Getting All You Want From Your Christian Life

By David Stephens (reposted from Belief Changers)

"Some Christian teaching you run into asks a lot from your performance. If you do a certain number of things, follow a certain list of spiritual requirements, you’ll receive blessings and stave off curses. These things are good; those are bad; do the good and avoid the bad. But that’s just the tree of the knowledge of good and evil talking. From this tree hangs all the fruit that feeds the source that desires to control your life through sin. The residue of a life controlled by something other than God—in other words, your flesh—cares not if it eats from the good side of this tree or the evil. Eating from the evil side leads a person into unrighteous sin, while eating from the good side leads to self-righteous sin. But neither ends up in Christ’s righteousness.

The deeds of the flesh are evident. They are plainly recognizable. The deeds manifest as sin in your life. So to remove the sin, you must deal with the source—the flesh. Fortunately, as a Christian, the flesh no longer has sovereign power over your life. You have living inside of you a life that has dealt the death blow to the flesh. You no longer have to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to stay alive. You have the power within to choose otherwise. Interestingly enough, everything you want in life—love, joy, peace, patience, etc.—comes not by your act, but rather Christ acting through you. Whereas the flesh responds in a deed—an action—the Spirit bears fruit. The flesh requires you to “do,” but the Spirit simply asks that you respond.

Fruit is nothing more than the life flowing from the vine into the branch, manifesting itself in a way for others to enjoy the sweetness. The fruit of the spirit growing in your life simply proves the connection you have with Christ. But it’s the connection, and not the fruit, that is most important to you. The fruit in your life is for others to enjoy, but it’s maintaining the connection with Christ that ultimately brings personal fulfillment. Fruit is born in a season, but the connection between the branch and the vine—Christ and you—has no season.

The sins of unrighteousness and self-righteousness trace their origin back to the flesh. Spiritual fruit, however, traces back to Christ. Right now, in this moment, you can choose your source. Will you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and feed the flesh, or will it be the tree of life—Christ—who takes away the sin of the world? All that you could ever want, He wants to give. Choose Christ and never stop eating."

**I thought this was too good not to archive and share !!! Hope everyone enjoys this post.**

CHANGE or TRANSFORMATION

Can we change? To transform means to change, to become different or alter (make different). We alter or have a garment altered, but is it not the same garment still? The garment can be turned inside out and the evidence of the change may or may not be seen. Yet, its transformation may be so complete that it has become another garment, entirely. The transformation is more active, as is the righteousness of God. At salvation, He took off our rags of sin and put His garment of righteousness upon us. Is this garment visible to mankind? The physical garment can be put on and taken off at will, but God's righteousness is a permanent garment that engulfs us so tighly that it squeezes our "self" life out of us and nothing remains, but the life of Christ. Its force cannot be felt, but its impact reflects Christ to those around us.

In Romans 12:2 a & b “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind,…” We are given specific instructions to not be like, resemble, identify with, or have the similar behavior of “this world”. Salvation was a free gift given to us, so we must make a choice to “present” ourselves back to God and allow Him to do His work in us. The “renewing” of our mind is our beginning point to strengthen us, as Christians. We become aware of the difference Christ has made within us and we desire to become new in our actions, attitudes, and behavior; however, many times this leads to external performance because we want those around us to “see” we are Christians. We may adopt and adapt to many legalistic practices and get caught up in “doing” instead of “being or becoming like Christ.” We are different from the world, yes, but it is not because of any effort on our part. Dr Wagner gave a theological pattern of “the already-not yet” principle, as our example… “we are (presently) already seated with Christ, in heaven, but we have not yet become all God wants us to be, in reality.”

Let’s think about the life of a silkworm and a caterpillar. These creatures grew and performed, as was expected of their nature. They wiggled, squiggled, and buried themselves in the dirt. Yet, a time came when they began climbing higher, on their own. They chose a twig or leaf, upon which to attach themselves. The silkworm spins its cocoon and the caterpillar encloses itself in its chrysalis. They were bound, entrapped, and in total darkness by their own doing, but their genetics would not allow this to continue very long. The transforming process is unseen to the eyes of the beholder, but when they emerge from the cocoon and chrysalis the transformation is very evident… nothing of the old creature resembles the new creature. They have wings that move, as if in praise to the Creator. They fly, soar, and experience new heights… no longer bound, trapped, or in darkness. Their true beauty is very evident to all. We can reflect upon the "past tense" verbs used in the paragraph and the incidences of limitation, but once the "transformation" took place... "they had become what they were intended to be" when they were created. They did not struggle or fight against the process, but yielded to their destiny.

This is how a Christian should be… not allowing the external/ “outside” circumstances to rule and reign in our lives, but embrace the internal work of the Holy Spirit … allow God to “work out” the new life within us.

CHRISTIAN... PRESS ON!!!

Paul writes in Philippians 3:13c-14,"... forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Paul, literally, turned his back on his past life to actively "press toward the mark". The "mark" was unknown territory, yet he pursued and desired to attain the "prize"... the award/reward offered in this life, but will be given in a public presentation at the Judgment Seat of Christ. His purpose, cause, reason, or motive was to reach an intended goal to bring honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we often allow our past lives to hinder our Christian walk and service for Christ... this is a great tool of the devil to discourage and defeat us, as believers. Discouragement causes us to lose our confidence in Christ and what He wants to do in, with, and through us... it causes our enthusiasm in our Christian service to dwindle, thus leading to a casualty or near casualty in life's battle. Our past is time gone by that cannot or never will be recaptured... no changes can be made in it... it is recorded, as/in history, whether good or bad.

We are instructed by the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 5:7-8, "Casting (throw) all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary (enemy or rival) the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour (consume with intense hunger):" Our care can be viewed as garbage... we bag the garbage and throw it away... it's out of sight; therefore, out of mind. We do not continually rummage through it, as though some prized possession is hidden there, neither should we allow it to stay around too long because it becomes stinky - it breeds worms, flies, bacteria, and can cause diseases... it becomes a cesspool of corruption. This should give us a vivid picture of how our dwelling on our past hinders our present/future Christian life and growth. It should open our "spiritual" eyes to how the devil wants to deceive and hinder us in our Christian walk. We must take assurance from what the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." This is a very definite and present fact of the Christ-life, so Christian... WE MUST PRESS ON!!!

TIME IS PASSING QUICKLY... WHAT AM I DOING?

Wow... just realized it has been almost two years since sharing anything here. Where did the time go? The busy-ness of everyday life grasps my thoughts and intentions... yet am I too busy to stop or at least, slow down to reflect upon what is happening around me, but more important, to what is happening within me? In all honesty, I have allowed too many outside influences to affect me... I've gotten bogged down with things and circumstances that have taken me far from where I should be or where I want to be. If there is a place of limbo, sometimes I think, I'm there and I do NOT like it and definitely do not want to remain there.

I think of how the Bible describes "... the serpent..." in Genesis 3:1, as "... more subtil (clever, crafty) than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made..." and I realize how satan used it in the deception of mankind, so I should be able to recognize that satan would use the same influences upon me. I'm not exempt of his tactics and trickery... neither is any other human being. I am so thankful for how the Apostle Paul explained his dilema in Romans 7:15-25, "For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not, but what I hate, that I do. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing; for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man; But I see another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

As time moves on, I find this struggle to be even more prevalent in my life... diverting my purpose and distracting my attention from the things of eternal value. The questions I must ask myself are "what am I doing or what am I going to do about this in my life?" and "when?" The "how" is with GOD... I do not know how to perform what HIS plan for me is or will be, but I must yield... HE ALWAYS KNOW BEST!!! HE can and will do in, with, and through me to accomplish HIS will to HIS glory - if and/or when I allow HIM!!!

Sharing A Devotion On Worship

Today's (Sept 21, 2009) devotion as given in "THE BAPTIST BREAD" by Dr. Paul Chappell, pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church - Lancaster, CA.

"It Matters How You Worship"
"... worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness." 1Chronicles 16:29b

What many modern churches call worship is nothing more than carnality - the marriage of pop-culture and secular music, with a little bit of God thrown in for good measure. Worship in the seeker-sensitive movement has become man-centered and entertainment driven. Many church services have become nothing more than a fifty-minute rock concert with a fifteen-minute "God-talk" at the end. What began many years ago as the contemporary movement has now become a slippery slope in which "anything goes" in church. Today there are churches showing secular movies, projecting the Super Bowl, and performing secular rock music - all in the name of connecting with the lost. Frankly, Christ has little or nothing to do with any of these things. Sadly, these same churches are also failing to produce changed lives. Recent studies show that the "Christians" who attend these types of churches show little to no difference in their lifestyles when compared to the rest of the unchurched world. A carnal church service environment produces carnal Christians. A man-cenered worship produces men who worship self and whose Christianity is perverted and self-centered.

This carnal approach to entertainment is not worship. This is not of God. It has nothing to do with the Biblical picture of worship - bowing down before His presence in humility and repentance and giving Him all reverence. It has nothing to do with a lifestyle of worship which would reflect surrender and separation from sin or sanctification in holiness and righteousness. These "worship services" attract a crowd and entertain people, but they don't change lives." - P.C. " (emphasis is mine)

This is a sobering reality in today's society - too often the emphasis is placed upon the "time we've had" and the "awesomeness of the feelings/experiences" in our church services. We are instructed in 1John 4:1, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." Too often, we allow our feelings to determine the workings of the Holy Spirit in our services and in our lives. We must re-evaluate our beliefs about GOD - who HE is and what HE tells us/shows us about HIMSELF in HIS WORD. We cannot and must not allow our feelings to determine our Christian life... our feelings cannot be trusted because they change so often, but our dependence must be in the fact that we serve an "unchangeable GOD." We cannot and must not take man's word or follow man's example, but we must search out GOD'S WAY in HIS WORD for ourselves because we will "give account" of ourself at the judgment seat of Christ. When we face the LORD, we cannot blame anyone else or make excuses for our lack of commitment, surrender, and dedication to HIM... HE already knows our heart. We must "seek to worship" HIM, strive to learn the "how to' and do it with all our heart... for HE IS WORTHY!!!

Blessings of Family and Friends

The words of a familiar hymn comes to mind whenever I think of my family and friends... "COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS". Each moment with them is a blessing... a special time shared, a moment/gesture of love, and a time of/for making memories because we will never have the moment again. As a grandparent, we are given the privilege to capture/share more of the "special times" that we missed with our own children. It is not that we were bad parents, but somehow we missed many things. At many of our family gatherings, as we share bygone days and happenings, we will hear much of what we missed and wonder when/how it happened. As a parent, we may have gotten too busy in trying to do "everything right" to impress other people, who really didn't care about us anyway.

As siblings, we recall many of the things we did that our parents didn't know about and we, prayerfully, hoped some of those things would never be known by them. The time shared with brothers and/or sisters is to be treasured... the memories made take us back to times when "everything was right with/in the world". In the hustle of everyday life, in this generation, even close families grow apart through many different incidents and/or for many reasons, but our hearts long for the closeness and for things the way they once had been.

As friends, we have learned one another... shared many intimate details about ourselves and our lives, both good and bad. We've learned we can be open and honest, yet not judged or condemned... almost as close as our relationship with GOD.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are part of a much larger family... we share love, joy, burdens, heartaches, prayer requests, fellowship, praise time, and worship.... WE ARE SO BLESSED AND THE BLESSINGS ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO COUNT!!!

The Christian's Greatest Gift-SALVATION

THE CHRISTIAN'S GREATEST GIFT: SALVATION

In our Sunday School series "ALWAYS REJOICING", we are having a verse by verse study of the book of Philippians. GOD has a "way" of causing, even familiar and often read, Scripture to speak a new message to our hearts. We are in Lesson One - studying the first five verses, but I have been reading the first chapter in my daily devotion time. In chapter 1: 28c-29, HE lifted some word phrases to complete a great message to share with family, friends, and acquaintances... " to you; salvation; of God." "... is given in the behalf of Christ" (This message should be the one to challenge our hearts and be what we share with the lost souls around us). GOD gave the world HIS only begotten SON - JESUS. This gift is freely offered and given to "all mankind", but only the "whosoever" who will accept this gift by faith, receives it. Many would use the past tense form of the verb "is" and say JESUS "was" given... this is true, but "the rest of the story" is GOD gave JESUS to the world (translated mankind)... JESUS gave HIS life for mankind (PAST) that mankind through HIM might have "eternal life" through and with HIM (PRESENT) so when one believes that JESUS came into the world to die for his/her sin (unbelief) , and accepts the "gift of salvation" by faith, HE is given "new life" and is made a "new creature" from within because the presence of GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT comes to dwell in the life of the new believer forever. GOD'S gift "keeps on giving." (FUTURE) Then, we go to live with the GIVER of the GIFT, eternally!!!