Going to church, reading the bible, listening to Christian music will not advance your spiritual life. These activities may give you more understanding but until you are ready to lay down your life and take up your cross this leads nowhere.
What I am talking about is the sacrifice of self to advance the cause of Jesus Christ in the world. There is a destiny that God had for each of us that only we can personally discover. We can discover it only by detaching from the world and making ourselves available for the Holy Spirit. By detaching from the world--now you have time--the commodity that most Christians are not willing to give.
Jesus said, "Self-help is not help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, to finding yourself, your true self. (Matthew 16:25)
"God has planted eternity in the human heart." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
"Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)
"The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me." (Acts 20:24)
"We have been sent to speak for Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:20)
"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)
Albert Finch
www.thekeys2kingdom.com
What I am talking about is the sacrifice of self to advance the cause of Jesus Christ in the world. There is a destiny that God had for each of us that only we can personally discover. We can discover it only by detaching from the world and making ourselves available for the Holy Spirit. By detaching from the world--now you have time--the commodity that most Christians are not willing to give.
Jesus said, "Self-help is not help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, to finding yourself, your true self. (Matthew 16:25)
"God has planted eternity in the human heart." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
"Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)
"The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me." (Acts 20:24)
"We have been sent to speak for Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:20)
"We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10)
Albert Finch
www.thekeys2kingdom.com
Soaring High
Posted 06-07-2021 at 09:17 PM by Albert Finch
Romans 12:1-2: "I urge you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service and spiritual worship.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
The great promise in Romans 12:1-2 is that if our minds are transformed, we will be able to "prove what the will of God is." There is no greater freedom than knowing we are in the will of God. We were created to serve God. We were placed on earth for a special assignment (our DESTINY in Christ). (Ephesians 2:10). For Christians to endure and prevail in the battles of life, more than anything else, we must have a vision for going higher into God's PURPOSE for our lives.
NO DUNGEON COULD HOLD THEIR SPIRITS
This allows us to soar high above any of the conditions or problems of this world. This is how Paul and Silas soared in worship even when they were in a dungeon. No dungeon could hold their spirits. If the things of this world are still holding us down, then we have not been transformed.
Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
That the Bride is "without spot or wrinkle" (see Ephesians 5:27) speaks of her being pure (without spot), and she does not age (no wrinkles!). We can be made young again in the Lord if we will repent and determine that we will not be conformed to this world, but rather be transformed. If we are still living, it is not too late, but we should not waste another day.
The territory of the uncrucified thought-life is the beachhead of satanic assault in our lives. To defeat the devil, we must be renewed in the spirit of our minds by making the Word of God come alive in our heart making it the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)!
USING THE CROSS TO DETERMINE WHO WE ARE
We also need to decide if we are going to let all of the previous wounds and disappointments determine who we are, or if we are going to be like Christ, using the Cross to determine who we are, seizing the occasion to die to ourselves and rise above this world and live in resurrection power. We cannot be resurrected unless we have first died.
It's time to stop hiding behind walls of fear (What if such and such happens?); it's time to stop hiding behind walls of doubt (It'll never happen); it's time to stop hiding behind walls of disappointment (It didn't happen). Winter has passed. We need to rise up and come away!
We must resolve not to be conformed to this world. If we do not care more about what God thinks of us than what people think of us, then we are not worthy to be His bride. That is why Paul said in Galatians 1:10, "If I were still seeking to please men I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." The degree to which we are ruled by the compulsion to please men, to be acceptable to men, is the degree to which we will have departed from our service to Christ.
As the Lord Jesus Himself stated in John 5:44, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the One and only God?" The answer of course is that we cannot believe and have true faith if we are still seeking the glory of men. The word for "glory" in this verse could have been translated "recognition." Our minds cannot be transformed if we are still conforming to this world by seeking the glory or recognition of men rather than the recognition of God.
SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY
When the Lord was asked about the signs of the end of the age, He replied, "Woe...to those who nurse babes in those days" (see Matthew 24:19). This can be translated as, "Woe to those who have kept their people in immaturity." For this reason, Romans 12:1-2 is critical for us to hear. We need to rise up and release worship, intercession, and a song to the Lord to usher in an awakening to those floundering who need to be DISCIPLED (by us) into a higher truth.
In 2021 choose to lay down all disappointment -- choose to lay down all discouragement -- choose to believe again -- choose to hope again -- choose to expect God's goodness and fiery presence to awaken you afresh. Choose today to "turn aside into the flame" of God's presence and receive fresh encouragement, fresh vision, fresh energy, and fresh oil to advance His Kingdom in the earth.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
The great promise in Romans 12:1-2 is that if our minds are transformed, we will be able to "prove what the will of God is." There is no greater freedom than knowing we are in the will of God. We were created to serve God. We were placed on earth for a special assignment (our DESTINY in Christ). (Ephesians 2:10). For Christians to endure and prevail in the battles of life, more than anything else, we must have a vision for going higher into God's PURPOSE for our lives.
NO DUNGEON COULD HOLD THEIR SPIRITS
This allows us to soar high above any of the conditions or problems of this world. This is how Paul and Silas soared in worship even when they were in a dungeon. No dungeon could hold their spirits. If the things of this world are still holding us down, then we have not been transformed.
Ephesians 2:10 - "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
That the Bride is "without spot or wrinkle" (see Ephesians 5:27) speaks of her being pure (without spot), and she does not age (no wrinkles!). We can be made young again in the Lord if we will repent and determine that we will not be conformed to this world, but rather be transformed. If we are still living, it is not too late, but we should not waste another day.
The territory of the uncrucified thought-life is the beachhead of satanic assault in our lives. To defeat the devil, we must be renewed in the spirit of our minds by making the Word of God come alive in our heart making it the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17)!
USING THE CROSS TO DETERMINE WHO WE ARE
We also need to decide if we are going to let all of the previous wounds and disappointments determine who we are, or if we are going to be like Christ, using the Cross to determine who we are, seizing the occasion to die to ourselves and rise above this world and live in resurrection power. We cannot be resurrected unless we have first died.
It's time to stop hiding behind walls of fear (What if such and such happens?); it's time to stop hiding behind walls of doubt (It'll never happen); it's time to stop hiding behind walls of disappointment (It didn't happen). Winter has passed. We need to rise up and come away!
We must resolve not to be conformed to this world. If we do not care more about what God thinks of us than what people think of us, then we are not worthy to be His bride. That is why Paul said in Galatians 1:10, "If I were still seeking to please men I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." The degree to which we are ruled by the compulsion to please men, to be acceptable to men, is the degree to which we will have departed from our service to Christ.
As the Lord Jesus Himself stated in John 5:44, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and you do not seek the glory that is from the One and only God?" The answer of course is that we cannot believe and have true faith if we are still seeking the glory of men. The word for "glory" in this verse could have been translated "recognition." Our minds cannot be transformed if we are still conforming to this world by seeking the glory or recognition of men rather than the recognition of God.
SPIRITUAL IMMATURITY
When the Lord was asked about the signs of the end of the age, He replied, "Woe...to those who nurse babes in those days" (see Matthew 24:19). This can be translated as, "Woe to those who have kept their people in immaturity." For this reason, Romans 12:1-2 is critical for us to hear. We need to rise up and release worship, intercession, and a song to the Lord to usher in an awakening to those floundering who need to be DISCIPLED (by us) into a higher truth.
In 2021 choose to lay down all disappointment -- choose to lay down all discouragement -- choose to believe again -- choose to hope again -- choose to expect God's goodness and fiery presence to awaken you afresh. Choose today to "turn aside into the flame" of God's presence and receive fresh encouragement, fresh vision, fresh energy, and fresh oil to advance His Kingdom in the earth.
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