This feels like such a strange thing to put out there but, if you think about it— people know when something is not true or real— and it just makes us less believable.
It is a part of our process to be more like Him today than we were yesterday. It means that, I should instinctively and naturally respond more like Him today than I did yesterday. Why? It’s about the pursuit of relationship. It’s about the pursuit of what I fill myself with. What’s the first thing I read? What’s the last thing I hear? What do I wake up pondering? Ultimately it is a supernatural phenomenon that can only be understood when you experience something that you KNOW you would have responded a certain way BEFORE Christ and you find yourself responding so vastly different that you know it was NOTHING you did out of behavior modification. It is in THAT moment that the “idea” of the Word of God LITERALLY being living & active & the REALITY of the inward working of the Holy Spirit becomes a TRUTH that no one can take from you.
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Unity is not uniformity. But, unity is about being conformed to His image. There is this great statement at the end of this day‘s devotional but I wanted to put it in context of my purpose.
“I can reflect God in a way no one else can, and if I don’t fulfill my purpose, no one else will.” As I was reading Ephesians 4:11-16 it affirms that true unity is of our knowledge of the Son of God (the Real Jesus) & in that unity of faith. Verse 14-15 says, “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ ” Today’s post is inspired by a book called “Armed and Dangerous”. BUT, today’s study time from 3 different sources, has absolutely had a very relevant and timely theme- and it all centers around the real estate of our mind. We were called to be transformed from the inside out and not to conformed to this world. But, we don’t do it alone and that is the most amazing thing. Doing it on our own is more about behavior modification but eventually you fail. Doing it under the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and submitting to Him is what we were really meant to experience and many people need that revelation. Once you truly understand THAT then everything changes and new life begins.
If YOU need that revelation cry out to God and He will answer! He will meet you where you were at. Just remember, this is about a daily walk. Sometimes it is minute by minute and then hour by hour which leads to a day by day which then goes to week by week and month by month then year-by-year. But it will ALWAYS be a daily walk -don’t EVER forget that. In my late teens / early twenties, I walked away from God because I knew that my behavior would cause damage to the cause of Christ and I didn’t want to be responsible for that BUT, it was a lie that the enemy had me believe so that I wouldn’t live in that revelation and so that I wouldn’t walk out a walk that impacted the world ....until I fought back! I genuinely love the Word of God and I love studying it and I love teaching it but, to understand it —started with a relationship with a very real, very living, & very active God. It was getting to know a Father that would send His Son to die for me and then getting to know the Son who willingly shed His blood on the cross for me and a Holy Spirit that came to live in me, then fell upon me—to empower me, to give me abilities I would not otherwise have. It’s about an invitation into the most extraordinary adventure I have ever had and then knowing it will go on throughout eternity. ~Cheryl I would absolutely say that this post is and has been inspired by my devotional today. It’s based off of James 4:4-5.
What does it mean to have friendship with the world? What does it mean to be an enemy of God? Have you ever read the book of Job? You know, the first time I read it I did not understand at all. It seemed unfair. But, the more I studied the Bible and the more I understood what it actually meant to fear God & to love God —more than —anything else. It was only then, that I could read it and not only learn but grow from it. There is so much at stake here. This is literally about life and death. It’s about training, it’s about purpose, it’s about knowing what your heart was created for and it is absolutely about dying to self but in the best way possible. You hear this phrase “living your best life now” and it is so incredibly self-centered and it’s 100% focused on you. There is a Biblical Version of living your best life now but, it is about being set apart from this world, it is about living and walking in your gifting, your talents, your experiences but NOT for yourself —but for our fellow brothers and sisters. What happens when everything gets stripped away? How do you define abundance? Where is your joy? Is your mind transformed or is it conformed? Do you love the real, true, biblical Christ? Or, do you love the one you made up in your mind? But even more importantly: Would you want to know if you were wrong? Satan has deceived so many people with the pleasures of this world, the idea of being rich or wealthy, the big boy toys, extravagant vacations, endless youth and the list goes on.... but the cage is so beautiful and so comfortable and so appealing that you don’t even see that it’s a prison and that you are on death row. The deception is deceiving and the illusion is very good. God offers something far more incredible. A peace on the inside that changes everything. A sense of purpose that makes waking up every single day worth every single minute. And hope that is tangible. Not to mention Freedom & a genuine reality of what it means to be fully loved, fully forgiven, absolutely unique, created with a purpose and a member of the royal family. My Jesus offers you the world. Have you met Him? Do you know Him yet!? |
AuthorLife IS ministry. I choose to live [in] Christ. Jesus Freak. Hugger. Daughter. Wife. Mom. Friend. Disciple Maker. Talent Sharer. Girl Boss. Challenger. Archives
August 2021
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