God’s Secret Plan: Christ Lives in Us!

I am going to let you in on a divine secret. It is the secret to living a victorious life. “For this is the secret, Christ lives in you” (Colossians 1:27).

How did we receive Christ as Lord? By faith. How do we live out our Christian life each day? By faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us, and without faith it is impossible to please God.

Faith is our first response to God. We put our trust in Christ by faith and by faith alone. We cannot depend on our abilities. We must depend on His abilities. We can never gain acceptance from God by our own morality or good works. Our efforts to “try harder” at being a better student, a better spouse, a better cell group leader, or a stronger Christian witness can never gain for us more acceptance from God. Placing our faith in God alone for everything is the only way to please Him. We place our faith in the living God and serve Him for one reason, because He is God. He is worthy of our praise and our complete allegiance.

When we received Jesus as our Lord and placed our faith in Him, something drastically changed! Christ is now actually living in us. Galatians 2:20 tells us clearly…Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Why is this so important to understand? Because when I realize that Christ lives in me, I begin to see life from a different perspective. I see it as it really is. Christ actually lives in me. The same Holy Spirit who dwelt in Jesus Christ two thousand years ago, who gave Him the power to live a supernatural life, is also in me enabling me to live a supernatural life. When I lay my hands on someone to pray for them, it is actually Christ praying for them through me. When I encourage someone in my cell group, Christ is actually encouraging them through me.

Romans 4:3 tells us clearly…Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. The word accounted literally means credited. The Lord credits our account with righteousness when we believe Him! Imagine someone depositing money in your account at the bank each week. You may say, “I don’t deserve this.” But your bank account would continue to grow whether you deserved it or not! That is exactly what God does. The Bible says that if we believe God, like Abraham, the Lord puts righteousness into our account! So, being right with God and living a victorious life in Christ does not depend so much on our performance, it depends on our faith and trust in Him.

Christians often make the mistake of relying too much on their feelings. One day we feel close to God and the next day they don’t feel Him. We cannot trust our feelings. We have to trust the truth of the Word of God. When we are tempted to be discouraged or depressed by our mistakes and failures, we must make the decision to replace those thoughts with the thoughts that God thinks about us. See yourself as God sees you. Remember, Christ lives in you!

It’s like this. If you’re in the hospital and they take out your almost-ruptured appendix, what are you going to concentrate on? The pain? The stitches? Or are you going to say, “Praise God! The poison’s being removed. I’m being healed!” We choose to think of one or the other, the pain or the healing. If we keep our eyes on Jesus and on His righteousness, then God is free to allow the abundant life that He promised to permeate our lives.

It is only by Christ living in us that we are able to do anything. We have absolutely no chance of obeying God with our own strength. We must have faith in Christ living in us. Paul the apostle found the secret when he tells us in Colossians 2:2 “God’s secret plan, … is Christ himself.”

Don’t be afraid to talk to yourself. I talk to myself all the time. The Bible says David talked to himself; he “encouraged himself in the Lord” (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV). We should be doing the same thing. I encourage you to get up in the morning and say, “I am righteous through faith in Jesus. I am a man or woman of God. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me today” (Philippians 4:13). Christ lives in me!

Used by permission of DOVE Christian Fellowship International, 11 Toll Gate Road, Lititz, PA 17543.

A Deeper Relationship with Jesus

He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

More than anything else, Jesus delights in having a deep and abiding relationship with you. Every area of your life is of interest to Him, including daily routines that may seem mundane and insignificant. Some of you doubt that He is concerned with such trivial matters. Because of His invisibility and apparent silence, it is difficult for some people to develop a close relationship with Him. He understands the difficulties you face. Through prayer and Bible study, He can help you overcome them.

It delights the Lord when you take your fears and burdens and place them in His hands, for Him to keep. He has perfect knowledge of you, and He understands you better than your family, your friends, and even yourself. He is aware of your transgressions and weaknesses, yet His arms are open wide to embrace you and forgive you. His love for you is unconditional.

I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. (Jeremiah 31:3)

It delights the Lord when you seek guidance prior to making decisions rather than striking out on your own. So many times we miss the mark and end up on our knees as a last resort. As you witness His faithfulness in your life, you can learn to let go of trusting in only yourself and begin placing your trust in Jesus.

Although you cannot see Him visibly, He is there. It delights the Lord when you open up your heart to Him, revealing your hopes and dreams and seeking His will for your life. This precious time with the Lord yields rich and fertile soil for trust to grow. As trust grows, your relationship with Jesus grows. When you truly grasp His great love for you and the delight He has in you, you can develop a deeper relationship with Him. Jesus Christ is the most important relationship you will ever have in your life.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, help us comprehend the depth of your love and the delight you have in us. Bring us to a deeper and more abiding relationship with Christ. Let us never forget that Jesus is the most valuable relationship in our life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Susan Ferguson

www.knittedtogetherbygod.com

Let the old rags go!

There’s a story told about a beggar who was walking down the road one day when the king approached. The beggar was awestruck, especially when the king invited him to ride along with him to the palace. As they entered the royal residence, the king said, “Today I have chosen you to live in my palace. I am going to give you new garments to wear and all of the food that you can eat. All of your needs will be met.”

The beggar thought for a moment. All that he had to do was to receive what the king promised him. This was too good to be true. He had done nothing to deserve this royal treatment. Of course, he accepted the wonderful offer. From that time on, the beggar lived by the king’s provision, but, “Just in case,” the beggar thought, “I should hang onto my old clothes if the king doesn’t really mean what he said. I don’t want to take any chances.” Therefore, the beggar hung onto his old rags.

Years later, the old beggar was dying, and the king came to his bedside. When the monarch glanced down and saw the rags still clutched in the beggar’s hand, both men began to weep. The beggar finally realized that he had never truly trusted the king. Rather than living like a royal prince, he had lived under a cruel deception.

Sometimes we are guilty of doing the same. We give our lives to Jesus, but insist on hanging onto and trusting in our works and the good things we do, “just in case.” The Bible tells us that…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags… (Isaiah 64:6).

Paul chided the Galatian Christians because they had started out by faith in Christ, but were now trying, through religious dead works, to gain spirituality: You foolish Galatians!…Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? …After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? (Galatians 3:1-3).

If we place our faith in our human effort of witnessing, or Bible reading, or attending cell group or church meetings, these good deeds become “dead works.” Involvement in the church, helping the poor, being a great husband or an obedient child—all these can be dead works if we are trying to gain favor with God through doing them.

The Lord does not receive us because of our good works. He receives us because of faith in Him and what He has done for us on the cross. We are righteous only by faith in Him. Let’s not get caught, at the end of our lives, clinging to our old rags, because somehow we found it too hard to believe that the Lord desires to bless us and fill us with His life, even though we do not deserve it at all.

I have met people who say, “I’ll stop smoking, and then God will accept me.” God does not accept us because we have overcome a bad habit. He accepts us because His Son, Jesus Christ, died for our sins, and when we receive Him, we become His sons and daughters. When we give our lives to Jesus, He will give us the power and grace to stop smoking or discontinue any other habit that does not bring glory to God. He accepts us as we are and gives us the grace and desire to change.

Our goodness does not bring us favor with God. We already have favor with God! God wants us to do good works, but we do them because we already have His favor, not to gain His favor: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

God has good plans for your life today. He wants you to reign in life through Jesus Christ: … those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17b).

Kings reign over their kingdoms, and we can do the same. Rise up in faith and begin to reign in life through Jesus Christ and His righteousness! You don’t have to wait. You can start today!

Written By Larry Kreider

“Used by permission of DOVE Christian Fellowship International, 11 Toll Gate Road, Lititz, PA 17543.”

Understanding The Fallen Nature

Written by Daniel Moynihan

Once we break out of the bondage of thinking that our tradition or church we were raised in saves us, we are free to cling to the gospel truth that Jesus Christ is our all in all. At the same time, we need to continue to get answers to the issues and questions that plague us. This is a constant process. You may get discouraged along the way, though, as you continue to battle your sin nature.

We are born with a fallen nature into a fallen world. When we are saved or born again, we have a spirit that is regenerated to a relationship with the Father that we were always meant to have. Everything seems new because it is. We know that we have a saving relationship with Jesus, and as a result, we enjoy the things of God. We have a different feeling about other genuine Christians (we like them and want to be around them). The problem is our soul is still encased in this physical body of sin. It wants to sin—it is prone to sin. Look what the apostle Paul himself says about this:

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me."—Romans 7:14–20 

Sound familiar? It is the battle we go through once we are truly born again. Prior to being saved, we may be morally annoyed or offended by what we do because we know we have done something wrong and it bothers us. Some call this our conscience. This can vary from culture to culture. What some cultures consider wrong is perfectly acceptable in another culture. But when we are born again, God writes His law upon our hearts. Our sinful nature wants nothing of it, and the war that Paul talks about in the scripture above begins.

We are all tempted by different things. What tempts you to sin may not tempt me. What tempts me may not be a temptation to you. It is extremely frustrating to me that things I don’t want to feel or be tempted by can still be a constant burden. Some Christians fight against their sin nature for a while and then simply give up. They see they have overcome some sins, but cannot fully overcome others. While it is true that Satan and demonic forces can possess a person and control him or her, this is not normally what is causing your battle with sin. Normally the root of any sin is within yourself. Think about whatever sin you are struggling with right now and trace it back to the root. It will always end at the root of self, every time. When the pattern of the particular sin you are struggling with started, it was by something you were coveting for yourself. You focused on it, practiced it, and then it became a persistent sin. It is pure selfishness.

The opposite of selfishness is forgetting about you and focusing on others. Isn’t that how Jesus lived His life down here on earth? Didn’t He leave His heavenly state to take on human form and suffer and die for us? He did that for us. Charles Spurgeon once traveled a long way to preach a sermon. He was quite well known at the time and many hundreds of people had gathered to hear the famous evangelist speak. When it was time for him to speak, he rose to the pulpit, looked out at the people, and shouted the word "others" and then sat down. That was it. He was done. Some people were infuriated. They had traveled many a mile to hear the famous preacher. As mad as they were at the time, I guarantee one thing—they never forgot the sermon.

If we focus on the Lord and others, we will be less prone to give in to our selfish sinful nature. If we do fall, the Bible gives us the remedy: “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). As mentioned earlier in this article, some Christians give up the fight against some of their struggles with sin and reason that “it is just the way I am.” However, they end up being miserable as they are going against their new nature by giving in so easily to the old. They become a shell of the person they could be and are ineffective in the world for the Lord. If someone who is living in willful sin is not miserable, then I question whether or not he or she really had a conversion experience. 

The theological debate about whether someone can lose his or her salvation has been raging for centuries. I do not think the issue is whether one can lose it or not—it is whether they ever had it to begin with. So many people get emotional at an evangelical rally or they get pushed down the aisle to “accept Jesus” by overbearing friends or relatives. They respond thinking they need “fire insurance” from hell so they “accept Jesus” and go about living how they want. This is not conversion. Real conversion is being sorry for the state you are in and feeling totally helpless. You realize you cannot save yourself and need a Savior. Not only do you want your sins forgiven, but you want the power to change. Once you understand what Jesus did on the cross, you cast all of your hope on His atonement for your sins. Earlier in this article, I said we must come to the gospel truth that Jesus is our all in all. That means we trust Him for salvation and sanctification (the process by which we are changed to be more like Jesus). Too often, Christians trust Him for salvation but not sanctification. It is a daily process that continues until we die. I like the way King David put it in the Psalms: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23–24). 

From what I have come to understand, David was essentially saying that there was sin in his life he was aware of, but he also wanted to know about sin he was unaware of. He asked the Lord to show him what else he needed to repent of. He wanted to be perfect before God. By this time in his life he had come to realize that his purpose in life was to be what his Creator made him to be. He was determined to fulfill that purpose. David was called a man after God’s own heart. To me, his pattern above is a good one to follow. If you want to be serious about following the Lord, you need to confess any known sin and ask for His grace to repent. No one says it is easy, but by His grace all things are possible.

We only get into trouble when we believe we cannot change our ways or repent. Then after we confess and repent of all known sin, we ask God to point out sin we have overlooked or are unaware of, repenting of that as well. If we will do this on a regular basis we are in effect washing ourselves in the blood of Jesus, confessing our sins as 1 John 1:9 tells us to do, and asking Him for the grace to change. Fight back against your sin nature. When you are under severe temptation, stop what you are doing and start praying for someone’s salvation. Since you are focusing on someone else at this point and not yourself, the temptation will fade. If you are a church leader, you should strive to raise up ministry leaders who are even more effective than you are. This goes against the grain of what the world teaches. Again, think of how unselfish that sounds. Let’s say you are considered a really good Bible teacher. People really learn from you and grow because of the way you are able to teach. Now let’s say you are driven to raise up two or three people to be teachers who are way better than you are. If you are successful, doesn’t the kingdom of God flourish all the more? Now those two or three raise up two or three teachers even better than they. In this way the kingdom of God benefits. John the Baptist had it right when he said he must decrease and Jesus must increase. This is a kingdom principle. It squashes selfishness. 

Author Resource:- Daniel Moynihan has taught Bible studies in prison. He has preached sermons in various churches in New York. While serving as an associate pastor at Abundant Life Fellowship in Boonville, New York he also wrote and directed several plays for the church and community; all which had a Christ centered theme. Dan is the author of Change Agent and Dreamscape. Comments can be sent to Dan at his website danmoynihanbooks.com

Article From Christian Articles; Fallen Nature Category- http://www.christianarticles.net/rss.php?rss=75 

Are you a soldier of Christ?

A soldier is a man or woman enlisted in an army. Soldiers are referred to by designations which reflect their military occupation specialty arm, service, or branch of military employment, their type of unit, or operational employment. In a war, soldiers are involved in combats on the ground, in planes, or from warships. They fight for their country even if it means death. Also, soldiers live regimented lives under the instruction of a commanding officer, and can get deployed to anywhere at any time, going through various difficult situations. Different countries in the world have armies with highly trained and equipped soldiers for defense against threats and attacks, yet none of these armies are invincible. However, there is one army that will ever remain indomitable – the sovereign army of God. Jesus is the commander-in-chief of this army (2 Tim. 2:4). 

The soldiers in this sovereign army are actually humans too, but they don’t wage war as humans do. They use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to pull down strongholds, cast down false arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every rebellious thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:3-5). These soldiers of Christ don't just do anything they feel like doing, they take orders from their commander-in-chief. 

Using the armors of soldiers in the old Roman Empire to describe their weaponry, it is clear that each one of them puts on a belt of truth and a breastplate of God’s righteousness. For shoes, they put on the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition to all of these, they each hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. They wear salvation as a helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Eph. 6:14-17). They stay alert and are fervent in their prayers, standing firm against all strategies of the devil (Eph. 6:11).

They are bold by the power of the Holy Spirit and strong through God’s grace (2 Tim 2:1) and the power of His might (Eph. 6:10). They help their fellow soldiers, encouraging and strengthening each other. Although, they are not yet perfect, they keep striving for perfection (Matt 5:48). They are completely sold out and totally committed to their commander. They are not fighting against human beings with flesh and blood but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in the dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). They are engaged in a spiritual warfare between the kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of God. They are vigilant because they know that their great enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8).

These men and women are focused on the mission given to them by their Great Commander to make disciples of all nations. They go up to the high places, tear down the devil’s kingdom down, reclaim the things he has stolen, pull down the altars of darkness, and enthrone Jesus as King in the different lands where they are deployed, raising up the banner of righteousness. They break down the walls and hindrances that stand against the augmentation of God’s Kingdom and enforce His will on earth. They are soldiers on a raid to take over lands from the hold of the devil, shining the light of the gospel into the surrounding darkness, and delivering souls from the hand of the stubborn god of this world. They don't sleep on the battle field, they are disciplined. They follow the instructions of their Commander. Their greatest honor is to have accomplished their sovereign's command. They seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Rom. 6:33), the salvation of souls is their priority. They go on from strength to strength, wrestling and fighting and praying, treading down all the powers of darkness. 

They endure hardships (2 Tim 2:3), tribulations, afflictions, distresses, persecutions, perils; they are accounted as sheep for the slaughter, yet in all these things they are more than conquerors through Him who loved and called them (Rom 8:35-37). Jesus, their head was once dead but now He lives for ever more. These soldiers have overcome the world because He who is in them is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). In fact, the victory of their warfare had been won at the cross of Calvary thousands of years ago, and their duty is to enforce this victory in the situations they encounter. 

Exactly the same way soldiers at war don’t work at outside jobs, these soldiers don’t get entangled in trying to serve two different masters (Matt 6:24). They are not preoccupied with worldly pursuits to gain the applause of men rather they concentrate on pleasing their commanding officer (2 Tim 2:4). They use their daily work as a platform for transforming lives and standing for the truth. Their motivation is not the advancement of themselves but the advancement of God’s Kingdom. They do not compromise even when faced with threats. Although they have different duty posts: the missionary field, the medical field, the business field, the political field, the entertainment field, the research field, and so on, yet their allegiance is solely to the same Great Commander, the King of all Kings. 

They battle against the desires of the flesh and choose to live by the Spirit keeping their garments unspotted from sin (Gal 5:16). They have dominion and power over all the power of devil (Luke 10:19). They fight the good fight of faith to lay hold on eternal life, to which they have been called (1Ti 6:12). They are the soldiers of Christ.

My friends, there is no demilitarized zone in this battle; you are either on the devil’s side or on the Lord’s side. Which army do you belong to? Are you a soldier of Christ or are you one of the officers in the army of darkness serving Lucifer and his cohorts? Enlist as a soldier of Christ today, don’t look back and you will receive the crown of life.

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Rev. 3:21-22)