His Love Has Made us His Children

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." (1 John 3: 1)

This love is based on God's Son:

"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17: 23)

When we believe on Him, we too become beloved Sons of God:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1: 12-13)

God's love is made perfect because He has made us like His Son:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

This love is perfected in us, but we have to know and believe it Paul prayed to the Ephesian Christians:

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

"May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 17-19)

God seeks that we renew our minds to the truth of who we are in Christ (Romans 12: 2):

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

"And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3: 2-3)

God's loves has made us His children through His Beloved Son. Grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18), who is Love itself (1 John 4: 16), and you will live out the sonship which He lives in you!

You Are Worthy Because the Lamb is Worthy

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing." (Revelation 5: 12)

You need to expand your knowledge of the one who loved you and gave His life for you (Galatians 5: 12) How else can you receive all that Jesus has given you unless you both know and believe the love that God has for you through His Son. (1 John 4: 16)

The Old Testament reveals the significance of the lamb sacrifice. Following His instructions to Moses and all of the Israelites in Egypt regarding the First Passover, the Lord then explained:

"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." (Exodus 12: 13)

Later, the Lord explained through Moses the transfer of righteous that every Israelite would receive through the sacrifice of the lamb After sacrificing one male lamb, Aaron the first High Priest would designate another lamb to take all the sins of the people:

"And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:

"And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

"And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness." (Leviticus 16: 20-22)

During the First Passover, one lamb provided protection for an entire household (Exodus 12: 4). Now, consider Jesus Christ, whom John the Baptist declared before all in Galilee:

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

Jesus takes away our sin, all of it for an everlasting righteousness (Daniel 9: 24)! By this Lamb, we are all made worthy:

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

What have we received through Him? Paul writes to the Ephesians:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace"" (Ephesians 1: 3-7)

We are worthy, therefore, because Worthy is the Lamb:

"As He is, so are we in this world."" (1 John 4: 17)

Love Perfected -- His Work, Not Just a Feeling

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

"Love made perfect" -- I liked this verse, and when I meditated on it, the relief that swept over me was beyond words. I did not have to do anything, because this love was "perfected", or completed

But how is this love "made perfect?" And what is this love, exactly?

When I imagine God the Father as my "Daddy", this revelation really moved me, and I had Scripture to back up this truth:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

and

"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." (Galatians 4: 6)

Yet my thoughts would waver, and my sentiment would whimper out from time to time. Fearful, angry thought would impede the train of peace.

I still needed to understand beyond any doubt why I did not have to do anything:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

"He loved us" through His Son, by sending Him to die for us and to live in us. Paul explains the same very simply:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2: 20)

It is a terrible limitation for us to discuss God's love for us by omitting or glancing over the highest, the essential, the CRUCIAL element of God's love for us: His Son shedding His blood for the remission of our sins -- all of them, and evermore:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

This Work is Finished -- no matter how you may feel, what you may thinking, or what you have done, you have received sonship before God in Christ. His love is perfect in you, beloved, because now you are in this world as He is! His loved is a never-ending done deal, one that you are called to believe!

Love is Perfected in the Cross

"Herein is love. . . ."

When John described what love really is, he did not break out Valentines, chocolates kisses, or warm hugs. He described God the Father giving up His Beloved Son:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the beloved disciple declared clearly God's love for us in terms of His Son:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3: 16)

God so loved the world -- you, me, and everyone else that was and is and ever will be -- that He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins. By believing on Him, we receive His everlasting life, and all good things pertaining (Romans 8: 32)

When we understand what God has done, we then see our selves as "Beloved":

"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1: 6)

When we see ourselves as "Beloved" in Christ, then this faith produces obedience:

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." (1 John 4: 11)

Even in this verse, John highlights that God "so loved" us, and so we are called to "love" one another, for any love that we offer cannot compare or measure up to God's love for us. Besides, our love springs from God's love for us:

"We love him, because he first loved us." (1 John 4: 19)

Now, how is God's love perfected, or completed, in us? How do we manifest this Finished Work in our lives?:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

When we accept by faith that the death and resurrection of God's Son Jesus Christ has made us one with Him (John 17: 21), that God loves us as much as His Son (John 17: 23), that Jesus now lives in us (Colossians 1: 27), that He works through us (Philippians 2: 13), then we reign in life (Romans 5: 17) and in His power we always triumph (2 Corinthians 2: 14).

This perfection is in the Cross, for God's love has as its eternal token in the Cross, Jesus Christ the Propitiation of our sins!

Fear -- A False Everything Appearing Real

What is fear, really? Most people will say:

A False
    Evidence
    Appearing
    Real.

John provides a more concise answer:

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4: 18)

Fear, at its essense, is the thought of punishment from God, for "torment" speaks of being punished for something.

Yet we need not fear any punishment for anything, certainly for our sins, for Christ took all the hits that you and I deserve:

" God hath set forth [Jesus] to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" (Romans 3: 25)

"Remission of sins" -- by Christ's death, we need no longer worry about our sins, or even the consequences of our sins. Thus John could write:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1: 9)

God is faithful because He cannot lie (Titus 1: 2), and He has promised from before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1: 20).

Because God has fully punished all the sins of the world, including yours and mine (1 John 2: 2), we can know and believe that our sins are taken care of once and for all.

Therefore, because our sins are forgiven, we can then become children of God by faith in Him whom God has sent, and thus we have no reason to be afraid:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

Because of this sonship that we have before God the Father in Christ, His love is perfected in us:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

If God gave us His Son, we can also believe that He will give us all things with His Son (Romans 8: 32)

We can also boldly declare:

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13: 5)

Fear is false everything appearing real, and it is Love itself, the Way, the Truth and the Life Jesus Christ in us who casts out everyone of those false appearances!

---

Are You Lost? Remember whose You Are and Return!

"And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

"I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,

"And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants." (Luke 15:17-18)

When did the Prodigal son decide to go back to his father? When he "came to himself", when he remembered who he was: the son of a well-off and prosperous father.

Even when he was rehearsing his conciliatory speech, the wayward son who had wasted all of his substance prepared to address the man whom he had scorned as good as dead as "Father."

Under the Old Covenant, a disrespectful youth would meet a terrible fate:

"If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:

"Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;

"And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.

"And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear." (Deuteronomy 21: 18-21)

Certainly, the young prodigal must have been familiar with this damning code in the Law, yet he had a greater faith in the goodness of his father, and so we should see our heavenly Father in the same light:

"Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (Romans 2: 4)

Every believer in Jesus Christ is a son of God:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

'The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."" "(Romans 8: 15-17)

Because we are now in this world just like God's Beloved Son (1 John 4: 17), we can boldly enter into the throne of grace (Hebrews 4: 16), knowing that our conscience has been sprinkled from dead works (Hebrews 9: 14), meaning that we do not  have to do or owe God anything to merit an audience with Him.

It is the Lord who restores our soul (Psalm 23: 3), who calls us to be with Him (John 6: 63) No matter how lost, how bad you think that you have a been, simply remember who you are in Christ (1 John 3: 3) and return to your Father -- He is waiting for you with open arms and with all that you need!

More than Lot or Abraham, just Be like Righteous Jesus Christ!

One teaching warns believers to live like righteous Abraham, not like righteous Lot.

The comparison does carry quite a contrast.

Termed a righteous man by the apostle Peter in his Second Epistle, Lot was "vexed" by the wicked behavior of the men of Sodom and Gomorrah:

"And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

"For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)" (2 Peter 2: 7-8)

Lot lost everything, even his own wife, following the terrible judgment that fell upon those wicked cities.

Abraham, however, had a covenant with God, and walked in full awareness of his right standing.

Lot lived by his senses:

"And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar." (Genesis 13: 10)

Abraham lived by faith:

"And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15: 6)

Now, we as believers are called to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5: 7)

Yet even Abraham did not walk perfectly in faith, fathering  a child with his wife's bondmaid instead of waiting for the promised child, Isaac. Yet God did not loose Abraham from the covenant that He had cut with him.

Furthermore, every believer must take into account that these patriarchs did not have the Holy Spirit living in them, and thus they did not have Christ Jesus, the Son of God, as their redemption and life --- although indeed Abraham rejoiced to see Jesus' day (John 8: 56)

Today, we have an identity based on the new covenant. We are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 17). In fact, by faith we are made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

When God looks at us, he sees us as His own Son! (1 John 4: 17)

So, beloved, do not worry about being like righteous Lot or Abraham. Glory in your new identity in Christ, that you are a child of God!

Walk in the Spirit, Not Thoughts or Feelings

"This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

"But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)

It is the Holy Spirit which takes us from death in our trespasses to life in righteousness:

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. " (Ephesians 2: 1)

and

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together." (Romans 8: 15-17)

We must press past listening to our feelings, nor giving heed to heedless thoughts which war against the truth:

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

"I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

"For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Corinthians 3: 1-3)

How do we get out of childish carnality? Believe that we are righteous in Christ:

"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

"For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe." (Hebrews 5: 12-13)

Our righteousness is found in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21), whom we know in greater detail the more that we read the Word.

Receiving His Word and believing what we read will lead us further to walk in the Spirit, not the flesh, which includes our thoughts and feelings.

Are You in Bondage? Speak the Truth!

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

For the believer, there is no question that the Holy Spirit lives in us:

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10: 9)

There is no confessing "Jesus is Lord" without the Holy Spirit:

"Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." (1 Corinthians 12: 3)

Because we have the Holy Spirit living within us, Christ lives in us (Colossians 1: 27), and by believing on Him, we become children of God (John 1: 12). In effect, we have now entered into the family, made one with God through His Son Jesus Christ:

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." (John 17: 20-21)

and

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

"Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will."" (Ephesians 1: 3-5)

God is your Father, not just a far off being who loves you from a distance, but one whom you can approach in the most intimate manner, your "Abba" or "Daddy".

If we are in bondage to any fear, it is either because we do not know or believe the love that God has for us:

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4: 16)

Do not fight with the fears that lie and say that God is not for you, or that your thoughts, words, deeds, past, present, future have offended God and have separated you from His love:

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

"Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8: 38-39)

Do not dispute with the devil (Jude 9), but rebuke the lies with the Truth (John 8: 32):

Perfect Love with Truth -- Casts out Fears, Based on Lies

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 31-32)

Gods' Word is truth (John 17: 17).

We prosper as our souls prosper (3 John 2), and our souls prosper to the extent that we walk in the truth (3 John 3-4).

How do "we walk in the truth"? By meditating on God's Word, we receiving a growing revelation of God's love:

"But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." (Ephesians 4:15)

Pay attention to the element "in love." John writes about the connection of truth and love in his Second Epistle:

"The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;

"For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

"Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love." (2 John 1-3)

Just as the truth dwells in us, so does love dwell in us, because God is love (1 John 4: 16). Yet there is a more eminent and unmistakable token of God's love for us:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

The more we realize that Jesus is the propitiation for our sins, for all sins, then we by grace through faith receive redemption and adoption:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Romans 8: 15)

This love is not just some sentiment, but the essence of our new identity in Christ:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

Any fears in our life ultimately stem from a lie, something which wars against the truth of who we are in Christ. The more that we understand our perfection in Christ, the greater our love, and every fear,  based on the lie that God is not with us, for us, or in us -- is cast out (1 John 4: 18).

Prosper: See Jesus as the Biggest Sacrifice

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

The Greater our understanding God's love for us, the more that our soul will prosper, and thus we prosper and enter into health in all things.

Every good and perfect gift comes from above:

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1: 17)

The greatest light that the Father sent to us was His Son:

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8: 12)

We must also grasp by faith that everything comes to us not because we deserve it, but because God the Father gave His Son for us:

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 32)

In order to receive the second revelation -- all things -- we must receive the magnitude of God's gift, in providing His Son as the substitute for us:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

In the Old Testament, the Israelites could bring three types of offerings -- bird, lamb, or bullock. The greater you esteem God's Son, and that He has covered you for all of your sins - past, present, future -- and has given you His life in turn, you grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, your soul prospers in turn, and He will make sure that you have a prosperous and healthy journey in Him!

Prosper: Open Your Eyes

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)

We will prosper within to the degree that we know and believe all that God has given us through His Son:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1: 3)

The problem for many believers is that they simply do not have a great and growing revelation of all that Gof has blessed them with. Paul prayed that even the spiritually on-fire Ephesians would have a greater revelation of God's power:

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

"And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power." (Ephesians 1: 17-19)

The "eyes of our understanding" are part of our mind -- in fact, the original word, dianoia in the Greek, speaks to every aspect of our mind.

Paul prayed all the more that they would have a growing revelation of God's love for them, too:

"That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

"That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

"May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

"And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 16-19)

As we read  more of God's Word, receiving a greater revelation of God, His Son, His Love for us in sending His Son to die for us, and the Life of His Son Living and Enriching us from within, we will prosper from within - mind, will, and emotions - and behold, God will bless you with bread and more through His Son! (Proverbs

How to Be Jesus' Disciple: Abide!

Many people think that to be a disciple of Jesus, one must strive against sin and struggle to be obedient. Let us consider what Jesus tell us to do:

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." (John 8: 31)

First, pay attention to whom Jesus is speaking: "those who believed on him."

Believe on Jesus, that He is the one sent by God the Father to die for our sins (John 6: 29), to be our mercy seat, and that is the one work that we are called to (1 John 2: 2).

Yet belief must be informed by more than mere knowledge that there is one God:

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2: 19)

Here, James does not disparage the primacy of faith per se, but that our faith must be informed by the truth, and Truth is a person -- Jesus Christ (John 14: 6)

John emphasizes where our knowledge and faith must be:

"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4: 16)

What is this love that God has for us?:

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 4: 10)

Let us therefore abide in the love of God, centered fully in His Son, who died for us and lives in us:

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 4-5)

Prosper By Walking in the Truth

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 2-4)

In the second verse of his third epistle, John makes in very clear to his "wellbeloved" Gaius that his prosperity and health is of top priority. Yet the prosperity on the outside depends on our prosperity on the inside,i.e. our soul, composed of our mind, will, and emotions.

How do we prosper in our soul, then?

Knowing that we are beloved, for starters, is crucial, but also "walking in the truth" is key, for John witnesses of the truth in his beloved friend, "even as" he is walking in the truth.

But how do we walk in the truth? By knowing that we are in Christ, and that He lives in us:

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14: 6)

There is no better way to prosper than in coming to the Father, whom we reach through His Son. The more that we grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus (2 Peter 3: 18), the more our souls will prosper, and we will do well in all that we do.

We grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord by reading and meditating on His Word:

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

"And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 31-32)

"Continue" would be better rendered as "abide". We abide in His Word by meditating on Him and His precious promises for us. As we meditate on His word, we know the truth, and the truth then sets us free.

Therefore, walking in the truth of who we are in Christ, based on what we read in His Word, will lead us to prosper and be in health!

Prosper as the Beloved

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 2)



The first step to prospering God's way is that you have to know that you are loved, that God the Father sees you as His beloved child:



"To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” (Ephesians 1: 6)



We are accepted (lit. highly favored” in Christ!



“As He is, so are we in this world.” ( 1 John 4: 17)

One element of our new standing in Christ is that we are now sons of God:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

"Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1: 12-13)

In fact, God loves us as much as His own Son:

"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." (John 17: 23-24)

Jesus prayed, and by His death realized, the following for us, who are God's beloved:

1. We are made perfect in Him (Hebrews 10: 14)

2. We believe on One whom God the Father has sent (:John 6: 29), the one work that we need to do.

3. That God loves us as much as He loves His own Son!

4. He has placed us with Him, that we may behold His glory

5. That God loved us before the foundation of the world, too, enough to set aside His Son to die for us:

"According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" (Ephesians 1: 4)

and

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2: 10)

Take some time to ponder these powerful truths, what it means to be "beloved" of God, and your soul will prosper indeed!

God's Grace Pours Forth, Even When there are Clouds

"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth." (Genesis 9: 13)

After God wiped out the inhabitants of the earth with the worldwide flood, including all flesh except for Noah, his family, and their wives along with two of every kind of animal, God made a covenant with the man who had found grace in His sight.

This verse is telling because God affirms that He has placed this token in the clouds:

"And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:" (Genesis 9: 14)

In effect, every time there are clouds in the sky, we can believe that the rainbow is there, even if we do not see it right away!

What is the significance of this rainbow for us?:

"And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

"And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth." (Genesis 9: 15-17)

God establishes covenants, yet He also provides tokens for us so that not only does God remember, but that we may remember, too.

The rainbow appears with Jesus, our Lord and Savior, when He is revealed in His glory, before and after His Crucifixion:

"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. " (Ezekiel 1: 28)

and

"And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

"And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." (Revelation 4:3-4)

In Christ, we also reign in life (Romans 5: 17), seated in heavenly places with Him (Ephesians 2: 6)

Because as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4: 17), we can know and believe that God's grace, His rainbow, still shines for us, even when the clouds are at their darkest, even when all seems lost to our senses. We can trust that God's covenant with us through His Son is strong for us, that nothing can separate us from Him (Romans 8: 38-39; Hebrews 13: 5)

No Condemation, All Forgiveness, No Reason to Hate

"Always remember others may hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them." --Richard Nixon

In Christ, we can rejoiced in the knowledge that God is not angry with us:

"Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever." (Jeremiah 3: 12)

and

"And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 10: 17)

Instead, God took out all of His holy wrath for our sins on His Son, that we could be received back to Him.

"Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

"Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father" (Galatians 1: 3-4)

and

"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4: 25)

God does not hate us, therefore, because He has forgiven us all our sins:

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" (Ephesians 2: 1-2)

Because we have received His love, of which we are called to grow in grace and knowledge (2 Peter 3: 18), we can then forgive others:

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4: 32)

If anyone hates us, we have no reason to fear or worry:

"And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Mark 13: 13)

In fact, we can find reason to rejoice:

"Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake." (Luke 6: 22)

In Christ. we have no reason to be hated by God, to hate others, or to fear if we are hated by others!

Take No Thought about Anything, Even Your Thoughts

As I grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18), I was still finding myself afflicted with doubts, fears, resentments, unbeliefs.

I knew and believed that His blood cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1: 7), but as soon as a bad or wrong thought would spring up, I still felt compelled to “do something” about it.

Yet in attempting to work away these thoughts, I was not working out my salvation (Philippians 2: 12), the saving life which God is working in my life.

The blood of Jesus continuously cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1: 7). That includes every thought,word, and deed -- but especially stray thoughts.

Pastor Joseph Prince cited one passage in the Song of Solomon:

"As a piece of a pomegranate are thy temples within thy locks." (Song of Solomon 6: 7)

A Pomegranate represents the head of the believer, filled with red juice, which symbolizes Jesus' blood. The seeds inside a pomegranate are white. This picture illustrates that we have Jesus' blood cleansing us of all sin, even our thoughts, and making them holy.

The new revelation for me, though, has included combining the awareness of our new identity in Christ, that as He is, so are we in this world (1 John 4: 17) Bitter, angry, depressive thoughts are not ours, anymore, but a function of our flesh trying to "working something out."

The more that we rest in His blood not only continuously cleansing us from all sin, but that He keeps on blessings us, even when we sin in our thoughts, the more that we reign in life, no longer hindered by perverse, bitter, or depressive thinking.

Even in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus counseled His listeners to "take no thought" five times!

Instead, what does He ask us to do?:

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6: 33)

Our thoughts cannot separate us from the love of God, from God Himself (Romans 8: 37) We receive His kingdom through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us (Romans 14: 17), who makes us kings and priests with God the Father (1 Peter 2: 9; Revelation 1: 5)

Let us not make the mistake of the Corinthians, trusting in our flesh, living carnally,  but let us walk in the Spirit, trusting God’s Word that He loves us, lives in us, and lavishes us with His Goodness in all things, even when our thoughts stray.

Dead Sinners, Living Saints in Christ

Many believers, many church goers have not realized the full extent of what Jesus Christ did for us at the Cross.

We were not just sinners who needed to be saved; we were spiritually dead, giving off nothing but dead works to attain life and righteousness:

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:" (Ephesians 2: 1-2)

This sin nature we inherited from our first parent, Adam, who when he trespassed against God and ate from the Forbidden Tree, died spiritually, cut off from God (Genesis 3: 6-7) Their glory suddenly removed from them, they shamefully and fruitlessly covered themselves in fig leaves. When Adam and Eve ate of the tree, they did not physically perish. Instead, they lost fellowship with God, they died spiritually. Since Adam, every human being is born in his likeness:

"And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:" (Genesis 5: 3)

Because of Adam's sin, every human being is born spiritually dead, with sin and death reigning over them:

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

"(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.

"Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." (Romans 5: 12-14)

Through  Christ Jesus, mankind not only receives the propitiation for all of our sins, but we also receive His life, quickening our dead spirit, making us one with the Father:

"But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

"And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)" (Romans 5: 15-17)

We live the Christian life by letting Christ in us live the life of utmost holiness, for He is our glory (Colossians 1: 27)

John makes it very clear for us, that God sent us His Son to die for our sins, but also to give us His life:

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10: 10)

and

“In this was manifested the love of God towards us, because that God sent His only Begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” (1 John 4: 9)

You were dead in your trespasses, notwlet Christ your Savior live in and through you!

Paul -- The Worst of Sinners -- Jesus: Sin Itself

Perhaps you are overcome with morbid  shame about some terrible thing that you have done?

Perhaps you have committed a series of bad things -- you have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed. Do you think of yourself as the worst of sinners?

The Bible declares that another person has already taken that title: Paul the Apostle, who once introduced himself as the least of saints:

"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;" (Ephesians 3: 8)

"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

"Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. " (1Timothy 1: 15-16)

Yet Paul did not wallow in his shame, but rejoiced in the righteousness that he received in Christ:

"Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

"And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

"If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead." (Philippians 3: 8-11)

The excellency -- the far better element of growing in knowing Jesus and His love for us -- outweighed Paul's good works, and certainly His many evil works, enough that he could declare:

"And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." (Acts 24: 16)

Paul was the worst of sinners, yet became the Apostle to the Gentiles and the author of three quarters of the New Testament because Jesus Christ became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Whatever shame, whatever blame, whatever infamy you have committed, at the Cross Jesus paid for every sin and has purged your conscience forever more from dead works (Hebrews 9: 14)

What David Prayed for -- Jesus Has Given Us in Full

"Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

"Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51: 6-10)

This prayer David prayed after he was confronted for his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah. Every element of David's prayer has been met for us in Christ!

Jesus went past the law to the mercy seat and appealed to God for His mercy.

In the inward parts, God has made know to us wisdom, though His Son Jesus Christ:

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

and

"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. " (Colossians 1: 27)

Jesus took the hyssop for us:

"Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth." (John 19: 29)

The hyssop was a sign that the work of cleansing was completed (Numbers 19: 18), that Christ's death had completed the sacrifice, purging our sins forever.

All of our sins have been wiped away, and now we are clothed in white robes of righteousness:

"And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." (Revelation 7: 14)

In Christ, we not only here joy and gladness, but they are fruits born of the Holy Spirit living in us (Galatians 5: 22)

God has not broken our bones, and neither were the bones of His Son broken (John 19: 36), but He was bruised that we may be healed (Isaiah 53: 4-5; 1 Peter 2: 24); He was made poor, that we may be rich in Him (Ephesians 1: 3; 2 Corinthians 8: 9)

God turned His back on His won Son because He became Sin for us (2 Corinthians 5: 21), causing Jesus to cry out:

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Matthew 27: 46)

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, God has given us a new heart (Hebrews 8: 10-12), one that is established in grace (Hebrews 13: 9), and He has quickened us with the same Spirit, who were once dead in our trespasses (Ephesians 2: 1).

You do not have to pray for these the things that David begged God for. What David prayed for, Jesus has given us in full through His death and resurrection.

Know Who and Whose You Are -- No Need to Sin

Every time we do sin, we can depend on God's grace to carry us through and carry us further:

"Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:" (Romans 5: 20)

Now, the natural question inquiring minds ask -- why not sin all the more? Paul responded to this query simply:

"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

"God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"" (Romans 6: 1-2)

When you have received Christ Jesus by faith, you have received His life. You are now a child of God, and He is your Abba (Romans 8: 15, Galatians 4: 6)

Why would you sin?

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6: 23)

Sin requires effort:

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

"Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

"Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21)

Notice how all of these sins are the WORKS of the flesh, when has given us His Son and with Him all things (Romans 8: 31-32)

Even James indicted his readers because they simply did not ask God:

"From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

"Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts." (James 4: 1-3)

If you know that you are a child of God (John 1: 12; 1  John 3: 1-3), you can boldly enter the throne of grace (Hebrews 4: 16) and ask for anything that you need -- why would you steal, lie, or kill for anything? Why work at all? Believe on Him and receive (Mark 11: 24); walk like a child of light, because that is who you are (1 Thessalonians 5: 5; Ephesians 5: 8)

Don't Confess Your Sin -- Confess His righteousness -- and Yours!

We cannot confess every sin – even the Beloved King David prayed that God would cleanse him from secret faults, that God would search Him:

"Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults." (Psalm 19: 12)

and

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

"And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139: 23-24)

But David did not harp on trying to figure out or itemize his sins -- He asked God to cleanse him, inside out:

"Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

"Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

"Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

"Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalm 51: 6-10) 

We will never have to pray this prayer, for by the Blood of Jesus we have an everlasting propitiation:

"And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1 John 2: 2)

Here, "propitiation" means "mercy seat", the place in the Old Testament where the High Priest would offer a blood sacrifice once a year for the sins of the Israelites (Exodus 25: 17; 40: 20)

Because of Jesus' death, we know have His righteousness:

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1: 30)

and

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Christ is made our righteousness, and we in turn are made the righteousness of God in Christ! We are taken care of all around.

The blood of Jesus is total, complete, and forever. We can rest and rejoice in His ongoing grace, which cleanses us all the more.

The Blood of Jesus Cleanses us From All Sin -- Now!

Three years ago,  I met a couple who had just left an evening service at a local church.

The man, Steve, told us that he went to nursing homes and sang gospel songs. He shared also that in 1 John 1: 7, in the original Greek, that the blood of Jesus keeps cleansing us from all sin:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

At first, I did not make much of this new truth, convinced that I was at a forever-setback because I did not own a Greek Bible.

Yet the profound and essential truth found in 1 John 1: 7 is enough to set every believer from the tyrannical notion that he must confess every sin in order to be forgiven.

We cannot lose fellowship with God the Father over our sins, for as Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4: 17).  His blood is ever-washing us from our sin, therefore we need never wonder if there is any sin which may set us back.

Still, the knowledge that we are as Christ Jesus in this world may not quell people's fears about sinning. They know that they can never again invite his wrath or displeasure:

"In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer." (Isaiah 54: 8)

Jesus Christ is our redeemer, no doubt about it:

"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" (Romans 3: 24)

and

"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:" (1 Corinthians 1:30)

We have the supreme confidence that God the Father favors us, because when He sees us, He sees His own Son, as every believer is closed in the righteousness of God, that we are accepted in the Beloved:

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4: 16)

And, of course:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." (1 John 4: 17)

His life also lives in us and empowers us to live and reign in life (Romans 5: 17).

The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, and we need not worry that our sins will separate us from God the Father. Not only that, we are then fit for God to live in us through His Holy Spirit, who leads us in the paths of righteousness (Psalm 23: 3)

Jesus Has Got You Covered

“He shall cover with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91: 4)

I cannot help but repeat the telling account that I had read of a mother hen and the extent that she will got protect her young. When trouble is brewing the hen house, the mother hen sits by and scoops up her chicks with ease. God our Heavenly Father does the same thing for us. In another telling example, a fire had broken out in a hen house, enough that the farmer had to get all of his livestock out. One mother hen was nothing but charred remains. When the farmer removed the dead hen's body, live chicks popped out and began pecking around for food.

Psalm 91 is a call for us to look at Our Heavenly Father as the same protection for us.

Another verse declares the level of protection that we can enjoy:

"A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

"Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked." (Psalm 91: 7-8)

Under His wings nothing can harm you.

Still not convinced? Jesus wept over Jerusalem, wanting to be their mother hen
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Matthew 23: 37)

The city and inhabitants of Jerusalem still trusted in their own efforts, therefore they refused to cast their care upon Him who cared for them. The righteous live by faith, not by works (Habakkuk 2: 4):

"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." (Psalm 91: 2)

Whenever someone does not trust in his own efforts, but in the sacrifice of the Lamb, they are guaranteed protection. Just as the Israelites trusted in the blood of the Passover lamb, that the Angel would Passover their homes and not strike down every first born (Exodus 12), so we who believe in Jesus can trust in His blood, which has cleansed us from all sin:

"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1: 5)

We are covered for sure by His blood, which keeps cleansing us ever still:

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1: 7)

Because God sent His own Son to die for all of our sins, we can also trust that God will give all things with Him:

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 32) 

In fact, He will be a God to us, caring for our every need, protecting us from harm:

 "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." (Hebrews 8: 10)

No matter what you are facing, trust in the Lord, that even now, no matter what you are thinking or feeling, that He has you covered!

God's Timeless and Timely Timing -- Not Time Itself - Heals our Wounds

Contrary to human opinion, time does not heal all wounds, yet there is no time like now to receive the healing in Christ, a healing which heal us wherever we hurt:

"For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6: 2)

Salvation through Jesus Christ, was prophesied by Isaiah:

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. " (Isaiah 53: 4-5)

We do not have to wait for our healing, but by receiving God's grace, shed abroad to the whole world through the death of His Son, we can receive His healing:

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men," (Titus 2: 11)

and

"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:" (Ephesians 1: 10)

and

"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law." (Galatians 4: 4)

Even Proverbs prophesies of Christ's healing through His wounds:

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." (Proverbs 27: 6)

and

"The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly." (Proverbs 20: 30)

How else could stripes, or whippings, cleanse a man's inward parts unless the verse refers to the stripes which Jesus took for us, cleansing us from all our sin.

Jesus' wounds, timely and timeless, heal us -- and we do not have to wait for this healing!

He is Leading You -- Now

For many believers who are well-versed, skillful in righteousness (Hebrews 5: 13), they have no trouble articulating to themselves or to others who they are in Christ.

The question then becomes -- "What do I do now?"

We know that God works in us both to will and to do for our good pleasure (Philippians 2: 13). We know and believe that God has given us a new heart (Ezekiel 11: 19), and that on this heart God has written his laws (Hebrews 8: 11).

Still, for me, I still felt ill at ease with discerning God's will about anything.

Then I meditated on Psalm 23, and stayed on the third verse:

"He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."

God is our good Shepherd, one whom we can trust because He has laid down His life for us:

" I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

"But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

"The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

"I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." (John 10: 11-14)

His life is now our life (Galatians 2: 20):

"For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." (Romans 5: 10)

and

"For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God." (Romans 6: 10)

He has given us His life; therefore, we have no reason to doubt that He will give us anything else that we need (Psalm 23: 1):

"He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8: 32)

So,I know that I can trust Him, as evident in Scripture, but what will be the certainty for me? His peace in us guides us:

"And let the peace of God [Lit. Christ] rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful." (Colossians 3: 15)

Peace is something that God keeps us in (Isaiah 26: 3; Galatians 5: 22), the perfect indicator that He is with us. Whenever our peace is dis-eased, that is the easy marker that He is not leading us in that direction.

We cannot lose our standing in Him, for we have already been made the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21). We also bear His name as His reborn sons and daughters (John 1: 12; 1 John 3: 1-3). We do not need to worry that we are out of fellowship with Him, and as we walk in His peace and love, we can be certain that He is guiding us!

Who You are Has Nothing to Do with Who You Are

One incisive quote from a recent New Yorker cartoon read:

"I wish my identity weren't wrapped up so much with who I am."

For the believer, this problem is solved in that we are defined and quickened in Christ, our new identity:

"As He is, so are we in this word." (1 John 4: 17)

But we are who we are in Him because of what He has done:

"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." (Romans 5: 17)

This righteousness is a gift, one which we receive by grace through, not something that we can work for or earn, and therefore it cannot be lost. Daniel prophesied of this eternal righteousness:

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9: 24)

Because we were dead in our trespasses, then quickened by Christ through His promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2: 1-2), then we have no reason to worry about losing this gift!

In effect, who we are has nothing to do with who we are, but who Christ is, He who lives in us and works in us according to the good pleasure of His Father (Philippians 2: 12-13)

In fact, this life that believers now live is not based in ourselves:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2: 20-21)

We are dead to our old selves, putting off the old man of our flesh (Ephesians 4: 22), and we now put on the new man (Ephesians 4: 24), the righteousness of God, which we receive in Christ (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Indeed, who we are now has nothing to do with who we are, but everything to do with Christ Jesus, who he is, what he has for us, and what he is doing through us!

Overcome Evil Thoughts with God's Thoughts

Many believers in the Body of Christ still struggle with doubts, fears, envies, and other rivaling thoughts which war against the truth of who God is, who He is in us, that He is for, and that nothing can separate us from Him.

Paul wrote that we are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8: 37), the clear implication being that we have this victory, and without any effort on our part:

"Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place." (2 Corinthians 2: 14)

To the degree that we are fighting with bad and evil and untrue thoughts, to that degree we are not resting and resisting in Him:

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10: 4-5)

What weapons do we use, therefore? The Word of God, of course!:

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:" (Ephesians 6: 17)

and

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4: 12)

Now, the Word of God is sure and sharp, one which overcomes all things. God's thoughts, manifested in His Word, overcome every untruth:

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 55: 8)

His thoughts bear fruit, and nothing can stop them:

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (Isaiah 55: 11)

Also about God's thoughts, they are nothing but good for us:

"How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139: 17)

and

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."" (Jeremiah 29: 11)

Paul exhorted his readers not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good (Romans 12: 21) Because the wrestling is not with flesh and blood, but powers and principalities who are already defeated, let us use the authority in Christ Jesus, and declared with the archangel:

"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." (Jude 9)

No matter what lies may be attacking you, rest in the truth that the blood of Jesus is cleansing you from all sin (1 John 1: 7) and speaks better things than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12: 24)

We are No Longer Seeking the Heavenly City

In Hebrews, the author outlines that Abraham and all other Old Testament saints walked by faith, yet they were still looking for an eternal city:

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

"For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

"And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

"But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11: 13-16)

Jesus did tell His listeners to seek the Kingdom of God, as well (Matthew 6: 33), but one must rightly divide the Word of God, acknowledging that Jesus spoke these words before He was crucified, glorified, and seated at the right hand of the Father, from which place He could send for the gift of His Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 32-33)

For those who believer on Him, we are NOW citizens of His kingdom, of His heavenly city:

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;" (Ephesians 2: 19)

Why can we say this? Because those who believe have received His Spirit:

"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit." (1 John 4: 13)

and

"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." (1 John 4: 15)

How does the Holy Spirit connect with the Kingdom, the heavenly city in which we are all now citizens?

"For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

"For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men." (Romans 14: 17-18)

The heavenly city sought by the Old Testament saints is the eternal home for every believer by the power of His promise, the Holy Spirit. Enjoy your new citizenship with joyful confidence!