"JESUS IS LORD"
Has Jesus been born in you?
This is a question my Pastor ask us.......I personally really liked this question. And the reason I liked it is:
I have realized, that my life as a Christian has been lived separated from God. I know that doesn't sound right, but have you noticed that most teaching keeps us separated?
We are taught that:
God Is.....I am not......don't get me wrong, I know this is true but keep reading........
There can't help but be separation....oil and water, right.
Well, there you go....how do I become who the Bible teaches I should be.
Okay, of course, it is by faith.....
I know that, I've known that for a long time, but for some reason could never quite seem to find enough faith to be......
This produced a roller coaster life...
When I felt, I was doing good, I stayed up.....but when I messed up or felt I wasn't doing so great, I would be down.
I remember, hmmm, approximately 16 years ago.....I found out there is so much more to God than "The Ten Commandments" and being good.
That would be "Grace".....again I knew, I was saved by grace, through faith. But still continued to try to be who and what I was learning, I should be. I told God one day, "I'm never going to get this right". I heard Him say from somewhere on the inside, "I know, but I can".
God talks to us, did you know that? Start listening, it's not an out loud voice but sometimes it almost seems that way. He mostly talks to us through His Word but the more we put His Word in us, the better we can hear when He speaks from inside.
Oh, and guess Who that inside voice is.....it's the voice of God's Holy Spirit!!
He reveals Who He is, in His Word and as we get to know Him, He talks to us through His Holy Spirit, Who by the way lives inside of us.
Isn't this great!!!!
We are not separated from God.....He lives inside of us!!!
God has been showing me recently, that the reason we have such a hard time living the Christian life is, that we try to live it separated from Him.
If we listen to how we talk, we will realize this.
Take a listen:
Yes, I know God is bigger than.....
Yes, I know God can......
Yes, I know God is......
Yes, I know God will.....in His own timing
Our words are full of "what God is".......
That voice inside of me once told me...."you know a lot about Me but you don't know Me"
You see, God doesn't want us to just know what He is, He wants us to know Him personally.....
What He is, is facts (impersonal).....Who He is, is Love (personal)
When we are called by the Holy Spirit to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we choose Life. The Life of God comes to live inside of us making us one with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, Who emptied Himself of His Glory to be born in us (Mary) by the power of His Holy Spirit so that He could deliver us from our selves (sin), and fill us with His Glory.
Love came to live in us......
I said all this to let you know, you don't have to live a roller coaster life, a life of ups and downs, happy and sad. These are all just emotions...feelings. At best, all we can hope for is having more up days than down, more happy than sad. It's all based on how we feel that day. All because we see our self separated from God, instead of one with Him.
Read John 17......Jesus is praying...He prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are One.
God gives me pictures.....just this morning, He showed me and I will tell you, these pictures are usually childish but Jesus did say, "we must become as little children." (Matt. 18:3)
So, here is the picture.....
Living our life seeing our self as nothing and God as everything is correct but if we don't realize that He replaced our nothing with His Everything, we live separated from Him.
The picture was.....a child's toy
Most toys will or can do nothing without a battery.....they can try until they turn blue to get it to do what the instructions say it will do but until they put the batteries in it is lifeless. When the toy and the battery are united as one...notice, they are two separate things but when the battery is placed inside they become one. There was no life up until that point.
This is how we try to live most of our life.....separated from our battery.
We claim to be Christians but deny the power....I don't believe this is deliberate. It's because we are deceived.
Satan doesn't care if we know God is greater, bigger, all powerful or that He can or will in His own time.
1 John 4:17 tells us...."as He is, so are we in this world"
The very truth that Satan hoped we would never know.....
The very truth that Satan is diligently trying to steal, kill and destroy.....
If you don't know Jesus as Lord...If He hasn't been born in you....Don't let another moment pass before you receive the promise of His Word.
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
2 Cor. 6:2..."For He says: "in an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation, I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
1 John 1:9 says..."If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Romans 10:9-10 says..."that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Pray......Lord God, I confess that I am a sinner. I ask You to forgive me and to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus Christ is The only begotten Son of God, He was born of a virgin, He was crucified and He was resurrected on the 3rd day. I believe in my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I will serve Him all the days of my life. Thank you, Jesus for loving me and giving me Life everlasting in You...Amen (so be it)
Jesus has now been born in you....praise the Lord, the fullness of Who He is has come to live in you!!
Now read the Word of God, the very Heart of God, sent and written, just for YOU and ME!!!
He reveals Himself to us, through His Holy Spirit and by the Word of His Power.
Let's end this year (2012) proclaiming, "JESUS IS LORD"
And let 2013 be a year of proclaiming:
Joshua 24:15 - "AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD"
Connie
This is a question my Pastor ask us.......I personally really liked this question. And the reason I liked it is:
I have realized, that my life as a Christian has been lived separated from God. I know that doesn't sound right, but have you noticed that most teaching keeps us separated?
We are taught that:
God Is.....I am not......don't get me wrong, I know this is true but keep reading........
There can't help but be separation....oil and water, right.
Well, there you go....how do I become who the Bible teaches I should be.
Okay, of course, it is by faith.....
I know that, I've known that for a long time, but for some reason could never quite seem to find enough faith to be......
This produced a roller coaster life...
When I felt, I was doing good, I stayed up.....but when I messed up or felt I wasn't doing so great, I would be down.
I remember, hmmm, approximately 16 years ago.....I found out there is so much more to God than "The Ten Commandments" and being good.
That would be "Grace".....again I knew, I was saved by grace, through faith. But still continued to try to be who and what I was learning, I should be. I told God one day, "I'm never going to get this right". I heard Him say from somewhere on the inside, "I know, but I can".
God talks to us, did you know that? Start listening, it's not an out loud voice but sometimes it almost seems that way. He mostly talks to us through His Word but the more we put His Word in us, the better we can hear when He speaks from inside.
Oh, and guess Who that inside voice is.....it's the voice of God's Holy Spirit!!
He reveals Who He is, in His Word and as we get to know Him, He talks to us through His Holy Spirit, Who by the way lives inside of us.
Isn't this great!!!!
We are not separated from God.....He lives inside of us!!!
God has been showing me recently, that the reason we have such a hard time living the Christian life is, that we try to live it separated from Him.
If we listen to how we talk, we will realize this.
Take a listen:
Yes, I know God is bigger than.....
Yes, I know God can......
Yes, I know God is......
Yes, I know God will.....in His own timing
Our words are full of "what God is".......
That voice inside of me once told me...."you know a lot about Me but you don't know Me"
You see, God doesn't want us to just know what He is, He wants us to know Him personally.....
What He is, is facts (impersonal).....Who He is, is Love (personal)
When we are called by the Holy Spirit to receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we choose Life. The Life of God comes to live inside of us making us one with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
God sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, Who emptied Himself of His Glory to be born in us (Mary) by the power of His Holy Spirit so that He could deliver us from our selves (sin), and fill us with His Glory.
Love came to live in us......
I said all this to let you know, you don't have to live a roller coaster life, a life of ups and downs, happy and sad. These are all just emotions...feelings. At best, all we can hope for is having more up days than down, more happy than sad. It's all based on how we feel that day. All because we see our self separated from God, instead of one with Him.
Read John 17......Jesus is praying...He prayed that we would be one as He and the Father are One.
God gives me pictures.....just this morning, He showed me and I will tell you, these pictures are usually childish but Jesus did say, "we must become as little children." (Matt. 18:3)
So, here is the picture.....
Living our life seeing our self as nothing and God as everything is correct but if we don't realize that He replaced our nothing with His Everything, we live separated from Him.
The picture was.....a child's toy
Most toys will or can do nothing without a battery.....they can try until they turn blue to get it to do what the instructions say it will do but until they put the batteries in it is lifeless. When the toy and the battery are united as one...notice, they are two separate things but when the battery is placed inside they become one. There was no life up until that point.
This is how we try to live most of our life.....separated from our battery.
We claim to be Christians but deny the power....I don't believe this is deliberate. It's because we are deceived.
Satan doesn't care if we know God is greater, bigger, all powerful or that He can or will in His own time.
1 John 4:17 tells us...."as He is, so are we in this world"
The very truth that Satan hoped we would never know.....
The very truth that Satan is diligently trying to steal, kill and destroy.....
If you don't know Jesus as Lord...If He hasn't been born in you....Don't let another moment pass before you receive the promise of His Word.
John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
2 Cor. 6:2..."For He says: "in an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation, I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
1 John 1:9 says..."If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Romans 10:9-10 says..."that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." "For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Pray......Lord God, I confess that I am a sinner. I ask You to forgive me and to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus Christ is The only begotten Son of God, He was born of a virgin, He was crucified and He was resurrected on the 3rd day. I believe in my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I will serve Him all the days of my life. Thank you, Jesus for loving me and giving me Life everlasting in You...Amen (so be it)
Jesus has now been born in you....praise the Lord, the fullness of Who He is has come to live in you!!
Now read the Word of God, the very Heart of God, sent and written, just for YOU and ME!!!
He reveals Himself to us, through His Holy Spirit and by the Word of His Power.
Let's end this year (2012) proclaiming, "JESUS IS LORD"
And let 2013 be a year of proclaiming:
Joshua 24:15 - "AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD"
Connie
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