I want to share Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" again today because it addresses another very important TRUTH and message that every believer needs to know in order to operate at the highest level of our new creation life!
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I have been crucified with
Christ. — Galatians 2:20
The imperative need spiritually
is to sign the death warrant of the disposition of sin, to turn all emotional
impressions and intellectual beliefs into a moral verdict against the
disposition of sin, viz., my claim to my right to myself. Paul says — “I have
been crucified with Christ”; he does not say, “I have determined to imitate
Jesus Christ,” or, “I will endeavour to follow Him,” but, “I have been identified with
Him in His death.” When I come to such a moral decision and act upon it, then
all that Christ wrought for me on the Cross is wrought in me. The
free committal of myself to God gives the Holy Spirit the chance to impart to
me the holiness of Jesus Christ.
“…nevertheless I live….” The
individuality remains, but the mainspring, the ruling disposition, is radically
altered. The same human body remains, but the old satanic right to myself is
destroyed.
“And the life which I now live in
the flesh,…” not the life which I long to live and pray to live, but the
life I now live in my mortal flesh, the life which men can see, “I live by the
faith of the Son of God.” This faith is not Paul’s faith in Jesus Christ, but
the faith that the Son of God has imparted to him — “the faith of the Son
of God.” It is no longer faith in faith, but faith which has overleapt all
conscious bounds, the identical faith of the Son of God.
There is SUCH an important distinction here when it comes to living out our 'Christian' life here on earth! From the moment I first received JESUS as Lord and Saviour, I was encouraged by many well-meaning Bible teachers and believers that I needed to be living a godly lifestyle. That meant to watch what I did, where I went, how I spoke, what friends I hung around, what I watched, read, listened to or owned. We were invited to record (I'm old!) smashing parties, sent teachings on the evils of rock and roll music, told how wonderful it would be to live in a Christian commune where we only had to ever interact with other believers and any number of other SEEMINGLY godly ideas, thoughts and instructions! NONE of this will EVER make us more Christlike! What will? Yielding MY will to HIS will! Spending time getting to KNOW JESUS from His Word, in prayer, praise and worship and intimate fellowship with HIM! When I chose to humble myself to agree with His Word, the ability to do so came supernaturally. I no longer had to try so hard to APPEAR as a person who loved JESUS! I BECAME a person who loved JESUS! When I did, HE, by His Spirit, began sanctifying me, changing me, from the inside out! When HE is allowed to perform HIS GOOD WORK, then what is accomplished is the sanctification of our souls (mind, emotion and will) to conform more and more to HIS image! THAT is how HE intends for us to live, and learn and grow! SO MUCH freedom in doing things God's way! AMEN! Happy life-changing experiences ahead for YOU, if you will do the same! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "From The Inside Out":Shalom in Him!
