A Disarmed Enemy

You might be a bit anxious and afraid if you were called into battle.  It can sound very ominous to be called to war.  But what if you were being called into battle against an enemy with no weapons?  What if you were to be heavily armed while the enemy had nothing at all to fight with?

That is what we are told in Scripture regarding our spiritual enemy.  Jesus disarmed the enemy.  He took away the weapons they had at their disposal to attack us with.

But when this is not believed, it is like the enemy has water pistols they use to mimic real guns, and when they squirt them, they deeply wound someone because it is so deeply believed they are real weapons when they are no weapon at all.

Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

What does it clearly say Jesus did here?  He disarmed the principalities and powers.  He took away their weapons.  They now have to try to convince someone they have a weapon against them through deception.

What were the weapons they were using before Jesus went to the cross?

Colossians 2:13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

The weapon the enemy once had that was justly used against us at one point in time was the handwritten requirements of the law.

Jesus nailed the handwritten requirements to His cross.  The things written and spoken of here involve the law that was against us, proving us guilty and dead in our sins and trespasses. The enemy was allowed to use them against us while we were still sinners away from Christ and unprotected by His finished work at the cross.  But when we believed in Jesus, those requirements that were successfully used against us were taken away by the cross when they were nailed to it.

In other words, Jesus disarmed our accuser.

Romans 8:33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.  34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

When someone comes to Christ in faith and is born again, they get to live in the freedom and peace of knowing Jesus, their Savior, disarmed their enemy and set them totally free from everything that was held against them.

I encourage you to live in the freedom you have received in Christ and not let the enemy deceive you into believing he has any weapon to use against you.  Live in Christ always!  Live in the power and beauty of His completed work on your behalf!  Nothing can separate us from His love!

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Do Thoughts Matter?

It is said that our inward thoughts are what drive our lives.  They can fuel our gains in a positive forward motion or hinder us from doing what is most needed to make such gains.

Proverbs 23:6 Do not eat the bread of a miser, nor desire his delicacies;  7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.  “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.

In other words, he is saying something he doesn’t mean because, in his innermost thoughts, he has no desire to be generous towards you with what he has.  He keeps his stinginess to himself inwardly, but outwardly, he puts on a face to look as though he is happily generous.

He has secret thoughts known only to himself.  His thoughts interfere with his ability to engage as he should authentically.  In other words, his thoughts matter.

This battle is not isolated to just misers.  It is the reality of every human being in some way or another.  It is also real to every believer in Christ.  That’s why the Holy Spirit spoke through Paul as an apostle to say the following.

2Corinthians 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Our weapons are not according to our own strength and willpower.  They are mighty in God!

They are mighty in God for the purpose of pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.  God knows everything, so what He says about something is far more authoritative than any professional, expert, or intellectually superior human being.  If God says something is so, then it is so  He knows better than even science can know.

The basis of these arguments and high things is that they call into question the finished work of Christ at the cross.  They argue that something illegitimate now because of the cross should somehow have the right and the power to eliminate the promises of God.  Strongholds get established in our thinking when we allow our thoughts to align with our feelings and emotions in the situations we face to dictate what the truth and expectations should be for us.

But notice what we are to do with such thoughts.  We are to bring them into captivity.   Not captivity to our desired obedience which we perform.  But we are to bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ.  In other words, our thoughts that we linger over and give credence to should always be made to pass through the filter of what Christ did at the cross and how complete a work that is.  If they cannot pass through that filter, they are to be brought into captivity to Christ so that they cannot establish a stronghold of wrong thinking, which nourishes doubt and unbelief instead of hope and faith.  Long story short, thoughts really do matter.

How familiar are you with all that was accomplished at the cross on your behalf?  How confident are you in the finished work of the cross?  Are there thoughts occurring in your soul that battle against the idea of Christ having done all that was needed to forever make you right with God?  If so, it is time that you bring such thoughts to the truth of God’s word regarding the cross of Christ and how we have everything we need in Christ.  I encourage you to look to Jesus always!

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Seek Him

What stirs you in your soul and body?

My wife and I have been walking and working out, and my body and soul have begun to enjoy it.  It  But I must admit it cannot compare to encounters with Jesus.  Relationship encounters with the Lord, where I hear Him speak to me, are very special.  Special times of just He and I uninterrupted are very important.

I am very private about my personal times with Jesus because I do not do them for show.  Such times are about Him.  I can relate well with what the psalmist spoke.

Psalm 63:1 O God, You are my God;  Early will I seek You;  My soul thirsts for You;  My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.  2 So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.  3 Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You.  4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

The psalmist records that he knows who his God is.  It is important to know this first and foremost.  It is also apparent that the Psalmist also knows the great worth of His God because he notes that God stirs something in him.  A thirst in his soul for God is stirred at the thought of Him, and there is a longing in his flesh.  This longing is also established by the circumstances he finds himself in.  Thus, the description of a dry and thirsty land.

The psalmist needs God’s comfort, wisdom, and great power for his situation, so he is inspired to seek God where he is assured he will find Him.  He is seeking God for a reason, a purpose.

To see God’s power and glory.  When you are in the press of life, it is reassuring to witness the power and glory of God because it reminds you there is no one and nothing more powerful than the One who loves you.  Truly knowing this can turn your emotions around and breathe life and hope into you where despair once threatened you.

When you meditate on God’s greatness, His power, and His glory and then begin to realize His great love for you manifested in Jesus at the cross, something other than complaint rises up within you.  Praise to Him rises up within your soul and spirit, and you find yourself speaking out praise to Him.  You may have come before Him in an attitude of desperation and need, but before you leave that moment of intimacy with Him, you are transported from what brought you to being captivated by Him and finding yourself needing to declare praises to Him.

We might begin approaching His throne of grace with or need to find mercy to help us, but if we linger there, we cannot help but be overcome with praise towards Him due to His overwhelming lovingkindness and goodness.  Then we, as the psalmist, find ourselves declaring, I will bless You while I live!  I will lift up my hands in Your name!

Real encounters with Him always result in thanksgiving and praise responses from us.  It is good to know Him according to His great power and goodness.

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Highly Unordinary

Certain things can separate a person as being very different from others.  Outward manifestations that set a person apart from others based on an ability that seems to rise above the average status quo.

Often, these people are referred to as prodigies.  A six-year-old who can skillfully play Bach, Beethoven, or many other Classical Music Masters on an instrument.  We all look and, with awe, appreciate such a giftedness.

We’d like to say they got there by the discipline and practice they put in, and there is some truth to that, but having been alive only six years doesn’t allow for much time and effort in that area.  There’s just something not ordinary about a six-year-old being able to play at the level of someone who dedicated their life to practice and development to be at the same level of skill and ability as this child proves to be.

The first disciples only had three years with Jesus before He died on the cross, and yet they walked in such anointing and power that the religious leaders knew they had been with Jesus and were His followers.  It was not so much what they spoke as it was what they did that was the thing that gave them away and made them stand out.

There’s a scripture that speaks to this in Romans.

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.

To be born again is to be raised from spiritual death to spiritual life.  It is to have had the same energy and power it took to raise Jesus from the dead work in you to make a new creation.  But something is interesting in this verse that makes it about more than just being made a new creation in Christ.

It says He will also give life to your mortal body.  Why be so specific?

What is being said here is that resurrection life came into us when we put our faith in Christ.  Jesus is not just the Son of God in human flesh now.  Jesus died and was raised again on the third day, just as He promised.  Jesus now exists in resurrection, life, and power.  It is the same power that was exhibited at the dawn of creation.  It is His mighty power at work.

That same power is operating in us who have believed in Him and been born again.  That power so permeates our lives that it touches our mortality.  It gives animation to our physical existence and makes us unordinary by gifting us with abilities not based on our earning them through disciplines.  They are a byproduct of the resurrection life and power we have been given in Christ.

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 can choose how we will live our lives after coming to know Jesus.  We can live in the ignorance of self-made efforts or in the power of His resurrection according to the Spirit who was at work raising Jesus from the dead.  One way trusts in self, and the other trusts in the Lord.  Which will you choose?  One is highly ordinary, while the other is highly unordinary.

One may garner the praise of men, but being highly unordinary garners demonstrates the favor of God.  I encourage you to live the unordinary life of being raised with Christ!

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But By Every Word

What would come to mind if asked what you need to live?

Your answer would likely depend on your greatest need at that moment.

A person without a home would say they need a home to live.

A person without food would indicate that food is needed.

A person without a job or money would insist they need work and finances to live.

A person feeling overworked might respond that a vacation is needed to live.

An overwhelmed mom may declare that a break from the kids is needed.

The fact is, our response to such a question is often shaped by what we feel our greatest need might be at that moment and time.

The enemy of our souls knows this to be true and often will attack us at our most vulnerable place in life at any given moment.  It is the way he attacked Jesus when Jesus was in the wilderness after being water-baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit at the Jordan.  The Holy Spirit had led Jesus into the wilderness, and Jesus had gone without food for forty days and forty nights.  The enemy knew Jesus would be greatly hungry, and His body would cry out for nourishment.

Matthew 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

Now, at this point, one might think it would be most practical and reasonable for Jesus to partake of something to eat because going forty days and forty nights without food would greatly weaken a person and put them on the brink of starvation.  There’s no doubt Jesus would have been hungry and desiring food.

It is also true that Jesus was the Son of God and had the power to turn stones into bread to satisfy such a deep longing in His flesh.  But the response Jesus gives is interesting.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”

Jesus does not deny the need for food to live.  Jesus did not say that man does not need bread to live. He said man does not live by bread alone.  In other words, there’s much more to living than having enough to eat.  The way Jesus states this puts the Word of God as the primary source of life and everything else as secondary.

My point today is simple.  If Jesus emphasized the word of God in a time of great trial in His life, should we not also take seriously the importance of the word of God at all times?

For New Covenant believers, this truth about the word of God still stands.  We need the gospel truth working in our lives with great power.  His word should take priority in our lives because it fuels faith and promotes life in us.  We need to hear Him speak to us His word in season.  I encourage you today to get alone with your Father and allow Him to speak His word of life into you and your situation so that you can live and run in the strength of His word.

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Making Angels Dance

I assume we all know how great it feels to see someone extremely joyful over something we had a part in making happen.

Have you ever considered the powerful opportunity you have to make angels dance in Heaven?

Jesus said something very profound.

Luke 15:7 I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.

Jesus had just given the example of a shepherd losing a sheep and then finding and, as a result, inviting his friends and neighbors over to celebrate.  It is a picture of great joy and rejoicing.  He went on to give another example:

Luke 15:8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ 10 Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Anytime someone comes to faith in Christ, there’s great rejoicing in heaven.  It causes an eruption of joy in the company of the angels every time!

Nowhere in all of Scripture is this kind of occurrence in heaven mentioned about any other activity here on earth.

The only way to make angels dance is by partnering with the Holy Spirit to proclaim the gospel to others and be used by Him to lead them to faith in Christ Jesus.

Not a single angel will dance because we won a political argument.  Not one will be moved to dance and rejoice because we made a great point to someone to prove we were right and they were wrong.  Angels aren’t stirred with great joy to dance because we are determined to become better established in systematic theology.

Such things may make us feel better, but they will not do anything to produce the kind of celebration in heaven Jesus spoke about.

I can preach my best message ever, and it does not even begin to stir an angel to get excited.  But if the Holy Spirit should use that message to lead someone to trust Christ, an explosive eruption of rejoicing will occur among the angels that will permeate all of heaven!

Committing to lead others to Christ by being a witness for Him puts us in a position to spark a dance party in heaven among the angels.  It blows my mind to think that we here on this earth have the ability to help facilitate great joy in heaven.  Want to join me in making the angels dance?  Purpose to go out of your way each day to share the good news about Jesus with someone and ask them if they would like to receive Him as you did.  Let’s keep the angels in great shape by giving them a reason for lots of dancing.

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Can The Law Ever Be Useful?

I will begin today’s devotional by saying emphatically, yes!  But its goodness relies on proper context and application.

A law regarding observing the speed limit on a highway would be out of place on a plane flying in the air.  The law of lift and the airspeed required to break free of the natural law of gravity sets the pilot of the aircraft free from the law of a speed limit on land, so if you try to force the plane’s pilot to observe the law of speed on land while in the air, you risk going down and you will regret that decision based on the outcome it will produce.  It will not be to your or anyone else’s benefit that is on the plane.

This is a very plain and practical way of explaining an out-of-context use of a very practical law of man, but it makes my point.  Scripture also reveals this idea concerning the Old Covenant law given by Moses.  It is wrongfully used unless it is being used in a proper context.

1Timothy 1:8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

Here, we are clearly told that the law is good if it is used lawfully, and then it is clearly explained what using it lawfully is.  It is also clearly explained what the law is not for.

It is not made for a righteous person.  Who is truly righteous?  What makes them truly righteous?

Romans 3:21   But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

If I am witnessing the gospel to someone and they reveal they are in the deception of self-righteousness, it is okay for me to use the law to show them how no man can justify himself before God by his own efforts to be good.  The law becomes useful in proving a person they are dead in their sins and trespasses no matter how good they imagine themselves to be.  I am not permitted to use the law to beat them up, abuse them, or make myself feel superior to them.  I am especially not permitted to use the law to find fault in brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.

Sometimes, we might encounter a person claiming to know Christ but is deep into sin and argues it is all right to be so. They might contend that God changed when Jesus went to the cross and no longer cares about what we do in our bodies.  That is another time when the law can be used lawfully, but only when used properly.

The law is not meant to be used as a training and equipping tool for the church!  It is not meant to be used to encourage someone to become more spiritual or think they could draw closer to God by means of it.  The law is the ministry of death.  The good news of Jesus Christ is the ministry of the Spirit and life.  The New Covenant Jesus shed His blood to establish is not based on the law.  It is based on grace and grants us access to a relationship with God through faith in Christ.  God desires that our faith and trust in Christ’s finished work at the cross grow ever deeper and stronger, and our reliance on our ability to be good enough would be put to death.  We are not instructed to look into the mirror of the law of Moses.  We are encouraged to look in the mirror of the law of liberty that is ours in Christ Jesus.  I’ve asked the Holy Spirit to keep me in check on this matter because I do not wish to create havoc in my life or the lives of others by wrongfully applying the law.  I want to live in the New Covenant, not the Old.

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What’s Being Served?

If you took your car in for a routine oil change and instead, they changed out your radiator fluid, neglected to change the oil, and then behaved as if they had done a great thing for you, would you feel well served?

If you hired someone to cut your grass and, instead, they chopped down your favorite tree, would you feel well served?

I realize these examples seem silly, but they make a point.  Proper service is service in line with the purpose it claims to represent.  Service with integrity is more than just saying nice things that seem honest.  Integrity in serving is staying in step with the promotion of the purpose of the service.

If I say I will serve you in a specific way but instead serve you differently from what I said, I am being deceptive and dishonest with you. This is true regarding ministry to others in the Kingdom of God.

2Corinthians 3:4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

Paul’s trust was in God because of Christ, not himself.  Paul is stating that the confidence he and those partnering with him in the ministry have is a direct result of Christ.  They do not boast of having strengths that they bring to the table that make them effective or validate them.  God is their sufficiency.

God made them something as a result of this work of Christ.  They are sufficient ministers (waiters, servers), as it were, of the New Covenant.  They know with integrity what that means; Paul offers a contrast to define it.

They are not ministers of the letter but of the Spirit.  Paul also contrasts each ministry based on what they produce by stating that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. New Covenant ministry ministers life, while the other type of ministry often exercised ministers death.  To clarify what he is saying, Paul speaks of a ministry of death written and engraved on stones.

Only one thing in the Bible was engraved on stones and given by Moses.  In its time, it was glorious, but a greater glory has now come through the Son Jesus Christ.  Jesus brought the New Covenant of the Spirit by shedding His blood at the cross to pay for the sin of the whole world, and as many as will believe in Him and put their trust in His completed work, they will be saved, made new, be born again and have a relationship with God on the merits of Christ alone.  This is so simple yet so glorious!  The promised Holy Spirit is made available through faith because Christ Jesus prepares us to receive Him by making us new creations.

New Covenant ministry points to Jesus and His completed work and the availability and help of the Holy Spirit based on faith alone. New Covenant ministry does not rely on the letter to produce disciples for Jesus.  New Covenant ministers minister the truth concerning the New Covenant with integrity while relying on the work of the Holy Spirit to produce disciples.  Anything else is a mixture cultivating a subtle deception.  I encourage you to know what you are being served and to be aware of what you are serving others.  It matters to God.  He desires that the greater glory be ministered, not a lesser one.

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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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