December 23, 2024

Same Power

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjvI can see
Waters raging at my feet
I can feel
The breath of those surrounding me
I can hear
The sound of nations rising up
We will not be overtaken
We will not be overcome

I can walk
Down this dark and painful road
I can face
Every fear of the unknown
I can hear
All God’s children singing out
We will not be overtaken
We will not be overcome

The same power that rose Jesus from the grave
The same power that commands the dead to wake
Lives in us, lives in us
The same power that moves mountains when He speaks
The same power that can calm a raging sea
Lives in us, lives in us
He lives in us, lives in us

We have hope
That His promises are true
In His strength
There is nothing we can’t do
Yes, we know
There are greater things in store
We will not be overtaken
We will not be overcome

Greater is He that is living in me
He’s conquered our enemy
No power of darkness
No weapon prevails
We stand here in victory

 Jeremy Camp
written along with Jason Ingram

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead
will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11

When asked if I would rather have Jesus walking this earth (like in Biblical times) or have the Holy Spirit, I really have to think.  Then I am reminded that Jesus could not be everywhere in body but the Holy Spirit can be with all of us, everywhere, all over the world.  How amazing is that?!

Have you ever thought about what Jesus said when He left here to go to Heaven to be with God?  He said that He was leaving a gift that was far greater than He.  We—that means you and me—have the same power in us that made Jesus rise again from the grave.  We have the same power that rose Lazarus from the dead.  And we have the same power that healed the leaper, made the blind to see, and fed the 5000.  So what are we to do with this power today?

  • We are to go out into this hard world and shine His light to those who are struggling.
  • We are to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the words to share with that one person that needs Jesus and meets Him for the first time.
  • We are to let the Holy Spirit be our Comforter in times of sorrow and share our comfort with others.

Oh, friend, the Holy Spirit is real and full of love for you and me!  So today, let’s praise Him for this gift and let us allow Him to work in us so that we can be all that we were created to be.

 *  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Let us pray: Dear God, thank You so much for the gift of the Holy Spirit . And for the power that comes from allowing Him to work through us and in us. How amazing is it that when we accept Jesus in our hearts that the Holy Spirit is given to us.  Free!  Help us to use His power for Your good.  We love You and we praise You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

CHRISTLife — TwentyFour: One With Him In Spirit

cl one with him in spirit

These are big, huge, incredible, awesome TRUE statements Mrs. Myers makes as we read through Chapter 24!  And as incredible as they are, we (you and me!) must hold them in our minds, remembering they are Jesus’ words.  And ask for help in believing them.

I was so encouraged and built up by the Truth regarding God living in me, the Holy Spirit living in me, and, Christ living in me!  Of course, this is not a revelation to me but somehow, someway (hmmm, perhaps the Holy Spirit working as my Helper?) today, these truths came alive for me.  Has that ever happened to you?

Listen to this:

If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God,
God lives in them and they in God.
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:15 and 16

And this:

And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the [Holy] Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father!
Galatians 4:6 AMP

And listen to Paul’s joy as he wrote that he was to

…make God’s message fully known—the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Colossians 1:26 and 27

Looking at just these 3 passages, our hearts can be built up in the Truth knowing that God lives in you (me, too!) because you choose to live in love, and that your Father—Abba!—has sent the Holy Spirt to live in your heart, and that the mystery hidden throughout the ages is now made known—it is Christ living in y.o.u., the hope of glory!

In a side note on page 101, Mrs. Myers writes,

“Take God at His word.  Accept it as true that you are indwelt with the fullness of God Himself, that His Spirit has His home within you and you belong to Him….”

I am setting my mind to do this, friends.  And I don’t want to just assent to it…I want to believe it with all of my heart!  Seeking God’s grace and blessing, and the help of the Comforter!  How about you? <3

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And here are Kim’s thoughts and her beautiful inner identity album page for this week; she writes:

“To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with Christ. The Holy Spirit came to glorify Christ. Therefore, if I am filled with the Spirit, I am abiding in Christ. I am walking in the light as He is the light, and the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse and keep on cleansing me from all unrighteousness. I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit to guide me on my path in Wisdom’s way.”

CLiiakimweek5

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive,
because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.
You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:16-17 ESV

CHRISTLife — Week Five

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As we move into Week Five, we are more than halfway through our study of CHRISTLife: Embracing Your True and Deepest Identity.  Here are a few highlights of our week to come:

Dead To Sin

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Galatians 6:14

Mrs. Myers makes such the good point: “It is not simply gritting our teeth, and repeating, ‘I’m dead to sin..I’m dead to sin…I insist I am dead to sin!’ (page 89)”  Now the Truth is—we ARE dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus!  It’s a fact.

A Liberating Separation

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:11

 Our new nature, given to us at our new birth, reflects Jesus’ accomplishments on the Cross and afford us the reality of this new nature. The real y.o.u., Christ in you, yearns to be conformed to His image. It’s available…so step up, embrace all you are in Christ!

United With Christ

For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin,
so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

How equally humbling and exhilarating is it to proclaim, “My life IS Christ!” (If it wasn’t the Truth…we’d be foolish to think it; but IT IS!)

One With Him In Spirit

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11

With this new life in us, all the attributes and qualities that are true of Christ are equally true of you (and me, too!)  What He could do and did…I can also because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Filled

So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—
that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may have strength to comprehend with all the saints
what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19

What more could we need? In the fullness of God we have everything that is needed given to us by grace and due to mercy and in love!

Here we are right smack dab in the middle of our study, isn’t that amazing?!!?  As we move forward, ladies, let’s not loosen our grasp on the Truth we have received.  We have learned of–and BELIEVE—the images of ourselves that are communicated to us throughout the Scriptures.  We are learning to replace the negative lies we have held onto with the positive images—the Truth—of how God sees us. “I am who God says I am’ is not simply a cute expression…it is the absolute Truth!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:8 and 9

God is Trustworthy

SeekingHimLogo

I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1

Sometimes we are so impatient.  We want everything yesterday!  But we fail to wait upon the Lord when we demand that everything happen when we want it to happen and in our appointed time.   Isaiah 40:31 tells us that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.  God’s timing is always perfect.  He is never late, and He is never early.  He may not act according to our schedule, but He is always right on time.

We should not be mad at God when things are not going our way.  Rather we should be delighted in Him always. We delight in the Lord by spending time with Him on a daily basis despite the problems we are facing—by reading the Word; by praying in the Holy Spirit; by building ourselves up “on our most holy faith” (Jude 20); and by speaking in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19).  The nearer we draw to God, the bigger He becomes in our sight.  And the bigger God becomes to us, the smaller our problems in this world seem.

God is trustworthy to take care of all our anxieties. We have to patiently wait and rely on Him. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”  Many Christians try to be self-sufficient.  When they have a problem, they try to figure their own way out.  For example, if they need finances, they think of family members or friends they can borrow money from.  But instead of trusting in our own strength and wisdom, we should rely upon God…and trust Him to solve our problems.

Draw near to God and rely on Him for your strength.  Rely on the Spirit of God within you.  The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you (Romans 8:11).  He will quicken your mortal body, give you wisdom, bring you peace, comfort you in times of trouble, and help you in every situation!

God listens to our prayers always.  Even at times when we pray not according to His will, He still hears and answers us—in a way He feels is best  for us at that time.

If we patiently wait upon Him we will:

  • sail through no matter how deep or dark the situation is; God can turn it around
  • be lifted up and be established
  • come to a place of confidence and security

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Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for You are a caring, trustworthy, loving Father.  You take care of our hearts—however we may have wronged You by doing things our own way before coming to You.  Please forgive us and restore unto us the joy of our salvation.  Thank You for who You are in our lives.  In Jesus name we have prayed.

Amen!