Archive for January 2011
Rom 8:30 Having called them, He gave them right standing with Himself. (NLT)
Another bondage for many Christians is that of righteousness. Grace is not what we can do for God but what God has done for us; And He has justified us, that is, given us right standing with Himself.
Until we have a revelation of this truth we will always have a problem receiving everything God’s given to us through the cross; His forgiveness, mercy, love, joy, peace, healing, provision etc.
First: He does not count our sin against us.
2 Cor 5:19 God was in Christ, restoring the world to himself, no longer counting men’s sins against them but blotting them out. (TLB)
Second: He has imputed His righteousness to us. Rom 4:3 Abraham believed in God, and it was credited (imputed) to his account as righteousness (right living and right standing with God). (AMP)
Now we have His righteousness (right standing with Him) we can stop trying to please Him with our self righteousness. Eg – Matt 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (NIV). In this story Jesus is teaching the disciples that if they will seek first God’s righteousness, He will provide everything they need materially and spiritually.
If we don’t have a revelation of God’s righteousness we will view this scripture as saying that our lifestyle must become holy and righteous and we have to seek God before He will provide for our needs; But Jesus spoke this before the cross. After the cross His righteousness is revealed through His son, therefore because we are born again we now have His righteousness, (right standing with Him) and qualify for God’s provision. We don’t have to fulfill any rules or change our lifestyle, we simply claim the promise He’s made to us in Christ.
“Thank you Lord I am now the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21) and I trust you to meet all my needs”.
As we hold fast to this scripture in faith we will see God’s provision flowing into our lives.
Meditation point: 1 Cor 1:30 But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God]. (AMP)
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Prov 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue. (NKJV)
Another area where we have put ourselves in bondage is in our use of, ‘self imposed laws’. These are laws that we or others have spoken over us: I must keep my house clean at all times. I must not show my emotions. I must not upset my parents etc etc.
Imposing a law upon ourselves means that when we break it, punishment will follow by means of guilt, shame, fear, condemnation, rejection. Eg: I must keep my house clean at all times; When our house is clean we feel peaceful, happy, fulfilled. But the day comes when the kitchen is untidy, the dogs footprints dirty the floor and the dishes pile up in the sink.
There’s a knock on the door; we remember we’ve invited our next door neighbour for coffee. We invite them in knowing they will see the kitchen. They’ll think we are dirty and disorganised, they’ll tell all the neighbours and they won’t return our invitation. We feel ashamed, guilty and rejected. What has happened? We are experiencing the punishment of breaking our own self imposed law.
On the cross, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the law (this includes self imposed laws). So although the law still stands, it no longer applies to us.Rom 6:14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. Therefore , when we do wrong, fail or fall short, we no longer have to accept the negative emotions of guilt, shame or fear because Jesus has taken that punishment in our place and His blood has cleansed us from all unrighteousness. Rom 8:1 Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus. (AMP)
We can now throw off all the accusations of satan and declare we’ve been set free from the punishment of the law and are now no longer under it’s constraints. We can now speak life to ourselves instead of death. “Thank you Lord that now I am in Christ I am no longer under the law and it’s punishment, therefore I refuse all negative emotions that would seek to imprison me and bring bondage to my life”.
Meditation point: I am no longer under the law, I am under grace. Jesus has set me free from the prison of my own self imposed laws.
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Isa 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone. (KJV)
Another bondage brought on through following the law is the fear of God. Many Christians have a phobia today and it’s called, ‘Theo-Phobia: The Fear of God’.
The law has conditions attached to it. If we fulfill the law we are blessed, if we break the law we are cursed. Hence when we do wrong, if we don’t have a revelation of the grace and love of God we will fear Him and suffer guilt and condemnation. We’ll fear coming to Him in prayer, praise and worship and remain in the outer court of His presence; we’ll fear the consequences of our actions and what He will do to us.
Fear steals our peace, joy and rest in God. It saps spiritual energy from our life and instead of being as bold as a lion we become quiet as a mouse; we lose our authority and power and become weak and insipid.
When Jesus died on the cross He died as our representative and on our behalf. He fulfilled the conditions of the law perfectly by loving the Lord His God with all His heart, mind, soul and strength. Thus God was able to lavish upon Him the fullness of His unconditional love; and because you and I are now in Christ, we too become the recipients of His unconditional love. It doesn’t matter how many times we fail, it doesn’t change God’s love towards us.
1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; There is no fear in love, perfect love casts out fear (NKJV)
John is here saying that God’s love has been perfected in our hearts thus removing all fear; we can now come into His presence with boldness knowing we are fully accepted no matter our spiritual condition. So if we are struggling with worry, resentment, unforgiveness, shame etc, we are still fully accepted by Him. This emboldens us to come to Him in prayer, praise and worship and receive the strength and cleansing from our weaknesses; so when things go wrong – we don’t run away from God, we run to God.
Knowing we no longer have to fear God releases us from bondage into total freedom. It was for freedom that Christ has set us free………
Meditation point: Do I know the Fathers’ unconditional love. Do I know his complete acceptance. Have I been delivered from all fear of God. If not, “then Father , open the eyes of my heart to see the fullness of your love for me”.
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Luke 18:13 But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ (NIV)
Read Parable: Lk 18:9-14
Continuing with our series of breaking free from the law; let’s look at the subject of being worthy. There is an inbuilt default psyche in many Christians of being unworthy, hence when we sin or make mistakes we see ourselves as unworthy before God. This is to misunderstand the position and relationship we now hold with God.
We’ve used the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector to teach Christians not to become proud or arrogant about our status in life but to remain humble and to remind ourselves we are but sinners saved by grace.
I would like to challenge this view. The Pharisee was proud and arrogant because he was a religious hypocrite who had a knowledge of God but didn’t know the power of God; whereas we as Christians have been created anew in God’s image. We are no longer sinners but are righteous beings. Christ has made us Kings and Priests to God and we co-rule and reign with Him in His now Kingdom. God has lifted us out of the rubbish heap of sin and death and He’s seated us among Princes. We are now seated with Christ on His throne at the right hand of God.
Therefore we are not unworthy sinners who daren’t lift our heads in the presence of God. No a thousand times NO. We’ve been made worthy by the Father who has clothed us in the royal robes of righteousness, robes of glory and honour. Robes of distinction, esteem, authority and power.
So let us behave in life as befits our station as sons of God; and if there is found any pride or arrogance, God has His ways of revealing such and how we can rid ourselves of it. We must hold our heads up high, throw back our shoulders and walk with confidence and speak with boldness.
We come before God’s presence and use such phrases as: we are so unworthy, without you we can do nothing, I am but a weak man/woman etc etc. Friends, all those things may be true in the natural but you and I are now in Christ and are to approach God’s throne with boldness and confidence.Prov 28:1 The righteous are as bold as a lion. (NIV)
It’s knowing who we are in Christ that sets us free to be worthy, sets us free to walk and talk as a King. It’s this revelation that breaks the power of low self esteem, insecurity, shame, fear and rejection. John the Apostle encapsulates this truth in 1 John 3:2 Now are we the sons of God (KJV).
Meditation point: God has imparted His righteousness to me as His son and made me completely worthy.
Rom 5:19 corrects the error of believing that we are only positionally righteous; If we were literally sinners then, we are literally righteous now. (Steve Mcvey)
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New Year Greetings 2011
No comments · Posted by Peter Wilson in New Year Greetings for 2011......
I would like to take this opportunity as we move into the New Year of 2011 to once again thank everyone who has posted comments about my Blog. Your affirmation emboldens, inspires and encourages me to continue to post God’s Word.
We all need affirmation; it builds our character and establishes us in who we are and the gifts and abilities we possess. Affirmation is the word God has given me for the New Year of 2011. I want to encourage you to continue to affirm others; you took the time to affirm me by tapping out your comments and sending them to me and there is a world out there that needs, craves and invites your affirmation.
Your family, friends and work colleagues who live lives of pressure and challenge need your words of affirmation. When Jesus was baptized and rose up out of the waters of the River Jordan His Father’s voice boomed out across the heavens, Mt 3:17 “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”. Even though Jesus was 30 yrs of age and was a mature and successful adult, He still needed to hear words of affirmation from His Father.
Words that told Him He was accepted, words that encouraged Him, words that established Him as His Father’s Son. Many of us (I include myself) have been raised in homes starved of affirmation, so let’s determine that what we didn’t get we will give to others; and we’ll find that when we affirm others we will receive it back in kind. Gal 6:7 Whatsoever we sow we will also reap…….
Gal 6:9 Let us not lose heart in acting nobly and doing right., for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Let’s continue to affirm others even when we are desperate for affirmation ourselves because eventually, at the right time, in due season, others will affirm us.
THE BEST IS YET TO COME !!!!!!
‘The good news is not preached to show you what is wrong with you. It is preached to show you what is right with you because of Jesus’ work at Calvary, in spite of what is wrong with you’. (Joseph Prince)
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