We read in God's Word that "we've been made the Righteousness of God," but most of us have never seen ourselves like the Father sees us in Christ Jesus. We read how we've become new creations through Christ Jesus, but we continue thinking of ourselves as "old sinners." We remember who we once were and by focusing on this, we allow the enemy to enter our lives. He will lie and tell us that, "You're unworthy" and "You're not righteous enough to lay hands on the sick, cast out demons or do the righteous works of the Father." Guilt and condemnation will prevent us from fulfilling what the Father has called us to do.
1John 3:19-22 (Amp) says, "By this we shall come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we are of the Truth, and can reassure (quiet, conciliate and pacify) our hearts in His Presence. Whenever our hearts in tormenting self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemn us For we are in God's hands. For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts); and He knows (perceives and understands) everything; nothing is hidden from Him. And beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us (if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us), we have confidence (complete assurance, and boldness) before God. And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we watchfully obey His orders (observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His Plan for us, and habitually practice what is pleasing to Him)."
It's been difficult for many to determine God's True will and His Truth, because we've been taught so many differing teachings about these. Every believer has the responsibility to discern God's Truth on his/her own, by the Spirit of God. Paul writes about the structure and Foundation of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in 1Corinthians 3:9-17. Paul tells us that "The Church's structure is laid on this One Foundation" and that, "Whatever we build on it, will be tried and tested by fire." Paul is referring to Jesus' "Parable of the Sower" in Mark 4:15 (Amp), where Jesus says, "The ones along the path are those who have the Word sown in their hearts, but when they hear, satan comes at once and by force takes away the Message which is sown in them."
God isn't the One Who is testing and trying them, but the enemy is trying to take away the Message sown in their hearts, by force. Every new creation person has the Same Foundation, on which to build, according to 1Corinthians 3:12-13 (Amp), which says, "But if anyone builds upon The Foundation, whether it be with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, the work of each one will become plainly (openly) known (shown for what it is), for the Day of Christ will disclose and declare it, because it will be revealed by fire and the fire will test and critically appraise the character and worth of the work each person has done."
There are so many beliefs, which are built on the Same Foundation, that it's hard to recognize which is the True House of God. We don't label them as being "gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay or straw," but we call them "denominations." There might be many houses, but The Foundation has always been Jesus Christ and Him slain and raised for our salvation. Many dismiss the Spiritual things of the Church, settling instead on the works of the flesh. Many churches believe that the Spiritual things have passed away.
When the house has been constructed by man and the carnality of man, the mortar which holds the stones in place, will crumble and the house will fall. Today, the Super-natural blueprint has been changed, in order to fit what we think the house is supposed to look like. We believe that miracles and healings still happen, but we believe that they don't happen very often. God's will has become so arbitrary to most, so we believe that "You never know what God will do." We hope that we're now made righteous in Christ, instead of believing it's Truth.
We've forgotten what having our prayers answered means, because it happens so rarely. If we truly believed that prayer works and that God answers prayers, then every church's parking lot would be overflowing, because so many would come expectantly believing God would do what He said. There would be 24 hours/7 days a week, prayer meetings and intercessory prayers would never stop. We've been building houses of cards, instead of houses of prayer. Many churches have replaced the Gifts of the Spirit and God's Word, with entertainment and tradition. Jesus admonished in Matthew 6:33 (Amp), "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 (material things of this life) taken together will be given you besides."
We believe that God will do things for us in Heaven, but not here on earth. I don't know how real God is to you, but we don't have to wait to be in His Presence in Heaven, because His Presence has come into us here on earth. Everything God has Promised, is now ours through the new creation birth. We've tried doing things our way, instead of God's way of doing and being right. I'm not saying that good works are vain, but doing good works isn't how we get God to move in our lives. We do good works because He moves in our lives. We do good works, through Him.
Jesus is the Foundation on Whom we build our house and He never changes. He has never changed from the Truth of being God's Word. Jesus is God's Word and God's way of doing and being right is still His Word. Paul advised Timothy to, "Rightly divide the Word." The diving place is the cross and the new creation. It's no longer by works, but is by God's Grace and faith in Grace.
God's Church has an identity crisis, because we haven't discerned what God has done and the Truth of our new creation identity through Jesus, by the Spirit. 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (Amp) says, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a purely human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value). No, even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a Man, yet now we have such knowledge of Him that we know Him no longer in terms of the flesh. Therefore, if any person is ingrafted in Christ (the Messiah), he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old previous moral and Spiritual condition has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
Our old man/woman of the flesh, with it's dead spirit, has become new creations. The old person hasn't been revamped, but is Spirit born, Spirit filled, Spirit lived, and have become brand new species, that have never existed in the universe. We don't have a past, in the Father's eyes. We have His Love, His Life and His Grace for eternity. God doesn't see any fault in us and He doesn't see failure, when looking at us. Colossi ans 1:22-23 (Amp) says, "Yet now has Christ (the Messiah), reconciled you to God in the Body of His flesh through death; in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable to His, the Father's Presence. And this will He do providing that you continue to stay with and in the faith in Christ, well grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting away from the hope which rests on and is inspired by the Glad Tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached, as being designed for and offered without restrictions to every person under Heave and of which, I, Paul, have become a minister."
Ephesians 3:11-12 (Amp) says, "This is in accordance with the terms of Eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in the Person of Jesus Christ our Lord In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have boldness, courage, and confidence of free access, an unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear." God's Grace has given us this freedom, but that Grace is brought unto us, by faith. We must believe what Jesus has already done, in order to enjoy this Grace.
Jesus is the Door to the Father. We must place faith in Him, to enter through that Door. We can't enter by works or Law. This is Grace by faith. Romans 4:16 (Amp) says, "Therefore, inheriting the Promise is the outcome of faith and depends entirely on faith, in order that it might be given as an act of Grace." The faith that unlocks Grace isn't faith in ourselves and our works, but is faith in what Jesus has already done for us.
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