Imagine you got a bonus check from your job for $2000 dollars. The check is in your bag or purse or pocket. It's on your person. Think of how different your consciousness is. Instead of 20 dollars on your person, you have 2000. Your awareness and thoughts and actions are very much different. You have more respect for 2000 dollars than 20 dollars. Now imagine, for some reason, you forgot you had that 2000 dollars in your pocket or purse or bag, and somehow I knew it. Say I'm your boss, the one who gave you the bonus. One day I ask you, "So, how'd you enjoy your 2000 dollars?"
BAM!
You remember!
You've got 2000 dollars that you totally forgot about. That knowledge alone changes your life at that moment.
It's the same with simply knowing what you now have in your possession: The Spirit of God!
Do you really know and believe this? If you do, then there is something you must do.
The first thing you needed was a revelation.
The next thing you need is consecration.
Now that you know that the Spirit of the Lord God is in you, keywords, the Lord, meaning The Supreme Ruler Creator, it naturally follows that you would submit your entire life to Him at this very moment and from now on. Let's review the revelation Paul gave the Corinthians, with the consecration he urged them to act out as a result:
"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."
Because the Spirit of the Lord is in you, having "purchased you" by the blood of Jesus, you are no longer your own. Your life is not yours; your life now belongs to your Creator and Savior, to His Spirit in you. You are not just aware of His Presence, you are now aware of what His presence practically means.
For example, when you're driving and the police are following your car, you experience a revelation leading to consecration! Now that you know the police are following you, you submit to their authority. Their presence, red and blue lights, and sirens summon your submission. The same is true with the divine person in you, the Spirit of God.
If the Spirit in you doesn't shape everything you think, say, and do, then either you don't know He's in you, you don't believe He's in you, or worst of all, you don't care. It would be like you running from the police instead of stopping when they follow. You would be deliberately disrespecting the authority of the law. The Lord in you is now in authority over you.
The Spirit of the Lord is your Lord. What will you do with His presence from now on?
You have a choice:
Acknowledge Him and submit to Him.
Ignore Him and rebel against Him.
There is no neutral ground with what you now know.
If you choose to acknowledge and submit to the Spirit of God who is in you, pray this prayer with me:
"Our Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus I acknowledge and totally surrender to Your Spirit who is in me. I no longer live for myself. I live totally for Him. Amen."
From this moment on, you are aware of the Spirit of God who is in you.
Your life will never be the same, nor will anyone else who encounters God in you and with you.
Jesus is Lord.
Amen.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Something you HAVE to know and DO (Part 1)
You have to know one thing by the end of this blog.
You have to do one thing with what you will know.
The first thing you need is a revelation. The same revelation Paul gave the Corinthian Christians is the revelation you have to have by the end of this blog. Here it is:
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
I Corinthians 6:19a NIV
If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins, you have to know this:
The Holy Spirit is in you.
The Holy Spirit is God.
Therefore, God is in you.
God is in you.
God.
In.
You.
Not a power or influence. Not an "it." Not a "force."
God, a person, The Person, with a mind, emotions, and will, is inside of your body right now as you read, acknowledging His presence as you read my words.
Ponder it with me.
(Click here for part two)
You have to do one thing with what you will know.
The first thing you need is a revelation. The same revelation Paul gave the Corinthian Christians is the revelation you have to have by the end of this blog. Here it is:
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?
I Corinthians 6:19a NIV
If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins, you have to know this:
The Holy Spirit is in you.
The Holy Spirit is God.
Therefore, God is in you.
God is in you.
God.
In.
You.
Not a power or influence. Not an "it." Not a "force."
God, a person, The Person, with a mind, emotions, and will, is inside of your body right now as you read, acknowledging His presence as you read my words.
Ponder it with me.
(Click here for part two)
How to Know God's Spirit is With You (Part 1)
"All spiritual blessings are given on a definite
basis." Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life
What is the definite basis of God's Spirit being with
you? The basis of God's presence in your life is the same basis for God
forgiving all of your sins. The Spirit is with you for the same reason
that you have been born again. The basis of every spiritual blessing is
what the Lord Jesus has done, and not what you have done.
Why are all of your sins forgiven? Because of
the Lord Jesus' crucifixion.
Why are you a new creation? Because of the Lord
Jesus' resurrection.
Why is the Spirit with you in power and
presence? Because of the Lord Jesus' exaltation, as it is written:
This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are
witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having
received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this
that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. Acts 2:32-33 ESV
You believe that Jesus died for your sins, so your
sins are forgiven right now.
- You believe Jesus rose from the dead, so you are born again, right here and right now.
- You believe Jesus ascended into heaven and is exalted as Lord and Christ:
- You have the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, right now.
Did you do anything to receive forgiveness or to be
born again? Absolutely not!
You simply accepted what Jesus did for you, and
received what God gave you through Jesus.
It's exactly the same with the Spirit's presence and
power in your life.
Some of you may ask, "But how do I know that the
Spirit is with me?"
The same way you know that your sins are forgiven and
that you are born again!
Do you know that Jesus died, rose, and ascended?
Then you know you are forgiven, born again, and have the Spirit's
manifestation.
Some may still say, "I understand all of that and
truly believe it. But I want to feel God's presence with me. How do
I directly experience it?"
If you know and believe the basis of the Spirit's
presence in your life (which you do), then all that is left is meeting two
conditions. (Click here
for part two.)
How to Know God's Spirit is With You (Part 2)
On the day the Spirit came to earth from heaven and manifest Himself to and through 120 believers, Peter gave two conditions of receiving and experiencing the Holy Spirit:
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:37-39 ESV
Peter gives two conditions to receive two things:
REPENT
The Jews Peter spoke to had rejected Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. For them to repent meant to change their mind and will about Jesus. They were to stop rejecting Jesus and start accepting Him. The Jews were to stop rebelling against His Lordship and start submitting to the Lord Jesus. The same condition is true for you, if you haven't already met it. Stop distrusting Jesus and start trusting him; stop trusting in yourself and start distrusting yourself. That's repentance. Next is baptism
BE BAPTIZED
To be baptized means to publically make known your faith in Jesus. It can involve being immersed in water, which symbolizes your union with Christ; when He died you died with Him, when He rose, you rose with Him--you are born again. But if you don't have the opportunity to get baptized in water as soon as you finish my blog, you can tell two people that you believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins and rose so you would be born again. If you've already been baptized in water, or you've already made your faith known publically, then you have already met the second condition. Your sins are forgiven. You have the Spirit's manifestation. Right now. You don't need to wait or ask or anything.
Do you believe this? Think of it this way.
If you told someone that Jesus died for their sins to be forgiven, and they prayed like this, "God, thank you for giving Jesus to die for me. I hope my sins are forgiven. I believe they will be forgiven," would you be confident that person is saved? No. Unless he or she prays something like this, "God, thank you that my sins are forgiven because of Jesus' crucifixion," you know they have not fully believed in Jesus. In other words, they won't ask for forgiveness in the future, but they will thank God for forgiveness they already have based on what Jesus alone did in the past.
Do you see it?
In the same way, based on what Jesus did in the past, and your meeting the two condition of changing your mind and publically making known your faith in Christ, you already have the Spirit of God upon you. You don't need to pray for it, wait for it, or do anything to get it, any more than you need to wait for Jesus to die, rise again, or be exalted into heaven.
What is the experience supposed to feel like when the Spirit is manifest upon you?
You will know it. In other words, you will feel a certainty of the Spirit's presence and power consciously on you, even if it's nothing more than unexplainable peace. I can't tell you exactly how you will know it. The Spirit of God is God. He is who He is. And you will know Him when He makes Himself known.
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:37-39 ESV
Peter gives two conditions to receive two things:
- Repent and be baptized.
- Receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit.
REPENT
The Jews Peter spoke to had rejected Jesus as their Messiah and Lord. For them to repent meant to change their mind and will about Jesus. They were to stop rejecting Jesus and start accepting Him. The Jews were to stop rebelling against His Lordship and start submitting to the Lord Jesus. The same condition is true for you, if you haven't already met it. Stop distrusting Jesus and start trusting him; stop trusting in yourself and start distrusting yourself. That's repentance. Next is baptism
BE BAPTIZED
To be baptized means to publically make known your faith in Jesus. It can involve being immersed in water, which symbolizes your union with Christ; when He died you died with Him, when He rose, you rose with Him--you are born again. But if you don't have the opportunity to get baptized in water as soon as you finish my blog, you can tell two people that you believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died for your sins and rose so you would be born again. If you've already been baptized in water, or you've already made your faith known publically, then you have already met the second condition. Your sins are forgiven. You have the Spirit's manifestation. Right now. You don't need to wait or ask or anything.
Do you believe this? Think of it this way.
If you told someone that Jesus died for their sins to be forgiven, and they prayed like this, "God, thank you for giving Jesus to die for me. I hope my sins are forgiven. I believe they will be forgiven," would you be confident that person is saved? No. Unless he or she prays something like this, "God, thank you that my sins are forgiven because of Jesus' crucifixion," you know they have not fully believed in Jesus. In other words, they won't ask for forgiveness in the future, but they will thank God for forgiveness they already have based on what Jesus alone did in the past.
Do you see it?
In the same way, based on what Jesus did in the past, and your meeting the two condition of changing your mind and publically making known your faith in Christ, you already have the Spirit of God upon you. You don't need to pray for it, wait for it, or do anything to get it, any more than you need to wait for Jesus to die, rise again, or be exalted into heaven.
What is the experience supposed to feel like when the Spirit is manifest upon you?
You will know it. In other words, you will feel a certainty of the Spirit's presence and power consciously on you, even if it's nothing more than unexplainable peace. I can't tell you exactly how you will know it. The Spirit of God is God. He is who He is. And you will know Him when He makes Himself known.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
The best way to motivate yourself
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks.
Romans 1:21 NLT
I know how it feels to be truly listened to. A counselor gave me her full attention, and now I want to give others my full attention. Because I felt thankful to the one who truly understood me, I'm compelled to give someone who needs it the same gift of understanding that was given to me. Thankfulness is the best motivation for me, and it's the best motivation for you.
What are you thankful for?
Whatever you deeply appreciate should motivate your very purpose.
If someone helped you in the lowest point of your life, then shouldn't you do the same for someone who is suffering as you did? You know where you would've been without the help of the one who was there for you. Because you are thankful, be to someone else what you yourself are thankful for.
Romans 1:21 NLT
I know how it feels to be truly listened to. A counselor gave me her full attention, and now I want to give others my full attention. Because I felt thankful to the one who truly understood me, I'm compelled to give someone who needs it the same gift of understanding that was given to me. Thankfulness is the best motivation for me, and it's the best motivation for you.
What are you thankful for?
Whatever you deeply appreciate should motivate your very purpose.
If someone helped you in the lowest point of your life, then shouldn't you do the same for someone who is suffering as you did? You know where you would've been without the help of the one who was there for you. Because you are thankful, be to someone else what you yourself are thankful for.
How YOU make a difference in someone's life
"Love never fails." The Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Church
Who really loves you? Whoever he is, he makes a difference in your life. Whoever she is makes your life worth living.
Your genuine love never fails to change someone's life. How do I know? Because you're making a difference in my life by simply reading my words. Out of all the things you could be doing right now, you're listening to me, giving me your attention. And out of all the things I could be doing right now, I'm talking to you, giving you my undivided attention. So by writing to you, the one reading my words right now, I'm loving you. And by you reading my words, you are loving me. My love is making a difference in your life because you could be doing something different right now. Before you read my words, a blogger wasn't telling you that he's writing to directly to you because he loves you. Now you are, and it's making a difference; it feels good to love and to be loved. But what if you don't really feel loved right now?
"How can you say you love me when you don't know me?" you may ask.
"Because I feel loved by you for simply giving me your time and attention."
"I'm not really 'loving you,' I'm just reading a blog. Love is far too strong a word," you may respond.
"Maybe it is for you, but not for me. I do love you. That's why I'm writing to you, specifically to you, the one who is reading. I'm writing as if we are face to face, and I'm sharing my thoughts and feelings with you in words. Now you can accept or reject my love, but it doesn't change the way I feel about you."
"Maybe you're some lonely stalker blogger desperate for someone to love you," someone says to me.
"Or maybe you're just as lonely as you think I am," I could respond.
What difference does it make whether I'm lonely or you're lonely, whether I'm desperate or you're desperate? As the apostle Paul said to the Corinthian church, "Love never fails," so love always makes a difference to the one being loved. Is it wrong for me to love you? Would you rather me stop? I won't because I can't, so you've just got to accept or reject it. But know this, I'm making a difference in your life whether you accept or reject my love, and you are making a difference in my life by simply reading my words, whether I ever meet you or not.
I love you.
My love makes a difference to you.
Your love makes a difference to the one you love.
Who really loves you? Whoever he is, he makes a difference in your life. Whoever she is makes your life worth living.
You make a difference in the life of someone you really love.
You make someone's life worth living by really living them.
Your genuine love never fails to change someone's life. How do I know? Because you're making a difference in my life by simply reading my words. Out of all the things you could be doing right now, you're listening to me, giving me your attention. And out of all the things I could be doing right now, I'm talking to you, giving you my undivided attention. So by writing to you, the one reading my words right now, I'm loving you. And by you reading my words, you are loving me. My love is making a difference in your life because you could be doing something different right now. Before you read my words, a blogger wasn't telling you that he's writing to directly to you because he loves you. Now you are, and it's making a difference; it feels good to love and to be loved. But what if you don't really feel loved right now?
Feel loved by me.
I genuinely love you.
"How can you say you love me when you don't know me?" you may ask.
"Because I feel loved by you for simply giving me your time and attention."
"I'm not really 'loving you,' I'm just reading a blog. Love is far too strong a word," you may respond.
"Maybe it is for you, but not for me. I do love you. That's why I'm writing to you, specifically to you, the one who is reading. I'm writing as if we are face to face, and I'm sharing my thoughts and feelings with you in words. Now you can accept or reject my love, but it doesn't change the way I feel about you."
"Maybe you're some lonely stalker blogger desperate for someone to love you," someone says to me.
"Or maybe you're just as lonely as you think I am," I could respond.
What difference does it make whether I'm lonely or you're lonely, whether I'm desperate or you're desperate? As the apostle Paul said to the Corinthian church, "Love never fails," so love always makes a difference to the one being loved. Is it wrong for me to love you? Would you rather me stop? I won't because I can't, so you've just got to accept or reject it. But know this, I'm making a difference in your life whether you accept or reject my love, and you are making a difference in my life by simply reading my words, whether I ever meet you or not.
I love you.
My love makes a difference to you.
Your love makes a difference to the one you love.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
The one thing you need to do as a child of God
"As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the children of God." The Apostle Paul to the Roman Christians
I'm writing to the children of God, to those who believe in and obey the Lord Jesus Christ, to encourage us to do the only thing we need to do as God's children.
Here is the only thing we need to do:
Follow the Spirit of God.
When we do this one thing, we experience everything necessary for the Christian life:
How do you follow God's Spirit?
You begin by following your renewed conscience, as it is written,
"I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense towards God and man." Acts 24:16
When you maintain a clear conscience, your spiritual ears become more and more sensitive to the Spirit's voice. At first you will receive simply "yes" and "no" kinds of guidance from God's Spirit. You will seek His permission to act or refrain from acting, to speak or remain silent. You will seek His direction and His will, and He will give it to you more and more as you trust and obey Him.
Soon you will experience the Spirit initiating guidance, giving you intuitive directions and revelations about your life. As you follow these step by step, moment by moment, and day by day, your spiritual ears will become even more keen. Growing in faithfulness and obedience to God's Spirit, you will come to know with confidence the very voice of God.
You will not only receive guidance and wisdom concerning God's will, you will become intimately connected to God's heart. The Spirit will guide you into all truth, His word being truth. He will connect you to other Spirit led believers, and you will be the true church of Christ, one in heart and mind. You will bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus to those who don't believe. They will hear God's Spirit empowered word and feel convicted of their sins. Some will repent, others will reject conviction. But everyone who hears the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ from you will know that the Spirit of God is with you and in you. They will have no excuse.
You only need one thing:
Follow the Spirit of God.
Please pray with me:
Our Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus, we ask that you fill us and lead us by Your Spirit so that we will bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus until He returns for us. Amen.
God bless all who read these words and put them into practice.
Follow the Spirit of God.
- We experience an understanding of the scriptures, inspired by the Spirit of God.
- We experience the character and power of the Lord Jesus Christ, experienced in the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit.
- We experience the very presence of God Himself in each of us and with all of us when we come together.
- We experience perfect unity, the oneness Christ prayed for, by which the world knows that Christ came into the world.
How do you follow God's Spirit?
You begin by following your renewed conscience, as it is written,
"I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense towards God and man." Acts 24:16
When you maintain a clear conscience, your spiritual ears become more and more sensitive to the Spirit's voice. At first you will receive simply "yes" and "no" kinds of guidance from God's Spirit. You will seek His permission to act or refrain from acting, to speak or remain silent. You will seek His direction and His will, and He will give it to you more and more as you trust and obey Him.
Soon you will experience the Spirit initiating guidance, giving you intuitive directions and revelations about your life. As you follow these step by step, moment by moment, and day by day, your spiritual ears will become even more keen. Growing in faithfulness and obedience to God's Spirit, you will come to know with confidence the very voice of God.
You will not only receive guidance and wisdom concerning God's will, you will become intimately connected to God's heart. The Spirit will guide you into all truth, His word being truth. He will connect you to other Spirit led believers, and you will be the true church of Christ, one in heart and mind. You will bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus to those who don't believe. They will hear God's Spirit empowered word and feel convicted of their sins. Some will repent, others will reject conviction. But everyone who hears the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ from you will know that the Spirit of God is with you and in you. They will have no excuse.
You only need one thing:
Follow the Spirit of God.
Please pray with me:
Our Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus, we ask that you fill us and lead us by Your Spirit so that we will bear witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus until He returns for us. Amen.
God bless all who read these words and put them into practice.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Why God Can't Sin (and how to be like Him) Part 4
I'm John, the husband of Beth, and the father of John Jr.; I just resisted the tempter. This is my story.
I'm sitting up late at night at my dining room table on my computer. I just saw Kim Kardashian in skimpy clothes on an advertisement on the side of my email. (I've tried to get rid of all advertisements, but I can't, which is a shame in the land of the free and the home of the brave.) My wife sleeps, as does my son. I have nothing but time on my hands in a quiet house with my computer. Do I keep looking at Kim K, or do I read Christian philosophies by William Lane Craig?
God or Kim K.? That's really what it boils down to.
Is God better than imaginary sex with Kim K.? Again, that's what her pictures do to me. They tempt me to want to have sex with a married woman who has a daughter named North West. She is the wife of Kanye West. She is not my wife. Yet I feel desire for her because of her lustfully tempting pictures.
I also feel a desire to read about God.
Pictures of Kim K. are just finger tips away.
Words about God are just finger tips away.
I read about God...for hours...and hours.
I literally find thinking about God better than thinking about Kim K.
Not to mention my beautiful Beth who saves her body just for me.
I so enjoy reading William Lane Craig's words that I have to make myself stop reading so I can go to bed and get up with my son.
I'm John, the husband of Beth, and the father of John Jr. I just resisted the tempter. That was my story, and it can be yours.
I'm sitting up late at night at my dining room table on my computer. I just saw Kim Kardashian in skimpy clothes on an advertisement on the side of my email. (I've tried to get rid of all advertisements, but I can't, which is a shame in the land of the free and the home of the brave.) My wife sleeps, as does my son. I have nothing but time on my hands in a quiet house with my computer. Do I keep looking at Kim K, or do I read Christian philosophies by William Lane Craig?
God or Kim K.? That's really what it boils down to.
Is God better than imaginary sex with Kim K.? Again, that's what her pictures do to me. They tempt me to want to have sex with a married woman who has a daughter named North West. She is the wife of Kanye West. She is not my wife. Yet I feel desire for her because of her lustfully tempting pictures.
I also feel a desire to read about God.
Pictures of Kim K. are just finger tips away.
Words about God are just finger tips away.
I read about God...for hours...and hours.
I literally find thinking about God better than thinking about Kim K.
Not to mention my beautiful Beth who saves her body just for me.
I so enjoy reading William Lane Craig's words that I have to make myself stop reading so I can go to bed and get up with my son.
I'm John, the husband of Beth, and the father of John Jr. I just resisted the tempter. That was my story, and it can be yours.
Why God Can't Sin (and how to be like Him) Part 3
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. James 1:13 ESV
Satan hates you.
God loves you.
Satan tempts you.
God fulfills you.
Satan wants you to commit adultery and fornication.
God wants you to get married and be intoxicated by your husband or your wife.
Notice the differences.
God never arouses desires and leaves them unfulfilled. God always meets every good need and desire Himself as your Creator, or He will send you a creature to meet your human need, if you have one.
Satan arouses desires like unquenchable fires, then he teases and tempts until you feel like you're going to explode. After you explode, you feel unfulfilled longing like a gaping hole in your chest. If you were angry, Satan leaves angrier. If you lust, Satan leaves you with more lust.
God brings justice to anger, or forgiveness where there is no earthly justice.
God brings a husband or wife to love and hold and make love to, or fills you with a spiritual purpose that consumes your mind and emotions until He brings you a husband or wife.
God never tempts you.
Satan is temptation.
Satan hates you.
God loves you.
Satan tempts you.
God fulfills you.
Satan wants you to commit adultery and fornication.
God wants you to get married and be intoxicated by your husband or your wife.
Notice the differences.
God never arouses desires and leaves them unfulfilled. God always meets every good need and desire Himself as your Creator, or He will send you a creature to meet your human need, if you have one.
Satan arouses desires like unquenchable fires, then he teases and tempts until you feel like you're going to explode. After you explode, you feel unfulfilled longing like a gaping hole in your chest. If you were angry, Satan leaves angrier. If you lust, Satan leaves you with more lust.
God brings justice to anger, or forgiveness where there is no earthly justice.
God brings a husband or wife to love and hold and make love to, or fills you with a spiritual purpose that consumes your mind and emotions until He brings you a husband or wife.
God never tempts you.
Satan is temptation.
Why God Can't Sin (and how to be like Him) Part 1
Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
James 1:13 ESV
Wouldn't it be nice if it were impossible for you and I to sin? Imagine that you literally couldn't sin, that is was so contradictory to your nature, to what you are really like, that it would be as impossible to sin as it would be to for you to become a horse. In this way, it's impossible for God to sin.
What makes sin impossible for God? To answer this question, we have to understand what sin is in it's truest form. James gives a good illustration of what sin is through the experience of temptation.
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
James 1:14-15 NLT
According to James, we sin when we yield to our desires instead of yielding to God. We want something or someone more than we want God or what God gives us. So we sin to get what we want. This is why we sin; but why can't God sin?
God is love, light, spirit, and life. In other words, God is fulfillment itself, fulfilled in and of and by Himself. What could you tempt God with? What can you offer God that is better than God; what's better than being God?
Already, it seems impossible for you and me to ever experience this. We clearly have needs and desires, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Even Jesus had needs when he was on earth. He was hungry, thirsty, and sleepy at times. Satan could tempt Jesus because He had needs like our own. But Jesus never sinned. Nor do we get the impression that He had sinful desires. Hunger, thirst, and fatigue aren't sinful in and of themselves. But they did give Satan an opportunity to tempt God the Son, yet Jesus never yielded to temptation.
How can we be like Jesus, who in His weakest moments didn't yield to temptation? (Click here for part 2.)
James 1:13 ESV
Wouldn't it be nice if it were impossible for you and I to sin? Imagine that you literally couldn't sin, that is was so contradictory to your nature, to what you are really like, that it would be as impossible to sin as it would be to for you to become a horse. In this way, it's impossible for God to sin.
What makes sin impossible for God? To answer this question, we have to understand what sin is in it's truest form. James gives a good illustration of what sin is through the experience of temptation.
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
James 1:14-15 NLT
According to James, we sin when we yield to our desires instead of yielding to God. We want something or someone more than we want God or what God gives us. So we sin to get what we want. This is why we sin; but why can't God sin?
God is love, light, spirit, and life. In other words, God is fulfillment itself, fulfilled in and of and by Himself. What could you tempt God with? What can you offer God that is better than God; what's better than being God?
God can't sin because God can't be tempted.
He has no unfulfilled desires.
God has no needs.
Already, it seems impossible for you and me to ever experience this. We clearly have needs and desires, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Even Jesus had needs when he was on earth. He was hungry, thirsty, and sleepy at times. Satan could tempt Jesus because He had needs like our own. But Jesus never sinned. Nor do we get the impression that He had sinful desires. Hunger, thirst, and fatigue aren't sinful in and of themselves. But they did give Satan an opportunity to tempt God the Son, yet Jesus never yielded to temptation.
How can we be like Jesus, who in His weakest moments didn't yield to temptation? (Click here for part 2.)
Why God Can't Sin (and how to be like Him) Part 2
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. I John 3:9 NASB
If you believe in Jesus, your body no longer has power over you. Your body has needs and desires, but your spirit is eternal and powerful; your spirit is fulfilled by God's Spirit in it. This is why John says that those who are born of God don't sin and can't sin. When you believed in Jesus, your spirit was reborn, and that part of you, which is the true you, does not and cannot sin.
But how do we make this real?
Think about it like this.
What's making you read this blog? Out of all the things you could be doing or reading, why are you reading my words? I'm sure no one is making you do it.
Or why do you read the Bible or biblical books, go to meet other Christians, or pray through out the day?
There is a part of you, the true you, that naturally wants to do those things. That part of you does not sin when you are praying your heart out to God. That part of you cannot sin when you are connecting to God. There is no sin in God. Therefore, when you are connecting to God, there's no sin in you.
So what do we do?
We define ourselves by our new nature, the part of us that naturally and genuinely wants to pray, read scripture or scriptural writings, be with children of God, and live our lives for God. When we do that, when temptations come, we will resist because we want to resist. We won't resist because we're scared of hell, but because hellishness is against who and what we really are: children of God, born of God's Spirit.
If you agree, please pray with me:
Our Father in heaven, we are Your children through faith in Christ Jesus. We are born of your Spirit and led by Your Spirit. This is who we really are. Help us to always live according to the truth. In Jesus Name, Amen.
If you believe in Jesus, your body no longer has power over you. Your body has needs and desires, but your spirit is eternal and powerful; your spirit is fulfilled by God's Spirit in it. This is why John says that those who are born of God don't sin and can't sin. When you believed in Jesus, your spirit was reborn, and that part of you, which is the true you, does not and cannot sin.
But how do we make this real?
Think about it like this.
What's making you read this blog? Out of all the things you could be doing or reading, why are you reading my words? I'm sure no one is making you do it.
Or why do you read the Bible or biblical books, go to meet other Christians, or pray through out the day?
There is a part of you, the true you, that naturally wants to do those things. That part of you does not sin when you are praying your heart out to God. That part of you cannot sin when you are connecting to God. There is no sin in God. Therefore, when you are connecting to God, there's no sin in you.
So what do we do?
We define ourselves by our new nature, the part of us that naturally and genuinely wants to pray, read scripture or scriptural writings, be with children of God, and live our lives for God. When we do that, when temptations come, we will resist because we want to resist. We won't resist because we're scared of hell, but because hellishness is against who and what we really are: children of God, born of God's Spirit.
If you agree, please pray with me:
Our Father in heaven, we are Your children through faith in Christ Jesus. We are born of your Spirit and led by Your Spirit. This is who we really are. Help us to always live according to the truth. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
How to Change the World by Changing Your World (Part 3)
We must change the way we see the world.
Our mind and imagination aren’t the origin of creation.
God’s mind and imagination are the origin of creation.
How would Noar act and interact with you or me? According to how he sees reality. If he sees you as a character in the play of his imagination, then he will speak and respond to you accordingly. But what if Noar had a change of mind?
What if Noar saw you as you are: God's creature, a son or daughter of the Creator?
What if he saw you as an image and likeness of the One Who Is, with a freewill like His?
Noar's change of view, of how he sees you, would change the way he talks to you and responds to you. He would leave his mind in order to experience The Mind, and your mind, which are not Noar's mind.
Only God's mind is so infinitely big and vast that it can engage with and interact with free minds which are not His mind. Minds so free that they can not only disagree with Deity, but rebel against the true liberty and ecstasy of oneness with God. And when this rebellion happens, the rebels live in their imaginations. In time they commit crime, minor and major, known and unknown. But for eternity they will live in their own fantasy, one with out God the Creator, and one without creation. They will be self-negations. They will be in hell. For now they create hell on earth by the tyranny of their fantasies, seeking to impose on you and me their imaginary reality. Or are we the tyrants imposing on others our minds, as if our minds are The Mind? How do you change your mind? How do you change the world by changing your world? Someone tells us how. Jesus tells us how. But perhaps you don't know who Jesus is. I'll introduce you.
About 2000 years ago, a man was born of a virgin named Mary in a town called Bethlehem, located in Israel. This was no ordinary man obviously. He was (and is) God in a body. He was born of the Spirit of God through a Jewish young woman named Mary. Why her? That's a long story. What is more important is why God came in a body. This is why, according to His own words:
"For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world: to bear witness to the truth. All who are of the truth hear my voice." Jesus, the God Man.
If you want to change your mind, your world, and the world you live in:
- Make an unconditional commitment to see the truth,
- and commit to living according to truth, no matter the consequences to you.
When you do this, you will hear the voice of the God Man, Jesus. You will see the world as He sees it, and thus see reality as it is, seeing yourself as you are, seeing creation as the Creator sees it. And how you see the world will change the world, beginning with your world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)