This week just past, I did a course called “For your life” by Grow In Health ministries www.growinhealth.org.uk. I went there to find out the root issues of some of my medical issues, but came away with a powerful set of tools that will enable me (if applied) to walk in not only health, but holiness – to BECOME the bride of Christ! (I pray that I, and every true believer applies this truth).
Most of us in the Christian church are waiting, or praying prayers that say something like this: “if God loves me, He’ll take care of me”. Or we will say, “take this evil desire away from me Lord – give me a new heart, a clean heart!”. Or – “Jesus completed everything on the cross and God now sees me as He sees Jesus. It is all done on the cross, and there’s nothing I need to do”.
But there is something we need to do. In the book of Revelation we can see that we are called to be overcomers.
- Rev 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
- Rev 2:11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.
- Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.
- Rev 2:26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
- Rev 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
- Rev 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
- Rev 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
- Rev 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
So we are called to overcome – to REPENT:
http://lifebythespirit.org/2011/03/02/saved-by-grace-but-this-also-involves-repentance/
http://lifebythespirit.org/2010/11/29/the-bride-is-not-ready/
We know that God knew us before the foundations of the world (Jer 1:5), but we were conceived in sin: “For I was born a sinner–yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” Psalm 51:5.
But Jesus came so that you might be restored back into the “real you”. That we would separate ourselves from everything that is false and untrue that we have been agreeing with – subtly or obviously. (When we agree that Satan’s word is true over God’s Word we are actually fellowshipping at the table of devils). Jesus died to give us the ability (Grace) to be able to become true son’s and daughters of God – to discern what is false and what is true – to choose life and become overcomers. Mercy is the time frame God gives us to respond to His Truth.
The Word says if you love God you will keep His commandments.
Ezekiel 18:31: Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!
You make yourself a new heart and a new spirit. We have to deal with it!
To paraphrase an article I recently read from Be In Health (www.beinhealth.com):
the Christian church is trying to resist the devil, but we are in disobedience. If God says to forgive your neighbour, you’d better forgive him. If God says to walk in love, you’d better walk in love. If God says you’ve not been given a spirit of Fear, you’d better start dealing with it – breaking the agreement you have with it, and telling it to go. This is the crux of it.
We might excuse these things saying “Sally is just having a bad day”, or “Billy is just a grumpy person” – but no, this is sin operating through that person – and that person has agreed Satan’s word as truth in their life over God’s Word. But it is not the person doing it, but rather the sin in that person! So we still love the person, but hate the sin! We need to separate ourselves from the sin – to recognize it, take responsibility that we have agreed with the lie, renounce it (repent) and remove it in the name of Jesus.
What you don’t deal with will deal with you. What you are cohabiting with in your life would love to destroy you. Your enemy, Satan, has a master plan. Satan wants to destroy you.
So it’s because of the fall that we have the ability to know what is good and what is evil. I say “ability” because most of us are or have been deceived into calling good evil, and evil good – at least to some degree. Most of us are still on babies milk, but a sign of maturity in Hebrews 5:14 is strong meat which belongs to those who by reason of exercise of their senses are able to discern both good and evil.
Are we saved by faith and grace? YES! We can not do one thing in our own strength, but Jesus has taken the keys of death and hell, and on that cross He has give us the ability (through faith and grace) to start living in victory – to be true son’s and daughters of His Kingdom right now.
But HOW do we apply this finished work in our lives? Stay tuned for the next article, where I will share the keys of truth that were taught to me. How the things we agree with in our minds – that pretend to be us – are actually not us, but rather the enemy pretending to be us, so that we become one with the lie and the sin.
Life by the Spirit 