Identity, Pt. 2

"You can't work hard enough to 'be holy' or to become holy. Holy is a by-product of receiving and agreeing with our 'complete' status in Christ--holy being a 'condition' not an activity." -Scott Schang, The Rhema Code.

How often do we spend our energy trying to make ourselves into what we already are? Can we add to what Christ has already done on our behalf? Did his sacrifice fall short of redeeming us, leaving us with the responsibility to finish what he was obviously unable to accomplish? Do we really have such a low regard for his death and resurrection?

I, for one, want to live every moment of every day out of the reality He purchased for me. And if I do stumble, I know it was a case of my living a false reality, not a matter of me being incomplete.

I am reminded of Abraham and Isaac. A sacrifice needed to be made, but before Abraham could sacrifice Isaac, God stopped him and provided a ram for the sacrifice. So Isaac climbed down off the altar and Abraham sacrificed the ram. But how disturbingly wrong would it have been for Isaac (having already been saved from the sacrifice) if he had then jumped into the fire with the ram which had been given in his place! My point is this, what good is a substitutionary sacrifice if we feel we need to jump into the flames with it?

Jesus was our substitutionary lamb, and He took all judgment and condemnation upon Himself on the cross. We have no right to subject ourselves to the fires of self-judgment and condemnation.

When Jesus said, "It is finished" He was telling the truth.

So are we going to live out of his finished work? Or are we going to live a false reality, trying to make ourselves into what we are already are?

I know who I am. I am his. And I am going to live out of the reality of his finished work.

A Testimony of Jesus' Love

Riley Joy came to me this morning and her belly was hurting (she ate too much or something). She asked me to give her something for it. We are out of papaya enzyme, so I gave her what we always do have :-). I excitedly told her, "Jesus is going to heal your belly, come here and we'll pray." I put one hand on her shoulder and the other on her belly and prayed, "Thank-You Jesus for Riley Joy's perfect belly and perfect digestive system. Belly be perfect in Jesus' name, no more pain and no more discomfort. Digestive system be perfect in Jesus' name, no more pain or discomfort. Thank-You Jesus." As I started to say "Thank-You" Riley Joy had a small burst of giggles and grew a big smile. She told me her belly did not hurt any more and bounced off to play.

That seriously rocks my world. It it one thing to tell her over and over every day that Jesus loves her, but it's another for her to feel His love in a tangible way like that.

Miracles have become common in our household, but that was the first time Jesus has healed Riley Joy on the spot. I pray for Hannah and myself most often and we currently see nearly 100% of headaches, stomach pain and even mild back pain leave instantly. Amity had her first bellyache healed a few days ago before bed.

This just gets neater and neater. Bill Johnson has said, "If you can't praise Jesus for a headache gone away, He won't trust you with an empty wheelchair." I have not yet experienced an empty wheelchair, but I am praising Jesus constantly every day for His wonderful love displayed in our home. I have been praying for healing in our family (an in public) since 2010 and it is only within the last couple months that we have begun seeing instant results. Outside of our family I have seen a co-worker healed of a headache and minor neck-ache. I look forward to seeing much, much more.

Isn't Jesus' love incredible! Praise Jesus!!!

Identity

It breaks my heart how few Christians understand their true identity. They live lives at the mercy of their present and past circumstances. Their faith becomes a pain management program.

I want to live in my identity in Christ. I want to be so completely built on the completed work of Christ in me, that I can live without offence. When I am hurt or abused by people around me, I respond with love toward those persecutors because I understand that Jesus' blood was shed for them too. There is no person alive who is not worth the death of God. Jesus did not just die for me, He died for everyone.

And even when people hurt or abuse me (by the world's standards), I leave without scar or bitterness because they truly cannot hurt me. Rather than me being the victim, the reality is that they are the victims, as ecvidenced by their actions toward me. They are victims of false identity, the Satanic lie that we need to spend our livs trying to find in this world the peace, fulfillment and joy that can only be found in Jesus.

I have no right to judge my persecutors because Jesus alraedy took their judgment upon himself up on the cross.

Nobody in this world can hurt me, becuase I live out of the identity Jesus purchased for me on the cross. I am not trying to make my life better, I am already a "new creation" in Him. I am perfect and complete and this world cannot hurt me.

Praise Jesus for what He has done for us!!!

Asking, Seeking, Knocking

I began a new course today on the topic of "Intimacy With God." I am happy to say that the opening class was well worth the money I paid for the entire course. I wanted to record some notes here on what I took away from the class because it really blew me away.

Speaking of prayer, Jesus told his followers, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." More than this just being three ways to petition God, it is a pattern for prayer which leads us into deep fellowship with Him. One way to look at this is in terms of Israel's temple. "Asking" is the Court, "Seeking" is the Holy Place, and "Knocking" is the Holy of Holies.

When we pray, we start by asking. The tragedy is that many stop at that. So at the end of our prayer time, we have done nothing but laid out our problems to God. We have not necessarily received anything other than peace, and peace is good, but peace is not fellowship with God. For some people, the asking can take five minutes and for others it could be hours, but we will not grow closer to God or receive directly from Him if we stop there.

When prayer extends beyond asking, it becomes seeking. Having laid out our troubles to God, we then seek Him, to feel Him and his presence, to know him, hear his voice, etc. This is us drawing near to Him and trusting Him to respond by drawing near to us. But if we stop here, we have still not actually met Him in deep communion.

When we diligently seek Him in prayer, He will meet us. This becomes the knocking stage of prayer, where we have arrived at His house and enter in to dine with Him. This is where we hear from Him and receive more than we could ever ask for. This is the wellspring of a life like Jesus. This is the point of prayer, this is fellowship.

The goal of prayer is fellowship with Jesus, but unless we press in through each step, we will not find the fellowship we were made to enjoy. For some this might take hours of prayer to move from asking to seeking to knocking on a daily basis. Fellowship is to be had everyday. This is where diligence and passion come in. If we are passionate about meeting God and diligent to seek Him all the way into fellowship, we will find it is easier and easier to meet Him there. What might have taken hours of diligent prayer might only take ten minutes to one who have been passionately and diligently fellowship with Jesus every day. But if our loves grows cold and we let up from seeking Him daily, it will take longer and be more difficult to reach that deep place of fellowship.

Many ministers begin their ministry out of deep fellowship with God, but then over time lose the fellowship while maintaining the ministry and just going through the motions. Many even are unaware that they have little or no Spirit in what they are doing. But those with discernment will notice that something is missing.

It is our place to draw near to God, to get so close that we understand the "fear of the Lord." Not that we are afraid of Him, but that we get so close to Him that those things in our lives which are not totally surrendered to Him must drop off of us or we must step back from his presence. It is in that deep communion and fellowship that we become the people that God has made us to be.

I have decided to follow You, Jesus, and I will press in daily for that deep fellowship with You. I will let nothing hold me back or distract me from You. There is nothing in life more important than You and I know I will never truly be love to everyone around me unless I receive your love in the secret place. I am yours and You are mine, and I love You, I love You, I love You. Take my heart and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee.

Amen