Walking As Jesus Did!
Lord help me be able to open up my heart to you fully. help me follow you and not temptation.
“This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.” – 1 John 2:5b-6
We must walk as Jesus walked. We are liars who deceive ourselves if we say we know Jesus, yet don’t follow the Lord’s teachings.
When Christ came to earth, He came to bring to mankind the gospel of the Kingdom.
Over the centuries, the Church has tended to emphasize only a portion of the gospel. That portion is the gospel of salvation.
However, Jesus came that we might have more than just salvation.
*Jesus came to give us a whole new life that was accompanied by signs, wonders, and His Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us daily.
*Jesus came so that we might walk on this earth as He did.
If our lives are not reflecting the same things as Jesus’ did, we must ask why?
Three stages why people COME to Jesus!
1. Many of us come to Christ out of a need for salvation.
Our hearts have been touched by His call on our lives.
We reason and analyze the claims of Christ and make a decision for Him.
It is the convenient time to accept Him in our lives. This first stage is often characterized by a “Bless me, Lord” attitude toward God. It is the first stage that primarily brings salvation into our lives. Some never really go past this first stage.
2. Is the crisis stage.
A crisis takes place in our lives, and we are motivated to seek Christ with a whole heart. However, this motivation is not out of pure love for Christ; rather, it is motivated by the desire to get out of the pain of living.(Example addictions)
The motivation is to solve “the what” versus “the WHY” in my life at the time. This stage is best characterized as “Help me, Lord.”
3. We begin to experience the gospel of the Kingdom.
*It is the place where Jesus resided in His walk with His heavenly Father.
* It is the place of conviction.
The number of people who live at this level are quite few, but these people are experiencing the reality of a walk with God that is foreign to all others. *They are seeing daily occurrences of His involvement in their lives.
* They are motivated by a deep love for Him.
*They know Him.
These people have an attitude characterized by these thoughts, “Have me, Lord; though He slay me, still will I trust Him.”
Do you want to have an intimate relationship with God? Live the kind of life Jesus lived.
Is this possible? Yes!!!!!
Don’t forget that you have the Holy Spirit at work within you to guide you toward Christ likeness.
God wants us to know Him intimately, to know Him in the right way.
Submit your will to the Will of God and the Work of the Holy Spirit and you will discover that keeping God’s commands, living like Christ, and knowing God in the right way really are possible.
Where are we today? Have we merely accepted His salvation to simply float along? Or do we seek Him with a whole heart only when a crisis occurs?
GOD’S desire is for you and me to live a life of conviction, motivated by our love for Him and His love for us.
This is where we will experience the gospel of the Kingdom.
In this season the Lord will bring your inheritance to light within your spirit. For the kingdom of God is yours.
The kingdom of God that has been preached is yours.
The kingdom promises that have been set forth in God’s word are yours to receive and yours to possess.
So rise up this day out of your weakness, out of your fear, out of your lack of faith, and say, what God has given to me I will CHOOSE this day to make mine by believing in His righteousness, in His goodness and in the power of His word.
Seductions of the world abound. But you, God’s chosen, must keep yourself from entertaining the temptations of the evil one. God has given you the power and authority to rise above and have victory over all the devices of the devil. Exercise your authority and be strong. Know that the Lord will strengthen you in times of weakness.
1 Peter 1:13-16 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
Our most basic need to love and be
loved can only be fulfilled by God. A loving spouse is like a fine setting
for a ring, but the precious stone
in that ring must always be the Lord.
“…the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and
upon finding one pearl of great value,
he went and sold all that he had, and
bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46
God is full of mercy and grace and I am the object of His affection! I am the treasure in the field and the pearl written about in Matt 13; God gave His all (Jesus) to purchase me! Christ’s sacrifice is final, once and for all… no more sacrifice is needed. I have been purchased by the blood Christ shed for me on the CROSS. Jesus’ entire purpose for me and the world was to sacrifice Himself that WE may be saved.
Thank you God for the sacrifice and provision you have given and continue to give!
Thank you God for sending Your Son to set us FREE! Help us make our FREE Willed right choice to walk with YOU!!!
Amen