Living in Christ’s Love, Lordship and Victory!
Building on last week’s post we notice the contrast of Christ’s Hope, Peace, Joy and Love (Eternal) to that of the world’s fleeting, circumstantial and emotionally-based desires rooted in the selfish flesh (temporal)…John 14:27: 16:33; James 1:2-4. Which are you focusing on as you wrap up 2020 and look forward to 2021?
Remember, His mercies are new every morning and are never ending (Lamentations 3:22-24)…Jeremiah was assured of that in the midst of warning Israel of impending doom! His grace is all-sufficient to save us and meet all our needs in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9; Philippians 4:19)! He alone is where we can find Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that endures for all time and eternity and in every situation and circumstance, here and now! This doesn’t mean it all goes away…it means He will see you through and work for your good and His Glory in every situation…think about Joseph in Gen 37-50!
Faith is the key to living in His Love & Lordship that will bring and mature these incredible traits and assurances into your life regardless of what you, or we, have faced, are facing or will face in the future!
The past, no matter what it held, is gone and unless you allow it, will hold no sway over you – that’s your choice. And yet we may still have to deal with some consequences of our action and choices but we can be assured that in Christ we have been forgiven and can move forward in that assurance and freedom.
God may even call it to account but it is only to turn it to ministry for today and beyond, in and through you to others. He alone restores all the past has destroyed (Joel 2:25). Remember it was God Who sent the locusts because Israel (and believers today) failed to walk in God’s truth and commands so He had to be faithful. But He also is the Only One that can restore all that has been destroyed or eaten away due to our own failings. So be anxious about nothing…He loves you.
The future is uncertain except that we trust in Him and He personally goes before us (Deuteronomy 31:8) and we can be assured that as we commit our plans to Him (Proverbs 16:3), He will lead us on His path and in the steps that He orders (Proverbs 16:9). Trust in Him!
Today is all we have…remember that He restores the brokenness of the past to use it for His Glory; He prepares the way before you so you will not stumble as you seek and walk with Him; so don’t walk in worry, fear or anxiety…walk in the patient strength of knowing that He walks with you every step of the way… remember faith is the key to making this happen!
This world, our flesh, the enemy can never win…we can only join them in a losing cause! However we are or can be on the winning side! Remember as I shared last week…
Christ has already won and promises that victory to all who believe in Him as Savior and Lord…you are more than conquerors as you walk in the Spirit in Christ and not in the flesh and this is key part that very few talk about or help hold others accountable to. When we do, nothing can separate you from His love (Romans 8:1, 26-39)!
I’ll leave you with this as we’ve ended 2020 and begun 2021, in the words of Oswald Chambers, “Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ. Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.”
The victory is ours in Christ so live like it by allowing Him…His Holy Spirit…to live in and through you!
The Apostle Paul said it like this in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
What is the focus of your thoughts, desires and goals? Where has it been, and where is it, leading you? One of the things that I’ve learned over my nearly 34 years in God’s Word and prayer every single day is that the more I focus on myself the more lost and frustrated I am. The more I focus on Him, His purpose, Kingdom and Glory, the more fulfilled, contented and at peace I am and the more fruitful He is through me.
We are created not for our own purposes (the way of the world and our flesh) but singularly and totally for His. I’ve learned this and in so doing also learned that every day I still have a long way to go…so “I press on” toward Him and His calling and Glory!
When I fall short His grace and mercy covers me, and by that same grace I hit the mark as His Truth sustains me and when I struggle His Love secures me. This I can always count on no matter the circumstances or the cost. Isaiah 50:10 states,
Who is among you who fears the Lord,
Who obeys the voice of His servant,
Who walks in darkness and has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
All of this we have not just because of His Love and through His victory as our Savior but because He is Lord…and His Lordship will be a major focus for us in 2021! Share this article and L&L website and ministry with others as The Lord leads and thanks!
Make it a great day and New Year with family and loved ones in Christ!
Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – As we begin this New Year let’s make sure that instead of making it about us, let’s make it all about Him and let Him work on, in and through us for His Kingdom and Glory!
Love and Lordship…Action Item(s) –
- Choose to spend time with God in His Word and prayer every day.
- Ask God to show you where your focus lies?
- Ask Him to reveal those things that you focus on that are keeping you from living in victory in Christ.
- Ask Him how you can change your focus from the world and the flesh (temporal things) to His Truth and purpose for your life and His Glory (Eternal).
- Choose to think about and focus on His Word and His work in your life and push aside the worries, anxieties and fears that are rooted in the world and your flesh.