Please keep me away from anything, which might take Your place in my heart. In Jesus' name and for Your glory. Amen."

Though for the Day:

If we are double-minded in our prayer for salvation, and not sincere, nothing will change; we are still lost in sin for eternity. - John 3:18, 5:24; Hebrews 3:19