Can Only Occur If

Reconciliation can only occur if there is a two sided coin used. One sincerely repents, the other completely forgives. Joseph- Anthony: Green

Born Crucified, yet Alive in Christ

The Christian life is a daily putting off all that belonged to the unregenerate old self and constantly putting on all that belongs to the new life in Christ. The cross and the resurrection extend their power and influence over the believer’s entire life.

The Christian life is constantly producing new life. This new life in Christ through His Spirit must be daily replacing within the soul what our daily crucifixion of the flesh is taking away. This new life in Christ fills the emptiness created by self-denial with some new likeness of Christ. In place of the natural affection, there comes some new divine affection (Eph. 4:17-32).

“You are dead . . . . you are risen with Christ” (Col. 3:1, 6).

The flesh will never produce a strong spiritual life that pleases God and looks and smells like authentic Christianity. The flesh will always disgrace the Lord Jesus Christ no matter how you try to dress it up in legalism.

The Holy Spirit is busy making real in the believer’s life what is already true of him doctrinally.

The believer has not only died, but is to “die daily” with Christ as long as we live in this present life because we are in “an irreconcilable enmity” between the flesh and the spirit (Gal. 5:17). We have no option but to take up the cross daily in following Christ. The flesh can only reproduce itself. It holds no possibility of a divine life. This dying to self and sin is something we do daily.

Our life-long growth in Christ-likeness is a determination to deliver us to death for Christ’s sake all that is kin to our old life before we gave our lives to Christ. It is also a commitment to put on Christ daily.

It is each believer’s responsibility to submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in mortifying the flesh and therefore bring our body under the dominion of the cross of Christ.

Moreover, the Christian life is not just a life of crucifixion; it is also a new life in Christ Jesus.

“You are risen with Christ.” This is the second part of this essential doctrine of Christian living. Our progressive sanctification includes both “taking off” the old self and “putting on” the new. Since “you are risen with Christ” keep on “seeking those things which are above.”

Yes, we “die daily,” but we were also made a “new creation” in Christ and our inward person is being “renewed day by day.”

The apostle Paul wrote, “I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

The daily spiritual growth of the Christian towards perfection lies always in these two opposite directions. The believer is always subjecting, repressing, and mortifying the natural man on the one hand, and nourishing, developing, and renewing the spiritual man on the other. It is not one or the other; it is both principles and activities working in conjunction with one another.

It is our responsibility to daily judge and mortify all that we find in our attitudes, behaviors and values that are in the flesh and contrary to authentic Christian living. Yes, there must be a daily denial to anything that is not Christ-like.

A negative process is never adequate to accomplish a positive goal. And no amount or kind of self-denial can make a person holier, or sinless. What is needed is the means of bringing him into more intimate fellowship with Christ. Every retreat from the life of the flesh must be followed by a deeper entering into the life of the Spirit. We take off the old man, and we put on the new man in Christ.

As we abide in Christ, we walk as our Lord walked.

SELAH! Pause – reflect- just think of that!

Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006

Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author’s written consent.

When People Fight Their Way Through

When people fight their way through their doubts to the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord, they have attained to a certainty that those who unthinkingly accept things can never reach.
William Barclay

Make Us Either

Difficulties make us either better or bitter.  Unknown

Is Not at All The

“To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.”- G. K. Chesterton

Lessons Satan Taught Me

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 The Holy Bible, The New Living Translation

I have found satan constantly torments me when I am swimming laps.

I do three different types of strokes for fifteen minutes each.

He constantly torments me that I am too tiered, the time is too long, my body is too old to do these anymore. You almost did fifteen minutes why not quit now.

I persist in continuing and at the end feel pretty good about the accomplishment.

If satan constantly torments me in the pool, think of how much he torments each of us in our daily walk with Jesus and to just slack off a little bit here and there or not bother with this or that as Christ is directing us. We can put it off or quit early.

I do not believe The Holy Spirit will help us but that we must make the commitment ourselves to be obedient unto Christ rather than the world.

Prayer: Thank you Jehovah Immeka (Judges 6:12 The LORD Is with You ) for blessing me with The Holy Spirit to encourage me to succeed while satan it tormenting me to surrender in defeat. I praise You in the name of He who defeated satan on the cross, Jesus Christ.

AmenSeleh- stop and think about it.

This photo and article @ Joseph- Anthony a son of Jehovah 2023

I Want to Know One Thing

I want to know one thing: the way to heaven. John Wesley

So Must You Be.

The joy of the Lord is your strength, and as your Master was anointed with the oil of gladness in his work, so must you be.
Charles Spurgeon

Poor Imitation of Him I Am

God had an only Son, and He was a missionary and physician. A poor, poor imitation of Him I am, or wish to be. David Livingstone

Take Time to Be

Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; abide in him always, and feed on his word. Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak, forgetting in nothing his blessing to seek.

Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; spend much time in secret with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like him thou shalt be; thy friends in thy conduct his likeness shall see.