But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11 (NKJV) As we’ve been discussing over the past few days, when you give your life to Christ, Holy Spirit comes to live inside you. You have the nature of God in your spirit man. That new nature you have is untouchable; it’s not something you can lose by doing wrong or failing to do right. You’re a new creation. Because of this nature change, you have all things that pertain to life and godliness in you (2 Peter 1:3). You just need to know how to …
Reignited Hope
He decided to make known to them His blessing to the nations; the glorious riches of this mystery is the indwelling of the Anointed in you! The very hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 (VOICE) Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life” (NKJV). If you’ve lost hope that things will ever change, hope has been deferred. In other words, if your heart no longer believes change is possible, that’s a problem because without belief you can’t see the miraculous happen. Jesus, the great miracle-worker, said, “If you can believe, all things are possible” (Mark 9:23), if you don’t doubt in your heart (Mark 11:23). You need to reignite hope in your heart to …
Two Natures?
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 (NKJV) Do you ever feel like two natures are at war inside you? Although it might feel that way at times, it’s not true. Let’s pretend I own a company and I sell it to you. You’re the new owner and you have a few ideas about how to make the company better. On your first day, you walk into the building with a whole new plan. You’re the owner so you have the authority to initiate that change. But do you know what your first job will be? It’ll be …
It’s A Journey
The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. Proverbs 4:18 (NIV) Yesterday we talked about the fact that when you get into God’s Word, it begins to change you from one degree of glory to another. I love how it happens in degrees. It’s like how a married couple’s love for each other can grow. I thought I loved Sally when I married her, and I did. I was head- over-heels in love! But degree after degree, year after year, our love has grown. We’ve shared having kids, we’ve gone through some things and we’ve built a life together. We know each other better than I dreamed possible. I am so much more in …
Restful Change
And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP) Many of us are addicted to something. We may not be addicted to alcohol or drugs, but we might be addicted to worrying or prideful thinking. Or maybe we have low self-worth because we don’t realize who we are in Christ. These addictive thought patterns limit us. It’s time to deal with them, and God’s Word is the key. While it’s great to use willpower and behaviour modification, realize that they only result in external (and often temporary) change. For permanent change, you need …