Split Personality

When we come to Christ, our spirit which was dead in sin, comes alive (Ephesians 2:5). We are Born Again and everything in us is made new (John 3:1-21; 2 Corinthians 5:17). The manifestation of this change takes years.

God convicts us in areas which are negatively affecting our witness for Him. We cannot judge others. We may think someone smokes too much; but God is more interested in deeper issues, which we cannot see.

In the beginning, we are partially surrendered to Christ. We hold back whole rooms in our soul, where we do not want God to go. We slam the doors shut and sometimes even lock them.

This is why we appear to our self and other people as a split personality. Part of us is sanctified and part of us is carnal and still caught in the web of sin.

The longer we walk with the Lord, the more willing we are to surrender more of our secret self to Him. We unlock some doors, but we protectively keep some of them closed or partially open.

We are not willing to live in total transparency before the Lord and our fellow Christians. However, with time, we learn to trust God's kindness and mercy. We depend upon His grace above all else.

We come to live a surrendered life when we understand that it is not I, but Christ living in and through us (Galatians 2:20). Christ is our whole life and we want nothing else (Colossians 3:4).

Total surrender to Christ produces fruit in us from the Vine (John 15:5). We develop the habit of walking in stride with God's Spirit (Galatians 5:15-25). We learn to think and speak by the Spirit too, reaping God's rewards (1 Corinthians 2:13).

Prayer:

Father God, Your Spirit transforms us from a split personality into a totally new creation. We no longer desire carnality, but want only that which is spiritual in our life. We come to know Christ intimately and the power, strength and truth of His resurrection (Philippians 3:10). We grasp all that Christ provides for us (Philippians 3:12).

Thank You for transforming us into the likeness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). Help us to live a life of whole-hearted devotion and worship to You in holiness and with eternal goals, priorities and values. We rely on You to walk with us through the perils of this life and to make us victors in all things (Romans 8:37).

Thought for the Day:

We bring glory to Jesus when we live in the fullness of His atonement and the redemption of His sacrifice, which He shared with us by His resurrection from the dead and ascension into Heaven. - 1 Peter 1:3-4

Darkness Hates the Light

 

Today's news reported that a professor flunked a student for their Christian stance in a school project. The world hates the Light more and more violently nowadays, because it reveals the density of their darkness.

Since Christ lives in His Saints, the world hates us too (John 15:18). They say that we disturb their peace. In other words, just seeing our name or hearing our voice convicts them of their sin; so they despise us.

We do not even need to say a word, just our presence sets their teeth on edge and boils the acid in their stomach. They want to remove us from their presence in hopes of ignoring their own conscience.

They surround themselves with like-minded people; so they do not experience the intensity of conviction, which they feel when they are around us. They will even put space and distance between them and a family member who is filled with God's Spirit.

God's Light offends them because its brightness infringes on their comfort in their darkness. Their thoughts, opinions, values, goals and behavior deny Christ with every fiber of their being.

However, this does not negate the fact that He still exists. The unbeliever can kill every last Christian on the face of the earth, but creation will still scream His name and proclaim His glory (Romans 1:20).

In the end, their knee will bow along with everyone else on the earth, and in heaven and in hell (Philippians 2:10). Christ will prevail regardless of how much will power they exude in their attempt to stop Him.

Prayer:

Father God, those who love darkness want to hide their shameful thoughts and deeds from the Light (Job 24:16). Some of them left conservative paths to walk in their shady conduct (Proverbs 2:13). They live in deception and refuse to seek You in any way (Jeremiah 9:6).

Thank You for bringing us into the light of Your glory and teaching us to walk in Your Truth (John 3:21). We want nothing to do with the fruit of darkness (Ephesians 5:11-13). Help us to reach those in darkness who have a sincere desire for Your truth. For those hardened in their sin, strengthen their inner being to accept Christ through Your Spirit (Ephesians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

Jesus is and always will be the King of all kings and Lord of all lords; the only way, truth and life; and the Light of the world. - 1 Timothy 6:15; John 8:12, 14:6

Words are Precious

 

Words are very precious to me. I love to write, I love to learn new words and use them, and I love to read God's Word. Last night, I inadvertently deleted several posts I had written for my blog.

I was devastated. I backed up my files four days before this, but I had a writing spurt between then and the catastrophe and the Holy Spirit helped me to write some inspired words. All lost.

I called my sons and between them, they did their best to recover my precious words. The files did not go to the recycle bin. My computer just wiped them out.

I also lost the Google Talk phone capability on my computer. This made me realize that if I felt this loss so deeply, I will be devastated if I ever lost the Word of God through persecution of the church in America.

At my age, I do not have a good memory anymore. Much of the Bible, which I memorized in the past is no longer in my conscious mind. I will not be able to fall back on that if the precious Word of God is taken from us.

Therefore, I purposed in my heart that I will go back to the verses that I could once recall at will and refresh my memory every night, because those words are stored in my subconscious mind.

As I reread them, I am easily recalling them into my conscious mind. Many of them were set to music by friends in my past, which makes it easier to remember them.

I want to make God's Word a priority in my life, so if we ever lose the written Word, my spirit and soul can find nourishment from the Words I hid in my heart (Psalm 119:11).

Prayer:

Father God, let us never take Your Word for granted. Our freedoms in America over all of these years lulled us into a sense of security that is no longer guaranteed. Many other countries across the globe lost their freedoms in small increments over time and we are losing them also. There is not a Christian nation left in our world today.

We look forward to Christ's imminent return; but if You tarry any longer, America may fall into enemy hands and we may lose our hard won freedoms. Help us to hide Your Word in our hearts so that it will sustain us in our times of trials now and in the future.

Thought for the Day:

The Word of God speaks to our spirit and soul like no other words we could ever read or hear; it sustains us through every trial.

- Psalm 119:116

Healing from Trauma - Part 2

We all finally reach the point in life where we totally surrender to the will of God (Ephesians 2:10). The fears of the future no longer etch away at our faith, because God proves Himself faithful by His intervention in our current issues.

During times of relocation and restoration, God hides us under the shadow of His wings. We heal physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally (Psalm 63:7). His love sustains us.

God encourages us through long time friendships, as well as new friends who love us unconditionally as He does. He makes His presence known within us and we flourish under His gentle care.

We start to notice the seeds for a miracle, which God places in every trial. We learn to look beyond the momentary afflictions to the promises, which God gives us through His Word and His world (2 Corinthians 4:17; 2 Peter 1:4).

He teaches us that negative emotions are arrows pointing to a wound in our soul, which needs healing ( www.theophostic.com ). God's Spirit continues replacing the negative aspects of our personality with His fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).

He gives us the mind of Christ, which puts more emphasis on the eternal than the temporal, more fulfillment from the spiritual than from the carnal, and makes us appreciate that our identity comes from Christ in us , not from our own strengths and accomplishments (Colossians 1:27).

We realized for the first time, that we really are already crucified with Christ, even though we still physically live on this earth. We are never truly abandoned to survive the trials of this life alone, because Christ gives us His faith and actually lives in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

God teaches us to rejoice in every situation and to float with the ebb and flow of life, because He is the Lord of all (1 Timothy 6:15). He proves to us that He will never leave or forsake us, regardless of the circumstances (Hebrews 13:5).

Surrendering to the love of God is how we can enjoy the peace of God, which floods our soul and transcends any human reasoning, as it guards our thoughts and emotions through the presence of Christ Jesus abiding within us (Philippians 4:4-7).

Prayer:

Father God, I am amazed that for even one moment I thought that I could save myself. I learned at 18 that You were the Savior of my spirit, but it took me thirty more years to learn that You are also Savior of our body and soul.

There is nothing this world can throw at us that will ever knock me down again, because nothing can ever separate us from Your love (Romans 8:35-39). With Your mercy and grace in our life, we can look forward to the miracle, which comes from every trial which we will ever experience.

Thought for the Day:

Worry is the toll we pay for traversing the trials of life without trusting in the Lord.