This condition we find ourselves in would be very interesting and revealing to observe, if one were to see it from the Father's mind view that is. But just how may we see His view? By searching with deep desire each day for the revelation of our life as defined by God's word. We may find our being present in His thoughts by our knowledge from His Word of His Son's presence in Heaven, representing us. In other words practicing who we are, not by example or rule, but by Faith in the identification and representation of another. Which was accomplished for us entirely free of obligation, no strings attached. For the express purpose of experiencing eternal life starting now. In other words grace!
One might then ask how is that kind of life accomplished and lived as a active life style. A conscious existing awareness of Jesus Christ The Son as your personal life. The answer is; not in any easy way! Humbleness is required first of all; no light tasks for the self centered soul. That the flesh never will give up pride is a hard second lesson we must learn. Seems we're stuck right there. This means the answer cannot come in the form of the life we exist in as defined by its actions [flesh life]. So our mind then enters with reason and intellect to solve the problem. But it encounters the same problem, the flesh/soul/personality sometimes called sin-nature, will meet us there also.
All this miss- treatment [ordinary life] seems a conspiracy to force upon us a new or renewed intellectual/spiritual/ mental commitment, which one finds in realizing the utter weakness in overcoming the person who we are; that is the life we experience in our bodies, as to action and world interaction. It seems life is always spoiled by sin. Not to mention the interference and constant reality of the human provision needs, ones own personal welfare and its preoccupation's. We are up to our neck in flesh. How can we escape?
We must come to learn this is the inherited nature of our ancestry, called Adam and the flesh; in other words, who we are. Just what are we learning from all this frustration? Well I have come to see by necessity that Adam and my flesh are two different things. Linked yes but separate. What a relief to see this! Let me explain.
Who mankind was by his inherited nature in Adam included the flesh [mans natural nature of sin] but the man or women we were in Adam as defined by our relationship with The Father was done away with by Jesus Christ death upon the Cross, for all of mankind in a judicial manner. This truth to be enjoyed must be accessed only by faith. However the flesh still remains. In other words our physical/mental actions in this life are influenced by the Adam man still. There is no strength or power in ourselves against "the law of sin which is in our members [flesh]" Rom. 7:23. We only need deliverance and have received it to the Fathers satisfaction, when we accepted Christ as Saviour. "There is, therefore, now no condemnation [because the Adam we were to God is dead] to them who are in Christ Jesus" Rom. 8:1. All realized by faith. Which is the only place of victory one will ever find in this life. But alas, the flesh still lingers.
Few that I have met in my Christian experience see that the death of Adam or the old man, pronounced by Jesus Christ as the freedom it is. This is because we have not denied the old man in a scriptural induced faith, and there is no growth without self denial. In faith of the Word he is pronounced dead, that is where life begins."It is written". Even fewer know that we have a New Man, a new inheritance in The Resurrected Christ by the same means. A new platform of life on which to stand, one of Spirit. Why is that truth so difficult to translate into our actual life? Because of the flesh which rules us, that why!
We may have the freedom faith provides by trust in the completed work of the Cross according to knowledge and faith; though few it seems really come to know this in true freedom. But no matter the maturity of the believer the flesh will always lurk in the wings. Why has God allowed such a relief as salvation from death by the sacrifice of His Son for us and left us in such a condition?
The on going work of God in conforming us necessitates the lingering of the flesh, our nature. By His work on the Cross we received deliverance or redemption from what we were in Adam. Yes a one time event, but an on going process. This process requires the flesh. We suffer in this life which is natural. We also often follow the false gifts the world and our own fleshly desires tell us we must have. The result is always disappointment. Disappointment leads to seeking relief, and relief is found in faith, and then growth. There you have it! Therefore we should expect to receive revelation from our very condition. Paul cried out for deliverance from his condition of sin. He found it in identification in his mind with Jesus Christ's death. Looking outside himself for the answer to a risen Lord. All we seek in Christ before The Father for life here is found in this personal positional identification which only Paul directly taught.
"So then I of myself with the mind" as Paul stated in Romans seven, found the new creation that he and we are in, which is positional [what we are in spirit as to life is seen by God in His Son] by faith. The New Adam's spiritual inheritance to us "the new creation" self. It is with his mind he operates in his spiritual faculties; which include the soul/personality of reason, imagination, sensibility, which are now being renewed in all Christians by the Holy Spirit day by day as they are in the Word. My friends this is the only hope we have here in our thoughts for His deliverance from our condition. There is no need to fight the flesh, this is law. We must thank him for our troubles which serve to drive us to Him. Never are we qualified by our behavior, even when doing godly works. Traditions will not help us enter His rest, even when performed with godly emotion and good intent. The Word of God precludes all this earthly behavior; which has become the marker of collective institutional Christianity. We are; "Partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world" 2 Peter 1:4. The place we will find our true ongoing apprehended relationship with the living God is only to be accessed by our mind in the realization of the position we hold in The Fathers sight seen by The Word's revealed definition of who we are. Every other effort is a performance of our condition. My friends no greater joy may be found than that of a heart conscious position of a presence in Jesus Christ!
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Saturday, July 5, 2014
NOT BY MIGHT NOT BY POWER
"Not I but Christ" Gal: 2:20. We pray to our Lord for power to act and receive. Yes there is power being in Christ; but it is not our power we exercise but His, which He is dispensing through us. This power comes in the form of His love and sympathy. He humbled Himself to enter our plight, then placed His Spirit in us. It is not power we have in ourselves by our status as Christians, but it's actually a Person. He made Himself like us and displays Himself as a man in heaven. He has allowed for our difficulty and His consolation is eternal. I forget that most days, as my efforts for myself take priority in my daily self centered life. Including my Christian walk, as interpreted and often influenced by my Adamic personality. I want for myself a deliverance from my condition, to be what I think I should, by a feeling. We are all in the Adam humanity's sinking ship, we are drowning in our own self sufficiency. There is inherit trial in this life, living as we do, by the first man, that will always be here on earth. Before I was saved worldly things took up all the space. Now in my salvation spiritual things have entered in, and so I have some solace and think I am doing things well for growth and power. But He even allows this comforting place to be absent at times, and for good reason. A time of spiritual void serves to remind me of my own inability. It is not only by the fruit of The Spirit, feelings, enjoyment of the fellowship experience, in which I find myself in spirit or apprehend my Christian worth: but in His Person hood, the apprehension of my spirit there. The very image the father has projected upon me in His Son. Him as the object of my life for me, to The Father. "That the life of Jesus might be manifest in our [mind, not actions] mortal flesh" 2 Cor. 4:11.
I think we forget that our spiritual quest is directly associated with the Person Jesus Christ. I know I do! Why is it we can have a object before us that is all consuming; be it spiritual understanding from His Word, doctrine, or a worldly necessity, such as work, success and family that consumes all of our thoughts. Leaving Jesus Christ the Person often in a dark corner of our mind.
Most of us know it is Him, Himself who has provided our salvation in justification. But few, I believe, see Him as the needed object for our vision of power as life. Him becoming life explained. What is the result? This weakness is perhaps why we revert to the mental stimulus of the natural apprehensions so often? Developing many programs to be all we can be for Christ so that we may feel we have overcome. Do we really trust in Him as a Person for all of our life? I think the reason this is hard to see is lack of knowledge and faith.We see that we are delivered by the grace of God and this freedom opens the mind and allows us to think we can use the world as a tool to manipulate spirit. We become inclined to utilize the natural and think God makes a allowance for its use. This is not faith!
I am a great example of this common Christian error. I recently was under a cloud of unbelief. I feared for my future. I was overwhelmed by conscious regrets of past decisions. There was no room in my mind for the freedom and joy offered by the Holy Spirit in consolation to those who are children of the living God on this earth. My mind was occupied with plans and schemes. I just wanted to feel better, which is only natural. How in this condition, can I see Him, Jesus Christ, as a Person who is the object of all my comings and goings? Able to be relied upon in all my affairs; no matter if I suffer in this life? Then I was reminded by His Word that in His death all of my burden as a natural man was lifted from me by faith that He has accomplish all I need for life. My joy is found only in Him the Person. He has overcome for me the world and all its troubles, including death. It is by His sacrifice we have been justified, but also glorified in heaven, Rom. 8:30! In fact I do not even exist as the natural Adam man in The Fathers mind."You were once darkness, but now are you a light in the Lord" Eph. 5:8. How will I gain power by this Spiritual truth? We must always go back to the cross to find ourselves. We are upon it with Him, yes it will always be a place of suffering here: but "He has overcome the world". My joy returns knowing this. I have freedom once again by this true truth taken into my thoughts for life. My weakness has made it so.
The problem is in our minds. We spend much of our time trying to make the Majesty of Jesus Christ fit our thoughts and hopes for happiness and blessing in the material life by a self effort to build this concept in ourselves..... Instead we should be making our minds up to seek His image as a faith object in weakness as we will always be unfit for His place in and of ourselves. So weakness and failure, the old nature, is our marker. We have charge of our thoughts, we have volition. A renewed mind should be our only goal. The prize before us is to translate the vision The Father has of us, shown clearly in His Word, to fit the mental concept of His desire of ourselves as we walk the earth. "Seek those things which are above where Christ sits at the right hand of God" Col. 3:1.
I think many stand upon the word of God with shear determination. It is not easy to allow the trans-formative view God has of us to enter daily life. You could say its not normal for human nature to submit to the image of another. We are in no way worthy as men. We often just want the blessings. To feel good! However the gift of this spiritual insight comes from seeing the Spirits view of us as portrayed by His Word. Beings that are regarded in the only vision before Him for Him to be able to accept us; which is that of Jesus Christ Himself! The Word of God expresses just that throughout Paul's writing. "I count all things [that which we seek and enjoy in this world] but loss for the excellency of the knowledge[intimate, personal, internal] of Christ, my Lord" Phil. 3:8.
I do not wish to merely act correctly as a Christian. Or for that manner to display with regularity a outward spiritual traditions as a internal indication of my spirituality; simply because of the fear I would be trapped comfortably there. Physical and emotional repetition in itself, even done with good intent does not necessarily reflect spirit. The danger in relying on behavior is that by its reinforcement of the natural feelings I may become a man who is not becoming a man having trust in His Words reflection of just who we are in Him....."Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory" Eph. 3:20,21. Thereby disallowing the formation of a analytical personality of myself as Christ Himself, me as His Body, experiencing all that He is by faith only. This Conformation tendency is often the down fall of Spiritual power and most common among us humans. We turn inward under this condition, thinking this is the way a Christian looks when gathered so it must be by spirit often becoming habitual in nature. Behavior we become comfortable with, yet would appear to many on the outside to be unusual or even bazaar. Not that what the world thinks so much matters. Praying to a invisible Person sometimes seems quite strange to me. What does matter is; are we being His body in thought and image as our inner concept of our new nature on this earth? This is the most difficult choice a Christian may chose. It is the choice to carry and live with our pain and failure as men with hope in another. We will never live up to Him in this natural life existence in a human body. We will always fail in carrying out duty's. Most I am afraid seek shelter in the crowd, its shady there and often comfortable. I am not excluded from that zone either, by the way.
These are all just words. I have gone on to long. The more I find my Christianity in seeing His expectations of me by His word, the more I see my failure. I have come to this place, perhaps worn down by contemplation of my presence in Christ, if that be possible. The truth is I just cannot stop sinning and neither can any other human being. I am discouraged in my self. And frankly discouraged by much of the the Christian world around me. I must once again pick up my cross as I am a participating member of that worldly Christian weakness. But He, despite ourselves, loves us and has given us eternal life. "We are excepted in the Beloved". I must live in faith that this is true. Happiness and joy come and go. But it is in my weakness that He is made true."Giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" Col. 1:12. As I said last time I will close out this victimization chapter of my blog effort on July 5th After that I will only write as the Spirit moves me and send the results to those that wish to hear from me. I hope you will bookmark this site for future reference and new posts. Please let me know if you wish to remain included for notifications.
I think we forget that our spiritual quest is directly associated with the Person Jesus Christ. I know I do! Why is it we can have a object before us that is all consuming; be it spiritual understanding from His Word, doctrine, or a worldly necessity, such as work, success and family that consumes all of our thoughts. Leaving Jesus Christ the Person often in a dark corner of our mind.
Most of us know it is Him, Himself who has provided our salvation in justification. But few, I believe, see Him as the needed object for our vision of power as life. Him becoming life explained. What is the result? This weakness is perhaps why we revert to the mental stimulus of the natural apprehensions so often? Developing many programs to be all we can be for Christ so that we may feel we have overcome. Do we really trust in Him as a Person for all of our life? I think the reason this is hard to see is lack of knowledge and faith.We see that we are delivered by the grace of God and this freedom opens the mind and allows us to think we can use the world as a tool to manipulate spirit. We become inclined to utilize the natural and think God makes a allowance for its use. This is not faith!
I am a great example of this common Christian error. I recently was under a cloud of unbelief. I feared for my future. I was overwhelmed by conscious regrets of past decisions. There was no room in my mind for the freedom and joy offered by the Holy Spirit in consolation to those who are children of the living God on this earth. My mind was occupied with plans and schemes. I just wanted to feel better, which is only natural. How in this condition, can I see Him, Jesus Christ, as a Person who is the object of all my comings and goings? Able to be relied upon in all my affairs; no matter if I suffer in this life? Then I was reminded by His Word that in His death all of my burden as a natural man was lifted from me by faith that He has accomplish all I need for life. My joy is found only in Him the Person. He has overcome for me the world and all its troubles, including death. It is by His sacrifice we have been justified, but also glorified in heaven, Rom. 8:30! In fact I do not even exist as the natural Adam man in The Fathers mind."You were once darkness, but now are you a light in the Lord" Eph. 5:8. How will I gain power by this Spiritual truth? We must always go back to the cross to find ourselves. We are upon it with Him, yes it will always be a place of suffering here: but "He has overcome the world". My joy returns knowing this. I have freedom once again by this true truth taken into my thoughts for life. My weakness has made it so.
The problem is in our minds. We spend much of our time trying to make the Majesty of Jesus Christ fit our thoughts and hopes for happiness and blessing in the material life by a self effort to build this concept in ourselves..... Instead we should be making our minds up to seek His image as a faith object in weakness as we will always be unfit for His place in and of ourselves. So weakness and failure, the old nature, is our marker. We have charge of our thoughts, we have volition. A renewed mind should be our only goal. The prize before us is to translate the vision The Father has of us, shown clearly in His Word, to fit the mental concept of His desire of ourselves as we walk the earth. "Seek those things which are above where Christ sits at the right hand of God" Col. 3:1.
I think many stand upon the word of God with shear determination. It is not easy to allow the trans-formative view God has of us to enter daily life. You could say its not normal for human nature to submit to the image of another. We are in no way worthy as men. We often just want the blessings. To feel good! However the gift of this spiritual insight comes from seeing the Spirits view of us as portrayed by His Word. Beings that are regarded in the only vision before Him for Him to be able to accept us; which is that of Jesus Christ Himself! The Word of God expresses just that throughout Paul's writing. "I count all things [that which we seek and enjoy in this world] but loss for the excellency of the knowledge[intimate, personal, internal] of Christ, my Lord" Phil. 3:8.
I do not wish to merely act correctly as a Christian. Or for that manner to display with regularity a outward spiritual traditions as a internal indication of my spirituality; simply because of the fear I would be trapped comfortably there. Physical and emotional repetition in itself, even done with good intent does not necessarily reflect spirit. The danger in relying on behavior is that by its reinforcement of the natural feelings I may become a man who is not becoming a man having trust in His Words reflection of just who we are in Him....."Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us, unto Him be glory" Eph. 3:20,21. Thereby disallowing the formation of a analytical personality of myself as Christ Himself, me as His Body, experiencing all that He is by faith only. This Conformation tendency is often the down fall of Spiritual power and most common among us humans. We turn inward under this condition, thinking this is the way a Christian looks when gathered so it must be by spirit often becoming habitual in nature. Behavior we become comfortable with, yet would appear to many on the outside to be unusual or even bazaar. Not that what the world thinks so much matters. Praying to a invisible Person sometimes seems quite strange to me. What does matter is; are we being His body in thought and image as our inner concept of our new nature on this earth? This is the most difficult choice a Christian may chose. It is the choice to carry and live with our pain and failure as men with hope in another. We will never live up to Him in this natural life existence in a human body. We will always fail in carrying out duty's. Most I am afraid seek shelter in the crowd, its shady there and often comfortable. I am not excluded from that zone either, by the way.
These are all just words. I have gone on to long. The more I find my Christianity in seeing His expectations of me by His word, the more I see my failure. I have come to this place, perhaps worn down by contemplation of my presence in Christ, if that be possible. The truth is I just cannot stop sinning and neither can any other human being. I am discouraged in my self. And frankly discouraged by much of the the Christian world around me. I must once again pick up my cross as I am a participating member of that worldly Christian weakness. But He, despite ourselves, loves us and has given us eternal life. "We are excepted in the Beloved". I must live in faith that this is true. Happiness and joy come and go. But it is in my weakness that He is made true."Giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light" Col. 1:12. As I said last time I will close out this victimization chapter of my blog effort on July 5th After that I will only write as the Spirit moves me and send the results to those that wish to hear from me. I hope you will bookmark this site for future reference and new posts. Please let me know if you wish to remain included for notifications.
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