WORK OUT — WHAT GOD WORKS IN

Phil 2:12,13  Work out your own salvation; For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him!

When a revelation of God’s grace is quickened to us, (as we feed this revelation) it will change our heart motivations! We will experience God birthing in us His thoughts, plans and visions.

He will release the desire (passion, impetus) and power (ability, strength and provision) to fulfill them.

When God is the initiator of a thing, it will work in us:

a)  Faithfulness. b) A spirit of excellence. c)  An overcoming determination. d)  A success mindset.

As we work out these things, the glory of Jesus and His person is revealed in us and through us to the nations.

The early Church was so successful in revealing Christ that their opponents were forced to proclaim, “These are they who have turned the world upside down!”  (Acts 17:6)

Ask Him to work in you His purpose for your life, that Jesus may be revealed to the world!

Prayer:  Father, please reveal in me and through me a revelation of Jesus (the grace of God) that the world may see that You are the living God. Work in me Your purposes and plans, that i may work out those things that please You.

The Grace of Hard Work

The critics of the grace revelation that’s sweeping the world, say, that grace is too easy, it’s cheap and makes people lazy!

Let us read what Paul the apostle has to say about this!

It was to Paul that God gave the revelation of grace. (Gal 3:1-8) (he too was opposed, criticised, attacked and left for dead). Hence, Paul became the apologist for a whole new movement.

What did Paul have to say in his day to those who said grace was easy, cheap and made men and women lazy:

1 Cor 15:10  By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain;  but i laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Paul says that he worked harder than all the other apostles, not because he was better, but because the grace of God was with him.

My friend, do not fear to embrace the revelation of grace. It will not make you weird, lazy or licentious, rather it will break your chains of bondage, heal your hurts, wounds and sicknesses and release you to fulfill the will of God for your life.

The grace of Jesus will not leave you empty but fill you with deep satisfaction!

Meditation Point: God’s grace will give you the desire and power to fulfill God’s will for your life. His grace will also cause you to work hard!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Married To Mr Law or Mr Grace

Rom 7:3 So if, while her husband lives, she marries another man, she will be called an adulteress.

In Rom Ch 7 Paul symbolises law and grace as two husbands. As New Covenant believers he shows that we once were married to Mr Law, but when we came to salvation we died to Mr Law and became married to Mr Grace!

However, if we still insist on living by the law, we are committing adultery with Mr Law. The law teaches that if married to one man, a wife marries or unites herself to another man, she is committing adultery.

Today many believers are living schizophrenic lives. They want the love, strength and freedom that Mr Grace gives, but are pulled back by the judgemental, condemning and controlling Mr Law.

The Galatian Church began their Christian life joined to grace, but were enticed to return to living by law. The lure of the flesh proved to much!

Gal 3:3 Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? It behoves us not to make the same mistake!

The Law Dominates

Rom 7:1 The law has dominion over a man/woman as long as he/she lives.

If we insist on living by the law, we bring ourselves under the dominion of the law. Dominion means to ‘rule over, dominate and influence’.

We have no choice in the matter, like it or not, we are forced to obey the commands of the law! ‘You must do this’ ‘You shall do that’.

Living by law means we’ll never truly come to know God as ‘Father’, and our relationship to Him will be one of fear, distance, insecurity and unworthiness!

Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba Father!”

Grace is the polar opposite of law. Grace gives a person free-will to choose a relationship rooted in love, respect and acceptance.

Jn 14:6 Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father except through me!”

We can only know God as Father when we receive the revelation that we are not slaves but Sons. Only pursuing a relationship with Mr Grace (Christ) will set us free to know God as Father.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I look to You, please open the eyes of my spirit to see myself as a Son and to see God as Father. Thank you Lord!
Self Imposed Laws

An aspect of the law that needs unmasking is called, ‘Self Imposed Laws’. These are laws that been passed down to us by family and society!

Examples: I must keep the house clean and tidy at all times, i must not shame the family name, I will never go into debt, i will not show weakness (men), i cannot allow anyone to see me without make-up applied and hair in place (women)!

Gal 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not be burdened again by a yoke of slavery!

Without realising it, we can live with a host of self-imposed laws that condemn, control, judge and dominate our lives and behaviour, leaving in their wake, guilt, fear, shame and rejection!

Behaviour that gives ground for self-imposed laws to flourish would be, rescuing others (Prov 19:19), perfectionism (Gal 3:3), people pleasing (Gal 1:10), and comparing ourselves to others (2 Cor 10:12).

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to step out of the bondage of self-imposed laws. Give me strength to trust you and step into the freedom of being myself!

Phil 4:8 Meditate (think) on these things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Let The Father Love You

In a family, the parents don’t say to their children, “We want you to show your love to us as a sign of your obedience!” How ridiculous and unnatural that would be; Rather, as the parents show love to their children, the children naturally return that love. They love because they have first been loved! (1 Jn 4:19)

This is the unnatural message that we have drummed into the Church for decades and it has left many condemned and guilt ridden striving to prove their love for God.

If this applies to you, the Father says to you today, “Stop striving and trying to prove your love for me. I repeat, stop trying to prove your love for me! Allow me to first love you! Rest in me. Ask me to teach you how to receive my love! You have nothing to prove to me, rather, I want to prove my love for you!”

Meditate in the verses below until you come into a revelation of God’s love for you!

1 Jn 4:10 This is love,  not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be a sacrifice for our sins.

Gal 2:20 I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Jn 3:16 God so loved the world, He sent His Son.

Jesus and Peter — Read Jn 21:15-19

When the disciples were having breakfast with Jesus, Jesus asked Simon-Peter 3 times if he loved Him. The first 2 times, Jesus used the word ‘Agape’ which is a sacrificial, unconditional love. Simon responded by saying he loved Jesus, but he used the word ‘Phileo’ which is a friendly, fondness for, type of love.

The 3rd time Jesus asked him, He used the same word Peter had used ‘Phileo’! Peter was grieved by this and said, “Lord, you know i only phileo love you!”

What was Jesus doing? Knowing that Peter had previously denied knowing Him 3 times when he had said he would die rather than deny Him, Jesus was forcing Peter to be honest with himself. He wanted him to admit that his love for Jesus was only phileo (fondness) not agape (sacrificial) love.

Friend, you may have realised that like Peter, your love for Jesus is only shallow and superficial. Do not be despondent but rejoice! You have now become a candidate for the New Covenant love of Jesus! Today is the day for you to realise it’s not your love for Him that counts, but His love for you!

A mature believer is the one who boasts of Jesus love for them! (Jn 19:26, 20:2)

Jn 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Jn 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”

Jn 20:2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Jn 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Jn 21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following.

As Joseph Prince rightly points out, John the disciple (who is called the Apostle of Love) is seen here in his gospel, practising the principle that Jesus loves him.

Why did John practise Jesus love for him? He knew that Jesus loving him came first, and it was only out of His love could he love others.

to the degree we have received Jesus love for us, to that degree can we love others!

1 Jn 4:19 We love because He first loved us!

If John, the Apostle of Love felt the need to keep reminding himself of Jesus’ love for him, it is an encouragement for us to practise this also.

Meditation Point: Stop striving to love God, instead, ask Him to teach you how to receive His love!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Satan’s Defeat At The Hands of Jesus.

1 Sam 17:51 David ran and stood over the Philistine (Goliath), took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. (NKJV)

 This is the story of David and Goliath and is a type and shadow of what took place between Jesus and satan at the cross.

 David and the army of Israel is a picture of Jesus and the Church. Goliath and the army of the Philistines is a picture of satan and his demonic hosts.

 Goliath: When Goliath arrived on the scene of battle, he challenged Israel to send out a champion to fight him. The winner would take captive the defeated army and they would become his slaves.

 What happened when Goliath issued his challenge?

 1 Sam 17:10-11 Goliath said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. (NKJV)

 1 Sam 17:24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. (NKJV)

 The whole army of Israel fled in fear from Goliath and hid in their tents!

 This speaks of the believers in the Church today who live in fear. Fear of the future, fear of others, fear of failure – the list could go on and on!

 Where does this fear come from? It doesn’t come from God for the scripture says, ‘For God has NOT given us a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power, love and a disciplined mind.’ (2 Tim 1:7)

 NO – All fear comes from satan and is rooted in the fear of death!

 Heb 2:14,15 We are people of flesh and blood. This is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, who had power over death. But he also died to rescue all of us who live each day in FEAR of dying. (CEV)

 When we have fear in our lives, we will always, always live a life of bondage and slavery, unable to break out of the prison that fear brings. Unable to move forward into a successful future.

 Fear also means we have been robbed by satan of all that God has promised as our rightful inheritance: Freedom and liberty, healing, prosperity, peace of mind and heart, etc etc!

 David: But when David came along and defeated Goliath, the fear of what Goliath would do to the army of Israel, left them. They no longer needed to fear him because he was defeated. They now had a champion who had fought for them and won! Hence they rose up en-mass and attacked the Philistine army putting them to flight and plundering their tents of booty: Gold, silver, precious stones, garments, etc.

1 Sam 17:51-53 David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road as far as Gath and Ekron. Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. (NKJV)

 David’s greater Son Jesus defeated satan on the cross. He crushed the devil’s government (head) and stripped him of all his power and authority.

 Jesus paraded satan and his hosts throughout the heavens as his slaves and defeated foes.

 This is the good news for the Church today, that we no longer need live in the tents of fear, no longer need be held back, for our champion Jesus is the mighty victor and conqueror of all.

 The day is coming when the Church will rise en-mass and receive the revelation of victory that Jesus accomplished on the cross 2000 yrs ago and break free from their fears and plunder the tents of the demonic foes and take back what rightfully belongs to them, their healing, deliverance, prosperity and freedom.

 Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

 Meditation Point: Prayer – Jesus, I ask You to reveal to me the victory that You won on the cross when You defeated satan and stripped away his power over death. Show me I no longer need fear  his lies in my life. Set me free to declare Your praise to the nations. Thank You Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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