Most believers haven't been taught who we've been born-again to be in Christ Jesus. Some still insist on operating by our own understand, instead of by God's Word and His Spirit. We've tried making the Word work by our own terms, rather than by the Laws that govern God's Kingdom in which we now live. We mostly think of Heaven as being a place we'll go to when we leave this planet in death or at the return of Jesus. Most of us never see ourselves as actually being part of Heaven now or are living as citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.
We've been taught that when Jesus said, "I come that you might have Life" in John 10:10, He was speaking about our going to Heaven when we die. The Church has adapted to the carnal thoughts and ideas of man, instead of the Truth in God which tells us that, "We are already living in this Life that Jesus came to bring." Hebrews 10:38 (Amplified) says, "But the just shall live by faith, My righteous servant shall live by his conviction respecting man's relationship to God and Divine things and holy fervor born of faith and conjoined together in it. And if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in Him." Ephesians 2:19 (Amplified) says, "Therefore you are no longer outsiders, exiles, migrants, and aliens excluded from the rights as citizens, but you now share citizenship with the saints (God's Own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself), and you belong to God's Own household."
Jesus spoke about "Not putting new wine in an old wine skin." He was speaking about bringing the new covenant and replacing the Law with it. Trying to put new Life into people who only knew the carnal life, is almost as difficult. It's hard for us to turn loose of what we know and understand, replacing it with something we don't understand.
The song, "Give Me that Old Time Religion" is nearly branded in our minds and ingrained in our souls. The old country songs about working hard to get to Heaven, found a place in our consciences and souls It's hard to rise above these things, unless we know how to live the Life that Jesus gave us. The people in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified) were concerned about living this life, when Jesus told them, "Don't be anxious about these things, but seek God first and all these things besides would be granted or added to them besides." Thus, He said, "But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right) and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
Is the way we've been taught to live this new Life, God's way of doing and being right? Are we trying to put this new Life (new wine), into old wine skins? What is God's way of doing or being right? Being right, righteous and in right standing with God, can only come by faith in Christ Jesus and His Righteousness on our behalf. The harder we work to get to Heaven, the farther we get from God's way of being right. We try moving God to do what we need or want, with tears and crying. We struggle against any new way of Life, that instructs us to have faith when we approach Him in prayer.
The world has rubbed off on us, making us see ourselves as victims and outcasts and "beggars on a dung hill." God's people have been taught that we must be poor, sick, rejected and to suffer, in order to deserve Heaven and God's Love. We've adopted the world's idea of this new Life Jesus came to give us, instead of learning how to live this Life from God's Word and the Holy Spirit. The only way to Live in the Spirit is to learn how from the Spirit. Jesus prayed in John 17:3,22 (Amplified), "And this is Eternal Life, it means to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with and understand) You, the only True and Real God and likewise to know Him (Jesus), as the Christ, the Anointed One Whom You have sent." Jesus continued in Verse 22, "I have given to them the Glory and Honor which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are One."
Jesus wasn't delivering the saints to be victims of the world, but to be victorious over the world. Have we truly sought Him out in His Word and sought fellowship with Him, asking "What is Your way?" Most of us have done it our way, without bothering to learn His ways. We've prayed and done what generations before us have done. They had little success in prayer, but continued repeating the same methods they used to pray. Instead of changing, we've made excuses for why God didn't answer our prayers. We've followed our own way of doing and being right, without results.
Just prior to His Ascension, Jesus said in John 16:13 (Amplified), "But when He (the Spirit of Truth, the Truth-Giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth), For He will not speak His Own Message on His Own Authority, but He will tell whatever He hears from the Father: He will give the Message that has been given to Him, and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come (that will happen in the future)."
Jesus said that, "I only say what I hear My Father say, and I only do what I see My Father do." Jesus said that He was sending the Holy Spirit to us, so we can hear from the Father through the Holy Spirit, like Jesus did in His earthly ministry. Some in Christian circles even, roll their eyes and smirk if someone says, "I'm speaking what God told me to say." They do this, even though Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will teach and guide us. This is God's way of doing and being right.
The Holy Spirit will give us Revelation knowledge about God's way of doing and being right. Some today are like those under the Law, who didn't believe this Truth when Jesus spoke it. Having lived under the victim mentality for so long, it's not popular to teach God's people that we have authority and dominion, as heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus, that we're kings and priests of this new creation covenant and that we're God-sent ambassadors to teach the world about His Love.
We continue trying to do it our own way, instead of God's way and when it doesn't work, we say, "It must not be God's will" or "God doesn't do this for everyone" or "God put this on me to teach me something." These are excuses for our refusing to learn God's way of doing and being right. We stubbornly approach God, thinking He's the One Who will have to change; not us."
Jesus was explaining His leaving to His disciples in John 16:23 (Amplified), saying, "And when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me (you will need to ask Me no questions), I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, That My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name as presenting all that I Am." God's way of doing and being right is that, "The Father will grant to us, whatever we ask in Jesus' Name, presenting all that He is." Is this part of God's Word working for you? If not, then can it be because we're doing it our own way, instead of God's way? If we're praying like the Word says and it's not working, then someone is wrong and I don't believe it's God. We must allow the Holy Spirit to teach us and pray that we're teachable to Him.
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