Q: Declare that you are “STILL HERE”!
A: Why am I still here? "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God (2 Cor 1:3-4)." I am still here because the trials and tribulations I have endured allow me to have something in common with those I encounter who are hurting. As God in the flesh, Jesus Christ was able to experience what we experience. That is why it says, "we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin (Heb 4:15)." Every time I encounter someone hurting I am able to share with them how it is that God, in Christ, saw me through my trial. This allows me to comfort them and lead them to the Lord if they are lost or restore them back to who they are in Christ if they are a believer. It is for this reason why we should "not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you (1 Ptr 4:12)." As Christians we should expect troubles and suffering. God has not promised us a comfortable life. And we should thank Him. It reminds us of what we have been rescued from and gives us a humble heart to approach the lost. I am still here because the work He wants to do through me is not complete! Amen!
Q: What is the "purpose" of God blessing us?
A: The purpose of God blessing us is to help us stay focused on Him and not the world. All mankind wants unconditional love, acceptance and meaning and purpose to life. God, in Christ, has blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly reams (Eph 1:3) and has given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Ptr 1:3). He has done this so we would not try and pursue these things in the world which can only be achieved through some form of sin. If you feel you have not received these blessings from God you have no alternative than to try and get them from the world. Unfortunately, many Christians do not recognize this truth and continue to seek the blessings of the world. In fact, many believe that God will bless them with these things if they are "obedient" enough. All that leads to is a self-righteous attitude that God owes you for your obedience or that He doesn't love you for your failure to receive these perceived blessings. The deepest needs of our hearts can only be met in Him. And He doesn't do this by blessing our flesh through health, riches or prosperous living. If you don't know what you already have in Christ, you will never be at peace or experience the love God has for you. Don't substitute a blessing of the flesh for the spiritual blessings you already have. If you have already been blessed with everything, what further blessings to you need?
Q: What does true "repentance" look like?
A: The only true repentance is turning from unbelief to belief in Jesus Christ. That happens at salvation. This leads to a change of attitude towards sin that eventually is seen by us and those around us as we learn to depend more on the indwelling Holy Spirit. It does not mean that I used to sin now I don't as some try to make it mean. Any sin we use to commit we could easily commit again. I used to abuse alcohol and no longer drink. Some would say that I repented of that sin. However, I can easily start doing it again as some have in the past. However, my attitude toward abusing alcohol has changed. I don't look at it as a sin to avoid or repent of. I look at it as a behavior not consistent with my identity in Christ. We must be certain that repenting of sin is not the focus of the Christian life. When you focus on sin you will be mastered by it. As Christians we are to focus on the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He guides us into the truth of who we are, and all that we have in Christ, which results us seeing a diminishing of the sin in our lives. The sin diminishes because we know that it cannot provide the unconditional love and acceptance we desire at the core of our hearts. That can only be experienced through the discovery of the inheritance we have in Christ. We repent of our reliance on the world and all that it offers through sin and turn towards Jesus Christ and all that He offers us. And what He offers is God Himself.
Q: Does Jesus want to be "first" in "all" areas of our life or just some areas?
A: To me, the is not a question of whether or not Jesus is first or not in my life. It is a matter of knowing that Jesus is my life. God's life in man is indispensable to the life of man. I don't live my life from moment to moment asking "What would Jesus do?" I live my life depending on God to show me through the indwelling Holy Spirit, His very life, what He would have me do to best serve others in love. And God just wants me to be available to Him (Rom. 12:1-2) to use me as He sees fit depending on the situation. I don't want to run the risk of acting as though God wants to micromanage every aspect of my life to the point that I paralyze myself and forget to live. I don't want to be that Christian that believes every decision they make determines if they are in God's will or not. I am in God's will as I discover all that I have been given from Him through faith in Christ. As I learn what I have my desires will change and I will begin to engage the world with what I have to give to it and not in hopes of what it will give to me. It is a matter of a changed heart and the decisions I make as a result of that changed heart which reflect whether or not I am relying on the Spirit to guide me(Titus 2:11-12). When I know I have everything I can then trust in and depend on Him as I live my life. Amen!
Q: Why is it important to take every "negative" thought captive?
A: It is not just negative thoughts, but we are told to "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5)." Spiritual warfare can be best described as the battle between the truth and the lie. The truth being that we are free are in Christ as opposed to the lie which tells us that we are in bondage to the rules of man and religion. The battle, in many ways, comes from within the Body of Christ itself. Paul talks about Christians being "alienated from Christ (Gal. 5:4)" because of our refusal to rest in His finished work. The pulpits are full of false messages that appeal to our natural desire to want to earn our rewards. We throw around words like "obedience" and then put people under the law as we try to make them justify and sanctify themselves through self-effort. When we subject ourselves to this type of belief system our thoughts will constantly make us feel separated and alienated from the Lord. We spend every waking moment focused on ourselves and sin rather than on Christ, our forgiveness and our right standing before God. Any thought that leads you to believe that you must earn or maintain God's love and acceptance through your obedience to rules designed to modify your behavior needs to be taken "captive,' made a prisoner, of the truth that we are righteous in God's eyes because of our faith in Christ.
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