Our True Reality is in Christ

There is no need for us to frequent the "self-help" shelf at the library or bookstore, because the Holy Spirit is changing us through His sanctifying process, until we come to the fullness of Christ in us (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When we come to the end of our self, God's Holy Spirit, who dwells in us, becomes our comforter, guide, wisdom, encourager and the voice of Christ, who also dwells in us by His Spirit, as our way, truth and life (Colossians 3:4; John 14:6).

Christ in us is not a separate entity from who we are. He is as much of an integral part of us as He is to our Father God (John 17:21). Living in the center of God's will is the happiest place on earth.

We surrender the control of our life over to God, because to think that we actually have any control over our life is ludicrous! Life happens and is always out of our control.

Just as Jesus did nothing of Himself, we follow His example. We die to our self and trust only in God. We live in union as one person with Christ in us. He is our whole life (Colossians 3:4).

The sooner we come to this place of total surrender to the will of God, content in the circumstance which He provides (Philippians 4:11), the freer and more joyfully we experience each day, captivated by His Spirit and His will.

As we decrease in our desires and control over our life, He will increase His control and put His desires in our heart (John 3:30; Psalm 37:4). Christ in us is our only true reality now and in eternity.

We are dead, and He now lives in and through us (Colossians 4:3-4). There are no formulas to follow, no effort on our part, no striving or quoting Bible verse, which can make this happen.

We simply surrender all to Him by letting go of our anxiety, negative emotions and idols, which imprison us, and letting God have His way in our life.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for revealing to us that this life in not about us; it is totally and abundantly about You in us (Colossians 1:27). You free us from bondage to the devil, the world and the flesh; and You allow us to walk intimately with Your Trinity abiding within us (Galatians 5:15-25).

Surrendering to Your rest is the only step we need to take to enter into this union life with You (Hebrews 4:10-11). We stop our stress, strain and list-making and follow Your Spirit during each moment of our day. When we walk in the center of Your will we find true peace, joy and rest in Your Spirit (Romans 14:17).

Thought for the Day:

It is no longer I, but Christ who lives in me, because we are unified as one being; He is the head and I am the body, which He uses for His glory. - Colossians 3:3-4

Experiencing God's Presence

 

There is no place on earth more fulfilling than living in God's presence. He reveals to us the path of life, fills us with His joy and gives us pleasures, which last for an eternity (Psalm 16:11).

His presence abides in us and He gives us His rest (Exodus 33:14). We continually commune with Him through prayer (Psalm 145:18-19). When we draw near to Him, He comes closer to us (James 4:8).

At times, we may sense God's presence, but He is always near to us, living within us (Genesis 28:16). We find Him if we take the time to seek Him with our whole heart and soul (Deuteronomy 4:29).

Regardless of our behavior, His graciousness, compassion, attention, mercy and love accompany the presence of God in our life; although our sins will break His heart and grieve His Spirit (2 Kings 13:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:19). 

Brokenhearted people find soothing comfort in God's presence; and, in our humility, He will save us from every one of our afflictions (Psalm 34:18-19). 

God's goodness is magnanimous to those who submit to Him. Words fail to describe what He has planned for those who trust Him (Psalm 31:19-20).

As our refuge and strength, God keeps us safe from every enemy, from strife and from gossips (Psalm 46:1). His plans are not evil, and He intends for us to prosper in Him (Jeremiah 29:11).

Prayer:

Father God, create a clean heart in us, and help us to refresh our commitment to You. We thank You for not casting us away from Your presence or removing Your Spirit from within us when we fall into sin (Psalm 51:10-11).

We come into Your presence with gratitude for all that You do for us, and we shout joyfully in praises to You. You are our great King, our Savior and God (Psalm 95:2-3).

Thought for the Day:

We joyfully serve the Lord and dwell in His presence with a continual song in our heart and on our lips. - Psalm 100:2

Temple of God - Personnal

(Due to power outage I was unable to post last night. My deepest apologies...kat)
 

As the temple of God, we are blessed that God lives within us, walks among us and calls us as His own unique people (2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Peter 2:9).

As we maintain our confidence and hope in Him, which is our delight, we are actually God's house (Hebrews 3:6), a fact, which I find amazing!

We rarely appreciate how wondrous it is to actually be the holy temple of God, with His Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Nothing is allowed to destroy us or they ultimately will be destroyed by God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

In Christ, we are co-workers in God's service; we are his field of ministry and His building made without human hands (1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:1). We cannot earn any of this by our works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We no longer belong to our self, nor do we depend on our self or live according to our own plans (1 Corinthians 6:19). We spend each moment of every day walking according to the direction of God's Holy Spirit (John 15:4).

Jesus entwines us together as His Body, until we are so united that we rise as spiritual stones to corporately become His spiritual Temple as well, and God abides with us forever (1 Peter 2:5; Ephesians 2:21-22).

Christ, as the Son of God, is faithful to provide for and to protect us as God's house (Hebrews 3:6). He calls us to live healthy lives, free from addictions and excesses, with our thoughts focused on His Word (Proverbs 15:30; Philippians 4:8).

This maximizes our effectiveness for His Kingdom. We bring Him glory even in our infirmities, which He allows into our life (John 9:2-3). He uses us as living stones for His Temple, His called out ones (1 Peter 2:4-6, 9).

Prayer:

Father God, there is not one thought, idea or desire, which we have as human beings, which amounts to anything worthy of You. Yet, You have a perfect plan for each life, which You decided upon before we were ever born (Ephesians 2:10).

Remind us to walk in Your Spirit, so that we do not fulfill the lusts of our flesh and end up living under the dominion of the god of this world - the devil. Help us to see that nothing good dwells in our self-efforts (Romans 7:17-18).

We are hopeless without Your presence dwelling in our spirit; but, when we abide in You, we have no lack in our body, soul or spirit (Philippians 4:19). Thank you for fashioning us into Your Temple for Your dwelling place.

Thought for the Day:

Walking in the Spirit as God's Temple does not give us spiritual pride or place us above anyone else, but is merely humble reliance only on God's love, mercy, strength, wisdom and direction - one moment at a time.

Temple of God - Symbolic

(Due to power outage, I was unable to post last night. My deepest apologies...kat)

Many pieces of furniture in the Temple are wooden (our carnal nature) overladen with gold (God's nature). The others are either pure gold or bronze - which denote the need for sanctification.

      

The Temple's construction symbolically relates to our spirit, soul and body (1 Kings 8:10-11; 2 Chronicles 5:13-14). God fearfully and awesomely created us in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:4, 13).

The Holy of Holies denotes our spirit, and the Holy Place to our renewed life in Christ. The wooden supports are the hidden aspects of our human soul, the Inner Court is the acknowledge parts of our soul, and the Outer Court to our body.

Once our spirit is Born Again, the Spirit of God abides in our spirit, which is the Holy of Holies. We are in union with the Trinity in our spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17; Colossians 1:27; Galatians 2:20).

God turns our heart of hardened stone into a new heart of supple flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). God grants to our spirit His supernatural agape love, Godly wisdom and spiritual thought processes along with His power to do all that He calls us to do (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 4:13).

God takes up residence in our spirit and makes us a new creation (John 14:23). The Trinity also works in our soul - our thoughts, will and feelings.

Our union life with God combines our spirit and soul with His Spirit and will. We no longer live isolated lives in this world, but are part of God's family with His Spirit united with our spirit (Ephesians 2:19-22).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for allowing us to operate as Your dwelling place on this earth, so that You can affect the world around us by Your Holy Spirit within us. Teach us to live by Your Spirit, so that we do not hinder Your work by living by our fleshly, carnal, human understanding and desires.

We love how the Temple of Solomon is such an example of our life in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22). Remind us to serve You in Your house within us (Revelation 1:6, 5:10). We have no need to rely on our self, because we can do all things through Christ who dwells within us (Philippians 4:13).

Thought for the Day:

We live a life with God's Spirit filling our spirit, and we radiate His presence out to the world around us. 
- 1 Corinthians 3:16