What Does It Mean To Offer Up Your Body As A Living Sacrifice?

 

Paul in Romans 12:1 exhorts us to offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice which is our reasonable service. In the Old Testament the bodies of animals were offered as a dead sacrifice for a sin offering. Jesus offered up His body as a living sacrifice on the Cross for our sins. He did not die for His sins for He was sinless. God's righteous anger was satisfied through Jesus offering Himself as a sinless sacrifice. We now are called to offer up our bodies as a living sacrifice which is reasonable in light of what was done for us through His sacrifice. Why our body and not our soul or spirit?

 

Our body is a vessel which contains our soul and our spirit. Therefore when we offer up our bodies we are in effect offering up our soul and spirit. Paul goes on to say that we are to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. Therefore the sacrifice is accomplished through the renewal of our minds. This is why we are a living sacrifice because our minds are still alive and working. However our minds can be conformed to the world or be renewed by God's word and be transformed. This transformation can only occur if we surrender our bodies to Him. Many try to live their lives in two worlds and this is not possible. We either live a heavenly life or an earthly life. We either walk according to the flesh or according to the Spirit.

 

There is power in living a surrendered life. Jesus surrendered all to His Father even to the death on a Cross. We are called to take up our cross and follow Him. Taking up our cross is to live daily as a living sacrifice. The cross is a symbol of death to self. No death, no life. Jesus died but rose again. We die that we may rise with Him and live in resurrection power. Let us die daily so that we may live the abundant life here on earth and for eternity. There is no conflict in this. Our flesh will fight against our spirit. However if we are dead to our flesh then we live in the spirit. I choose to take up my cross and be led by His Spirit. What about you?

The Word Of God And His Name Are The Same.

 

The logos word of God is the written word spoken by God through His prophets. It is inspired and eternal and therefore infallible. God is the author of His word. His word and His Name are synonymous with His character. God's word holds within it power that can transform lives. Jesus quoted the word many times to remind us that His word is the same as His Name. Therefore when we speak His word by faith it carries the same impact as if He was speaking it. This is why we need to meditate on His word till it becomes flesh in us. His healing word spoken out in faith will bring healing to our flesh. Jesus spoke and healed the sick. 

 

His Name is the same as His word. His Name is truth and justice. His Name stands against all forces of evil. The devil trembles at His Name. Jesus overcame death and defeated the devil for ever. Now His Name will drive out every demon and set the captive free. He has given us the authority to speak His Name and His word to heal and to set free the captive. He abides in us and we abide in Him. We are one in Him. He made a way where there was no way. He became the redeemer of our soul. He satisfied the law and redeemed us from the curse of the law. 

 

Now we need to implement His word and Name on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus sits on His throne but His Spirit is in us and with us. He now can work through us just the way He did when He walked on earth. Power is released when we walk in this knowledge and revelation. We have to believe and it will be as He said. He is not a liar. His word said it and now it is done. If there is a delay it is because of forces that impede the delivery of His word. God says you were healed. Now believe this and see its manifestation in His time. We can reverse the word of man through the word of God. God has the final word. So let us walk in obedience to His word and proclaim victory in His Name.

Believe, Think, Say And Act.

 

Believe on the word of God. God's word is His thought. God thinks and creates through His spoken word. We too can now believe His word and do likewise. Believing is to trust God's Word and not doubt. God always rewards trust. Faith is basically trusting God to do what He says He will do. When we pray we ask God to provide, bless, heal and restore what He has already planned for us. We have to believe that God has a plan for each of us to fulfil on earth. This is His will. We pray your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Now we have to act on it.

 

Our thoughts can be like a prayer. God can read our thoughts. The devil can't read our thoughts. He can input his thoughts into us. We have to discern our thoughts. What is good, acceptable and perfect are good thoughts. What is lustful, negative and destructive are evil thoughts. What are selfish, proud and negative thoughts are fleshly thoughts. When we think Godly thoughts they produce fruit that lasts. We reap an abundant life with Godly thoughts. Likewise we reap a curse when we think evil thoughts about ourselves or others. Our thoughts attract other thoughts and this is why we need to be careful about what we think. We should not harbour negative thoughts as they are like a ship that will stay at port for a long time.

 

God spoke and He formed the universe and all that is in it. Jesus spoke and He moved mountains of disease and sickness and worked miracles. We too can speak His now word and shift things in the natural realm. Sickness and disease will have to bow to our spoken word. Demons will have to leave at the mention of His Name. Our spoken words are powerful to induce change. Words affect not only the earthly realm but also the spiritual realms. Our words carry His power to perform what they were sent forth to do.

 

We need to act on what we say. Our words must be followed by action. There is no point saying I will pray for you without action. We need to feed the poor, comfort the suffering and bring deliverance to the captive. This may mean that we need to visit those who are in prison, hospital, nursing homes and so on. The disciples acted and their actions are recorded in the book of Acts. We need to act and continue to write the book of acts. This will be our testimony of the actions of the Holy Spirit through us.

The Huge Disconnect That Challenges Us

 

God created us spirit, soul and body. Our spirit was redeemed through the new birth. Our soul is still in the process of redemption or sanctification. This separation is one way to understand ourselves. However we cannot split ourselves this way because we are one whole being. Once we separate ourselves as parts we will become spilt persons. The trinity is Father, Son and Holy Spirit yet they are one. We like to dissect and understand ourselves and how we operate but in this process of dissection comes our problems. We can only understand ourselves when we see ourselves as one not as parts of one.

 

Part of the problem of separating our spirit from our flesh is to disconnect the two. Our flesh is prone to sin through temptations. Temptation is not sin. Giving into temptation is sin. One of the ways our early fathers dealt with the problem of the flesh was to disconnect it from the spirit. This led to the Victorian attitude of casting the flesh to damnation. The flesh can never be changed so give into its desires. This attitude means that we can sin in the flesh but our spirit is pure through redemption. This disconnect has seen many fall into sin and not feel any remorse. Our mind splits off this part of our self and in some cases is even unconscious of its existence called dissociation. This is a dangerous state of mind. This kind of operation may explain why we see some moral failures in our Christian leaders.

 

Romans 7 illustrates Paul’s  dilemma clearly. I do what I don't want to do. The solution is in Romans 8. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be over comers. There is no other way to defeat our flesh. Our flesh is prone to temptation and attacks from the devil. None of us are immune from attacks. Pride in its different faces will keep us prone to attacks. In the Spirit we have a safe place to rest. In the Spirit we are made whole. Our flesh will be submitted to the Spirit and God will provide an escape for every temptation. His blood will cover us from satanic attacks. Our mind will be fixed on Him. This is our only hope till the day we die and go to be with Jesus.

Everything Is Mental To Operate In Victory.

 

Our mental set determines the outcome of our decisions we make in daily life. When we are confused and indecisive we become weak in our decisions. We need a clear mind to walk rightly and in confidence.  A weak mental set leads to weak actions. Many struggle in their mind because they have been lazy in processing information from different sources. We are bombarded with information from several sources in our daily lives. The fake news is one source of information. The Word of God is another source of information. Opinions of friends and family and work mates also inform us. We need to sort these out in the process of coming to a decision. Life confronts us with many issues and challenges and we have to take a stand. How do we do this?

 

For a believer our standard is the Word of God. Everything will have to  line up with His written Word. His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. His Holy Spirit in us confirms His word. We are attacked for our stand but we must stand on what we believe. Nowadays His word has been challenged and replaced by human opinion. We see this on issues to do with life and death, gender and race. There is no confusion in His Spirit. He is our guide and our leader and teacher. He will reveal the truth to us. How do we stand when many close to us differ from us despite claiming to be believers?

 

We have to stand true to what we believe and what God has revealed to us. We need to hear His voice and be led by Him. This is the challenge we all face on our journey. We are not alone. However we have to decide whom we will serve. We cannot serve God and mammon. We have to be clear on who is Lord of our life. If Jesus is Lord then no other idol can take His place. Compromise will only confuse us. This is the time to take a stand and be true to who we have decided to serve. Once we do this we become clear in our thinking and doing. There is no easy way. The way of the Cross is narrow and few choose to walk in it. I choose the narrow way. What about you?

Divine Healing, Divine Health, Divine Life.

 

Divine healing is healing obtained through the Spirit. This healing is for diseases and disorders of the body, soul and spirit. God is Spirit and He is in the healing business. Man looks to God when he has exhausted his own means. We cry, Oh God, when we have no one else to help us. Divine healing is real because God heals today and the evidence is real. God displays his healing power by transforming what is in the spiritual realm into the earthly realm. He does this through the process of transformation. He transforms what is unseen into the seen realm. He makes the lame man walk, the blind to see and the deaf to hear. 

 

Divine health comes from walking in God’s health. There is no disease in God. Disease and disorder are of the devil. Disease and disorder entered the world through the Fall and death became a reality. God is eternal and Adam and Eve had eternal life till they sinned. Sin brought forth the curse of death. Death always is a consequence of sin. Therefore, sin and death are at work in our life. However in Jesus we have been restored to eternal life in the spirit. Our spirit has been redeemed although our body will die. Yet some like Enoch and Elijah never died. They were caught up into heaven. Moses was 120 years old but had the health of a young man when he died. We too can live in divine health because His resurrection power flows through us and we have eternal life. 

 

Divine life flows through us because He lives in us. The Holy Spirit lives in us and through Him the Father and the Son. We have divine life in us. He abides in us and we abide in Him. When we live in divine life all the benefits of this life affects our whole being. Jesus lived a divine life in an earthly body. He was never sick. No sickness or disease could touch Him. The devil could not touch Him because He walked in divine life. We too can walk in divine life by faith. All we need to do is believe and walk in it. We will reap what we sow. If we sow truth we will reap truth. His word says we are born again and we are a new creation. Believe this and live in divine life today.

Let The Spirit Act, Think, Feel And Will Through You

 

The Holy Spirit lives in your spirit when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Then He will overflow through you when you are baptised in the Spirit. We are exhorted to be filled with the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit. What does this mean? This means that we deny ourselves the right to do things our way and choose to do things His way. This is the high calling that God, who gave His all, demands of us, His children. This is for our good as He knows it is difficult to live in a hostile world ruled by Satan. Jesus has called us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Jesus did this when He walked on earth. He did only what He saw His Father doing. He said it is my bread to do the will of my Father in heaven. We too are called to do the same. He has given us His own Spirit to indwell our spirit so that we can walk by the Spirit. 

 

When we allow His Spirit to have control of our spirit then we will be able to walk by His Spirit. His Spirit is able to act through us. His Spirit will sow His thoughts and feelings into us. We will feel His love and peace and not be influenced by our thoughts and feelings. Our thoughts and feelings are influenced by sin. He comes to renew us and cause us to think and feel like Him. When we feel compassion for others we know it is not us but Him. He gives us new thoughts that we know are from Him and not ours. This is the way we renew our mind and are transformed into the image of Jesus.

 

Our will is the key to following His ways and not our ways. We must be prepared to surrender our will to Him. We must die daily to our will and say "Not my will but your will Lord". This is the process of sanctification. This is the only way to be transformed into His image. There is no other way. We have to walk in total surrender to His will. Any other way is a compromise. This compromise is what we see in the church today. We have compromised with the world and are therefore no different from the world. The early disciples were rejected and seen as aliens. We are aliens in this world because we are different and walk according to a different Spirit. The spirit of this world is powered by the god of this world, Satan. We have nothing to do with him and he is fearful of us. His destiny is hell while ours is heaven. Let us walk according to the Spirit and be saved.

I Am Dead In Christ. I Am Alive In Christ.

 

I am dead in Christ. This state occurred when I identified with His death on the Cross (Gal 2:20). This death was accomplished 2000 years ago for the whole world. Now His death is the only way to be saved. He died once and for all for the sins of the world. No man could accomplish it. No sacrifices of animals could accomplish it. Only the death of the Saviour of the world could do it. Now all who call on His name to be saved from their sins can be free from their power. His power is endless and is available to all who call on His Name, Jesus. Now I am saved and walk as a dead man.

 

I am alive in Christ because when He rose from the dead I too rose with Him. I now live in the resurrection power of Jesus. He not only  died but He rose from the dead to make it possible for me to have eternal life. Now He is seated on the right hand of the Father to bring all who call on His Name to the Father. He did it all. All I have to do  is receive His completed work on the Cross. His salvation is full and free to all. He is not biased and will welcome all to His fold. So today choose to be free from the power of sin in Jesus Name.

 

What a salvation He wrought on the Cross for you and for me. Yet many reject His call. Most people are happy to live their lives in bondage to the law and sin. Jesus came into the world for He saw our helpless state.  He knew we were bound in sin and the devil had us in his prison. We were prisoners to sin and the devil. He came to save us. Now we can be saved and walk in victory. All we need to do is proclaim His death and resurrection daily to walk in victory.  Death is the only way to live a victorious life in Him. I must deny myself daily, take up my cross and follow Him.

Think, Talk And Walk In The Spirit

 

God created us in His image. He created us by His Spirit and we are whole in Him. We live in a body and operate through our mind, emotions and will. This is how we understand ourselves although we are not parts but one whole being. We have different functions in our various parts. Our body perceives things through our senses. Our soul processes the information through our thoughts and feelings and we implement actions through our will. The spirit in us was dead through sin but now through the new birth has been born again. Our spirit was redeemed from the curse of the law through Jesus who was cursed for us on the Cross. Now we are free to be like Him.

 

Being born again is just the beginning. We once were lost in sin and wandered away from God. Now through His grace and mercy He bought us and brought us into His fold. We are now part of His Kingdom. However we have a choice to walk according to the Spirit or according to our flesh. To walk according to the Spirit is life and walking according to the flesh is death. God is calling us to be filled with the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit. He sent His Holy Spirit to fill us and to help us in our walk. He renews our mind according to  His word and His Spirit transforms us.  Now we can speak His word and produce life. God spoke and He created the universe. We can speak His now rhema word and see the impossible become possible.

 

Walking in the Spirit is to live each day in the Spirit and not in the flesh. This is our right. However the world and the devil will tempt us away from walking in the Spirit. This is the battle we have to face each day. Only in the Spirit can we overcome. Now we need to be filled to overflowing to be victorious in our walk. Like the lame man who was healed and went walking and leaping and praising God (Acts 3:1f), so also we need to do the same. We will do this till God delivers us from this temporary house we live in. We have an eternal dwelling place in Him. This is our destiny and no one can take it away from us.

In The Midst Of Many Voices, We Need To Hear Only One Voice - God's Voice.

 

There are many voices that demand our attention. Some of these voices are helpful and others not so helpful. We need to choose each day whose voice we listen to. Many are the pressures we face daily and many voices seek to gain our attention. There are internal voices and external voices. They bombard our psyche and try to lead us astray from God’s voice. His voice is drowned amidst these many voices. How can we discern God's voice to lead us and guide us? We need to come apart and give Him our time. We need to shut out these other voices which are just noise. 

 

God's voice is clear and gentle and peaceful. It comes like something out of the blue. It is a suddenly. It enlightens and stirs the spirit within us. It is warm and gentle and never harsh. It brings in joy like rain to a parched soul. We need to practice listening in to His voice. It becomes clearer as we continue to practice listening to Him. We get bold and strong as we listen to His voice. His voice is like His word, firm and strong. He will then confirm His voice with signs following. Always ask Him and He will respond. Include Him in all your daily commitments and chores. He will lead you and guide you. He will become more real to you than any other voice. In this way you will be led by the Spirit and walk in the Spirit.

 

This is the life God has called us to walk in. Jesus walked on earth as if He operated from heaven. We too are called to walk like Him. This is to live a heavenly life on earth. Let praise and worship be a constant activity in your walk. He loves praise and we create an atmosphere of peace and joy when we live in praise. The enemy of our soul can’t stand praise. Run from evil and satanic environments that seek to destroy and not build up. Discern where you are and who you are with. There maybe relationships you need to sever as they are detrimental to your walk. The Kingdom life is not just talk. It needs to be lived. Faith without action is empty and powerless. We need to act on His word and see His Kingdom established on earth as it is in heaven.

The Power Of Eternal Life. No Beginning, No End.

 

The power of eternal life is endless. Jesus promised eternal life to those who believe in Him and receive Him as Lord and Saviour. Yet we do not see this power in evidence in our lives. Why? I believe it is because we have not received His message in our hearts. The disciples believed and then went on to implement their belief and operated in the power of eternal life. There is no limit to the power of eternal life. God operates in the eternal realm because He has no beginning and no end. His creation has form but Father God has no physical form, because He is spirit. He created the universe and all that is in it through the word of His power. In the beginning was the Word. His eternal power came in the form of His word. The Word came to earth in the form of a man called Jesus and dwelt amongst us (John 1:1, 2 & 14). 

 

Jesus chose to come in the form of a man in order to be the perfect sacrifice for us because of sin. He came to reverse the effects of the Fall of man through sin. The eternal life in man was limited through death because of sin. Now God promises eternal life through Jesus. What a marvellous transaction that God arranged that we could be restored to our original sate. Man was originally created in the image of God. Now God through Jesus is restoring us into His image. Once we grasp this truth it becomes a powerful force to transform us for eternity.

 

The word of God is eternal. When we receive His word by faith it becomes flesh in us. His word of healing takes form and heals us. His word of deliverance delivers us from all demonic forces. He restores our soul and leads us beside the still waters. This is the plan and will of God for all mankind. He calls all to come to Him. He bars no one for His offer of salvation is free. His reward is eternal life which money cannot buy. One must be a fool to reject His offer and choose to follow other gods. Our spirit lives on although one day we will physically die. Now we can operate in the Spirit and have access to all His power on earth as it is in heaven. What a salvation, what a life! I will not exchange His life for anything the world can offer. My goal is to share this life with others so that they too can enjoy eternal life in Jesus.

In His Presence I Am Transformed Into His Image.

 

I am transformed by the Holy Spirit in me. God is at work in me. I am transformed by the renewal of my mind. I am transformed in His presence. God can change me in the twinkling of an eye. His Spirit is at work and all I have to do is surrender to Him. Most of us want to be in control and change ourselves. However God's way is through dependence on Him. We can choose to do it our way or in His way. God has promised to work in us both to will and to do according to His purpose (Phil 2:13) . God designed us to be dependent on Him but with free choice. We are not robots. The main challenge is will we trust Him. 

 

Jesus walked as one who did what He heard and saw His Father doing. He was in constant communion with His Father. Why did He have to do this since He was God and man? He did this to show us how much we need to also depend on our Heavenly Father in our walk. We need to be in communion with His Spirit to do as He leads us. We can only do this if we are walking in the Spirit. To walk in the Spirit is to walk in holiness and contentment. There is no striving in Him. He leads us beside the still waters and restores our soul. My whole being is being transformed body, mind and spirit.

 

In the glory we are being transformed from one state of glory to another. How glorious is this? It is possible to be absent in the body but present in the spirit. In this way some have been able to translocate and be in different locations supernaturally. How great is that? God has provided all things to us to be able to fulfil His will in His way. We need to choose His way above our ways. I look forward to the day when I'm able to do this in the fullness of the Spirit. What a wonderful life this is in the Spirit. I already have access to resources beyond the material realm. We can taste heaven on earth be living in heaven on earth in His Spirit.