Tag Archives: rapture

Man to Man …Becoming the man Part 3

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we had no freedom untill Jesus Christ made us free indeed.

We had no freedom untill Jesus Christ made us free indeed.

Knowing who you are affects everything. For we who have put our faith in Christ as Lord and saviour, it changes everything. Once we were lost but now we are found. Once we were blind but now we see. Once we were dead and now we live. Discovering who we are in Christ, is like waking up in prison one morning, with the guard tapping you on the leg saying, come with me. Following him to the warden’s office you find out that you have been pardoned, and that you are free to journey home where you are part of a royal priesthood. An adopted son into the royal family, with the same inheritance as the Prince of the kingdom.
I Peter 2:9….But youare a choice race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that the excellences ye may shew forth of Him who out of darkness did call you to His wondrous light; Rom_8:17  And if children, also heirs; truly heirs of God, and joint-heirs of Christ, if indeed we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together. We are Chosen by God , a people acquired by the blood of Christ, to be His Holy Nation, conformed to the image of His son Jesus Christ, and given the same inheritance. God loved us so much, has given us so much in Christ, and we walk around as if we were spiritually bankrupt, paupers and powerless.WAKE-UP!!!!Stop living a life in bondage, a prisoner to sin and the flesh, and step into the life God has provided you in Jesus Christ, with the ability to walk humbly with God.I have been involved in prison ministry off and on for probably 25 years and the one common denominator with all of the believers in prison, is that they do not know who they are in Christ. Some can say the words and verbalize it to you, but it has never been realized in their lives. One of the first things I like to do, and this is so exciting to watch, is to introduce them to themselves, that is who they are in Christ. it takes a few meetings for it to begin to sink in, but when it finally breaks through to them, it changes them forever. They are the personification of all of us who even after coming to know Christ, remained in bondage to some degree to the old nature, living to satisfy the flesh and it’s desires. But God’s promise is that all who come to Jesus Christ by faith believing, will by divine order be made to conform to the image of Christ, and when we finally get it; when we finally see who we truly are, we are finally set free.

freedom to become

We come to the realization we have the freedom not to sin.

Before we Came to Christ by faith  and began a personal relationship with Him, we only had one place to go with all of the things, the drives and needs, God created into each of us, that place was to the flesh. But Now We are Spiritually alive having had our spirits quickened  or made alive in Christ. This gives us an alternative,not taking our needs to the flesh, but to God.

Eph_2:1

  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Col_2:13

  And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;

My prayer is that we as men of God awaken to the truth of who we are in Christ, so that we live as priestly kings, that is our lives reflect the abundant spiritual wealth we share together. Making the eternal things of our home in heaven the priority, as Husbands,fathers,employees,friends,church members. Serving and mentoring those within our circles of influence to also come to the same revelation of who they are.

Mat_6:33

  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Knowing who you are in Christ…what obstacle is too big for you to move out of your way to be the man God is calling you to be? What task is too difficult for you to accomplish? What force too powerful for you to overcome? Do you understand that the only thing that can limit you or hold you back is you? Step out of your little box and trust God. Remove the training wheels, take down all of the barriers you have erected to protect yourself and walk by faith, trusting God as He leads you to become the man He is calling you to be. May God bless you and give you courage and peace to follow Him….Jesus loves you and so do I.

 
 

Man to Man …becoming the man part 2

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WHO AM I?

In part 1, we looked at this question and why we ask it. We looked at some of the answers found in God’s word that point us to the answer. As we continue to look at this question, may we pray together for God to open our spiritual eyes, so that we may see ourselves through the eye’s of God and catch a glimpse of who we are to Him.

II Kings ch. 6: 8-17;  Here is an example of being spiritually blind to the presence of God around you.

8. When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say, “We will mobilize our forces at such and such a place.”

9. But immediately Elisha, the man of God, would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near that place, for the Arameans are planning to mobilize their troops there.” 10. So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he would be on the alert there.
11. The king of Aram became very upset over this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”
12. “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”
13. “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”
And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 14. So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.
15. When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.
16. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 17. Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.
So I have prayed, and I encourage you to pray with me…Lord open my eye’s that I may see who I am in you!
We live in a world of flesh and blood, of touch and sight, action and reaction,logic and reason, where reality is what you see and feel. But that is just a portion of the truth of life.
As adopted sons of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, The redeemed who have been purchased with his own blood, There is so much more, here, now, as we walk in this flesh with all of its imperfections, desires and limitations, there is more for us to see if we would just open our eye’s.
It is important for us to see our worth and value from God’s perspective because how we perceive ourselves to a great extent dictates how we live in this life.
I remember a movie from years ago. They made several sequels to it. Tom Barrenger  played an ex special forces soldier, who took a substitute teaching position in a high school, for I think his sister. You can begin to see the plot, even if you have not seen the movie right? Well the Principal of the High School was dealing drugs  and Barrengers character eventually takes him down …..you know. But one of the lines that the principal spoke has stuck with me all these years, he said… “Power perceived is power achieved”.
There is a lot of truth in that little phrase. One of those truths, an antithesis to the phrase, You will not achieve powerful things until you perceive yourself as powerful. Not in your flesh or your own strength, but as you, in humility embrace and even boast as Paul did, in your weakness, that God’s power may manifest itself there.
I believe it is Chris Tomlin who has a new song out..”WHOM SHALL I FEAR”  some of the lyrics say…I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind, the God of angel armies, is always by my side. The one who reigns forever, He is a friend of mine, The God of angel armies is always by my side…..Whom shall I fear?
Untill we get who we are we will always settle for less than what God has for us!
Think about it, what challenge would be too great for us? What calling of God on our lives impossible, what vision for our mission in life too daunting…..if we could just see who we are, if we would only open our eyes and see those chariots of fire, out numbering and way more powerful than that which stands against us. If we just had a perception of our enormous power, wrapped in humility, as we walk with our friend and the lover of our souls. If we only fully understood Who We Are in Christ.
How would that perception effect how we meet life. How we manage our time and lead our families. How we serve God and others. How would it effect our choices and determination.  What could possibly limit us or hold us back. How could we perceive ourselves as less than who we are in Christ.
This changes everything from how we father our son’s to how we fight against those principalities and powers, those rulers of darkness in this world that come against us in our spiritual warfare.
Who I Am is tied to Whom Shall I Fear.
God help us to open our eyes to Who we truly are in you, and to fear nothing…..