What Is Your Destiny?

            Most of this section is repeated from the first two volumes, Your Destiny and Your Destiny Too. This is to give those that have not read either of those an understanding of what we are talking about and the assumptions we made. However, the verse at the end of the section and corresponding confession are different. So, if you’ve read the first or second book, you may want to skip to the end of this section and start confessing more of your destiny right away.

            When a life-changing event happens to a person, what does someone mean by the statement, “It was destiny (or fate).”? It means that the person involved had no control whatsoever over the situation. If it was something good, there was nothing that the person consciously did that caused the good to happen. If it was bad, there was nothing that the person could have done to prevent it.

            Around Christmas one year, I watched a movie named “Three Days”. It was one of those “second chance opportunity” movies. It wasn’t scriptural, but it does illustrate what is meant by one’s destiny. I’m intentionally leaving out a lot of the details.

            In the movie, on Christmas Eve the man’s wife went searching for a neighbor’s dog which had run off. She found the dog, but when she stepped into the street, she was struck by a car and died. In the hospital, the man was remorseful that he hadn’t had a chance to show her that he loved her. That night he met an angel that told him he would be granted the opportunity to relive the last three days with his wife. He would be aware of what had happened, but she wouldn’t, and he couldn’t tell her. In any event, three days later on Christmas Eve at the same time and place she would be there with the car bearing down on her … because that was her destiny. There was nothing he could do to prevent it.

            What would you do in this situation? Probably the same thing he did. He took her out of town so she would be in a different place on Christmas Eve. Just when it seemed like he would succeed, she insisted on going home for Christmas. In the end, there she was – same time; same dog; same car. It was her destiny.

            Nothing he tried to do could change what was destined. This was an example of what is meant by something being one’s destiny.

            Oh, by the way – when the car came this time, he pushed her out of the way, and was killed. Not to worry, the angel brought him back to life and they lived happily ever after. So, the situation was her destiny, but it wasn’t her destiny to die.

            How does this relate to Christians? There are certain things that the Bible tells us is the Christian’s destiny. There is nothing that you have to do to make it happen, nor is there anything bad that you might do that would prevent it from happening. It is your destiny.

            Of course we do need to set some guidelines as to the type of person we’re talking about.

            For example: Is it a Christian’s destiny to go to heaven when they die? If you say yes, then you must believe in “Once saved, always saved.” Otherwise, it is not a Christian’s destiny; because there would be something the person might do that would prevent this from happening. There are other beliefs that can also get in the way.

            Some believe you must be water baptized to go to Heaven. Some believe you must receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in order to have His indwelling.

            Rather than argue pro or con, let’s assume that whatever is the “minimum” necessary to go to Heaven has been accomplished in the person’s life; that they have been water baptized; that the Holy Spirit is indwelling them; and that whatever else may be necessary to happen in a Christian’s life for the destiny discussed in this book to be realized has or will occur.

            Also, there may be some verses that it is questionable as to whether or not it is a Christian’s destiny. For example – “I can do all things through Christ Jesus”. It doesn’t say that you will … just that you can. Should that be considered our destiny? It is in the sense that you have the ability through Christ to do all things. So, we will be flexible in that regard.

            Why do we want to know what is our destiny? Because as Peter said about God’s promises …

2 Peter 1:4

4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

It is so that we can partake of God’s divine nature as He intended for us to do. He destined us for this, and so we should be walking in it.

If you could hear God speak to you, I believe this is what He would say:

            “You are to be what I am My children. I would not have it any other way. That is why I gave you all these promises … so that you could become in your life what I was in My life. Trust in Me and My Spirit to accomplish this. It will happen if you let it. It is your destiny.”

           

            Throughout this book, I will be giving you some phrases about your destiny to say out loud. You should say them every day. The more you repeat them, the more the reality of your destiny will sink in and become a part of your daily thoughts about yourself. The one for the verse from II Peter is:

            1. I shall become what God wants me to become because I will lay hold of His precious and magnificent promises and partake of His divine nature.

            Now repeat phrase number 1. Again. One more time.

            Too many Christian’s are ignorant of all the blessings of God that are available to them. Either they have never realized a promise was in the Bible, or felt certain it couldn’t be for them. It was only for the really spiritual ones. Or maybe they felt like they had done something so wrong that God didn’t want them to have it.

            God does want you to have these promises. His desire is for all His children to live the Christian life to the utmost. Then the world will want to become Christians too, when they see how much God loves His children. All that unbelievers have heard is how bad they are, and what a terrible punishment awaits them when they die. They’ve seen Christians fail and fall. They don’t want any part of it.

            The Scriptures that follow are quoted from the New American Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted; so the thought may sound familiar, yet a little different from what you may have memorized. Sometimes two or more Scriptures are combined to form a thought. If more than one is used, it too will be quoted or at least referenced.

The saints will judge the world.  

1 Corinthians 6:2
2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

            We will have an awesome responsibility one day. If God can entrust such a thing to us then, shouldn’t we be responsible enough to do things here and now? We, as Christians, should be more active in politics, the courts, the school boards, and many other things. We are more than able to do so, and we should take our places in society. That is so we can have a life closer to what we as Christians desire than we have now.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My special ones and shall reign victoriously with Me. Why do you say that you are nothing and can do nothing? Do you think that I would want to have a people who were of no value and could do nothing for My Kingdom? I want a people who know Me and know My Word; for it is in My Word that judgment shall come. You cannot judge rightly without knowledge of My Word. It is in My Word that judgment shall come upon all flesh. If you do not know My Word, you cannot know what is right and what is wrong … both for you and for those around you. You shall judge the world, but now My Word shall judge you. It is not something to be feared, for I would never harm you. It is for your good to know My Word and to allow it to judge you. Once you have passed the judgment of My Word, then you can be free to judge the world.”

            90. When He returns, we the saints, will judge the world.

            I just finished watching “Fiddler on the Roof” again. At the end, Mottle says, “We’ve been waiting for the Messiah a long time. Wouldn’t this be a good time for Him to come?” We as Christians have been waiting almost two thousand years for Him to come again. Wouldn’t this be a good time for Him to return?

All things made new:  

Revelation 21:5
5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

            All things will be made new. How marvelous! There may be things that we think are great, but there are a lot more that as Christians we despise. We want a place where righteousness dwells.

            We all like new things … new car, new TV, new furniture, even a new home. Why not have all things new; not just new versus older editions of the same things, but completely new and different. He has promised, and He never fails in His promises.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not long for the old; for the old is disappearing and will be done away with. Long for the new of the Spirit; for in it is your salvation. You cannot survive without My newness of Spirit dwelling within you. You shall succeed and shall be overcomers as you walk in Me and My Spirit. You are My special ones and shall reign victoriously as you walk in Me.”

            89. When He returns, all things, including myself, will be made new.

Results:

            Cannot die any more:   

Luke 20:35-36
35 but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
36 for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

            This doesn’t mean that we have some list of things we must do in order to become worthy enough to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead. They worthiness comes from Him indwelling us, not from something we do. He is the reason for our resurrection.

            It says in these verses that we cannot die anymore. A lot of people live in fear of dying. If you believe that you will go to Heaven when you die, there is nothing to fear in death. That doesn’t mean you want to go right now, but that when the time comes, you won’t fear it.

            One night during the evening service, a pastor asked his congregation to raise their hands if they wanted to go to Heaven. All but one man raised his hand. The pastor asked, “You mean you don’t want to go to Heaven when you die?” The man replied, “Oh, you mean when I die! I thought you were getting up a busload to go tonight.”

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My children and as such you have an indestructible life. You cannot die anymore because My Spirit is dwelling within you. You are My special ones and shall never perish because of My life dwelling within you. You shall rise again on the Last Day. You shall be like Me and shall walk like Me; for there is no distinction among us in that way. We are alike in that we shall walk in newness of life and in the glory of the Lord Most High. His glory is in us and shall be displayed in us in that Day. Walk like children of Light.”

            88. I may die physically before He returns, but I cannot die spiritually ever again.

We’ll be like Him:  

1 John 3:2
2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

            Now we are children of God … not some day in the sweet bye-and-bye, but now. We don’t know for sure what our new bodies will be like. We do know for certain that they will be like Jesus’ body. What is true about His body will be true about ours. This verse also says that we will see Him just as He is.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children you are Mine, and I am yours. You are My children and so shall be like My Son. Your lives shall be like His and your bodies shall be like His. Just like with your children there is a likeness among them, so it is with My children. There is a likeness of glory among My children. You cannot tell them apart by looking at them, for they are all alike. They are walking in My glory and shall ever after maintain that glory in their bodies.”

            87. When He appears, I will be just like Him, and I will see Him as He truly is.

Life to your mortal bodies:

Romans 8:9-11
9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 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.

            Are you uncertain whether you are saved are not? Do you have Christ’s Spirit living in you? If you know for certain that you do, then you know that you belong to God. If you’re not certain, then you can ask Him to come in and make His dwelling place in you. He wants you to be sure that you are His. Otherwise, you won’t be as effective as you could be. Then you will know that you are no longer in the flesh.

            Because of sin (notice it did not say sins … those you may commit each day), the body is dead. It cannot relate to God; but our spirits are alive because of the righteousness of Christ living inside us. Because of the Holy Spirit living in us, we know that the same Father who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to our dead bodies on the day He returns. It is that indwelling Spirit that will bring about our resurrected bodies.

            We have Almighty God living inside. If we kept that in mind all day long, how differently we would behave!

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not think that I will abandon you. I have chosen you to be like Me in life and in death. When you see Me in the resurrection, you shall be like Me. Your mortal flesh will be done away with and you shall have a new body; one which will never suffer or wear out. When you reign with Me, you shall walk in My glory. The body that you now live in cannot stand in the presence of My glory. But the new body that you will have one day can survive in My presence; for it shall be like Mine. You have My Spirit dwelling in you. He it is who will bring your body into conformity with Mine at the resurrection. It is not that long off. Do not fear and do not give up. Keep trusting in Me and be patient; for I will bring it to pass at the proper time. Now is not the proper time, but it shall soon be here. Do not try to figure out when that will be. It will be at just the right moment when mankind is least expecting it. So don’t you  be like them and give up waiting for Me. Remember the story of those in charge who thought their master would be long in  coming and began to beat those under them. They will suffer the consequences; but you won’t if you have patience and wait expectantly for My return.”

            86. He will give His resurrection life to my mortal body when He returns.

Our Bodies:

            United in the likeness of His resurrection:  

Romans 6:3-8
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

            This is a very powerful passage about the Christian life. Verses 5 and 8 are the ones applicable to our present topic. This is guaranteeing that we’ll be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection. The same kind of body He has in His resurrection, we will have in ours. It will be a glorious, sin free one. It will never die. It will never get sick or wear out. It will be in His glory. We died with Him, and we shall live with Him.

            The other verses talk about how that being “dead” in Him, we shouldn’t behave like we use to. That old man is dead. We should behave like He did when He was on earth. We should glorify Him with our lives. Sin is no longer our master. He is. Our nature no longer is a sin one. It is a righteous one. We should allow our righteous nature to rule our lives. We can choose to do so. However, we must make that choice every day. We make it one time at the beginning, and then remind ourselves of it every day for the rest of our earthly lives.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My special ones, and as such I have great plans for you. I did not choose you out of the world to let you fail. I did not choose you to continue to walk in the same paths that you did before I saved you. I desired from the beginning that you would walk in the same manner that I walked. I desired that you should be free in Me. This freedom is not a freedom to sin, but rather a freedom to choose to follow after Me. When you were in the world, you were not free to choose to not sin. You had no choice. You were born to sin like your father Adam. But now that you have come to know Me and to walk in My freedom, you have a freedom to choose to walk in My Spirit and to not sin. You may make use of this choice or you may not. That is up to you. However, I know that you will be happiest when you walk in My Spirit and to not sin. Trust in Me to make it happen. I will not let you fail. I greatly desire that you succeed.”

            85. I will be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection when He returns.

Chapter 10

Second Coming

            Many people of the world do not believe that the Messiah has come the first time. They are still anticipating that first arrival. We Christians believe that the Messiah came two thousand years ago in the person of Jesus Christ. We believe He is coming again for the second, not the first, time. Some believe He could come at any moment, while others believe it will be a while before He does. There are many passages in the Bible proclaiming His second coming. What is our destiny concerning His second coming? Should we be looking forward to that coming with eager anticipation, or with fear and dread?

Process:

            Glorified in His saints:   

2 Thessalonians 1:10
10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.

Colossians 3:4
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

            There is a fixed day in which He is coming. We cannot miss it, for He will be glorified in us. We will also marvel at Him. There is no way that we can know exactly how it will be. As the song says, “I can only imagine” what it will be.

            The second passage says that He is our life. We may think that our family, ministry, or job is our life, but He is our life. Not only will He be revealed, but also, we will be revealed at the same time. There will be no “secret” saints. We’re not supposed to be secret anyway. We’re supposed to let our lights shine before men in order to bring glory to Him.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children do not think that I am not coming back or that I am long delaying My return. My return will be at the right moment and in the right circumstances. There will be no delay. It will happen at the right time. Do not worry or complain. You are here until I return. You are to occupy until then. You are not fighting to barely hold on. You are victorious in Me. You are more than conquerors, so act like it. You shall storm the enemy’s camp. You shall overcome him and his allies; for you are in Me and I am in you to achieve victory. You cannot fail as long as you walk in My power and love. You shall achieve all that I have desired for you to achieve. Do not hesitate to trust in Me to achieve victory. You shall walk in My glory; for I have planned that from the beginning. Do not hesitate, but rather go forth in My name and in My power to achieve all that I have planned for you.”

            84. You are coming to be glorified in me on that day when You return. I will then be revealed in Your glory.

One flock:

            One flock … one Shepherd:  

John 10:16
16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

            There is not the Methodist flock, the Baptist flock, the Pentecostal flock, etc. It’s one flock with one label … Christian. As we get closer to the end, it will become more and more important for us to be undivided. United we stand, divided we fall. Not the Church … it’s going to stand. Our denomination might fall, but the Church never will.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are not the only ones that I have in My heart. There are others in the world that I desire to have in My Fold. As you work together, they will want to come to be a part of you. They will want to work together to accomplish all that I have desired. You are My Sheep, and I have longed to lay down beside quiet water with you. But you have long resisted that because you cannot abide those that are not like you. You must accept others of My Flock as they are. They cannot change what they are. Only I can change them. Do not wait till they become like you to accept them. Accept them as they are and allow Me to change them in My way and in My time. You were not perfect when I chose you. You were not perfected when you came to Me. You have grown greatly in the time since you came to Me. Had the others around you said that they would not accept you until you were like them, you would not have been accepted by them even yet. Come together in Me and be one; for I have only one Flock, and it is precious in Me.”

            83. I am part of one flock that has only one Shepherd … the Lord Jesus Christ.

            The old song goes … “We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord. We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord. And we pray that all unity may one day be restored. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

Perfected in unity:  

John 17:23
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

  

            Perfection only comes through unity. That is the way the Church will be perfected. We seek the best for all, not just for ourselves. It’s through this unity that the world will know that the Church is what He said it would be. They will know that it is the true reality they’ve been searching for all their lives. They will believe that He really is who He says He is. Only God could bring about this kind of unity among mankind. It couldn’t happen by man’s doing. This unity is what it’s all about.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are nothing when you work separately. But if you work together in unity, you are stronger than anything that can come against you. The world has never seen a people work together like I would have you to do. They have only seen bickering and selfishness. When you work together for My Kingdom, the unity you display will amaze those around you. They will know that it has to be from Me, for no other way could it be done. Apart from Me you are nothing. Apart from each other you can do nothing. I have planned it that way so that you would have to accept one another and to love one another. You are strong in Me, and when others see that they will want to join you. No one likes to be a part of something that is divisive. They want to be a part of something that is unified … that works together for the common good. You can bring many people to Me by working together in My love. Then people will know that I am in your midst when you work together for each other’s good and for My Kingdom’s good.”

            82. I and my fellow believers will be perfected in unity.

Unity:

            Two agree about what they ask:  

Matthew 18:18-19
18 “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
19 “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.

            Talk about powerful! Again, the idea isn’t that we happen to decide on binding or loosing something, and then God goes along with it. The idea is that they have already been bound or loosed in Heaven. We determine that we should follow suit here on earth. Then God puts it into effect here as it already is in Heaven.

            Being a mathematician, I don’t like the word anything in verse 19. Suppose I have ten very desirable objects on my desk and say, “Take anything from my desk”. Some people would only take one object thinking I meant any one thing. Others might take two or three. And still others would take all of them. However, if I say take everything from my desk, there is no mistaking what I meant. That’s the idea here. It’s not just that the two or three happen to agree on some one thing that they may ask, and that’s what would be done for them and not the rest that they didn’t agree on.  It means that they are in total agreement about everything they may ask. That unity brings about the results desired.  

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, you have no idea how much power you have together. You have no idea how much you could accomplish for My Kingdom if you would work together. You can do all things through Me provided you work together. There is nothing you cannot do when you cooperate with Me and with one another. This is not optional. You must work together for the good of My Kingdom. You cannot accomplish anything of value apart from Me or apart from one another. I have planned it that way so that you must cooperate with one another. Together you can overcome the devil. Apart, you are food for his delight. He will devour you if you try to operate outside of Me or outside of one another. He cannot overcome you if you work together in Me. You are a solid rock when you work together in Me.”

            81. I will operate in unity with my fellow believers. Therefore just two of us agreeing on everything we ask can be certain that whatever we ask shall be done.

Holy Temple:

            Living stones - spiritual house:  

1 Peter 2:5
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

            We stones are living. We should stop acting like we’re dead. Our purpose is to be built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood. We need to change our thoughts and attitudes. We’re meant for something special. This holy priesthood has a special duty … to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God. God hasn’t done away with sacrifices. It’s just that they are spiritual instead of physical. This is part of our purpose in His life. We need to seek to do the best we can to see that it happens.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My special people. You are a House for My habitation. You are My holy House where I dwell. You are the ones that I have chosen from among all the people of the earth to bring forth My Kingdom in this age. You are the ones to lead the people of the world to Me. You are where I dwell and where I reign from. There is no other place where I dwell outside of My people … My House. There is no other place where My people are one … where they come together in My name and worship Me. Wherever you are, there I am. You are My holy dwelling place, and I desire to be nowhere else but in your presence.”

            80. I am a living stone. I am being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood so that I can offer up spiritual sacrifices.

His Church cannot be overpowered:

Matthew 16:18
18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

            How many times has the Church acted like the gates of Hades could not overpower it … not very often; at least in our lifetime? Perhaps in the very beginning she did. We’re so fragmented that it’s a wonder we survived. That’s not the way we’re supposed to be. We’re supposed to be exhibiting His power. That power created the universe. Nothing can overpower it. We, the Church, should be making much more of an impact in this world.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are strong in Me, My children. You are a rock upon which I will build My house. You cannot be shaken when you work together for My Kingdom. When you work for your ideals and goals, My Kingdom suffers. When you work together, you cannot be defeated and the enemy will fall before you. You are My rock and strength. The enemy does not know how to destroy you or stop you when you work together for the good of My Kingdom. He only knows how to stop and destroy you when you fight with each other and try to drag down each other. Work together for the good of My Kingdom and you will have good success.”

            79. I am a part of His Church which is built on the rock of revelation that is so solid that the enemy cannot overpower it, hence, cannot overpower me.

The Church:

            Church – His body; His fullness:  

Ephesians 1:22-23
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,
23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

            I have news for some of you. God doesn’t have plan B. This is it … the Church. If it doesn’t work, then He fails. However, He won’t fail. God doesn’t know how to fail. Everything He plans and executes works. We’re part of His body. Since all things were put in subjection under His feet, they are under our feet. Now some people would have us believe that we control all things because of that. We do, only so long as He permits us to. We can only do it if He allows us. We don’t decide, and then He goes along with it. It’s when we determine that it is His will, and then the things we’re up against can be put under our feet too. In other words, He doesn’t just rubber stamp whatever we do. He gives us permission only if it is according to His predetermined will.

            We’re to show forth His fullness … He who fills all in all. How seldom do we exhibit that fullness!

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My Body. You are my completeness. I cannot do without you, but you cannot do without Me either. You are complete in Me, but you need one another to come into perfection. Apart from Me you can do nothing. With Me we can accomplish all that My Father has intended. Do not despise those that do not belong to your group or who do not believe as you do. Together we will succeed in overcoming the enemy’s plans for the end times.”

            78. I am a part of the Church and therefore a part of His body … the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Chapter 9

All Together

            We’re in this thing together for all eternity. We need to act like it. Too many of God’s people refuse to associate with certain believers and even treat them worse than they do unbelievers. God desires for us to be one in Him. He can’t have that when we go our own way. There is no one group that has His favor over any others. We all do. Jesus said that when we act unified and love one another, people will know we’re of Him and that Christianity is for real.

Body:

            Whole body … fitted and held together:

Ephesians 4:16
16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

           

            He’s our source, but we supply what is needed for the body. If we’re not working as we should, the body won’t grow as it should. How do we build up ourselves? - in love. If we don’t show love to one another (even those that don’t believe the same as we do), the body won’t grow. If a baby isn’t shown the proper love, it won’t grow up the way it should … neither will the body of Christ. We need to work together in His love. The whole body (not just a few “special” pieces) is being fitted and held together. Then we will grow properly and people will know that what He says about His Church is true.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are not My children. You are all together as one. You are all dependent upon one another. There is no one above another in My Kingdom. You are all special, and you are all needed to make My Body complete. I cannot do it without you, and you cannot do it without each other. Each one is special in My sight and has a special place in My Kingdom. You are all needed to make My Body complete. Do not fight and do not compete with one another. My Body is not one of strife but rather one of peace and unity. I need all of you and you need each other to make it work. We are all in this together and we need each other. Together you can become invincible. Apart from each other you will fail. My Kingdom will succeed, but you will fail. There is no one more special or more needed than another. Work together for the good of the whole. Night is coming quickly in which no man can work.”

            77. I am a part of the body of Christ and will supply my part to help the rest of the body to be fitted and held together.       

Righteous judgment of God: 

Romans 2:5-10
5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6 who will render to each person according to his deeds:
7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,
10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Revelation 22:12
12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.

            More verses confirming God’s judgment for wrong doing. He is going to render to us according to our deeds, whether done in righteousness or unrighteousness. Sometimes when God doesn’t zap us instantaneously after we do something wrong, we think He doesn’t see or doesn’t care. We tend to get lax in our obedience, thinking, we’ll just repent later. We don’t know how long He will be patient with us. We should always strive to do His will. We should do good to please Him, not to avoid judgment.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not think that I am come to put My seal of approval on all that you say and do. I am come that you might walk in the newness of My light; so that you may be a light to your generation. You should be such that those who see you would want to have Me as their Father. I discipline you, not to hurt you, but in order to bring you into the fullness of My life. You have My life within you, and you must bring others unto Me. I will not do it without you. You are My only means for others to see what I desire from My people. You are what will draw them unto Me. It is not signs and wonders, but rather the holiness of My people. If I let you go and do not bring you into My paths of righteousness, then they will think that I do not care about them. It is like a child. If the parent disciplines the child the way he should, the child will not resent the parent. The child will embrace the discipline of the parent; for the child knows within himself that the parent loves him and only wants the best for him. Such it is with Me … I discipline you so that you may walk in My path without fail. Then others will want to come unto Me so that they may walk in My holiness.”

            76. Since I know that I will face the righteous judgment of God, I will make sure that I only do good and inherit eternal life.

            We are accountable for all that we say, think, or do. We need to be careful to follow the leading of His Spirit. He doesn’t want a bunch of “loose cannons” running around “doing their own thing”. People will judge us many times wrongly for what we say and do. We don’t need to give them any ammunition by doing or saying things that are contrary to the Word of God. Some of them will turn their backs on God because of what some Christians show in their lives. We don’t want to aid the enemy in turning unbelievers away from God.

Judgment:

            Lord will judge His people:

Hebrews 10:30
30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”

            Don’t think you can get away with “murder” just because you’re born again. We will be judged by God. He is patient with us, but He wants us to be a shining light to the world. This doesn’t mean that He goes around slapping us with illness or other afflictions just because we sin. This would be like the thought in Jesus’ day displayed by His disciples when they asked, “Who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” God starts on the inside to bring about His sanctification in our lives. He doesn’t have to discipline us physically. He does so with His Spirit.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are not alone. I am with you wherever you go. I see and I hear all that is in your heart and in your mouth. I would have you to be a shining example to those around you that they may desire to come unto Me. When one is allowed to do and say whatever he desires, others will not want to come unto Me; for they say that there is no difference between that person and all the others in the world. That is why I want you to walk in My perfection so that they can see that My will is for a perfected people … people who will be a shining example unto others.”

            75. God will judge me. Therefore, I will make sure that I will stand before Him without fear of His judgment.

What You Say or Do:

            Every careless word will render account:  

Matthew 12:36
36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.

            It’s bad enough to think that we’ll be judged for the evil things we say, but this says that we’ll be judged for the careless words we speak. We’ve all heard of people who engage their tongues before they engage their brains (can anyone say 2016 Presidential election?).  We’ve all been guilty of this at least once in our lives. When this happens, one very easily could say something he/she later regrets. Our words have power to heal or destroy. Just as God spoke and created the universe, our words have power to bring life or death to ourselves and others. We need to be careful of everything we say. Many times the negative things we say have been preceded by unspoken negative thoughts. Keep watch over your thought life and you will keep watch over your verbal one.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not think that I am against just the really bad things that you say or do. I am against those things that would make people not look to Me as their Savior. Everything that deters them from coming to Me is what I am after … to remove it from your life. Your life should be such that those who see it would want to come after Me and to follow in My footsteps. They cannot want to follow Me if all they see and hear are things that are hurtful to others. Do not think that I am here to judge you. I am here to help you become what you should be … that which is good, and acceptable, and perfect. You are not your own. You were bought with a very high price. It is My blood that bought you, and I would have you to be a perfect example to those in the world that they may come unto Me.”

            74. Every careless word I speak I will render account for it. Therefore, I will closely watch whatever I say.

Chapter 8

Accountability

            We should strive for sanctification because we are accountable to God. It is our destiny. We may not be dancing in the aisles because of it, but it is something that we are destined to face. Not all our destiny is something to write home about joyfully. Yet, in the end it is for our good; as all things from God are good. If we weren’t accountable, we could do as we please and bring shame upon Him and His Kingdom. It is necessary that we live our lives to His glory, not our pleasures.

Can’t Hide Things:

            All is open to His eyes:  

Hebrews 4:13
13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

            “You can run, but you can’t hide” is the saying. This is definitely true with God. There is nowhere we can run that He can’t find us. We also can’t hide anything from Him. I once heard an easy way to remember what the word omniscient means … He knows it. Whatever we’ve said, done, or thought He knows it. In fact He knew we were going to do it before we even thought about doing it.

Since we can’t hide anything from Him, then why try to? He isn’t this way to be mean and punish us. He only wants what is best for us, and this is what will bring us closer to Him and His way of behaving.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My children, and I see your every move. That is not something to fear, but something to embrace. For I do not watch over you to punish you but to protect you from harm … harm from others and from yourself. You should not fear My oversight, but relish it. I do not do it to harm you, but to bring you into My glory here on earth. It is not that I delight is showing you the bad things you do. It is that I desire that you walk in My righteousness and to know My peace. You cannot know them without My oversight. You would do and say things that would hurt others if I did not watch over you. Trust Me that I will bring you into My freedom … the freedom of the children of God.”

            73. I have nothing to hide from Him, for all things that I say, do, or think are open to His eyes.

Righteous shine forth:

Matthew 13:43
43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

            One day, when He returns, we will shine forth as the sun. Right now, most of us either have our “Sonshine” overshadowed by the dark clouds of unbelievers in our everyday lives, or we choose to not let it be seen for whatever reason. When this time mentioned comes, there will be no darkness left in His kingdom to overshadow us. We will shine forth as the Son.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My children, and as such you are the lights of the world. They can see how to come unto Me when you walk as lights to them. They will know Me and how to find Me as you lead them into My paths of righteousness. Walk in My light, and you will be a light to the nations. You are My special ones, and you will shine forth as beacons in a time of storm for all those who perish,”

            72. I am righteous because of Him in me, and I will shine forth in the Kingdom of my Father.

            Truly His desire and our destiny is our sanctification. Why try to fight it? Why try to keep living the way we did before becoming a Christian? It is for our benefit, not our harm to live a sanctified life. Too many people think that means giving up all our “fun” activities. When we walk with Him, we realize that what we thought of as fun isn’t all that great. We can live quite happily without those activities that are displeasing unto Him. It’s your destiny … live it!

Sins wiped away … times of refreshing:  

Acts 3:19
19 “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;

           

            We all get tired from time to time. We get bogged down in the cares of the world. If we’ve sinned and not repented of it, we feel even more weighed down. As it talks about in Hebrews 12:1, we need to “lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us”. When we repent, we come into His presence. In His presence is fullness of joy. We are refreshed. His joy washes over us, and our spirits dance in ecstasy.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not the things of the world weigh you down? Do not submit to them. They cannot bring peace and they cannot bring you happiness. You are not of the world. You are in it, but you have overcome the world because I have overcome the world. It cannot affect you because I am in you. Do not let it reign over you. You cannot have peace as long as you let the world rule over you. You have peace in Me and refreshing from My Spirit.”

           

            71. My sins have been wiped away. Times of refreshing are mine to be had.

Results:

            Crucified to the world:  

Galatians 6:14
14 But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

            Through the cross of Jesus, I am dead to the world. It has no power over me. It has no lure to the spirit man inside me. Nothing can influence a dead person. I can’t change it, and it can’t change me … at least the real me. Of course I can let it influence me in this life. That’s the problem. We’re dead to the world, but we act like it’s still in control of us. It is, only if we let it. The real us is not persuaded by the enticement of the world system. It doesn’t tempt us. If we would only allow His Spirit to control us, we would have no trouble in this life following His commands.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, you are not of the world and the world has no power over you. Do not submit yourselves to the things and desires of the world. It cannot save you, and it cannot help you in time of need. It can only bring you down. It has no influence over you unless you let it. It is powerless against My Spirit. You have power over the things of the world as long as you submit to Me. Trust in Me to take care of you and you will have good success.”

            70. The world is crucified to me and I to the world. It no longer holds power over me.

Disciplines to share His holiness:

Hebrews 12:6-10
6 For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,
And He scourges every son whom He receives.”
7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.

            Try using these verses as an altar call for salvation! How many do you think would come running down the aisle? Nobody wants to be disciplined, especially when you say that He scourges every son whom He receives. Jesus was physically scourged before His crucifixion.  It was an unbelievably painful experience. Maybe you’ve seen Mel Gibson’s, The Passion of the Christ. Even if Jesus suffered only half of what was depicted in the movie, most of us would not have survived. Now we’re talking about God scourging us? No thanks! Of course His scourging is not physical. It is inward; however, it can be quite painful if we resist. If we are quick to respond to His Spirit’s admonition to repent and change our ways, we don’t have to go through such a painful experience as we would otherwise. If our earthly fathers disciplined us, why not our Heavenly Father? Unlike some earthly fathers, He would never discipline us if we didn’t need it. He also has the infinite wisdom as to when and how to do it.

            In Proverbs 3:11-12, it warns us to not reject His discipline and to not loathe His reproof … that the one whom He loves, He reproves as a father his son in whom he delights.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You are My children. I would not willingly have you to suffer. However, you must walk in My path of holiness; for it cannot be that the world would think that you are just like them. They know that they are wrong, but they believe that you are just like them and do wrong also. They need to see that you walk in My path of holiness and do not desire the things of the world. It is not enough to just say that you do. You must show it in every circumstance. You cannot achieve this without My help. I have need to guide you into the paths of righteousness. You cannot obtain this without Me. You have a struggle to obey Me on you own. You need My help to walk in the path that I have chosen for you. You need My encouragement to keep walking in that straight and narrow path. It is not for the faint of heart, but for those willing to give up everything for Me. You cannot achieve perfection apart from Me. You need My guiding hand to help you on the way.”

            69. God loves me. Therefore, He disciplines me to share in His holiness.

How:

            Purified – zealous for good deeds:  

Titus 2:14
14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

            All those things we did in the past which were out of a rebellious heart … Jesus redeemed us from them. We were in bondage to sin; but He redeemed us. He didn’t redeem us just to get us out from under the bad things we had done. He redeemed us for Himself … His very own people for His very own possession. He didn’t want a blemished people. He wanted one purified for Himself. Why? So that we, being out from under the bondage to sin, would be zealous to do good deeds; not just to keep from doing the bad ones.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I desire that you have a strong desire to be like Me. I would have you walk in My path. You should have a passion for doing what is pleasing unto Me. You cannot have true success without walking in My holiness. It is not a path of least resistance, but rather one of strong resistance. You have to have a passion for My holiness to walk in this path. It is not a struggle that the faint of heart would take on. It is one of tremendous importance in your life. You cannot reach the place that I would have you to without overcoming the sin that begs you to obey it. It is not something that the flesh would choose. The flesh would choose a way of least resistance, but the spirit must choose the path to glory through obedience to Me.”

            68. God has purified me and I am zealous for good deeds.

Chapter 7

Sanctification

           

            What do we mean when we talk about sanctification? It means behaving like God would in the situation. What would God say? How would He act? Whatever the answer, that’s sanctification. That is what God is after in our lives. Those of us who are parents wanted our children to grow up to the point where we didn’t have to “keep after them to behave” … that is, they would “naturally” do the right thing.  Well, that’s what God wants. He wants us to grow up to the point where we will “supernaturally” behave the way we should without Him having to remind us. That is what sanctification is all about. We were legally in the spirit sanctified when we came to Christ. It is the outworking in our soul of that inward legal act in our spirit that brings us into the sanctification He is after. Some people believe that sanctification is a separate act of grace. We are not here to agree or disagree. What we are saying is that there has to come a point in your life where you say, “I am going to follow God and do what He wants me to do in my life.”

Calling/Chosen:

            Holy calling in sanctification:  

1 Thessalonians 4:7
7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.

2 Timothy 1:9
9 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,

            If God had wanted us to act like the people of the world, He wouldn’t have bothered to save us. He wouldn’t have needed to deliver us, because we would simply keep acting the way we always had. But God has a better plan for us. He called us to a holy life; one patterned after the one His Son lived on earth. This is not only a desire on His part … it is our destiny. This is what we were meant to do when He decided before the beginning of time to choose us to be His.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, I would hold you in My arms and speak peace unto you; for you have chosen the better way. You have chosen to walk in My Son’s footsteps. He walked in the way of holiness and chose to not sin. You have that privilege too. You can decide to walk in holiness and not sin. It is your choice. You have the ability to choose and you have the ability to lose. You can choose to walk in righteousness or in the path of sin. You can choose to not sin. It is not an easy path, but it is one that will bring pleasure unto Me and peace unto you. You have the choice. I cannot choose for you. You must decide to walk in the paths of righteousness. I cannot do that for you. I can only help you to walk in that path. I cannot walk it for you. I will however tell My Spirit to help you to walk in that path.”

            67. God has called me with a holy calling in sanctification. Therefore, I will walk in a manner worthy of my calling.

You Shall:

            Go in and out and find pasture:  

John 10:9
9 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.

            We’re not “locked” in the sheepfold. We are free to go in and out. We don’t have to stay where the grass is not plentiful. We can seek His pasture. Be sure to stay in His pasture and not wander looking for greener ones, especially by yourself. The pastures may look greener, but there are wolves in them. We have all we need in His pasture.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You have come unto Me. I am the Good Shepherd. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I have bought you with a price, and I shall not soon forsake those who have come unto Me. I am yours, and you are Mine. I would not throw away those that are Mine. Come unto Me and find rest for your souls. There is peace in no one else. There is hope in no one else. There is salvation in no one else. You are My sheep, and I am your Shepherd. You shall never roam alone. You shall always have Me; for I am the Good Shepherd and I forsake not My own.”

            66. I shall go in and out and find pasture wherever I go.

            These were just a few of the many results that are our destiny. We are free to enjoy them, but if we don’t know they are ours, we may never experience them the way we should. Each day we should repeat all the results that are our destiny. As we do, our faith rises and we begin to experience them in our lives.

All Things:

            The spiritual appraise all things:  

1 Corinthians 2:15
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.

            As Christians, we are judged by those of the world. If we fall, they say, “See, it doesn’t work.” Even though their judgment is unjust and we shouldn’t let it bother us, we usually do let it disturb us and keep us from living the kind of life we should. We, through the Spirit, should be able to judge the actions of others. It is difficult sometimes to allow Him to do the judging. Some people seem to get too much pleasure judging others.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "Do not fear the criticisms of those around you who say, ‘You are stupid for believing that God is real and that He loves you’. You have no need to fear them. They are but a vapor that will dissipate into the wilderness. You shall stand forever because you have trusted in Me for your salvation. Do not listen to their taunts and jokes about you. You cannot be defeated by them and so you should not fear their insults. You shall reign forever with Me, so why pay attention to their insults. They are the ones that shall soon be sorry that they have not believed in Me.”

            65. I am spiritual through Him who indwells me and I appraise all things.

Salt:

            Salted with fire:  

Mark 9:49
49 “For everyone will be salted with fire.

            We’ve probably all heard messages on salt (adding flavor; being a preservative; etc.) and on fire, and they all say it better than I could. What I want to look at is the statement that we will be salted with fire. It is the fire that brings about the flavor and preservative characteristics of this salting. The fire burns away the dross from our old life and leaves the “flavor” of the new. Fire hurts, but this fire is beneficial. It leaves us much stronger than before. Many Christians resist the inward fire. It is necessary for us to experience this in our lives. We need to determine, though, if this is God’s cleansing fire or the devil’s tempting one. He sends his fire to destroy us. We must resist that one.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "There is a fire coming upon the world. It is a fire that will burn up the chaff of mankind. It is a fire that will destroy the works of the devil. It is a fire that will purify My people. You are My special one, and I desire that you come to know Me in My cleansing fire. You will either be cleansed by My fire or destroyed by it. It is a cleansing and redeeming fire. It is a fire of purity and grace. All who go through the fire and are not scorched by it shall come into My blessings on the earth as well as in Heaven.”

            64. I shall be salted with fire and shall come through unscathed like the three Hebrew children.

Conscience:

            Hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience:  

Hebrews 10:22
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

            Whenever they touched a dead body in the Old Covenant, they had to be sprinkled with pure water prepared in a special way. They could then after a short time be considered clean. They could not participate in anything spiritual until they followed the formula for cleansing that God had established. They couldn’t come before God and have their sacrifices acceptable until then.

            When we made Jesus Lord of our lives, our hearts were sprinkled clean from all the evil our old (now dead) man had done. Our conscience was now clear. We hadn’t done those evil things. Our old man did them. Now we can come near to God with a sincere heart, being fully assured that we are acceptable to Him.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "You can before boldly, My children because you have been bought with a price. It is a price of untold riches. It is a price of untold grace. It is a price of untold boldness. It is a price of untold suffering. You are not some unwelcome piece of trash, but one of delightful longing. I have desired to know you from the beginning of time, but it is only recently that you have come to know Me. You are Mine from the beginning of Creation, but you are just recently My special one. You have known My grace and you will know My favor as you rest in My love for you. You shall not know hardship as My Son knew hardship on the cross. But you shall know My love in your heart for you have come unto Me and have accepted Me as your Savior.”

            63. My heart has been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience. Therefore, I can trust it when it tells me that I have done something right or something wrong.

Something Better:

            We have a better hope:

Hebrews 7:19
19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

Hebrews 11:39-40
39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised,
40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.

            There were many promises in the Law for the children of Israel. They had a hope in the present and in the future through their relationship with God in the covenant they had with Him. However, they could not draw near to God. He was always far off. They could only hope that they had done whatever was necessary for them to be heard by Him when they cried for help. They did, though, have a hope in this covenant. In the second Scripture associated with this concept, the great men and women of old gained approval with God through their faith; and yet, they didn’t receive the Great Promise that God had made to them.

            We have a greater hope based on better promises made to us. Through the New Covenant, we can draw near to God. He is not far away from us like He was with them. We can know Him personally through His Son, Jesus. We can experience His promises in this life and the next.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My people of old had a hope in Me. It was a hope that they did not see and had no idea of exactly what it would be like. You have a hope fixed on Me that will bring you into a better life on earth, not just in Heaven. You have a freedom they did not have. You have insight that they did not have. They could not see, yet they believed in Me. You can see because you believed in Me. As you walk in Me, you will see the hope realized in your life. There is more to come, but there is a revelation of that future hope in Me as you allow My Spirit to reveal it to you. You cannot find it apart from Him. In Me you have hope. In the world you have no future. You  only have failure in the world.”

            62. I have an even greater hope than the people of God in the Old Testament. That’s because there is something better for me than they had.

Freedom:

            Called us to freedom:  

Galatians 5:13
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

            We weren’t called to slavery, but rather to freedom. We are free in Him. However, we don’t use this freedom to do any sinful thing we wish. We use it to do His will; to walk in the manner that He wishes us to walk. We use this freedom to serve one another through His love indwelling us. We don’t do it because we have to, but because we love one another and want the best for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I did not call into slavery, but into freedom … not the freedom that the world desires. That kind of freedom only wants the freedom to do the desires of the flesh. I called you into the freedom that desires to do the will of the Spirit. You will walk in true freedom when you walk in My Spirit. Then you will not carry out the desires of the flesh, but will carry out the desires of My Spirit. That is true freedom. You are not a slave unto the desires of the flesh, but rather free to obey Me and walk in newness of life.”

            61. He has not called me to bondage but to freedom in Him.

All Things New:

            Walk in newness of life:  

Romans 6:3-8
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,

            Some people believe that baptism is just an outward sign of an inward change. Others believe it’s more than that. Some believe you must be baptized in a certain manner; others using a certain word formula. We’re not going to get into that. We’re assuming that each of us has been properly baptized (whatever that means).

            The old man is dead and buried. We shouldn’t keep digging him up to see if he’s come back to life. In other words, we shouldn’t still be acting like we did before we made Jesus Lord of our lives. We should be walking in this newness of life, not death. Our old man was crucified when He was crucified. We shouldn’t keep doing the same things we did before. We are no longer slaves to sin. That doesn’t mean we never sin once becoming Christians. It means that sin is no longer the boss.

            In verse 5 it says that we shall also be united with Him in the likeness of His resurrection. What was accomplished in Him through His death and resurrection is and will be accomplished in us.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "My children, I did not save you so that you could continue to walk in the same way that you have all your life. I saved you that you might be an example to others around you … that they might want what you have. I saved you that you should walk like I walked when I was on the earth. I do not want you to be like the people of the world. I want them to be like you. You are to be an example unto them so that they will know that I care about My people and I care about them. I want you to become salt in the earth that others may thirst for Me. You are to be like I am, not like they are. So commit yourself to Me that you walk even as I walked. Then others will want to become like you and to know Me.”

            60. Because of all that He has done for me, I am able to walk in newness of life and not in the former way of death.