Know who you are in Christ Jesus Pt. 5 (Christ in us our hope of glory)

What does it mean Christ in us our hope of glory? It begins with our faith in Him. "That eyes will be opened and men will turn from the power of darkness to the Light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness and release from their sins and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me" (words spoken by Jesus Acts 26:18). Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6) and faith worketh by love (Gal. 5:6). There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love (1 Jn. 4:18). The Spirit of love will cast out the spirit of fear. If perfected in love Satan cannot touch you, you will not be deceived for you know who you are in Christ Jesus, you have been given a revelation of His love for you. You know who the true Shepherd is and He calls you by name and you follow Him and no one else. The hope you have in Christ is steadfast and unmovable and nothing will be able to shake your foundation which is built upon Christ Jesus! To live is Christ and to die is gain! To know Him and walk with Him while here in this earth is our zeal. To leave here and finally be with Him is our exceedingly great reward!

If we know who we are in Christ Jesus we will know that as servants of God we must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending) and have nothing to do with unedifying, stupid controversies over ignorant questions, for they only foster strife (2 Timothy 2:23 amp. paraphrased). Instead the servant of the Lord must be kind, patient and forbearing and gentle (2 Timothy 2:25 amp. paraphrased). We clothe ourselves as God's own chosen ones, His own picked representatives, who are purified and holy and well-beloved by God Himself, by putting on behavior marked by tenderhearted pity and mercy, kind feeling, a lowly opinion of ourselves, gentle ways and patience which is tireless and long-suffering, and has the power to endure whatever comes, with good temper, we must be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference a grievance or complaint against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has freely forgiven us, so must we also forgive ( Colossians 3:12-13 amp.). That is how we must treat our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When it comes to evil conduct it must be addressed with Godly wisdom by those who know who they are in Christ/who are mature in the Lord and His Word. There must be correction brought forth, rebuke, warnings and urging, for the time is coming when people will not hear truth any longer but only encircle themselves with others that share in their error as to satisfy their liking. Are we in that time yet? It truly seems as though we are but we must continue to be calm, cool and steady. Just as Paul told Timothy to do in (2 Timothy 4) and continue to do the work of an evangelist. The great commission is to go. Know Him (Jesus) for He is the Word, He is the Way, He is the Truth and He is the Life and no man can come to the Father except through Him. We should show forth Jesus in our lives in love and with great joy and have hope and peace from God which passes all understanding! If you desire to know what it is really like to experience freedom and the absence of fear and anxiety and to know total rest, peace and joy despite circumstances then you must know who you are in Christ and walk in the power of the Spirit and not the flesh! In so doing, you will fear no man but only reverence God. He is with you always and He will never leave you or forsake you. To experience freedom and boldness like you have never known before will be when you know who you are in Christ and who God has created you to be. Pray and ask God to help you to not just know of Him but to truly know Him and who you are in Him, and that He would do this in you by the power of His Holy Spirit in Jesus Name! For it is Christ in us our hope of glory for those that know Him and know who they are in Him!

Know who you are in Christ (Pt.4). How the enemy will use pride and arrogance to entice the weak and control the vulnerable!

The enemy will preoccupy himself  with fantasies that focus on unlimited success, power and intelligence. He has a form of godliness which identifies with a haughtiness. The vulnerable will be deceived, and look to him as being strong because he seems to carry himself with confidence. This confidence he portrays is deceiving because it is not a confidence in God (which is true humility) but a self-confidence conjured up in arrogance and false humility. Those who do not know who they are in Christ will put men like this upon pedestals and follow them. In so doing, this plays right into the hand of the enemy, for it is this kind of people that the enemy encircles himself with. The ignorance of babes, those who are not clothed in Jesus (the armor of God), the insecure, and co-dependents he will use to his advantage for they are his enablers and his followers. Keeping the vulnerable under his control is a twisted mind game he plays as he continually misrepresents facts, even subtly twisting God's Word, or frequently shifting positions as the opportunities arise. Those who do not study God's Word and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding will continually be deceived by the enemy. Not looking to Jesus but man is their bondage, thus they begin to wonder and go astray. Living under the stronghold of obligation and in constant service to please man and not God is their bondage! They operate in the spirit of fear, because they know not the perfect love of Christ for them who casts out all fear! All of this to which the enemy uses to his advantage with his twisted teachings, which ultimately serves him and his purposes. To deny flesh/self and walk in the Spirit is not the mindset of the enemy, but catering to the flesh and making one feel good in the flesh (which ultimately keeps the vulnerable in a weak state) is his goal. For the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak! It's a twisted lie and a controlling strategy that the enemy plays. He is a master at manipulating others!

How does the enemy deal with those who know who they are in Christ? If he does not disregard them as an individual as well as their viewpoints, he will make it a point to belittle them and or jest about them and their viewpoints, or he will disregard them as if they never existed, for his relation with them was only based upon their support of his authority and grandiosity. Beyond that they are nameless, faceless and worthless. Submitting to God and resisting the devil will cause the enemy to flee from you. If the enemy is challenged by one who is strong in the Lord and his control seems threatened, insanity (in the person that the enemy is using) will be unveiled, he will respond like a crazy person who thinks his survival is at stake, thus evil is seen in all its glory! The enemy can be so twisted and manipulating that he can express himself as potentially violent or show forth socially unacceptable impulses in a modified socially acceptable manner which deceives the weak in faith but displays to those who are strong in the Lord a wolf in sheep clothing. Cult leaders bare these characteristics (Narcissism at it's finest). If you know who you are in Christ you will not be deceived and snared by the enemy. Those who know who they are in Christ are not silenced by such a one either. The enemy is the one who will be silenced! Those who know who they are in Christ have no fear of man and what man can do to them. They care not of being bullied or made fun of, for they need not recognition from man. They do not need to be acknowledged by man or rewarded by man. They know that their reward will be much greater when they finally meet their Jesus! Those who know who they are in Christ, care not for the accolades of this world. The ironic thing about this is, even though they care not about recognition from man, God has a way of giving those who know who they are in Christ a platform so they will be recognized, but all for His glory! Jesus was exalted and suffered for the salvation of mankind and for the glory of His Father. Thusly, those who know who they are in Christ may also be exalted and/or may have to suffer for the cause of Christ for the glory of God! Their confidence in God will be a true humility! Count it all joy when persecuted for the cause of Christ. Love your enemies and pray for those who despitefully use you. If you are secure in your relationship with Jesus, you will have a peace that passes all understanding and a joy that makes you strong in the Lord, no matter what you face! Your mission is to glorify your Father in who He created you to be. It is who you are!

As we continue in Pt. 5 "Know who you are in Christ Jesus" we will talk about "Jesus in us our hope of glory"

Know who you are in Christ Jesus Pt. 3 (unmasking the enemy)

Let us begin to unmask the enemy according to God's Word. The Bible warns us to beware of wolves in sheep clothing. They are described as false teachers and prophets. According to (2 Peter chapter 2 amp. paraphrased) there are false teachers among us who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines even denying and disowning the Master who bought them. Many will follow their immoral ways and lustful doings. They will slander and attack the good name of Jesus who is the Way for all men. They are very skilled and crafty in their deceptions as they exploit God's people in cunning arguments. Their argument might be based on reasonable evidence, but is brought forth boldly and with arrogance and sometimes offensive language. They are self-willed and self-loving and scoff honorable authorities without fear. They are unreasonable and live according to flesh and instinct. They will complain bitterly or abusively about things that they are ignorant of. They take great pleasure in unrestrained celebrations living luxuriously. They take great pleasure in their deceptions as they feast with you. They will bait as to deceive and lure away unstable souls. They are loud in their boasting and folly and lure those who can barely escape from wrong doing. They speak great words of liberty, while they themselves are slaves of depravity and defilement. They take great pleasure in deceiving others to bring them down to their level as to be enslaved. The Scriptures talk about those who do not teach with a wholesome reverence toward God, that they are puffed up and full of pride and deceit, but woefully ignorant. They have a morbid fondness for controversy and disputes and strife about words, which result in envy and jealousy, quarrels and dissension, abuse and insults and slander, and base suspicions. They prolong arguing and bickering and are corrupt in mind and no not the truth (1 Timothy 6 amp. paraphrased). The enemy will operate in a superficial wisdom and not the wisdom from God. This kind of wisdom is earthly, unspiritual (animal), even devilish (demoniacal). He brings forth an atmosphere of jealousy, envy and contention rivalry and selfish ambition. He also breeds an atmosphere of confusion, unrest, disharmony, rebellion and all sorts of evil and vile practices (James 3: 15-16 amp. paraphrased). We who know Christ and know who we are in Him should withdraw from such people.

Know who you are in Christ Jesus Pt. 4 we will talk about the enemy's tactics and how he entices the vulnerable and tries to silence the strong in the Lord!

Know who you are in Christ Jesus Pt. 2

We ended Part 1 of "Know who you are in Christ Jesus" with this question: Could the wandering lamb/sheep, not know who they are in Christ? There could be various reasons why sheep go astray. I would like to focus on the one who as gone or who is wandering astray because his relationship with the Great Good Shepherd has been compromised! The enemy is a master at twisting truth and very manipulative. Those who are vulnerable to the enemy's lies are those who place their dependency on man and not on God. If the enemy can get your eyes on man and off of Jesus he will have control of your life. The Bible warns us to beware of wolves in sheep clothing for they can be very influential and are masterful liars! Drawing you away to themselves is their goal and having a mindset of fleshly fun and pleasures more than of spiritual growth and relationship with Jesus and His Word is their focus. Is your Christianity based mostly on your relationship with man more than your relationship with Jesus? If your honest answer is the former rather than the latter then you are set for being easily deceived and being lead astray.

I would like to set the stage on how God sees us. God sees us (His children) corporately as well as individually. We each (individually) were delicately knit together in the womb of our biological mothers to be a unique vessel of honor for God's glory in the body of His Son (Jesus Christ)! We are the salt of the earth, a city on a hill, a light that shines, a representative, a witness and example corporately as well as individually for the glory of God (our Father and Creator)! He knows the number of hairs on each of our heads, now if that is not knowing us intimately I don't know what is. He loves us and knows us in every detail. There is nothing or no one in this great universe that shares your finger print. We are each unique, and nothing about us is hidden from God, we are open before Our Father in Heaven! When we become part of the body of Christ, we are each given a unique gifting as to be used to edify others for the Glory of God! And when one part of the body is not functioning the body cannot function properly, this is how important each of us is, and Christ will judge each of us "individually" for the works we have done! He is the author and the finisher of our faith, and the good work that He has begun in us He is faithful to complete it. He is also faithful and just to forgive us of our sins because He loves each of us very much and does not want to see even "one" perish! When your eyes have been opened because it has been revealed that He first loved you and has accepted you just the way you are and how much He truly loves you, then your knowing Him is loving Him and your loving Him is truly knowing Him! And to continue to look to man instead of Jesus might be a passing thought but is quickly dismissed!

Back to the enemy, that master deceiver. The sheep who is established in his relationship with his Great Good Shepherd is not easily deceived, but the one who is not established will wander from time to time making themselves vulnerable to the wiles of the devil! They become an easy target to be manipulated! The Bible says that we must be alert and vigilant, always watching because Satan roams to and fro through out the earth like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour! The Bible also says that we are to have on the whole armor of God so that we can quench all the fiery darts of the devil! If one piece of the armor of God is missing we are vulnerable! In Part 3 of "Know who you are in Christ Jesus" I will unmask the enemy and how he operates!

To be continued....

Know who you are in Christ Jesus Pt. 1

How important is it to know who you are in Christ Jesus? It is of great importance for each of us to realize and understand our place in Christ so that the enemy cannot enslave us. Not knowing who we are as a child of God makes us vulnerable to the tricks and schemes of the devil. Deception enslaves and places shackles on God's people. The only way to know who you are in Christ is to know His Word and to understand what is the lie and what is the Truth! Our worth is not in and of ourselves but who we are in Him. Our true identity is who our Creator created us to be. Our Creator knows each of us intimately and desires us to know Him intimately. Our Heavenly Father who created us and knew us before the foundations of the world loves us very much. His desires for us are for our good and not our harm, to give us a hope and a future. He desires for us to know His love, joy and peace in our lives as well as His freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom! Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! May your joy be full just as mine is, said Jesus. We must each be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and the only way this is possible is to know who we are in the eyes of Christ!

What does God's Word say about us and Himself and who we are in Him? Here is a few things: I did not give you a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid for in this world there will be troubles but I have overcome the world. I will never leave you nor forsake you, I am with you always even until the very end and then I am still with you. I have come to heal the broken hearted and set at liberty those who are held captive. I am the Great Good Shepherd and my sheep hear my voice, and I call them by name and they follow me.

The question is, are you following Jesus "the great good Shepherd?" Is He truly the Shepherd of your life? If He is, then you will know the freedom and joy of being lead by Him. No fear, no bondage,  peace in the midst of troubles, and the fullness of His joy in your life despite circumstances. The comfort of His Holy Spirit will always be with you, tending to your every need. His love always washing over you bringing refreshing to your soul as you eat in green pastures and drink from the still waters. He is your bread of life and the water that causes you to never thirst again. Jesus our Shepherd never leaves us with feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or vulnerability. There is no condemnation in Him but only saving grace and mercy offered to all who call upon His name and follow Him. He loves us with an Everlasting Love and draws us with His Loving Kindness! Even when our Shepherd must chastise us, it is not done as to cause us to cower in fear of Him for being disobedient. His chastising is done in love as to refine, purify and protect us (His Lambs and Sheep). A Good Shepherd has been known to break a leg of a straying lamb with His Shepherd's hook as to keep a lamb from continually going astray, then the good Shepherd will bind up His lamb's leg and carry him upon His shoulders until the lamb's leg is healed. The bond that grows during this time between the straying lamb and the Shepherd is a loving bond that can never be broken.

The Good Shepherd will leave the 99 in a safe place together while He searches for the straying lamb. Isn't it amazing that the majority (the 99) stay close to the Shepherd but there seems to be the one who always wanders, thus continually placing himself in harms way, where it can be devoured by a predator/the enemy? The wandering lamb may be deceived in thinking that the pastures may look greener on the other side but when they get there they find it was just an illusion. Could it be that, that "one" may not know who they are in the eyes of Christ Jesus/their Great Good Shepherd? Could it be that this wandering lamb/sheep who sabotages his life and places his worth in the abusiveness of the enemy enslaving himself to fear and bondage not know who they are in Christ Jesus?

To be continued....