Faith Based on His Word, Not Our Feelings

Paul tells us how we are supposed to respond to our feelings:

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 11)

John prayed for his beloved Gaius as well as every other believer:

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

"Soul prosperity" depends on walking the Truth:

"3For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth. 4I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." (3 John 3-4)

We find the Truth in Christ (John 14: 6) and His Word:

"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17: 17)

The more that we see Him in the Word, that more that we walk by faith, believing what God has said instead of the circumstances of the world or the feelings in our flesh, then our soul prospers, and so do we.

"Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: 7(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)" (2 Corinthians 5: 6-7)

Faith is not some notion of hyperspirituality which speaks to some realm not yet present to us, but rather recognizing reality based on God's Word what is right now before us:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2For by it the elders obtained a good report." (Hebrews 11: 1-2)

Faith is Based on His Word, not our feelings.

Rejoice in the Face of Ridicule

What's the response to ridicule? Jesus teaches us to rejoice:

"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." (Matthew 5: 11)
and

"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)

and also

"9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)

Take their shame and scorn it!

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12: 2)

Jesus was good at shutting down the shame-based adversaries:

"And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?

"And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him." (Luke 13: 16-17)

Scorn the shame, stand on the truth that you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ, and let His grace minister in you, and you will reign in life (Romans 5: 17)

Know His Love to Receive From Him

In order for God's faith to flow in us, we must rest securely in the grace of God, that all of our sins have been put away through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." (Psalm 37: 4)

God the Father delights in mercy, in grace, and not in sacrifice, or the works which men do in order to establish a right standing with God:

"Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required." (Psalm 40: 6 -- referenced in Hebrews 10: 5)

Jesus is the body offered for us, and through His flesh the enmity between us and God the Father has been removed forever (Ephesians 2: 15)
Consider also this verse:

"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy." (Micah 7: 18)

and of course:

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

Because of Christ's death and resurrection on the Cross, we forgive because we have been forgiven (Ephesians 4: 32). If forgiveness then is so completely manifested to a believer, then he should have no problem standing before God and asking for what he needs.

Man's greatest need, however, is righteousness, and this righteousness every believer keeps receiving as a gift (Romans 5: 17) of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14: 17).

Without righteousness, the perfect standing before God that all our sins are forgiven, then any other gift granted to us will inspire fears and suspicion instead of praise and worship.

When we are then freed from any temptation of trying to perfect ourselves or justify ourselves, we then advanced boldly before throne of grace in time of need (Hebrews 4: 16), all of which is predicated on our resting in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ by grace through faith (Hebrews 4: 11; Ephesians 2: 4-8)

We need to know and believe the love of God before we can trust that He will come through for every need. The greatest gift that God ever gave humanity, His Son, cannot play second place to the needs and wants of man.

Jesus is first, last, and everything in between (Hebrews 13: 8). Faith works through love (Galatians 5: 6) and this love is bound up in God, who has forever pardoned our sins and given us the life of His Son.

Rejoice in this wonderful gift, Jesus Christ Himnself, and indeed you will have what you say. In fact, He will give us beyond what we ask or think (Ephesians 3: 20)

In this sense, many preachers simply have not gone far enough in expounding the eternal, unsearchable riches of Christ. The more that we see Him, the greater our prosperity in this world:

"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)

Know Him, and thus through Him you will receive all other things (Romans 8:31-32; Philippians 4:19)

About Forgiveness in Mark 11: 23-25

The "Word of Faith" Movement follows from this key passage in the Gospel of Mark:

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

First of all, verse 22 is better rendered "Have the faith of God" or "God's kind of faith".

His faith is a speaking faith:

"(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were." (Romans 4:17)

With Christ and faith in Him, the emphasis is on "saying", as mentioned in yesterday's post. Jesus said "believe" once, but "say" three times. We must call forth those things which are not, as though they are (Romans 4: 17)

Yet there is another element which cannot be ignored: "And when ye standing praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any."

The next verse amplifies the Law under the Old Covenant, so that men would despair of claiming righteousness through their own confession and appropriation of forgiveness.

For us, who live and thrive under the New Covenant (Herbews 8: 10-12),the "forgiveness" element is taken care of for us at the Cross, so that the more we see how forgiven we are, then we in turn 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)

"Forgive" is better rendered "give grace to". As we keep receiving God's grace in our lives (Romans 5:17), we in turn can give His grace to others, thus allowing us to stand, pray, and forgive.

This grace establishes our hearts, empowers us to work, and guides us in our growing knowledge of the Lord, as well.

We are forgiven righteously and eternally. The more that we grow grace and knowledge, then our prayers are shaped to reflect His will working within us, and we can "have what we say."

Believing is Saying -- Say what You Believe About Christ

We have to speak out what we believe. Belief is more than a mental assent. We are called to speak forth what we believe:

"I believed, therefore have I spoken: I was greatly afflicted." (Psalm 116:10)

Paul quoted this verse in his second epistle to the Corinthians:

"We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;" (2 Corinthians 4:13)

God created the heaven and the earth by speaking:

"3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." (Genesis 1: 3-5)

We are saved by believing on Jesus, which we then speak forth:

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9That 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. 10For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10: 8-10)

Furthermore, faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ (Romans 10: 17)

So, confessing who we are in Christ, in line with His Word, renews our mind to who we are in, what we have, and what He does in us (Romans 12: 2)

A few days ago, I was asking myself why I had a hard time believing who I was in Christ. Within my spirit, I heard the missing element:

"You need to confess it."

This confirms perfectly with what Jesus teaches his disciples in Mark 11: 22-26)

"And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses."

The emphasis is on "saying". Jesus said "believe" once, but "say" three times.

Find God's Word, and because You have spoken forth that through Christ you have received remission of sins and righteousness in Christ, you have the standing and certain that in confessing, you are renewing your mind to the truth of who you are in Christ.

Believing is saying -- Say who you are in Christ, by speaking forth His Word.

Confess Christ the Word

The Word of God is greater than any threat, judgment, or epithet which man may give us:

"1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1)

Jesus Christ now lives in every believer:

"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)

We are also in Christ, too:

"1If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

Christ is our Life, and we meet Him in the Word:

"31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8: 31-32)

This life is not about doing more, or even thinking more, and certainly much more than having more. It's about believing more, it's about growing in grace and knowledge of the Lord.

"Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6:28-29)

There is "one work", not many, and that one work is to believe on Jesus Christ.

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18)

We want to know Him more, not just because Jesus is the very image of God (Colossians 1:15, He is the creator of all things (Colossians 1: 16 ), and all things are consisted of Him (Colossians 1:17), but because He is our life (Colossians 3:1-4), and in all things we identify with Him:

"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)

Let us confess the Word of God, for Jesus the living Word is our Life, and in Him we have all things.

How to Quit Smoking (or anything Else)

The story is too often repeated in recovery circles, but it must be repeated.

We can do nothing of ourselves. Only through Christ working in us can we do anything:

"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: 5)

My own mother, whose birthday would be celebrated today, often shared the transforming prayer that led to her quitting smoking:

"God, I have no faith in myself, and I have little faith in you. Please take away this addiction from me."

From that day on, she never smoked again. My father can attest to this. He quit smoking, too.

What really matters here is the following:

"Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." (Zechariah 4: 6)

and

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6: 63)

and

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4: 13)

Instead of trying to make ourselves better, God wants us to give up trying altogether and let His life live through us. His grace gives us all the strength to say "No!" to sin, and "Yes!" to life and godliness (Titus 2: 11-12)

My mother did not trust her own efforts. She gave up and just asked God, and He came through for her. She never smoked again.


Quit trying to break free of the addictions in your life. Receive the forgiveness of sins through Christ Jesus, and let His life reign in you, so that yo may reign in life (Romans 5: 17)

Jesus is our "Paid For"

"For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;" (Ephesians 2: 14)

Jesus Christ is our peace. He promised it to his disciples before He was crucified (John 14: 27)

He is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9: 6).

When He sat down after He died on the Cross and then ascended into heaven, He sat down and sent forth the Holy Spirit (Acts 2: 33), and with the Holy Spirit, we receive righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17)

What does "peace" mean, though? Certainly, it means calm in the midst of the storm:

"And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he [Jesus] was asleep." (Matthew 8: 24)

The word for "peace" in Hebrew is "Shalom", which includes completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. Hail, health, wealth, and welfare all.

But the root word for "Shalom" is "Shalam", which means to pay back, to make restitution, or to restore.

When Jesus died on the Cross, He restored our standing before God the Father:

"18And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5: 18-19)

Exodus 22 presents the type and shadow of Jesus as our restoration:

"If a man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, or sell it; he shall restore [shalam] five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep." (Exodus 22: 1)

and

"If a man shall cause a field or vineyard to be eaten, and shall put in his beast, and shall feed in another man's field; of the best of his own field, and of the best of his own vineyard, shall he make restitution [shalam]." (Exodus 22: 5)

and

"And if a man borrow ought of his neighbour, and it be hurt, or die, the owner thereof being not with it, he shall surely make it good [shalam]." (Exodus 22: 14)

Jesus is more than our calm, he is more than our welfare. He is our "paid for", in that He paid for all our sins, and He is an infinite over-payment, one who grants us ever more of His bounty and blessings.

Jesus is your "Paid For", and whatever you may need, ask of Him and you shall receive.

Liberty is Based on Forgiveness of Sins

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." (Luke 4: 18)

Jesus Christ came to set us free from sin and grant us His righteousness.

The liberty which he proclaimed does not depend on our rule-keeping, our behavior, or even our standing in the world or the amount of money that we have.

In the original Greek, "liberty" is the translation of ἄφεσις, aphesis, which means "release, let go, send away", as in we are released from our sins, which are sent away into the Body of Christ.

Jesus said in the Gospel of John:

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

The Gospel of John defines early the key element of Truth:

"14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John 1: 14)

and then

"17For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1: 17)

In John 1: 17, "grace and truth" are treated as one item, and both are found in Jesus Christ.

Truth is on the side of grace, not on the side of law. The truth sets us free, the truth that in Christ all our sins are forgiven, for grace grants to us by Jesus' death what we can never earn by keeping God's law.

Liberty is based on Grace, and we receive in through Jesus Christ:

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8: 36)

Seek Righteousness, the Enforcing Clause

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

Everyone likes the idea of focusing on one thing, and then everything else will be taken care of in our lives.

Yet the promise seems to be either too good to be true, or too unclear to be reliable.

First of all, let us not forget that Jesus preached this to his fellow Jewish people while the Old Covenant was still in effect. When Jesus died on the Cross, the New Covenant was enacted.

About the shedding of blood and the New Covenant, this is what Jesus said:

"For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26: 28)

This righteousness that Jesus exhorts His hearers to seek, turns out to be a gift which He offers and we receive:

"31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12: 31-32)

This righteousness was granted to us because Jesus Christ became sin at the Cross (2 Corinthians 5: 21), and so instead of  striving for it, we receive it on an ongoing basis (Romans 5: 17)

Because Jesus died on the Cross, we no longer need to seek this righteousness, but receive it.

Yet why did Jesus make righteousness the top priority, with everything else added afterward? The elements of the New Covenant will explain:

"10For 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:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. 12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

First, God will be able to write His laws of life, love, and liberty in our hearts and minds, and thus He can lead us from within without our striving and guessing. Next, He will be "a God" to  us, which means that He will take care of EVERYTHING for us. We no longer need to worry about our tomorrows, our yesterdays, the challenges of the present, the frustrations within our flesh, or the problem-people who press against us. Even better, we will not have to go through steps or persons or institutions to "know Him" for everyone will know Him. The clause, the element that makes all of this come to pass: God will provide a propitiation for our unrighteousness, our sins and iniquities -- (1 John 4: 10) -- and so He will not remember our sins against us ever again.

In other words, God provides the gift of righteousness through the death of His Son on the Cross. When we receive that all of our sins are forgiven and never to brought up again, then all the other things that we need, because He will be a God to us, are provided for us.

Receive this gift of righteousness, Beloved, and the rest of the New Covenant will be enforced for you.

You Forgive, God Makes us Forget

"Forgive and Forget, Forgive and Forget."

How many of us have heard this litany in our lives?

Did you know that the Bible does not say "forgive and forget?"

Did you know that the Bible does not even tell you to forgive, or else God will not forgive us.

"But the Bible says. . . "

It is important to rightly divide the Word of God. Jesus did say:

"But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6: 15)

Jesus said this while the Old Covenant was still in effect. He also to his listeners that if they were angry without a cause, or if they even lusted in their heart, they were guilty of murder and adultery.

Jesus was bringing the law back to its pristine and impossible height, for to forgive requires grace, and grace is a gift that we receive when we cease from our striving.

Under the New Covenant, we receive this grace because we have been forgiven:

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

The more we understand how His forgiveness covers everything, and through His grace we receive Jesus' same standing, then "we" no longer try to forgive, but release others to further God's grace growing in our lives.

"But the feelings still linger! I am still angry at that person!"

One of the elements of living by grace through faith is that we no longer identity with our feelings. In effect, "you" are no longer angry at that person. You do not have to do anything about those feelings, because in Christ, you are made a new creation

We do not have to do anything about our feelings, either.

For this reason, Paul wrote:

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. " (Romans 6: 11)

Forgiveness if provided because every wrong you have committed and that was committed by someone else has been paid for at the Cross.

When you forgive, God will cause you to forget, because He has taken the hit for your hurts:

"51And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. 52And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." (Genesis 41: 51-52)

In your heavenly Joseph, God has forgotten all your sins and made you fruitful. He will cause you to forget and grow in grace.

The Word of God: Timeless and Timely

The Word of God is timeless and timely, exhaustive and inexhaustible.


The Word of God will always speak to us, no matter what we are facing in this life.

"But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4: 4)

The Word of God also speaks to us right now, where we are in our lives, regardless of how we feel or what we are facing.

"This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me." (Psalm, 119: 50)

The Word of God is Christ:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."(John 1: 1)

Jesus is He who was and is and is to come.

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13: 8)

Time is no matter to Him:

"For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." (Psalm 90: 4)

Open the Word of God, find Jesus on the pages throughout, and let Him transform you from glory to glory:

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3: 18)

He holds the future, the past, and every present that we face.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1: 8)

The Word of God, from the Beginning until the End, outside of ourselves, our world, our very everything. See Jesus in the Word, and let Him be everything for you.

It's OK to be Dependent -- God Cannot Use Anyone Else

This world prizes independence above all things.

Did you know that Jesus wants us to be dependent, on Him?

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11: 28)

In fact, apart from Jesus, we can do nothing:

"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: 5)

Perhaps you had indulgent parents, perhaps you feel that you cannot make it on your own.

The Bibles does mention "father" for the first time in connection with leaving one's father:

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." (Genesis 2: 24)

Every person in the Body of Christ is married to Christ, taken out of one family, Adam, and into the family of God:

"For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called." (Isaiah 54: 5)

Not only does God want us to be married to His Son (2 Corinthians 11: 2), but he also wants to adopt us as His own child, just like His Son, the first born from the dead:

"15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17And 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)

There is now no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1), and the condemnation which men and women seek to throw on us can only dissolve in the presence of the Blood and the Righteousness of God the Son (1 John 1: 7)

It's OK to be dependent on Him -- He can only work through people who are dependent on Him:

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

He wants us to let His Spirit lead us, too:

"16This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For 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. 18But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." (Galatians 5: 16-18)

To be dependent on "The Person" of Jesus Christ is the greatest life ever!

How Do You See Him?

"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." (1 John 4: 4)

Do you see Him bigger than your circumstances?

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." (Hebrews 13: 8)

Do You See Him Bigger than Time?

"Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

"Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;" (Psalms 103: 3-4)

Do you see him bigger than your failures?

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John 16: 33)

Do you see Him as greater than everything?

The more that you see Him, the greater will be the glory that He works in your life:

"12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (Philippians 2: 12-13)

and

"Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." (Colossians 1: 29)

See Him and Him above all else, and He will see you through all things.

Stop Trying to Sit -- You are Seated

"And [God] hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"

Many new teachings emphasize that we must learn to rest, to learn who we are in Christ and "sit down."

I spent a lot of time trying to sit down, therefore. Whenever I felt out of place, or thought wrong, I would recite "I am the righteousness of Christ" in or to "get seated" once again.

One of the verses which substantiated this habit is found in Hebrews 4:

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)

"Labor" is one translation, perhaps inexact of "Σπουδάσωμεν which means "be diligent, or earnest" to enter.

This rest is based on belief, and we are called to believe on One Person:

"29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

Paul expressed the culmination of this call:

"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)

Jesus Christ now lives in every believer (Colossians 1: 27), and we live by His faith within us.

In effect, because of who we are in Christ, we are already seated, already at rest in Christ.

It is no longer a matter of learning to "sit", but rather renewing our minds to the truth (Romans 12: 2) of who we are in Christ. As for Hebrews 4:11, that  passage, like all the other in the Book of Hebrews, was written to the Hebrews, specifically those Jews who knew that Jesus was the Messiah, yet refused to believe that He is the final sacrifice for their sins.

If you are still wondering what you "must do", Romans 5: 17 provides the answer:

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

Peter also offered the "one thing" needed:

"But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." (2 Peter 3: 18)

Stop trying to sit down, stop trying to rest. In Christ, you are at rest.

Focus on His Love

"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)

and

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

God so loved us. We love because He first loved us (1 John 4: 19)

This love is so great, that it transforms us from dead in our trespasses to alive in Him:

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

and then

"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)

He loves us with a personal attachment and attention which we must receive by faith:

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

and

"But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Luke 12: 7)

Most importantly, though, this love is expressed for us at the Cross:

"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)

What happened at the Cross? Indeed, Jesus died for our sins. Yet so much more happened:

"13And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. " (Colossians 2: 13-15)

Not only did Jesus died for our sins, He died for all of them. Many believers still have an Old Covenant mentality, which presumes that every time we sin, we lose favor and fellowship with God. More than that, we now have life in Him, and Jesus' death has forever annulled the laws and ordinances, the Ten Commandments, which were against us, bringing us into bondage and revealing to us the death in our flesh (Romans 3: 20; 2 Corinthians 3: 7)

Focus on His love for you, and in His love your faith will flow (Galatians 5: 6) and through Him you will receive all beyond what you can ask or even think (Ephesians 3: 20)

The Good News: Either We Believe it or We Don't

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

That is the one work. Either we believe the Gospel, or we do not believe it.

Here is the Good News in simplest form:

"38Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 38-39)

The issue is not a matter of the head, but one of the heart.

Paul explained why:

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein 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:" (Ephesians2: 1-2)

Smart or dumb, great or small, none of it matters if you are dead in your sins. Man does not need information, he does not wealth or standing, he needs life. This need exceeds his understanding, yet without this life one cannot discern spiritual things.

Man has a deeper problem than ignorance:

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." (Psalm 14: 1)

In his heart, not in his head, lies the problem, and the heart speaks of the life, of the very essence of a man, not just the organ which pumps blood throughout the body:

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." (Proverbs 4: 23)

The Gospel is 2 + 2 = 4. There is no arguing it, there is no discussing it -- there is "believe it or not."

 Because it is a matter of belief and not just recognition, Jesus magnified the law to its proper height, bringing all men who trust in their own righteousness to the end of the themselves, like the rich young ruler who sought how to inherit eternal life (Luke 18: 18-27). As long as a man thinks that he can "do something" to inherit something else, there is no talking to them, their is no convincing them otherwise.

For this reason John warned the same for his audience:

"Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son." (2 John 9)

The Gospel is so simple, that any further discussion only inflames a man's flesh. Do not  waste time arguing with someone. Just preach the Word, and let the seed fall where it may.

Release the Spirit by Sitting Down

"Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." (Acts 2: 33)

When Jesus sat down, it was the signal to the world and all eternity that the Work of redemption was finished (John 19: 30).

We are also seated above the heavens in Christ (Ephesians 2: 6), and so if we want to release His Holy Spirit in our lives, we are called to stay seated in Him.

The problem for many believers, and why they do not see miracles in their lives, is that they do not sit and rest.

They are convinced, either by their own flesh or the Enemy, that if they do not get off their own thrones and "do something."

Yet any attempt on our own, in our own effort will cause us to fall from grace (Galatians 5: 4), and it is the grace of God which defines us and drives us (1 Corinthians 15: 10), and it is this same grace which defends and promotes us in the midst of the greatest adversity (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)

The writer of Hebrews strictly instructs all of us to rest in His Promise (Acts 2: 28-33), the Holy Spirit:

"Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." (Hebrews 4: 1)

and then

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." (Hebrews 4: 11)

When we rest, we trust in Him, and this faith allows His Spirit to work in our lives, blessing us and quickening us to do all that He wills within us to do (Philippians 2: 12-13)

We are called to rest, with the full understanding that when we stop, He starts, when we died to our own efforts, that He works all things together for our good.

Law Focuses on Self -- Grace Focuses on Jesus

Exodus 20 outlines the Ten Commandments. Each one begins with "Thou shalt" or "thou shalt not".

The law causes us to focus on ourselves,  on what we must do.

With the law comes the knowledge of sin:

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3: 20)

Yet also with this knowledge of sin comes the knowledge of a standard which we cannot meet, the guilt which we cannot escape:

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." (Romans 3: 19)

The standard of the law is good, but we cannot meet this standard. We are worse than sinners, then, but we are dead under this lie:

"The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law."" (1 Corinthians 15: 56)

But:

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15: 57)

Jesus Christ is the demonstration of God's love:

"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)

God's love causes us to focus on Him, not ourselves:

"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)

and then

"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)

Jesus wants us to abide in Him, for without Him, we can do nothing (John 15: 4-5).

Law makes us weak and beggarly, exposing to us the death within us and the weakness which follows. God's grace focuses us on Jesus, who leads us from within to live His life without.

The Holy Spirit Reveals Jesus

"Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." (John 16:13)

Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14: 6)

He now lives in every believer:

"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)

We do not live in ourselves, but rather He is our life:

"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3: 3-4)

Now that we the children of God, we are called to grow in grace and knowledge of Him (2 Peter 3:18)

Paul prayed that the spirit of wisdom would grant them a greater revelation of Christ (Ephesians 1: 17-19)

This Spirit within us, the Holy Spirit, teaches us all things because He tells us all about Jesus, He who lives in us.

When we read the Word of God, let us ask Him to witness to us more of Jesus Christ. This same Spirit has also given us all knowledge, so that we need not run to and fro for others to tell us all things:

"But ye have an unction [anointing] from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 John 2:20)

and

"But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him." (1 John 2: 27)

The Holy Spirit will always reveal Jesus, who is our wisdom (1 Corinthians 1: 30).

Not Our Works, But His Grace and Righteousness Protect Us

"1And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. 2Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: 3And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. 4And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem." (Genesis 35:1-5)

Jacob had faced one difficulty after another. He had since made up with his brother, Esau, yet his two older sons, Simeon and Levi, destroyed an entire city because one of the city leaders had raped their sister. Jacob feared the worst, yet instead of trying to protect himself, he trust Himself, the Lord, to watch over hi,m.

First, he told his family to put away their strange gods, to stop trusting in their own efforts, since pagan worship was all about what man could do to move God.

Next, he told them to "be clean" -- He did not tell them to "get clean." In effect, we are clean when we stop trusting in our own efforts and rest in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, who has died once for all.

Last, Jacob told everyone to change their garments. Because Jesus became sin, we now receive His righteousness, the robe prophesied by Isaiah (61:10). In Christ, we are clothed with immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:54)

Jacob took all the old gods and buried them at Shechem, which means "shoulder" because wants us to cast all our cares on Him (1 Peter 5: 6-7), not just neglect them altogether.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9: 6)

When Jacob and his family did all of these things, the heathen peoples around them left them alone:

"And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob." (Genesis 35: 5)

Give up your own efforts, rest in His grace, the forgiveness of all your sins, receive His righteousness, and you will reign in life (Romans 5: 17) over all your enemies.

Abide in His Love, and Though His Love You Love Others

This truth has taken me, and perhaps many in the Body of Christ, a long time to rest in. The writer of Hebrews related to his readers that we  must labor to enter the rest (Hebrews 4: 11)

Where are we supposed to rest, anyway? In His love:

"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." (John 15: 9)

"Continue" means "abide" or "remain".

For too  many of us, we think that resting in God's love is impractical. "Yes, yes, God loves me, but I have to do my part."

If we read the Bible, though, without any embellishment or resistance to His Truth, we accept that Jesus Christ is our life (John 14: 6), that our life is hidden in Christ (Colossians 3: 3). Christ live in us, too, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)

In his epistle to the Ephesians, Paul spells out who God is, what He has done for us, and how he wants every believer to receive the great revelation of God's love for them in Christ:

"14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 14-19)

The most important thing that any believer can do is to grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord (2 Peter 3: 18).

John declared that God is love (John 4: 16), and God sent His Sons so that everyone of us would live through Him, not just for Him:

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him." (1 John 4: 9)

Not Just "Better Life", but His Own 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)

Jesus did not come that we would keep the lives that we have now, but just make it better.

On this earth, from the moment we step into this world, we are dead in our trespasses (Ephesians 2: 1).

Jesus came to make dead people live:

"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)

Then Jesus declared:

"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)

Jesus now lives in every believer:

"Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

"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: 26-27)

and

"For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 3-4)

God did not want to make our earthly lives better. He sent His Son to give us His life.

Forget Fixing Your Flesh -- God's Grace is Greater

This truth has taken me the longest to learn, yet as I grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord, I accept more and more that who I am has all to do with Christ in me, and nothing do with my flesh, in which no good things dwells.

"Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6: 11)

and

"For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not." (Romans 7: 18)

Paul the Apostle distinguished himself from his sin nature. We all need to do the same, and identify with Christ (Colossians 3: 1-4)

Do you still get angry with yourself because you lose your temper? Do you look at yourself every time that you fail? In this respect, then, you and I still need to get skillful in righteousness (Hebrews 5:12-14)

Part of gaining skill in righteousness includes looking at Jesus for our greater good, receiving more of His grace and righteousness (Romans 5:17). No matter how old or young you are in the Body of Christ, you and I need all of Christ all the time.

Do we get discouraged when we fail? No way, because God's grace is greater than our sin:

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

"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5: 20-21)

Paul the apostle was not wallowing in voluntary humility when he declared that he was the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15)

In fact, just like him we must stop expecting from God anything if we believe that we can bring to Him anything of yourself, that you can earn anything from Him.

Paul explained it perfectly:

"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)

He lives in us. Our job is to walk by faith and let His life flow, not try to fix our flesh. Why are we still trying to fix our flesh? Because we think that, in some way, we must depend on our own efforts, or that we can stand on our standing.

Even when we sin, God's grace is greater (Romans 5: 20). Even when we face hardships and trails, His grace is sufficient for us to endure whatever we go through (2 Corinthians 12: 9-10)

We stand fast in liberty (Galatians 6: 1), a liberty that Christ Jesus has given to us through the truth of His Word (John 8: 32-36)

Forget about fixing your flesh, your propensity to sin. God's grace is greater, and His grace is working in us to do all that He wants us to do (1 Corinthians 15: 10)

Find Perfect in Christ, Not Your Work Place

Work may be a difficult place for some people. We find ourselves getting easily upset, or we think that we cannot go on.

Some believers get frustrated with their workplace, with their colleagues, and thus they go from one job to another, trying to find a perfect place to work.

Perfection is found only in Christ:

"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God," (Hebrews 6: 1)

and also

Christ's love has perfected us at the Cross:

"But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him." (1 John 2: 5)

and

"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 we are not aware that in Christ we are perfected, we will find fault in ourselves and others, including our coworkers and our workplaces.

What do we learn about our walk in Christ:

"Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;" (Ephesians 6: 6)

and

"Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God:" (Colossians 3: 22)

This singleness of heart is based on righteousness (Romans 10: 10). When we have a greater revelation of God and His grace in our lives, we rest in Him, and His life pours out through us into our work. Serving the Lord is no burden to the degree that we are always taking from Him righteousness and grace (Romans 5: 17)

Stop trying to perfect yourself, and stop trying to find a perfect workplace. He has already perfected us through His Son (Hebrews 10: 14), and He will complete the work through us that He wants us to do.

Find Perfect in Christ, not Churches

"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1: 18)

Friends would tell me that no church is perfect, and that no one is perfect. In other words: "Suck it up!" Yet that seemed more like a cop-out to me. I still found that my peace was disrupted more often than not in churches.

For a long time, I decided not to go to church at all. Why go to church every Sunday to be frustrated and upset?

I praise God for the new revelation which I have received about Christ's love. For me, as for many, we go to church trying to get something for ourselves. Paul's first prayer to the Ephesians was for them to know Him more:

"17That 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: 18The 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" (Ephesians 1: 17-18)

Church is about knowing Christ -- that was Peter's prayer to his reader: "Grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord" (2 Peter 3: 18)

When we know Him, we find ourselves. Paul outlines in the second chapter of Ephesians everything that He has done for us because of the death and resurrection of His Son. We are no longer dead in our trespasses, we are seated in heaven places. We have received the adoption of children, and He has prepared the works which He wants us to beforehand to do.

In the third chapter, Paul expounds on an even more important revelation:

"16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 16-19)

He wanted every believer to receive by faith that Christ Jesus lives in us. He is our new life. Paul wanted every believer to be established in His love, no matter what was happening, for better or for worse.

Then I realized my "mistake" -- I was looking for unconditional love and acceptance from people in church, when that kind of love can only come from God.

This love is more than some sentiment, either:

"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)

Jesus did not just die for our sins -- by His death He completely removed all our sins once and for all and forever. Many people do not have this revelation. I was one of them.

The perfection that I was looking for in people really reflected the perfection that I was trying to accomplish in me. Jesus's completed a perfect work:

"For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10: 14)

We are perfected in our conscience, in that no longer should we have a sense of sin about us, and therefore we have no reason to judge others. When we focus on how imperfect we are, we badger everyone else for not measuring up (to this perversion Jesus spoke when he preached: "Judge not, lest ye be judged" (Matthew 7: 1)) When we rest in our righteousness in Christ, then we in turn are transformed from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3: 18) and we then receive the grace to love other people (1 John 4: 19)

Go to Church to Get Excited about All that He Has Done

We do not go to church to get closer to God, because Christ lives in every believer by the power of the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1: 27). We do not come to church in order to be righteous, for that was accomplished once and for all through the Cross (2 Corinthians 5: 17, 21). We go to church to know Him more and to receive more of His love.

We thus go to church in order to receive exhortation to continue in the good works which He has placed within us to do:

"24And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10: 24-25)

The preceding verses in the same chapter establish the basis for the rest:

19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21And having an high priest over the house of God; 22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Grow in grace and knowledge of God's complete work in your life, rest in the truth that everything is covered for you. You can then approach Him with full assurance of faith, and then you come to church to celebrate and get excited about doing great things for Him.

The problem for me, among many people in the Body of Christ, is that we are looking for love from people -- only the Love of God can satisfy us, and this love is forever demonstrated to us by the blood of Jesus, which speaks better things than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12: 24)

Jesus is Life, and Liberty to Follow

While citizens of the United States love to celebrate liberty on the Fourth of July, every believer in the Body of Christ should rest in the knowledge that Jesus came to give us something greater than liberty:

"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)

Jesus did not come to make bad people good, but he came to make dead men alive.

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2Wherein 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)

The deepest need of man is based first and foremost on life. This proclamation is more than a Declaration, but a certainty as a gift. Christ is the life that man craves, the very gift which God promised to every one who believes on 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)

That we not perish, that's the first goal -- we are dead in our trespasses. Mankind has a sin problem deeper than his actions. We are sinners by nature, born in the image of sinful Adam (Genesis 5: 2), and we need to be set free from sin, not just sinning:

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." (Romans 6: 14)

Under grace, God gives us power to live godly:

"11For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Titus 2: 11-12)

This grace allows us to reign in life in righteousness (Romans 5: 17) as sons of God (1 John 3: 1-3; 4: 17)

Jesus is our Life, and He sets us free:

"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8: 36)

and

"So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." (Galatians 4:31)

Jesus is Life, which we receive by grace through faith, that in Him we receive forgiveness of sins and freedom from the bondage of God's law, which no man could keep (Colossians 2: 13-15), and instead we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5: 16) who has written God's law on our hearts and minds (Hebrews 8: 10-12)

A Good Marriage is Based on Christ

Many leaders spend more time talking about how to have a good marriage, when our growing knowledge of God's love for us enables us to love our wives in turn.

22Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." (Ephesians 5: 22-25)

 Paul instructed the church in Ephesus to love their spouses in Chapter 5. In the four previous chapters, Paul explains to them who they are, and prays that they will receive a growing revelation of their new identity in Christ:

"[I pray] 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" (Ephesians 1: 17)

Paul then outlines all that God has done for them and for us through Jesus:

"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2: 4-6)

First, Paul wants us to have a growing revelation of God. He then explains who they are in Christ. Then he invites the Ephesians to receive a greater revelation of God's love for them:

"16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 16-19)

The more that we understand God's love, the more that we can then love our spouses.

Churches and leaders: tell your parishioners about Christ and Him Crucified. Reveal to them all that God is and has done for them at the Cross, and how He has brought us into His family and made us one with Him (John 17: 21-23) Then they will have the grace and peace to love their spouses.

Forgive Others By Looking on Him Who Has Forgiven You

Unforgiveness -- what is it, really?

The bitterness that we store up within ourselves really indicates that we look to ourselves all too much instead of setting our eyes on what is above, Christ seated at the right hand of God, who is our righteousness, who announces to the Universe that we are forever forgiven, pardoned, and accepted.

Jesus Christ took the punishment for all sin, and He remains forever the Mercy Seat for the sins of the entire world (1 John 2: 2)

He died not just to forgive all our sins, but to grant us release from the body of death which elicits railings, rivalries, all sorts of other perversions (Galatians 5: 19-21)

Our flesh, both our earthly bodies and fallen minds, will never rest. Even if every enemy is punished, even if every person who harmed has been harmed in turn, the sense of unforgiveness within us remains unsatisfied.

Instead of focusing on what we must do, Paul invites us to rest in all that Christ has done:

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3: 1-4)

We are alive in Christ, not dead in our sins and trespasses. "Set your affections" on things above, Paul advises us, instead of getting bogged down in what happens here on earth. Our life is in Christ, we identify with Him, not with our thoughts and feelings.

What does it mean to "seek those things which are above"? Paul elaborates in Ephesians:

"31Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4: 31-32)

and then

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5Casting 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: 3-5)

"The Obedience of Christ" is His Finished Work at the Cross -- that God for Christ's sake has forgiven all our sins (Colossians 2: 13).

Instead of hankering, longing for "self" to be improved, instead of permitting Satan to distract us with thoughts of yesterday, today, and the future, let us focus on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of faith (Hebrews 12: 1-2), in who we find all time and all things filled, fulfilled, and cared for. (Hebrews 13: 8)

How to Let Go -- Know that Your Are Forgiven

We struggled to let go because resentment and bitterness stem from our "old man" Adam, but we are now alive in Christ.

"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." (1 Corinthians 15: 22)

Paul tells us to reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive in Christ (Romans 6: 11)

Man has a bigger problem than sinning. We are sinners because of Adam, from whom death has reigned in man.

Rather than trying to fix our feelings or fix the felons who hurt us, we need to identity with Christ in us, our hope of glory (Colossians 1: 27)

Anger is a work of the flesh when it becomes wrath:

"19Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21Envyings, 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)

Wrath is murder on the inside:

"But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." (Matthew 5: 22)

We are not called to live in wrath, but thrive in God's love. Paul explains what and how:

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice" (Ephesians 4: 31)

So bitterness, anger, or evil speaking is allowed. Unfortunately, too many believers stop there and then try in their own effort to put away these terrible states of mind. Paul outlines how to do it:

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

Verse 32 is tied up in verse 31. The greater your understanding that all your sins are forgiven in Christ, then you will easily forsake all wrath and bitterness to receive the gifts of righteousness and grace (Romans 5: 17)

Do not live like a serial killer in your mind when you eat cereal in the morning. Rest in the Finished Work of Jesus Christ, and watch as all bitterness and wrath flee from you.