Saturday, November 16, 2013 

You amaze me LORD! Yesterday, in one quick instance, you made a miracle happen for the sake of your glory and the blessing of your children.

I wrote in the blog what you did for us. I wrote it out because I felt that you only do these things to make us aware of your presence. Our testimony is to be a beacon that shines for all to see. It is meant to show others just how miraculous you are. It scared me after I finished writing it because I thought "If someone sees this, they may not trust us or want to work with us because we made a mistake, or seem inexperienced." But I know when I wrote it, I was still reveling in the wonder of God's amazing blessing. In other words, when I started looking through the world's eyes again, it seemed foolish to share that much of our personal trials, but while I was closely living and experiencing God, it was just an act of obedience. I choose to be obedient.

Because of challenges like that, I am beginning to see myself more and more as God sees me. That is not a positive any many aspects. Fortunately, Romans 5:8-10 says the view has been covered by the perfectly clean blood of Jesus Christ so I don't HAVE to live as though God has utter disdain for me. I see myself as wishy-washy and wavering all the time. Sometimes I am championing the word of God while at other times, I am quivering in fear of what lies ahead of me or crawling along in doubt of the power that God has bestowed upon me.

When the storms and trials of everyday living rise up around me, I often forget yesterday's blessing. It is that way even today, as I try to write this entry. My mind worries about circumstances and situations that I can't seem to fix. Many of them are of my own doing but the majority of them are out of my control or concerns for other loved ones.

That is why I say I am beginning to see myself more as God sees me. If God chose to look upon me, without the blood of Christ, He would see right through the personality wall that I put up to protect myself from others. He would look right into the sinful part of our hearts that says, "I want things my way and at my level of comfort without any side effects or consequences." That is the human, fleshly way of life. 

Why not? Who doesn't think to himself, "I could do more good, if I had the power, wealth, influence, and ultimate time to do what I wanted?" We believe we would save the world from all it's horrendous wrongs. Only that wouldn't be true. We would only do that as long as it didn't conflict with our own comfort. We would do it as long as we didn't have to give up that very power, wealth or influence itself. It is basically the same mantra of Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-17). As great an angel as he was, he still wanted God's praise for himself. He wanted to be, not a god, but the Most High God. That is what is within us all... That lies within me. Ugly, thought isn't it?

But here is why I love the LORD, Jesus Christ so much. He did give up that power, wealth and influence. He arrived here on earth in the flesh just as we are, to live within the power given to all men. What an amazing act of love! He wanted me to see that I could live as God as has provided for me if I follow His way. He sealed that plan into place by shedding His very own blood through a brutal sacrifice of dying on a cross. (The shedding of blood was the method, in those days, of making a binding covenant agreement.)

Even now, while I sit here mulling over my problems (and don't fool yourself, I know you have major problems too), I can know for certain that God doesn't see me as I truly am in my flesh. He looks upon me and sees the blood of His perfect son, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:8 said that the son of God gave His life for me. Romans 8:1 says there is no condemnation from God because of that sacrifice. Romans 8:31-34 says there is no one who can separate me from God after that price was paid and I accepted the gift. Romans 8:38-39 says there is no separation from God ever or at any point again.

So where do I get the idea that I can't succeed? From the world and Satan's minions. The circumstances that ride heavy upon my soul are of my own making because I have not leaned upon God yet. I have not rested in Him or I do not "abide" in Him because too often, I know it means giving up my way for His way but it doesn't have to be so. If I give up running the show as I see fit, I have been given the authority to succeed through the Holy Spirit within me (Ephesians 1:13-14, John 14:12-14). That power was transferred by the resurrection of Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit. That physical man, the human being that was God in fleshly form, now sits at the right hand of God in the position of authority over everyone and everything. Even more, He took us with Him into that position of power (Ephesians 2:6).

It is up to us to take in that power and reside in it. It is up to me to live my life in accordance with God's word so that the authority passed along to me through Jesus, sets me free from the mindset that would hold me back. Those thoughts of being my own God are removed and substituted for the service to the one who has power, knowledge and control over all things. Better to be an authorized servant of the true King, than to be the king of a false and imaginary land of nothing.

Have you found yourself living as your own god or as a king without a kingdom? If so, follow the One true King, Jesus Christ, the LORD of lords, into a place of ultimate reward. There is no condemnation and no separation from God once we subject ourselves to Jesus.

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twh