THE LIFE OF FAITH AND THE GLORIOUS CHURCH - 2009
                                                            FEBRUARY 17th

                                                                         WE MUST KNOW AND HAVE EXPERIENCED THE "LIVING CHRIST"

 
          ...."The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart"....
                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Hebrews 4:12 NASB
 

          Every believer must have a deep revelation of the fact that the Word of God is the most powerful force
[John 1:14] in this whole universe. Before one will truly draw near to the Word of God in the way that they need to, they must believe that God "is" [exists] - and that he is a rewarder of all those who seek Him. We must know [through revelation] and have experienced the "living" Christ. There are many children of God walking around who act as if Jesus is still dead and, thus, they treat Him as a "story-book figure" who lived some two-thousand years ago. As one gains a deeper revelation of the fact that the Word is indeed living and active and, as they fill their hearts with that Word, THEN that Word is able to divide within them the things that are of the S[s]pirit and those things that are of the soul - and they shall be "renewed" continually to the point where they are able to discern between what is truly good [righteous] and what is truly evil [unrighteous]. But to do this one must make a "quality decision" to draw near [submit] to God and resist Satan continually - for it is certain that he will try everything in his power [fear, darkness etc.] to keep us separated from the Word of God. He knows that the "indwelling" Word will empower us to rise above [keep us separate] from sin, and any fear that might attempt to arise within us. In other words, the Word of God will separate us from anything that Satan is able to use against us and [that Word - Wisdom] will, in turn, empower us to wage war against him and his forces.
 
                                                        IT IS ONLY "SELFISHNESS" [PRIDE] THAT WILL CAUSE ONE TO "MAINTAIN" FEAR
 
          The provision that God has made for us to be renewed in our mind is simple, but without diligence in our obedience towards God and His Word, then "ground" will remain within us for Satan to influence [control] our lives in some way, and it is certain that that "influence" [if allowed to continue] will prevent us from fulfilling God's will for our life and ministry. Therefore, to the degree that one truly loves God and seeks to obey Him, it is to that degree that Satan and his evil influence will be overcome on a continual basis [Isaiah 54:14-17]. In reality, one can in no way blame Satan [or God] for their bondage, but only their own impure motivation of heart towards the Father - due to their failure to make His Word the "top priority" in their lives. It is only "selfishness" that will cause one to "maintain" fear and, thus, hinder the Anointing which abides within them. Once again, the importance of having a deep revelation of the fact that we have not been given a spirit of fear, but a Spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind [2 Timothy 1:7] must be indelibly written on the heart of all those who would truly serve God. We choose which "spirit" we will be controlled by - the Holy Spirit or evil spirits! As we draw near to God on a daily basis and, thus, come to abide in His Word ANY thought that proceeds forth from the old nature will be exposed and shown for what it is. And the Father will, in turn, lead us into [and renew us to] a revelation of the deepest thoughts and intentions of His heart. In reality, this is how we become conformed to the image of "His dear Son". This is also how we are empowered to have the same attitude in us as is in Jesus - an attitude and empowerment that causes us to live the life of the Cross, and allows the Anointing of God to flow through us unhindered [without measure - according to the highest purpose of the Father in any given moment] [Philippians 2:3-11]!

Related Scriptures:  Hebrews 11:6; Joshua 1:8; Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 5:14; James 4:7; 1 John 2:27;


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