Show Me

Have you ever had an experience where someone talked about everything they are capable of, and you couldn’t hold back the urge to say to them, “Show me?”

I remember growing up, and this new kid had moved to town, always bragging in some way or other.  One day, he claimed to own a special bike on which he could do all sorts of tricks.  So, the rest of us boys did what came naturally to us. We insisted that he show us some proof.  He claimed his bike was still where he moved from and had no pictures, so we did not believe him.  After all, he could have just made it up to impress us.

We wanted evidence of what he claimed to accept his testimony.  That is a very natural response to hearing testimony, is it not?

I love how the Holy Spirit does not remove any of the humanity of the characters He had the writers of Scripture write about.  One of the disciples had this same type of experience.  He had heard Jesus speaking about His Father, and he wanted to see the evidence of that Father.

John 14:7   “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

To Philip’s natural mind, this wasn’t logically adding up.

John 14:8   Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus’ response does not come from a defensive posture rooted in insecurity. Jesus was happy to answer Philip’s natural curiosity and help him overcome his struggle by helping him realize how his thinking is rooted in the natural rather than the spiritual.

Ever heard the old saying, “he cannot see the forest for the trees?”  Sometimes, we can struggle to see what was there all along.

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Jesus had been demonstrating His Father by the supernatural good works He had been doing that transcended human capability.  The supernatural works of Jesus were the proof that His Father had sent Him and was working through Him.  Jesus was not solving people’s complex problems with natural solutions in His time.  Jesus met practical everyday needs with supernatural solutions.  Solutions that could not be explained in natural terms other than that they had to be of God.  It is why Jesus could say believe me for the sake of the works themselves.  No ordinary man could have been doing what Jesus did.

But Jesus went on to say something that is still, to this day, a source of controversy for those who struggle to believe.

John 14:12  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Jesus lives in those who belong to Him through faith in His name and having been born again.  Having been baptized in the Holy Spirit, something supernatural took place in me and set me on a course for operating in things that are anything but ordinary. This generation needs to see Jesus in us. Any religion can do an eloquent speech, accurate wording, and good behavior.  But walking in the life and power that Jesus walked in, well, that is something very different altogether.

I seek to be someone who can say if you have seen me, you have seen Jesus.  That requires enough humility to be honest whenever I struggle with faith in the supernatural.  I need to sincerely ask the Holy Spirit to help me get over myself and see what I am capable of when I walk by faith in Christ as I should.  Holy Spirit help me to walk in surrender and trust in You being with me to help me be a reflection of Jesus to my generation.  Help me be the kind of witness that can demonstrate the reality of Jesus being in me and working through me.

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What Is God Saying?

If I were to tell you I had a close relationship with someone I had been introduced to at one time long ago but had no real interaction with since that introduction, you might think me to be dishonest.

You might deduce this by asking me what that person has been up to and what he has said to me lately.  My inability to provide any information about your questioning would reveal the absence of a close relationship and bring my claim of having one into question.

Jesus came to earth and revealed the truth concerning the Father with great clarity because He was the only one truly close to the Father and capable of giving an accurate picture of what the Father is like.  That means the testimony of Jesus concerning the Father is the authoritative testimony above all others.

John 14:9   Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

When Jesus walked the earth, it rattled the Jews because He said and did many things that challenged their perspectives of God and their long-held ideas and self-made traditions.

In their minds, if they knew for certain Jesus was “The Christ,” it would end their questioning Him.  But would it?

John 10:24 Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”  25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30 I and My Father are one.”

Paul, like Jesus, was able to say, 1Corinthians 2:4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Having Jesus living in you and working through you according to the power of the Holy Spirit is a great privilege.  But to realize these things, He must be heard speaking in real time within our Spirit.  We must be acquainted with the sound of His voice in our innermost being. Otherwise, we cannot comply with what Peter said, and others will not be convinced of our close relationship with God,

1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Speaking as an oracle is speaking as though God is speaking through you to someone.  In other words, it is as though you are hearing Him speak to you what needs to be spoken, and you are yielding yourself to His voice that is alive within you.  But this cannot be done if you do not know what God is saying.  Only those engaged in an active, close relationship with Him will be confident to speak as oracles.

Peter is warning against being quick to offer opinions and speculations.  Others cannot be blessed and benefitted by such things.  They need the power that comes with the word of God that is alive and active.

I encourage you to draw near to Him today by faith in Jesus and grow in your knowledge of His love and goodness so that the sound of His voice becomes even more distinctive within you.

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Walk In The Light

John 12:46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

Ephesians 5:8   For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

If you were to try to leave your house tonight after dark to go somewhere and you did not have headlights on your car to light up the street, you would not be able to get very far because you could not see where you were going.  Just like your car has headlights, you have a lamp.  Jesus spoke about it.

Matthew 6:22 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If, therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?

Jesus does not want you to have the slightest hint of darkness in you.  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  In Him is the life and light.  That means that truth is light because Jesus is the truth.  That means when the truth comes, we will do well to treasure it and grab onto it like a life raft in an open sea far from land.  **Don’t let yourself ever take the truth for granted.**  Bind the truth to your heart!

Proverbs 3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake you;  Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart,

Do you know what the Scriptures testify regarding Jesus, the works He did, and how that is meant to impact your life?

If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light!  You need to see Jesus the way the Holy Spirit reveals Him to be and hear and heed all the truth about Him and what His accomplishments mean for you.  That includes the promises given to you through Him that are yes and amen in Him.

Notice Jesus said, “Your whole body will be full of light.”  Not just your spirit-man within.  Not just your spirit-man and soul.  He said your whole body!  Truth impacts the whole of us, and God cares about the whole of you, not just a part of you.

Anytime truth is not given its rightful place in our thinking; it means some measure of darkness remains.  Darkness is not good for any part of us. That’s why Jesus asked a sobering question.

“Therefore, if the light in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?”

Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

Light is protective, like armor!  Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free!  Some people live in partial freedom because they settle for just some of the truth.  They settle for just enough light to make them feel better about themselves in a moment, not realizing how dangerous that can be. I encourage you to value the light and stand in the brightness of it at all times.

Prayer Point: Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me not settle for less than all the truth I am meant to possess.  Please open my eyes, heart, mind, and soul to the light of the truth so that I might break free from any darkness seeking to hide in me.  I want You to remove anything in me that disagrees with the truth concerning Jesus and what He has made possible by His blood shed at the cross for me. Keep me grounded in New Covenant awareness and the truth I need to know about Jesus.  Amen.

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Light

John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Jesus came as the light of the world, and yet people chose to remain in darkness rather than come to the light.  Why is that?  Jesus tells us the answer to that question.  Would you like to know His answer?

John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Only those who practice evil hate light.  They hate it because it will expose their deeds.  Darkness is everything that disagrees with the truth of God. Darkness interferes with His will and denies His good intentions.

In John 12:34, a group of people were in darkness because they were mistaken about Christ, and Jesus had to correct their thinking.

John 12:35 Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.

Notice how Jesus made it very clear.  He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.  The people had a wrong idea that caused them to question something Jesus had spoken about being lifted up.

That confusion meant they were in darkness and led Jesus under the anointing of the Holy Spirit to instruct them concerning light.  Jesus desires to make sons of light.  But pay close attention to how it says Jesus spoke, departed, and was hidden from them.  They did not believe as they should and continued in darkness.

Darkness opposes the truth in any form.  Darkness rejects the good things promised by God to His children and presents God in the wrong light.  It requires light breaking through to expel all darkness.  The light of the gospel is rightly given based on New Covenant understanding without any mixture of the Old.  When there is a mixture, there is darkness because it obscures the truth about how God relates to those who are His now in Christ.

Light is needed at all times, and the truth is light.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  He is the truth concerning the manner in which the Father wants to be seen.  He revealed the Father with every good thing He did and the truth He spoke.  That which does not accord with the testimony of Jesus concerning the Father is darkness.  But when we believe the testimony of Jesus, we have light.  I encourage you to know His testimony and walk in the light always.

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Truly Free - Part Four

Set Free From The Fear of Death

Hebrews 2:14  Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

The fear of death can rule over a person and influence their decision-making.

Fear of dying can cause someone to do things they know they should not do just to avoid the threat of death.

But hallelujah!  Praise You, Jesus!  We no longer have to fear death, and we especially no longer have to be afraid of the devil who used to hold the power of death.  Jesus took that power away from Him!

Paul as an apostle of Jesus, modeled this area of freedom to us.

Philippians 1:21 For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.

When you believe in the gospel of the New Covenant and all that Jesus did, you get set free from the fear of death!

Jesus is your freedom!

The idea of being with Him for all eternity is appealing to such a degree that the greater challenge is remaining here on this earth.  This natural life pales compared to the life we have received in Christ.

Paul lived for the reward of glorification!  He longed to be with Jesus before the throne.  It was not heaven by and by for Paul.  It was not streets of gold and mansions for Paul.  It was Jesus for Paul.  It was the idea of eternity in the presence of the One who had captured his heart and mind with awe.

Being in awe of Jesus to the point of being distracted by Him is what manifests this freedom from the fear of death.  It also enables us to authentically celebrate those we know who belong to Jesus but are dearly loved by us and have passed on before us.  The idea of their being present with the Lord in glory is not just a fantastical notion or made-up story to take part of the edge off our loss.

When the idea of who Christ is and how wonderful it would be to be with Him in glory is held in true faith, it takes the sting of death away.  It equips us as believers to be not merely comforted but maybe even envious of what they have achieved ahead of us.  I know that can sound odd or strange at first, but if you meditate upon the idea of what Christ has done, who He is, and how wonderful He is, it begins to make sense.

It also fuels our desire even more, to make sure those we love know Him and are prepared to meet Him when their time comes.  I encourage you to get to know Him all the more.

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Truly Free - Part Three

Set Free From The Fear of Man

Proverbs 29:25  Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

When we reverence God in the way we’ve been created to do, we are set free from being overly concerned about what others may think when we are doing according to His will.

Proverbs 28:1 The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

Fearing rejection or punishment from people can enslave you to their opinions over what God desires. It keeps you from being able to be who you truly are in Christ. But someone who truly knows they are righteous is bold. Those who have found total satisfaction in God’s opinion of them truly overcome the fear of man.  Fear of man fuels fear of failure, rejection, ridicule, or persecution.  Many types of fear are rooted in the fear of man.  Jesus sets us free from every type of fear!

As an Apostle of Jesus, Paul modeled this comprehensive freedom for us.  He modeled dying to selfish ambition.  Selfish ambition opens the door to the fear of man.  Paul longed for God’s approval above all else.

Philippians 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Paul was able to stand firm even though others forsook him.  Paul gave no place to the fear of rejection.

2Timothy 4:16  At my first defense, no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.

In Acts 16, even though he had been unjustly imprisoned along with Silas, they praised Jesus!  So God turned what the enemy hoped would discourage Paul and Silas into an evangelistic moment. Many were saved!  Paul gave no place to a fear of what man could do to him.

Hebrews 13:5  Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper;  I will not fear.  What can man do to me?”

Jesus said it this way,

Matthew 10:28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Having awe and reverence for God will go a long way to helping us avoid the snare of the fear of man.  I encourage you today to submit to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to establish Christ’s kingdom first in your heart and mind to strengthen your faith in Jesus and shield you from the fear of man.

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Truly Free - Part Two

Free From The Curse of the Law

Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

An example of being born under a slave woman or free woman had just been given in chapter four.

Paul used Hagar, who gave birth to Ishmael, as an example of the Law.  Hagar was a slave who was made pregnant when Sarah convinced Abraham to try to bring about the promise of God by the flesh.

Hagar and Ishmael held Sarah and Isaac in contempt when Isaac the true promise had come, and Sarah saw them scoffing at her and Isaac and demanded that Abraham put them out, declaring that the bondwoman and her son would share in the inheritance of her promised son Isaac.  Abraham had to put Hagar and her son out of the camp, sending them away as if to die in the wilderness. Why?  Because they were persecuting the promised son!  That is why verse 1 of chapter 5 begins as it does.

The Law and Grace do not mix.  They are not meant to mix.  The New Covenant is not given to improve on the Old Covenant and complete it; it replaces it.  Believers are not meant to be under the Law.

Biblically, to be under the Law is to be under a curse.

Galatians 3:10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”

Failure to keep the Law brought curses, not blessings.  But now, in Christ, we are made righteous and heirs to the promises!

Jesus became a curse for us so that we could be free from the curse of the Law!

Galatians 3:13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

No one receives the Promised Holy Spirit by means of keeping the Law.  He is received by faith.

Galatians 3:2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

To go back under the Law for any reason is to put your trust in the flesh.  It is faith in one’s own strength and ability.

Galatians 3:5   Therefore, He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

By faith in Christ Jesus, we have been set free from the curse of the Law.  I encourage you to live in this freedom every day and refuse to be brought back under the very thing that was once a curse to you.

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Truly Free - Part One

Jesus came to set us free.  There is freedom full and complete Jesus paid for that some have yet to experience.    

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. Christ Jesus came to set us free!

But free from what?

Sin and its power

Romans 6:18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Romans 6:22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

Jesus set us free from the power of sin so that we could become slaves of God.

That phrase means we were liberated from the rule of sin to be brought under the power and rule of righteousness.

Before coming to Jesus, you were ruled by your sinful nature. Even when you appeared to have some control over sinful behavior, you were still alienated from God because you were born with a sinful nature.

Behaving well or doing good deeds could not change your basic sinful nature.  But when you were placed in Christ, that nature was buried with Christ, and you were raised in new life with Christ when He was raised from the dead.

Romans 6:3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

When you become a new creation in Christ, your history goes away, and His history becomes your history.  That’s why it says that when He died, you died with Him, and when He rose from the dead, you rose with Him.  The New Creation you in Christ is a part of His righteous history.

2Corintians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Jesus set us free from sin and its power at work in us.  He also, in doing so, set us free from our past.  Jesus paid for our sins, past, present, and future.

He completely took care of all of it by removing the old dead sinful nature and giving us a new alive righteous nature.  I encourage you to remember who you are in Him.  Live today and always as that beautiful new creation Jesus made in His image—an image of the very righteousness of God.

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Lessons From A Thief

Many believers like things neatly packaged regarding biblical points of view, and such practices can sometimes lead to a rigid dogmatism that can blind one to the unorthodox lessons and opportunities the Holy Spirit sometimes offers.

In seminary, they provide you with eloquent names for comprehensive systematic ideas.  It’s where we get words like Paterology - the study of God the Father,  Christology - The study of God the Son, and Pneumatology - the study of God the Holy Spirit.  Then there’s Bibliology - the study of the Bible; Soteriology - the study of salvation; Ecclesiology - the study of the church; Eschatology - the study of end times.  There’s also the subject of Hermeneutics, meant to describe the proper interpretation and application of Scripture.

I’m not saying these terminologies and studies are bad, just that you can be well-versed in these subjects and yet, in your theology, miss some very important points if you become overly dogmatic.  Getting hung up on what we think we know, or methods about certain things is possible.  That happened to those who spent generations under the Law of Moses.  They knew of only one way to be righteous, so when the New Covenant arrived, they struggled with the idea of it.  Today we can struggle with how things are done and have no tolerance for things that might be different.

For instance:  What if I told you you could learn much from a tried, convicted, and sentenced thief?

Jesus hung between two other men at Calvary, and one was a thief.  The thief asked for Jesus to remember him once Jesus went into His kingdom.  Jesus told the man that he would be with Him in paradise that day.  So let’s take a minute to consider what happened.

If you believe water baptism is essential for salvation, you might find it tricky to handle the thief.  The thief was never water baptized.  According to some doctrines, he could not be saved.

If you hold to the idea of communion being necessary for salvation, then once again, the thief creates difficulty for a hard, fast, and immovable opinion to that end. The thief never had communion.

If you dogmatically ascribe to the idea that Holy Spirit baptism with the evidence of speaking in tongues is vital to salvation, well, once again, that thief has messed with that idea as well.  The thief had no such experience and never spoke in tongues.

What about praying the sinner’s prayer while emotionally falling apart in deep repentance for his wicked ways?  Even though the thief was justly punished for wrongdoing, no such demonstration is recorded!  It is a simple short exchange between Jesus and the thief.

What does one do with a thief who walked into paradise with Jesus simply by BELIEVING?  Jesus said,

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that whoever BELIEVES in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

That is the good news!  God’s approaches to saving the lost can be multifaceted, with only one constant—preaching the gospel.  There’s no salvation without faith in Jesus.

I realize there are explanations for why the thief could not engage in what I mentioned before. I also realize it could be seen as being over-simplistic, but I share it simply to make a point.

Is it possible that many in the church have become so lofty in their thinking that they have drifted away from the simplicity and power that is in the gospel?

You need not be a great theologian to lead someone to Jesus.  You just need to know Jesus yourself because you believed the good news about Him and were saved.  Don’t get so caught up in lofty systematic studies and traditions or methods in doing things that you forget just how simple it is to be His witness to the lost.

I am not pleading for an oversimplification of things.  I am, however, saying that overcomplication can produce frustration and stagnation in one’s call to be His witness.  Becoming too fixed on something to the point where dogma interrupts your ability to be Spirit led in simple ways and can be a robber.  I encourage you never to lose the simplicity of the gospel of Jesus and His finished work and believe in the power God has put in it to save.

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Set Free

John 8:31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

I think there is a part of this verse that is often overlooked but is very important.

Jesus stated, “If you hold to my teaching.”

The word “hold” in Greek is the word meno, meaning abide, continue, dwell, endure, remain.

This is akin to what Jesus said in John 15; the word remain used in John 15 is the same Greek word meno.

John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Jesus was making disciples, and He is still making disciples today.  One of the hallmarks of a disciple is taking Jesus at His word and clinging to the word of truth revealed by the Holy Spirit.

Truth is a big deal to a disciple of Jesus.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing.

Jesus is everything to a disciple.  He holds first place in a disciple’s heart, mind, and soul.  That is why Jesus could say with all authority that His disciples hold to His teaching.

This is not that odd if you think about it.  Today multitudes have their favorite teachers they follow. They hang on every word their favorite teacher speaks.  That would make them a disciple of that particular teacher.  Hopefully, that teacher points them to Jesus and His completed work on their behalf and not himself.

The Corinthians were engaged in that practice when Paul first wrote to them.  Some said they were of Paul, others of Peter, others of Apollos, and finally, those of Jesus.  Because of these devotions to a certain teacher, they were divided.  Paul described this type of behavior as being carnal.  Paul speaks of how no one was baptized in his name except for two people, and his reason for that was to avoid this type of misunderstanding.  In other words, he wasn’t making disciples for himself. He was seeking to make disciples for Jesus.

The practice of baptism in those days was used in part to align the one baptized with the person doing the baptizing.  To this day, in a way, it is still used in part in this manner.  After clarifying that he didn’t baptize anyone to make a disciple for himself, he goes on to say,

1Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with wisdom and eloquence, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

A disciple of Jesus holds on to the gospel.  Getting the gospel right, getting the gospel in, and getting the gospel out is very important to a disciple of Jesus.  The gospel is the power of God unto salvation.  It is not your poise, eloquence, or polish that God is concerned with when sharing the gospel.  It is your accuracy and trust in it that matters.  Your reliance on Jesus and the Holy Spirit impresses the Father.  It is by faith that we please Him.

I encourage you today and always to hold tightly to the gospel of Jesus, making sure you get it right, and get it in you so that you can give it out to others.

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Bewitched?

When I was a kid, a TV show went by this name.  It involved a witch marrying an ordinary man.  It was meant to be comedic with a twist.

In the show, the witch’s family members were unapproving of her marriage to an ordinary man, and thus they brought mischief with them whenever they came around.  They would cast spells and cause chaos that had to be fixed before the show’s episode ended.

You see, the Bible uses the word bewitched in the New Testament, and it is not referring to psychics or any of the types of images the show Bewitched sought to portray.

Some believers are very concerned with the activity of those engaged in satanic and demonic things and how it might affect them personally or the church.  But there is a more dangerous type of bewitching that is subtle and seemingly good and affects far more people than the types that would be obvious to most.

Galatians 3:1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?

The bewitching occurring here in Galatians is one of how the Law is being used among believers in Christ who began well in faith in Christ alone but were being seduced by arguments for keeping the Law to prove their devotion and salvation and gain momentum spiritually.

Many bewitching the church with Law observance and devotion are well-intentioned in their efforts but are bewitching nonetheless.

Someone might ask, what is the danger of telling believers to live according to the works of the law?

The answer is simple. It is contrary to the true gospel of faith in Christ.  It is a robber of faith.

Galatians 3:5 So again, I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?

Many still today link the absence of miracles, signs, and wonders in the church to disobedience in some areas of the Law.  They credit the failure to obey some clear command as the reason for God’s unwillingness to work supernaturally.  But this is wrong thinking.  Our best obedience is rooted in our faith in Christ alone for righteousness and justification.

Galatians 3:10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law. 11 Clearly, no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”

To go under the Law for spiritual confidence is to put yourself under a curse.  To trust in the Law is to trust your ability to become or maintain righteousness with God.  That is against the Gospel and the New Covenant Jesus established with His blood.

It is this curse that the church should be most concerned with.  It is the most prevailing curse at work, and it is subtle, and it is dangerous.  It is robbing the faith of many.  To be freed from such a curse, one must look to Christ alone through faith alone.

Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

I encourage you to be very deliberate about putting all your confidence in the finished work of Christ on your behalf.  Miracles, signs, and wonders are not rooted in our performance. They are grounded in His promise in Christ.  Jesus is the one who deserves all the credit.  Jesus is the One who deserves all the praise because He is the One who did the work that makes us righteous with God’s own righteousness.  Let’s be thankful for Him today and always.

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Shortchanged

How often have you heard someone asking for a double portion or been compelled to ask for it yourself?

If I had a delicious yeast roll and you asked me for part of it, and I gave you a portion of it, you might say thank you.  If I volunteered another portion, you might say thank you again, feeling you had received a double portion.  But, ironically, you didn’t get the whole roll.  In a way, if you think about it, you were shortchanged if you were meant to have a whole roll of your own.

Under the New Covenant, we are not given small portions of Christ and the things of God.  We are given everything in Christ!  We have not been shortchanged.

Colossians 2:8   Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

2Peter 1:3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

In the New Covenant, we have not been shortchanged by God. He is not withholding anything promised or that which is good from us.  He has provided for us abundantly through Jesus Christ.  The more we come to know Christ, the more we realize all that is ours in Him.

But when we allow ourselves to get into Old Covenant mindsets, we can think we lack something due to God holding back on us.  The real truth is that we struggle to believe what His word has declared to us. We often struggle with just how good and how willing He really is.

The only way any follower of Christ can be shortchanged is by not believing as they should what has been spoken in His word based on who Christ is and what Christ has done.  It can’t be based on what they have or have not done.

Too often, a person is cheated out of what is possible in Christ through some persuasive philosophy gaining popularity in social media circles or through the Christian hotline.  Or they can get cheated out of what is possible in Christ because of traditions they’ve been under all their life that convince them they are an exception to being able to receive His goodness and kindness.  Performance-based thinking interferes with a person’s ability to receive by faith.

We’ve all been called to glory and virtue.  Glory is His presence and virtue in the ability to have strength and resolve in the face of opposition and challenge.  It is the ability to be who He says we are and receive and walk in what He says we should without apology or shame.  In Greek, virtue is defined as Manliness(valor) - praise.

It represents the idea of being able to stand and lead others.  God awakened us to His presence and made us partakers of His divine nature and power through faith in Christ, and the promises He makes are now yes and amen in Christ Jesus.  But sadly, some put conditions on your ability to receive other than faith in Jesus and His completed work.  Even more sad is when we do it to ourselves.

All the fullness of God is yours in Christ. If you only believe it, you will experience it.

John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

No believer should ever think of themselves as shortchanged unless they have been believing a wrong message and were cheated out of what is truly theirs already in Christ.  God is not a man that He should lie or need to repent.  God cannot lie.  That means what He has promised He will uphold.  Knowing the love of Christ, which surpasses knowledge, results in being filled with all the fullness of God!  Please read it for yourself in Ephesians 3:19

You do not need a double portion when you already have the fullness.  Christ enabled us to receive everything God promised in His word.  I encourage you today to look into all that God has promised in His word and begin taking hold of it by faith in what Jesus did instead of what you must do to earn it.

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Equipped And Empowered

1John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

That phrase as He is, so are we in this world, is worth considering.  We are meant to make Him known to the generations in our lifetime.

Matthew 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Jesus modeled this way of ministry to His twelve disciples.  They witnessed how He ministered to the people.  He let them minister with Him.  Then He tells them they can do likewise because He has given them what it takes.  You have His fullness and the Holy Spirit of promise.

You have what it takes!

There’s a story of a little boy walking a beach littered with stranded starfish.  Walking, he picked up starfish and threw it back into the sea.  A man saw him and asked what he was doing.  The boy answered, “I’m rescuing these starfish.”  The man told the boy, “But there are so many; you can’t possibly help all of them?”  The boy picked up a starfish, threw it into the sea, and then said to the man, “I just helped that one.”

If you get distracted by the size of the task before you, you may talk yourself out of doing anything at all.  The man in the story was distracted by the size of the task, but the boy could focus on helping one starfish at a time.  The boy had what it takes.

Jesus said, “All things are possible to him who believes!” If that is even a partial lie, Jesus was not sinless.  He couldn’t be the perfect sacrifice for sin if He wasn’t sinless. That would mean you and I are still in sin and without hope.  But we know Jesus never lied. That means all things are possible to him who believes!  Your past does not define you, the abuses you have suffered do not define you, hurts and offenses cannot define you, betrayals cannot define you, your ancestry does not define you, failures do not define you!  You are set free in Christ, and all things are possible to anyone who believes.  You are more than an overcomer through Christ!

You have what it takes!

David could slay a giant much bigger than himself who defied the armies of Israel and mocked God because David believed in God and His promise for Israel!

Daniel could survive a night in the den of hungry lions after refusing to do something that went against God because he believed.

A fourth man stood in the fire with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they refused to bow and worship an image because they believed in God.

You have more inside and working through you today than those men had in their day!  You have what it takes!

You can face down your giant of fear in whatever area it is when you believe in the One who is greater than your fear!  Perfect love casts out fear!  That includes fear of death, fear of man, fear of rejection, fear of failure, or any other type of fear.  They all are kicked out of our lives by His love.

You have what it takes!

You’ve been equipped and empowered to go to your generation and share the good news of Jesus with them.  Allow faith to rise in you, and you can freely give to others what you have freely received.  I encourage you to take God at His word today and every day.

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You Have What It Takes

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus was full of something. He was full of grace and truth. But there’s something stated that we must not overlook.

John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.

You are full of something too!  You are full of His fullness!  You have received grace for grace!  God gave you favor to receive favor so you can go in favor to make Jesus known!

You have what it takes!

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Just as Moses and Jesus were distinguished by what they brought, we can also be known for what we bring.

You have what it takes!

You have family members, neighbors, friends, acquaintances in the marketplace, and coworkers who need to know that God loves them and that His love was manifest when He sent His Only-begotten Son, Jesus, to this earth.

Jesus lived a sinless life, went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, and then gave Himself as a sacrifice for their sin.

Jesus took the whole world's sin on Himself at the cross, where they crucified Him so that any who believed in Him could receive the righteousness of God and be born again!

To prove He was the One sent by God to do this work of salvation and redemption, He rose from the dead after three days, and many days after that, He ascended into heaven with the promise of coming again.  Once Jesus was seated on the throne in heaven, The Father released the Promised Holy Spirit to baptize those who believed with power.   Jesus is returning soon, and multitudes are in the valley of decision needing someone to share the good news with them that God loves them, Jesus died for them, and they also can be saved.

You believed this good news yourself and have received His fullness!  You now stand in His grace!  Don’t let the enemy cheat you out of what you are full of!   Don’t let him steal your voice, the promises that are yes and amen in Jesus or the privilege of reaching the lost for Christ!

You have what it takes!

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New Covenant/Old Covenant Contrasts

When it comes to thinking about New Covenant versus Old Covenant, the lines often get blurred.

But there can be some simple ideas that may help a person distinguish between the two fairly easily.

Old Covenant thinking when it comes to obedience operates from a declaration of what obedience is meant to look like with an air of pull up your bootstraps and get to it, or prayers may be unanswered, and punishment dealt out swiftly.  It ministers insecurity and death in one’s relationship with God. It is a continual roller coaster ride of ups and downs based on a person’s own performance rather than Christ’s obedience.

New Covenant thinking about obedience begins with one’s relationship to God through the obedience of Christ and thus has a handle on who they are because of who He is and knows what they can now do because of what He has made them to be.  Their security is rooted in Christ’s performance, and the more secure they are in it, the more they discover obedience is an outflow of who they have become in Him.

New Covenant begins and ends with identity in Christ, whereas Old Covenant thinking begins and ends with identity in oneself.

Colossians 2:4 Now this I say lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. 5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.  6 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

In the New Covenant, we walk by faith in Christ.  In the Old Covenant, they walked according to the demands of the law.

Notice that Colossians declared the saints to be complete in Christ.  Completeness in the New Covenant is only realized in Christ.  Righteousness, glory, power, and promise flow through Christ to His new creations.

In the Old Covenant, righteousness, glory, power, and promise had to be earned, and if not earned, then opposite consequences ensued.  It was to keep it or be cursed.

In the New Covenant, Christ became a curse for us so that we could be set free from the curse under the law.

The New Covenant places us under and in Christ.  The Old Covenant places a person under the Law.

Which covenant do you find yourself spending most of your time and thought in?  I encourage you today to be mindful of the New Covenant in Christ at all times and not let anyone cheat you from it.

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Riches of The Glory

In the first chapter of Ephesians, Paul prays something worth noting when meditating on the Scripture.  Interestingly, he prays for our eyes of understanding to be enlightened so we might know some things.  One such thing involves,

Ephesians 1:18…………………. what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

I am intrigued by the part that speaks of the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

What exactly does that mean?

It’s easy for me to grasp that I’ve been bought with a price, the precious blood of Christ!  I get that He is a rich treasure indeed.

But here, it speaks of riches of glory based on His inheritance in the saints.

I see this and ponder it in submission to the Holy Spirit and come away with my mind blown at the idea that I, along with others such as you who have been born again and follow Jesus and thus are called saints, are part of the riches of the glory of His inheritance.

It’s so easy to think of Him and value Him greatly because of His great sacrifice, but then the why of His sacrifice comes into view.  There had to be something about our redemption that greatly appealed to Him.  There was something of beauty to the new creation we would be that is considered a rich and glorious inheritance for Him.

With that in mind, we should never again consider a born-again follower of Jesus as being ordinary.  There is no such thing as a worthless new creation.  We all make up the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

2Corinthians 5:16   Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

It has been stated in history by men of God long ago that if we could see the spirit man, made new in Christ as he really is, we would be captivated with awe and wonder.

There is an inner beauty to who we are In Christ, and Christ being in us magnifies that beauty.

Perhaps if we were to see what He sees when we look in the mirror, we might be able to walk in who we truly are in Him more fully instead of often seeing ourselves according to the flesh.

Would seeing yourself as part of the riches of the glory of His inheritance change anything about how you live right now?

In order to be and to do according to His good pleasure, a person must know what they are and who they are.  If there’s any confusion and uncertainty about this, a person will struggle to be and to do.  It is about knowing your identity and having it settled about being in Christ and being new, which will empower you to live a different life than you did in your former days before coming to know Jesus.

I encourage you to know who you are, whose you are, and what you are now that you are in Him so confidently that you live out that reality.  You are part of the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

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Exceeding Greatness

Ephesians 1:19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

I don’t know about you, but that was some real mighty power at work raising Jesus from the dead after three days.  I mean, doing that and not even taxing Him one bit didn’t even cause Him to lose a little breath!

The question is, how do we read and understand this statement made here in Ephesians?

The Wuest translation says it this way:  and what is the superabounding greatness of His inherent power to us who are believing ones as measured by the operative energy of the manifested strength of His might, which might was operative in the Christ when He raised Him from among the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places

Superabounding greatness of His inherent power to us!

God has set to work in us, the exceeding greatness of power no less than the level of power that was at work when He raised Jesus from the dead after three days!

So how is this meant to impact us?

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

I know no one who would say they did not receive new life in Christ when they believed.  But they are referring to the spirit life within, not the physical life without.

But here we find a testimony in the Scripture that declares life will also be given to our mortal bodies!

His Spirit brings life into our mortal bodies, not just the new life we receive from the Spirit for our spirit.  But sadly, not everyone sees and understands, and believes this precious promise given to us.

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

This idea of more abundantly includes every facet of our life.  Not just our spiritual life but also our emotional and physical life.  God’s exceeding greatness of power is available to work in us because He has willed it to be so.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

If a promise of good life, long and blessed, could exist under the Old Covenant if the people were to comply with righteousness, then why can’t it be available to us now that we are made righteous with God’s righteousness?

I dare say we are far more blessed than we are aware of.  I encourage you to allow yourself to meditate upon His goodness and the promises we have read today.  Let the Holy Spirit feed you with the hope that knowing and belonging to Him can give.

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Growing In Your Knowing

Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

Paul as an apostle, prayed this prayer for everyone in the church at Ephesus.  He was moved by the Holy Spirit to pray in such a way and to stress the importance of believers having a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, Him meaning Jesus.

The desire is that we really know Jesus in such an intimate personal way that we can speak of Him the same as we would anyone we know closely and personally here on earth.

But more than that, there is a desire that we would have the eyes of our understanding enlightened.  This, to me, is speaking of washing the soul with the truth concerning Jesus in such a way that it opens up the wide-open vistas of what it means to be in Christ and know the benefit more fully and completely.

In this case, it speaks of the hope of His calling.  Hope can be a powerful thing when it is in full operation.  The hope of His calling means there is more to who we are in Him and the purpose of His making us a new creation than just existing here and now, biding our time until we make it to heaven.  His calling gives us purpose and aims to empower us to influence and impact our generation in His name.

Then something more is added to that idea.  There are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints that we are also meant to know and benefit from.  It is meant to be a continual source of encouragement, equipping, and empowerment to be involved with the saints.

But to ensure we can be all He says we can be, there is yet another important benefit.  We are to know the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power, when He raised Jesus from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.

This speaks of His supernatural transformative power, raising us from the dead and establishing us in a place of favor with Father.  We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places.  When Jesus died, Scripture says in Romans we died with Him, and when He was raised in life, we were raised with Him, and here and in other places in Scripture, we learn we are seated with Him!

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

We are more than equipped and empowered to be and to do according to His good pleasure.  Go in the strength that knowing Jesus according to the Spirit can provide today and every day.  I encourage you to look to Him and really live!

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Real Transformation

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16  Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Jesus wanted to know what the disciples had heard about Him for a reason.  Notice how wrong the testimonies of some people were.  Some had speculated that Jesus was one of the prophets. They drew wrong conclusions due to not really knowing Him.  But we see a different testimony from Peter.  “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”

All of a sudden, Peter knew Jesus as who Jesus was and captivated him with awe.  Merely hearing about Jesus does not change you. You need a real revelation of Him that exalts His worth and greatness in your heart and imagination. Peter would have never concluded who Jesus was on his own, just as others had already proven they couldn’t get it on their own.

It is why the Holy Spirit is so important to us.  His ministry is to reveal Jesus to us.

Having Holy Spirit revelation as to who Jesus is matters. Jesus is not just an ordinary man. He is the Son of God!  He is God the Son!  He is Almighty God!  He is the Word of God!  He is the Great High Priest of our confession!  He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  He is the One who was, and is, and is to come!  He is the Great I am!  He is the first and the last the Alpha and the Omega!  He is the Prince of peace and the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Unfortunately, some prefer having a certificate of accomplished studies about Jesus to truly knowing Jesus. That is religion.  The Holy Spirit desires that we know and encounter Jesus so that we are captivated in awe of Him.  The Holy Spirit wants to transform us by revealing Christ in His glory to us.

2Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We need to see Jesus in ways that captivate our hearts and imaginations based on who He truly is.  Failing to grow in a revelation of Jesus risks becoming cold and indifferent.  It can lead to forfeiting the continual transformation meant to be experienced by beholding Him.  It can also forfeit the drive to bear testimony of Him to others. The sure pathway to love waxing cold is to put off allowing the Holy Spirit to wash the soul by bringing fresh revelation concerning Christ Jesus and His greatness.

There’s no devil, no sin, no circumstance, no problem, and no past too big or too powerful for Jesus to overcome.  The greater Jesus is in the imagination of the soul, the freer you become from all the things that would threaten your victory, peace, and witness for Him.

People need to see and hear of your very alive relationship revelation, not religious information.  I encourage you today to look to Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to give you an even greater revelation of Him to run on.

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Contradiction

Under the New Covenant, the way contradiction has occurred for a believer shifted.  Contradiction is not about how we are out of step with the Law.  It is about being out of step with the new creation we become in Christ and Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Spiritual progress is made by investing in the effort to renew the spirit of the mind.  Contradiction takes place when we allow our minds to remain tied to the old way of thinking instead of renewing it according to the New Covenant and the new creation’s way of being and doing.

The new creation that we are in Christ is righteous and holy.  It is righteous with God’s righteousness, and it is holy with the holiness of Christ.  This is the nature of the new creation that we are in Christ.  Our spirit within is aware of this and desires to live according to whom Christ made us to be but to do so, the work of renewing the mind must be engaged.

This is why there is such an assault on the mind by the enemy.  It comes through many distractions meant to keep us from discovering the truth in our minds concerning who we truly are and thus finding ourselves in a life of contradiction.

When we invest in renewing the spirit of our minds, it affects our choices.  We become more productive in the purposes of the kingdom, and we adorn the gospel more effectively.

Spiritual laziness could be defined as neglecting to put in the needed effort to renew the spirit of our mind.  Many might think it is defined as not doing what Scripture describes as new creation behavior.  But our behavior will often be in step with where we allow our minds to dwell.  A reluctance to invest in renewing the spirit of the mind produces the fruit of contradiction.

But I am not suggesting that a person goes to the law to rid themselves of contradiction.  The New Covenant is about living out your new identity in Christ.  God’s generosity towards Adam and Eve was great. They could eat from any of the trees in the garden except the one (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.)  So renewing your mind under the New Covenant does not require you to go and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  It sends you to see Jesus and what He accomplished on your behalf to make you righteous and holy so you can live as who He made you to be, as opposed to seeing yourself as what you are not according to the law.

If the spirit of the mind is not renewed in knowing where one’s righteousness and holiness come from so that it can tap into what has already been done on its behalf, a life of contradiction will be the outcome.  I encourage you to know the truth concerning who you truly are in Christ, fill your mind with what He accomplished on your behalf, and be thankful.

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