Getting Ready for Jesus. ~ Ganeida

The first thing I would ask you to do this morning is sharpen your discernment.  That means I want you to listen closely & weigh what I have to say against the scriptures & what the Spirit of God confirms in your own heart.  This is scriptural. We are exhorted to study the scriptures for ourselves[2 Tim 2:15] that no man deceive us. [1 Thess 2:3]

 As you know, for the past few weeks we have been discussing who we are in Christ. However when I consulted the Lord this week on which aspect he would like us to look at, what I believe He said to me is: Tell my people I am coming soon. They are to get ready…

So what I am going to consider is what we look like when we are prepared & ready for the return of Christ.

The first thing I want us to look at is being established in Christ. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Col2:7

There is a reason for this which is explained in the verse that follows: Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Friends we know that in in the Last days perilous times will come [2 Tim 3] & there will be great apostasy  because  ⁸ These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith.

 Jesus is very clear.  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”.

The first indication that a believer is prepared for Christ is that they abide in Him.  Remember the pictures we have talked about of what it means, how we are grafted into the true vine & the only way for that graft to take & not fall away is if it only feeds from the source it has been grafted into.  If we continue to feed on worldly things then we will have things we don’t want in our lives sprout below the graft & eventually, if we are not diligent, we revert to being just like the world.

This is our only real protection against false teaching.  The bible has a lot to say about false teaching & how people allow themselves to be deceived. I say that because mankind still has a fallen sin nature & if we are not relying on the Holy Spirit for insight & guidance then even reading the scriptures can lead us astray. 

This is why we have pastors, & even whole denominations, endorsing things that are wrong. Some have simply misunderstood what the scriptures say.  Some are interpreting scripture with a humanistic mind set. Some are simply too clever for anyone’s good.  Some deliberately & intentionally pervert the scriptures. One need only study the scribes & Sadducees of Jesus day to see how that plays out. This is why, @ Harvest Family Church we never say sola scriptura; we always teach Word & Spirit! The word alone very easily leads to legalism.  The Spirit alone means we have no way to assess what spirit is leading us but together we have an accuracy that either alone cannot impart.

Those who abide in Christ build their lives on Him. Now we are prone to think of that in terms of what we do ~ or don’t do as the case may be.  That is so ~ up to a point.  It also refers to how we believe.  Hear what Psalm 92:12 says:
But the godly will flourish like palm trees
    and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.
¹³ For they are transplanted to the Lord’s own house.
    They flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ Even in old age they will still produce fruit;
    they will remain vital and green.

Cedars were highly prized in biblical times.  They grow in the rocky places on mountain tops sending their roots down deep & can reach as much as 100 feet high with a spread of 35 or so feet. Their wood is highly prized for being hardy & durable but also aromatic.  As a symbol it shows us what God’s people look like when they are firmly planted & established in Him.  Their situation may be precarious, the storms may batter them, but they do not waver. They remain a sweet, sweet perfume to our Lord.

Those who are established in the Lord do not let fear control them:  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

1 John 4:17&18 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.

When we know what the Word says the Spirit imparts a confidence that cannot be shaken. That in turn helps us to not fear. We know that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Which brings us to my next point: We know from James2:20 that faith without works is dead & from Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God but look at what Galatians 5:6 says:

 For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. Faith works by love.

Galatians also explains Let us not grow weary in well doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone--especially to those in the family of faith.[6:10]

Now I want to balance that scripture with a warning from Timothy.

You should know this, Timothy,  that in the last days there will be very difficult times. ² For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. ³ They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. ⁴ They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. ⁵ They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! This aligns with what Jesus said in Matthew 7:6:  “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.”

Hard as it is there are some people whom we cannot reach & we are warned to leave them alone because they will seek to undermine our faith, lead us astray & teach that which is not true. Does God love them?  Yes!  Does God desire their salvation?  Without question! But… They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.… Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what should not be done.… Romans 1… I have not quoted the whole passage which goes into great detail but take heed; the church is not immune!  Not all who say they are believers are truly saved. This is why I began with being rooted & established in Christ. It is sad.  It is heartbreaking.  You cannot serve 2 masters.  You cannot have Christ & the world for you will love one & hate the other. We will know them by their fruit!  A true believer will consistently reject the things of the world & hunger after the things of God.

We are exhorted to show love especially to the household of faith.  Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well"--but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? See, Love is an action. We are to provide for each other if we see our brother or sister in need.  This does not exempt anyone from working for a living.  2Thessalonians 3:10 says expressly that one who won’t work doesn’t eat.  They are not to bludge on believers who do work.  However, if through circumstances a believer should be in need & a brother or sister in the Lord can meet that need then love should prompt us to do so.

My last point this morning is from Luke 19:13~ ¹³ And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come…

I really like how The Message puts this passage: “There was once a man descended from a royal house who needed to make a long trip back to headquarters to get authorization for his rule and then return. But first he called ten servants together, gave them each a sum of money, and instructed them, ‘Operate with this until I return.’

We are to operate with the authority of Christ until He returns. We need to grasp that we will rule & reign with Christ so now is when we should be getting in the practise we need. This requires endurance [2 Tim. 2:11–12], Meekness [(Matt. 5:5)], Purity [Titus 2:14] & a love of the Truth [2 Thessalonians 2:9–11].  As Christ’s salt & light we are to live in such a way that the whole world is astonished at the love we have for each other. 

Ephesians 5:27 says He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. Without spot.  Without blemish. Holy. Faultless. That is how Christ will receive His bride.

.To recap:  the bride will be established in Christ with deep roots.

.The church will be fearless.

She will express faith through love.

She will love the Truth.

.She will exercise her authority in Christ until He returns for her.

·      Lastly:
“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. ”

Luke 12:35-36.

His Workmanship ~ Rabqa

Eph 2:10 Amp

For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life The Greek word for workmanship is poiema. From the verb poieo to make. compare poem poetry. The word signifies that which is manufactured, a product, a design produced by artisan. Poiema emphasises God as the Master Designer, the universe as His creation. (Rom 1:20) & the redeemed believer as His new creation.

Before conversion our lives had no rhyme or reason. Conversion brought us balance, symmetry, & order. we are God's poem His work of art.

We were created so that we should walk in the genius of God's new creation work in each believer is that he renovates the nature of His redeemed children to make good works a living possibility.

This verse tells us that we are God's created handiwork. He created us with His own hands. We humans became messed up a long the way, so we were recreated that is we had to be born again spiritually in Christ Jesus. So that we could go ahead & do the good works that God had preplanned for us before satan tried to ruin us.

You & I have made mistakes a long the way but that does not mean that God has changed His plan. It is still there & all we have to is to get back into it by trusting & obeying Him.

Mk 5:16 N L T

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Every real or biological father desires to reproduce himself in his son. Likewise the Fathers desire is to reproduce Himself in us. As new creations we have received the life & nature of the Father. We invite the Holy Spirit, who has imparted this Nature from the Father to come & make His home in us. Then as we begin to feed on the Word, practice the Word, & live the Word , He builds that Word into us. Eph 5:1- 2 tell us that we must be imitators of God as we are His beloved children, to walk in love as Christ loves us & gave himself up for us. We are to model our life after Jesus, imitating Him rather then others. Understand that He is the perfect example of the love God requires. Simply put, godliness is living the way God wants us to live. Few books speak as clearly & succinctly to this subject as does Ephesians. Here godliness is exhorted in terms of behaviour, motivating dynamic, & example. Godly behaviour is modelled after God Himself, especially as He has revealed Himself in His fullness in Jesus Christ. Is there someone in your life that you admire so much that you try to be like that person, it's not a bad idea to have a godly role model, but remember the best role model we can have is God Himself. God so loved the world that He gave is one & only Son, Jesus so loved the world that He gave Himself. We should so love Christ that we give ourselves to Him, so that He may dwell in our hearts through Faith. He is the Head, we are the body. He has imparted Himself to us & gave us a new self in place of our old, fallen ruled self. The new Jesus self, the New Creation self, The Godlike self, the self that is made in the image of Christ is imparted to us. He became one with us-completely united by the power of the Holy Spirit. Col 3:1-11 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilised, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Set your thinking & affections on Jesus Christ & build your relationship with Him. Do not allow worldly pursuits to waste your mental or emotional energy. Under the old covenant the law's system only allowed limited access to God. The new covenant no longer posses rules for cleansing but calls for faith & acceptance of the complete work of Jesus. We are not to allow anything then the Word of God to control or judge us. We are neither judged holy nor unholy by external regulations, but by the condition of our heart. If you want to live the resurrection life that Jesus provides, then seek that new powerful life by setting your mind & keeping it set on things above, not on things of the earth. The apostle Paul is simply saying In VV 1&2 that if you & I want the good things of life then we must keep on minds on good things. Many believers want the good life, but they passively sit around wishing for something good to happen. Often they are jealous of those who live in victory & are resentful that their own lives are so difficult. If you desire victory over your problems, If you truly want to live the resurrection life, you must have backbone & not wish bone! That is you must be determined to have victory & refuse to settle for anything less then the best of God has for you. You must be active, not passive. Start today to choose right thoughts. Set your mind of things that are above & keep it there. Think about your life before you became spirit-filled. How is your life different now? Most likely, Colossians 3:5-11describes some of the changes you have made in your life. Ask God to continue to help you put off the "old self" & put on the "new self" created in His image. Be intentional about pursuing righteousness in every area of your life. Ephesians 4:22-24 teaches us about the connection between our thoughts & our actions. Verse 22 tells us we should strip ourselves of our former natures & discard are old unrenewed selves. Verse 24 continues the thought & tells us to put on the new self created in God's image "in true righteousness & holiness." So we see that verse 22 tells us basically to stop acting improperly. & verse 24 tells us to begin acting properly. But verse 23 is like a bridge Scripture because it tells us how to get from verse 22 (wrong action) to verse 24 (right actions); by being constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind, that is to have a fresh mental & spiritual attitude. It is impossible to get from wrong behaviour to right behaviour without first changing our thoughts. A passive person may want to do the right thing, but never will do so unless he purposely activates his mind & lines it up with God's Word & His will. An example of that: A man who once got in to a prayer line had a problem with lust. He really loved his wife & did not want their marriage to be destroyed, but his problem needed a solution or he would ruin his marriage. He could not stay away from other women. He asked for prayer for his deliverance. He had been prayed for many times but never seemed to make any progress. He was told that he would be prayed for but had to be accountable to what he was allowing to be shown on the picture screen of his mind, & that he could not visualise pornographic pictures in his thinking, or imagine himself with other women, if he wanted to enjoy freedom. Like this man, others realise why they are not experiencing breakthroughs, even though they want to be free & change their behaviour-but not their thinking. If you desire to act differently, you will have to start by thinking differently because your behaviour starts with your thoughts. Wrong thoughts lead to wrong actions! John 15:5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. We are the fruit-bearing part of Him; the part that blesses & touches humanity; the part of Him that brings Eternal Life to the lost sharing in His resurrection. Have you ever seen fruit grow apart from the vine, tree, or plant to which it was attached? Of course not! As a disciple of Jesus, the same is true for you. unless you stay in His presence, you will not grow or bear fruit. Allow Jesus to take up residence in your life. Just as the vine is the source of nourishment & wealth for the fruit, Jesus is your source of life. Cultivate an ever-growing relationship with by spending time with Him in prayer, reading & studding God's Word.  Gal 4:19 N L T Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labour pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. Concern yourself with God's Word becoming incarnate in you. Consider yourself being under construction with Christ's likeness being the objective. Godliness results from Jesus Christ living through you by the Holy Spirit. It is not achieved by observing some external code. Any attempt to achieve righteousness through a list of do's & don'ts is fruitless. God calls us to love & serve others just as Jesus did by the power of the same Holy Spirit & in the same gracious freedom. Phil 2:3&4 instruct us to live unselfishly & turn away from any selfish ambition or conceited attitudes. To esteem other as being more important & more worthy then you are. Our heavenly Father is actually building in us His love life; His Righteousness; His strength; His character; & His wisdom into our spirits. Only as we yield to the Lordship of love, can He ever build Himself into us. It is not knowledge of the scriptures—it is the Word that is built into you & becomes a part of you that counts. We must take Jesus' place & act like Him. We learn a good lesson from Colossians 1:11: The apostle Paul never seemed to pray for deliverance from things, but for strength to endure them with joy & a good temper. He also prayed for the Church at Colossae. God is more interested in changing us then He in changing our circumstances. He does not delight in watching us suffer or having a difficult time, but He delights in our spiritual growth. If we are honest with ourselves we must admit that most of our spiritual maturity develops during the hard times during our lives, not the easy times. Opposition stretches us. It stretches our faith, teaches us not to trust in ourselves to solve our own problems, & gives compassion for other people who go through difficulties. The apostles James said that our trials will eventually bring out patience & that when patience is fully developed in us, we will lack nothing (James 1:4) He even states that we should be exceedingly joyful in various trials & tribulations because of He who is working in us. (James 1:2 &3).  I want to encourage you to pray the way Paul prayed in Col 1:11. Ask for strength to endure with joy rather then wanting to avoid anything that is difficult & remember that anything that God allows will ultimately work out for your good if you trust Him & keep on praying. We must walk worthy before the Lord so that the world can recognise the new life in us. Col 1:26 tell us that Christ within us & among us is the hope of glory you & I can only realise & experience the glory of God in our lives because Christ is within us. He is the hope of seeing better things. The glory of God is His manifested excellence. As children of God we have a blood-bought right to experience the best God has planned for us. Satan furiously fights the plan of God in each of our lives, & his primary weapon is deception. When we are deceived, we believe something that is not true. Even though it is not true, it seems true to us because that is what we believe. Much of the time we feel defeated as we look at ourselves & our lack of ability. What we need to do is remember that Christ is our hope He keeps us encouraged enough to press on towards better things. We limit ourselves when we look to ourselves alone & fail to see Jesus. In John 11:40 Jesus said to Martha, "Did I not tell you & promise you that if you would believe & rely on me, you would see the glory of God?" The Lord has destined His Church for glory. Glory is His manifested excellence & goodness. He is coming back to a glorious Church (Eph 5:27). we can be excellent people with excellent attitudes, excellent thoughts & excellent words God's glory can be manifested in us only if we believe it is possible. God is looking for someone who will believe & receive. Start expecting more of His glory in your life. He is waiting to manifest His glory to you & through you. Eph 3:8 AMP...to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the incomprehensible riches of Christ [that spiritual wealth which no one can fully understand], We are to walk worthy of the Lord, before men so they will recognise the New Life in us. Phil 1:21-25 teaches that we we should not fear  death. We are to remember that dying in God's timing is only victory for a believer. Discipleship is apprenticeship to the life of Jesus, focusing on Christ as mentor & model. Jesus chose to lay aside His divine form & adopt a lowly form of man. Even as a Man (Son of Man) He did not chose wealth, power or a worldly position, but came as a servant, & died the death of a criminal. In everything he humbled Himself, trusting God to exalt & establish His name. Discipleship may call the Christian to chose to lay aside rights much valued to our culture, & to accept the life-role assigned by God. This role may not appear to be a place of acknowledgement, but trust God to choose how to establish & promote you. Gal 2:20 tells us that the believer is united by faith to Christ in His death, has died to the old self & risen to a new life (Rom 6:1-10; 7:6) Jn 15:11 have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing    Eph 2:10 Amp For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life The Greek word for workmanship is poiema. From the verb poieo to make. compare poem poetry. The word signifies that which is manufactured, a product, a design produced by artisan. Poiema emphasises God as the Master Designer, the universe as His creation. (Rom 1:20) & the redeemed believer as His new creation. Before conversion our lives had no rhyme or reason. Conversion brought us balance, symmetry, & order. we are God's poem His work of art. We were created so that we should walk in the genius of God's new creation work in each believer is that he renovates the nature of His redeemed children to make good works a living possibility. This verse tells us that we are God's created handiwork. He created us with His own hands. We humans became messed up a long the way, so we were recreated that is we had to be born again spiritually in Christ Jesus. So that we could go ahead & do the good works that God had preplanned for us before satan tried to ruin us. You & I have made mistakes a long the way but that does not mean that God has changed His plan. It is still there & all we have to is to get back into it by trusting & obeying Him. Mk 5:16 N L T In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Every real or biological father desires to reproduce himself in his son. Likewise the Fathers desire is to reproduce Himself in us. As new creations we have received the life & nature of the Father. We invite the Holy Spirit, who has imparted this Nature from the Father to come & make His home in us. Then as we begin to feed on the Word, practice the Word, & live the Word , He builds that Word into us. Eph 5:1- 2 tell us that we must be imitators of God as we are His beloved children, to walk in love as Christ loves us & gave himself up for us. We are to model our life after Jesus, imitating Him rather then others. Understand that He is the perfect example of the love God requires. Simply put, godliness is living the way God wants us to live. Few books speak as clearly & succinctly to this subject as does Ephesians. Here godliness is exhorted in terms of behaviour, motivating dynamic, & example. Godly behaviour is modelled after God Himself, especially as He has revealed Himself in His fullness in Jesus Christ. Is there someone in your life that you admire so much that you try to be like that person, it's not a bad idea to have a godly role model, but remember the best role model we can have is God Himself. God so loved the world that He gave is one & only Son, Jesus so loved the world that He gave Himself. We should so love Christ that we give ourselves to Him, so that He may dwell in our hearts through Faith. He is the Head, we are the body. He has imparted Himself to us & gave us a new self in place of our old, fallen ruled self. The new Jesus self, the New Creation self, The Godlike self, the self that is made in the image of Christ is imparted to us. He became one with us-completely united by the power of the Holy Spirit. Col 3:1-11 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilised, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. Set your thinking & affections on Jesus Christ & build your relationship with Him. Do not allow worldly pursuits to waste your mental or emotional energy. Under the old covenant the law's system only allowed limited access to God. The new covenant no longer posses rules for cleansing but calls for faith & acceptance of the complete work of Jesus. We are not to allow anything then the Word of God to control or judge us. We are neither judged holy nor unholy by external regulations, but by the condition of our heart. If you want to live the resurrection life that Jesus provides, then seek that new powerful life by setting your mind & keeping it set on things above, not on things of the earth. The apostle Paul is simply saying In VV 1&2 that if you & I want the good things of life then we must keep on minds on good things. Many believers want the good life, but they passively sit around wishing for something good to happen. Often they are jealous of those who live in victory & are resentful that their own lives are so difficult. If you desire victory over your problems, If you truly want to live the resurrection life, you must have backbone & not wish bone! That is you must be determined to have victory & refuse to settle for anything less then the best of God has for you. You must be active, not passive. Start today to choose right thoughts. Set your mind of things that are above & keep it there. Think about your life before you became spirit-filled. How is your life different now? Most likely, Colossians 3:5-11describes some of the changes you have made in your life. Ask God to continue to help you put off the "old self" & put on the "new self" created in His image. Be intentional about pursuing righteousness in every area of your life. Ephesians 4:22-24 teaches us about the connection between our thoughts & our actions. Verse 22 tells us we should strip ourselves of our former natures & discard are old unrenewed selves. Verse 24 continues the thought & tells us to put on the new self created in God's image "in true righteousness & holiness." So we see that verse 22 tells us basically to stop acting improperly. & verse 24 tells us to begin acting properly. But verse 23 is like a bridge Scripture because it tells us how to get from verse 22 (wrong action) to verse 24 (right actions); by being constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind, that is to have a fresh mental & spiritual attitude. It is impossible to get from wrong behaviour to right behaviour without first changing our thoughts. A passive person may want to do the right thing, but never will do so unless he purposely activates his mind & lines it up with God's Word & His will. An example of that: A man who once got in to a prayer line had a problem with lust. He really loved his wife & did not want their marriage to be destroyed, but his problem needed a solution or he would ruin his marriage. He could not stay away from other women. He asked for prayer for his deliverance. He had been prayed for many times but never seemed to make any progress. He was told that he would be prayed for but had to be accountable to what he was allowing to be shown on the picture screen of his mind, & that he could not visualise pornographic pictures in his thinking, or imagine himself with other women, if he wanted to enjoy freedom. Like this man, others realise why they are not experiencing breakthroughs, even though they want to be free & change their behaviour-but not their thinking. If you desire to act differently, you will have to start by thinking differently because your behaviour starts with your thoughts. Wrong thoughts lead to wrong actions! John 15:5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. We are the fruit-bearing part of Him; the part that blesses & touches humanity; the part of Him that brings Eternal Life to the lost sharing in His resurrection. Have you ever seen fruit grow apart from the vine, tree, or plant to which it was attached? Of course not! As a disciple of Jesus, the same is true for you. unless you stay in His presence, you will not grow or bear fruit. Allow Jesus to take up residence in your life. Just as the vine is the source of nourishment & wealth for the fruit, Jesus is your source of life. Cultivate an ever-growing relationship with by spending time with Him in prayer, reading & studding God's Word.  Gal 4:19 N L T Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labour pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. Concern yourself with God's Word becoming incarnate in you. Consider yourself being under construction with Christ's likeness being the objective. Godliness results from Jesus Christ living through you by the Holy Spirit. It is not achieved by observing some external code. Any attempt to achieve righteousness through a list of do's & don'ts is fruitless. God calls us to love & serve others just as Jesus did by the power of the same Holy Spirit & in the same gracious freedom. Phil 2:3&4 instruct us to live unselfishly & turn away from any selfish ambition or conceited attitudes. To esteem other as being more important & more worthy then you are. Our heavenly Father is actually building in us His love life; His Righteousness; His strength; His character; & His wisdom into our spirits. Only as we yield to the Lordship of love, can He ever build Himself into us. It is not knowledge of the scriptures—it is the Word that is built into you & becomes a part of you that counts. We must take Jesus' place & act like Him. We learn a good lesson from Colossians 1:11: The apostle Paul never seemed to pray for deliverance from things, but for strength to endure them with joy & a good temper. He also prayed for the Church at Colossae. God is more interested in changing us then He in changing our circumstances. He does not delight in watching us suffer or having a difficult time, but He delights in our spiritual growth. If we are honest with ourselves we must admit that most of our spiritual maturity develops during the hard times during our lives, not the easy times. Opposition stretches us. It stretches our faith, teaches us not to trust in ourselves to solve our own problems, & gives compassion for other people who go through difficulties. The apostles James said that our trials will eventually bring out patience & that when patience is fully developed in us, we will lack nothing (James 1:4) He even states that we should be exceedingly joyful in various trials & tribulations because of He who is working in us. (James 1:2 &3).  I want to encourage you to pray the way Paul prayed in Col 1:11. Ask for strength to endure with joy rather then wanting to avoid anything that is difficult & remember that anything that God allows will ultimately work out for your good if you trust Him & keep on praying. We must walk worthy before the Lord so that the world can recognise the new life in us. Col 1:26 tell us that Christ within us & among us is the hope of glory you & I can only realise & experience the glory of God in our lives because Christ is within us. He is the hope of seeing better things. The glory of God is His manifested excellence. As children of God we have a blood-bought right to experience the best God has planned for us. Satan furiously fights the plan of God in each of our lives, & his primary weapon is deception. When we are deceived, we believe something that is not true. Even though it is not true, it seems true to us because that is what we believe. Much of the time we feel defeated as we look at ourselves & our lack of ability. What we need to do is remember that Christ is our hope He keeps us encouraged enough to press on towards better things. We limit ourselves when we look to ourselves alone & fail to see Jesus. In John 11:40 Jesus said to Martha, "Did I not tell you & promise you that if you would believe & rely on me, you would see the glory of God?" The Lord has destined His Church for glory. Glory is His manifested excellence & goodness. He is coming back to a glorious Church (Eph 5:27). we can be excellent people with excellent attitudes, excellent thoughts & excellent words God's glory can be manifested in us only if we believe it is possible. God is looking for someone who will believe & receive. Start expecting more of His glory in your life. He is waiting to manifest His glory to you & through you. Eph 3:8 AMP...to proclaim to the Gentiles the good news of the incomprehensible riches of Christ [that spiritual wealth which no one can fully understand], We are to walk worthy of the Lord, before men so they will recognise the New Life in us. Phil 1:21-25 teaches that we we should not fear  death. We are to remember that dying in God's timing is only victory for a believer. Discipleship is apprenticeship to the life of Jesus, focusing on Christ as mentor & model. Jesus chose to lay aside His divine form & adopt a lowly form of man. Even as a Man (Son of Man) He did not chose wealth, power or a worldly position, but came as a servant, & died the death of a criminal. In everything he humbled Himself, trusting God to exalt & establish His name. Discipleship may call the Christian to chose to lay aside rights much valued to our culture, & to accept the life-role assigned by God. This role may not appear to be a place of acknowledgement, but trust God to choose how to establish & promote you. Gal 2:20 tells us that the believer is united by faith to Christ in His death, has died to the old self & risen to a new life (Rom 6:1-10; 7:6) Jn 15:11 have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing.

Who we are in Christ [introduction] ~ Ganeida

Over the next few weeks we will be looking at

who we are in Christ. My prayer for you would be that as we work through what the scriptures say that you get a revelation in your spirit by the power of the Holy Spirit & that this revelation will completely silence satan’s accusations.

In Genesis 1:26 *God says Let us make man in our image.*  We know the word used for God is a plurality ~ Elohim.  Our doctrine teaches us that God is a trinity, 3 in 1: Father, Son & Holy Spirit. Man as made in God’s image is also a trinity: body, soul, spirit. We know this from 1 Thessalonians 5:23 I pray God your whole spirit & soul & body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ & Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick & powerful, & sharper than any 2 edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul & spirit, & of the joints & marrow, & is a discerner of the thoughts & intents of the heart.

God created man from the dust of the ground, Then He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person. [Gen 2:7]

From the very beginning man’s soul was a separate entity to his body.  It is the soul that gives physical life, but it is by the Spirit we live spiritually. When we are born again by the Spirit of God we become a new creation 2Cor 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

We do not have the new body. If you had red hair before you were saved you will still have red hair.  If you were bald you will still be bald.  It is not the soul that is renewed. Scripture says we must renew our souls: James 1:21 (ASV 1901) Wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

It is our spirit that is a new creation, able to love & obey the Lord. This is a free gift of God & requires nothing of us except that we believe in faith & confess Christ as Lord. In fact God’s Holy Spirit even helps us with that!

Acts 16:30-31 (KJV) (30) And (the Philippian jailer) brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

Why is this important?  Because it is the implanted word of God that saves our souls. James 1:21

The Greek word is emphytos & can mean engrafted, that which replaces the old nature by stripping away the original & allowing the root to only feed from the new source. In this way a new plant is grown from an old one. If you allow shoots to sprout below the graft, that is from the old nature, eventually the plant will revert to its original form.  So it is with us.

Now, you must understand that anything that satan has once had a hold on he is reluctant to let go of, so even though you are saved he will do his very, very best to convince you that you are not worthy, not forgiven, not acceptable etc & so long as we believe his lies he has a foothold in our lives from whence he can render us ineffective for the Kingdom of God.  In fact, this is the state of the majority of Christians.

We have not been given a spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. We have God’s spirit residing in us.  Therefore we have access to courage, power, love & self~control via the Spirit. This is what God says about us but of course satan doesn’t want us to be brave, powerful, loving & self~controlled. We might actually start doing what Jesus asked us to do: preach & teach, heal & cast out demons. So he tempts us so we lose control, whispers in our ears that we can’t do this that or the other, tells us we’ve sinned too much so God can’t use us, makes sure the most unlovable people cross our paths.

So let’s get something straight.  Moses was a murderer; God chose him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt & it was to Moses the Law was given.  David was an adulterer as well as a murderer yet God declared him a man after His own heart & from his lineage came the messiah. Rahab was a prostitute; God chose her to harbour spies & not only did she save herself & her entire family she is one of 5 women mentioned in Jesus lineage. Actually most of the women mentioned there have shonky pasts. So you see your past does not define you in God’s eyes.  It does not limit you. It is satan who will do that for it is satan who comes to kill, to steal & to destroy. John 10:10

Ezekiel 36:26 says

And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

If you are born again God has changed your heart, the heart that was in rebellion against Him, & transformed it into a heart that desires to obey & please God.

 However~ your heart, or your inner spirit, is only one third of your total. You still have your flesh & your soul in the same state they were in before you got saved. This is why so many Christians struggle with a besetting sin.  They think God’s going to do all the work for them when clearly this is not what scripture teaches.

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. ¹⁵ These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. James 1:14/15

Sin begins in the mind but if allowed to grow unrestrainedly it leads to actions that eventually lead to death. James 4:7says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”.  A lot of our battles are won or lost in our minds.  The mind is so powerful that we are instructed in  Romans 12:2 to:

 Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

What has all this to do with who we are in Christ? All of it is to do with our thought patterns.  What rattles round in our heads day after day becomes what we think about ourselves & what we think about ourselves becomes who we are.

God is very clear about how we ought to think.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8

God is holy so he’s not going to ever be thinking the way satan thinks, or the way we think when we allow satan to influence our thinking.  Allowing our minds to be transformed by the washing of the word [Eph 5:26]is our greatest defence against satan & all his wiles. Without it we will revert to behaving just like unsaved people do & thinking as the world thinks.

 Romans tells us that the renewing of our minds allows us to discern the will of God, what is good, acceptable, perfect or as Joshua 1:8 puts it when we meditate on the word & speak the word: then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, & then thou shalt have good success. 

Part of being a doer of the word, as James says, is meditating on that word & then implementing that word in our lives. The bible has a lot to say about who we are in Christ once we become born again, spirit~filled believers.

The first thing I want to mention is found in Romans 8:1 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

So many of us need a revelation in our Spirits of Isaiah 43:25: I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, & will not remember thy sins… or if you want it in the N.T Acts 3:19

 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Once we have repented & turned to God our sins are wiped away.  Do not give satan a foothold by allowing him to drag up your past. The old life is gone; a new one has begun 2 Cor 5:17

The second thing is John 1:12 

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…

You are a child of God.  Family. 1 Corinthians 6:17 for

…he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.  Thus we can claim Galatians 4:6 

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

If we are family then Romans 8:17 applies:

And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

It is true God loves the whole world [John 3:16] but family is special.  Family has a special place.  Family has privileges. Family has rights & responsibilities. Family has a special claim on God & His promises.

God does things for us but there are some things He wants us to do for ourselves.  He will help us but He wants us to know how to fight the enemy for ourselves because the enemy is already defeated.  If we allow him any victories in our lives he will grow stronger.  His voice will grow louder in our lives & over time it will drown out the voice of God.

I can’t stress enough that we must know what the word says.  We must know the truth because it is the Truth that sets us free. The word is our primary weapon against satan.  The word is our primary defence against attacks on our minds.

 Look at 2 Corinthians 10:4~5 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ… Simply put, if you don’t know what God has said you can’t know when an opinion or argument contravenes God’s & you can hardly make every thought captive to Christ.

Knowing the word makes all the difference.  If you know the word says you are forgiven & that God no longer remembers your iniquity then you will not allow satan to drag up your past.  Quote the scriptures out loud. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until every time satan drags up an accusation you can counter with the word of God.  Satan is a liar. John 8:44 He will lie to you.  He will lie about you.  He will accuse you before the Father. Revelation 12:10 If you know you are a child of God & co~heir with Christ it is easier to believe you have the power & authority to deal with all satan’s attacks & walk in victory because Christ has already overcome your circumstances, 1 John 16:33.  Scripture is not a collection of pretty words to offer comfort.  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

The word is living & active.  That means it has the power to change us. It corrects wrong thinking, wrong believing, wrong action by showing us what God, thinks, & believes & how He acts towards us.

There is a trend in the world at present for tattooing the names of children & lovers on the body. When the lover changes people are eager to get rid of the tattoo but God is not changeable like people are.  Isaiah 49:16 is variously translated as See, I have tattooed your name upon my palm[TLB]; See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands[NLT]; Behold,  I have engraved you on the palms of my hands[ESV] ~ but the meaning is clear.  Those who are beloved of the Lord are never forgotten, not even for a moment. Meditate on the fact that God loves you so dearly he paid the ultimate price that for you & Hebrews 13:5 become a living reality for us for: He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.  John 14:1 Jesus said: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

The instruction is simple.  We are to believe what Jesus says, & that includes what he says about us.  What do you believe about yourself?  Does it line up with scripture?  If not, immerse yourself in the word & allow it to transform your mind!