Are You Operating Under Law Or Under Grace?

God gave us the law to help us know what is right and what is wrong for our good. When we live according to the law we are blessed and when we rebel we live under curse. However God also knew that because of sin we would be unable to fulfil the law. Therefore He sent His Son Jesus as a sacrifice to cancel the power of sin over us. We are now living under grace and the law does not have the power of sin to cause us to sin. This is the shift that occurred at Calvary. Now we can choose to continue to live under the law or under grace.

Law

The law is a slave driver. It demands us to keep it at any cost. When we fail it makes us guilty and no amount of confession seems to work to satisfy our conscience. Sin working through the law drives us to extreme ends and some have been pushed to suicide to satisfy its demands. Many still live under the law despite having experienced the new birth by grace through faith.  Our spirit was saved but our soul continues to be saved. This disconnect between our spirit and our soul is what causes a lot of confusion in us. Once we realise this we will become more determined to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh. The flesh prefers to walk under the law than under grace.

Grace

Grace is a completely different mindset. Grace receives freely all that God has already prepared for us. We rest in His finished work on the Cross. He did it all for us and we can rest in His completed work. There is no more pressure to do like under the law. Grace enables us to fulfil the law without an internal struggle. What a difference in our walk when we surrender all to the Spirit and allow Him to lead us and guide us. Let us pursue to live our lives under grace and not get back to serving our old master.

We Reflect On To Others Who We are, Like A Mirror.

Reflections are subconscious projections of our inner self on to others. Just like a mirror we see our reflections in others. If we have a suspicious mind then we see others as suspicious and evil. We react to them as such and are unaware of our own contribution to the same. Our mind defends itself by blaming others than look at how we have misperceived the other. This is so destructive a transaction that many are swept into situations of intractable conflict for years. Negative emotions are aroused and justified in the name of justice. What deception clouds our relationships because of this phenomena. Insight into this dilemma will free many from a chronic condition of disorder to order.

Projections

Projections are unconscious because they reflect a deep template which has been laid down from early years of programming. When a child is raised to see others as evil then a template is laid down to reinforce this through life experience. Our projections are confirmed by responses from others. When we grow in an environment of love then there are more chances that we will see others as loving and respond accordingly. Despite negative experiences love will still be the predominant emotion. We will be able to forgive and not harbour ill feelings towards others. In an environment of hostility we are bound by negative feelings and reactions which cloud our world. 

Solution

The way out of this dilemma is to examine ourselves. We need to judge ourselves first before we judge others. We maybe right in our judgements of others but we will give allowance for error rather then be stuck in one position. We are all fallen and so are influenced by our own fallen nature and environment. Jesus taught us to love first and never to judge others unfairly.This insight will lead us to judge ourselves first before we react and feel sorry. Today let us reflect on our own attitude and be set free from false perceptions.

The Holy Spirit Lives In Me

The Holy Spirit is a Person who resides within my spirit. Jesus said that He would send another who would come and reside within us. The Holy Spirit was always there but now He comes to reside within us. Once He was outside but now He is inside. I had the experience of someone prying through me. This was the Holy Spirit. He is separate from my spirit. It was an awesome experience to know that He lives in me. This separation from my spirit from the Holy Spirit was a experience I never had before. It was as if there was a separation and I could experience Him as separate from y spirit. I heard Him pray in tongues through me which was different from my spirit praying in tongues.

Separation

What does this all mean? This separation has caused me to respect the person of the Holy Spirit within me. Now I carry Him  wherever I go and I expect He will speak through me and I will be aware of this. This awareness comes as I acknowledge His presence within me. It is so true that He is a Comforter and Guide. He is able to direct my thoughts and I stand amazed. He is not just a visitor but a permanent resident. How awesome is that the Creator of the world lives in me! How is this possible but for the grace of God. I am looking forward to see how this experience will change my talk and walk.

Awareness

Being aware of His presence within us is like having another in your home. He is always with you and you will tend to behave and talk differently. You are never alone. He is with you all the time.  Talk about change. This is what happens when we become aware of the Holy Spirit within us. This is what holiness is about. His presence within us turns us into holy people for His glory.

Fear And Anxiety Are From Your Soul. Overcome Through Your Spirit.

Your soul is that part of your being that is composed of your thoughts, feelings and will. Your spirit is separate from your soul. This is not taught by most theologians and so there is confusion in the body. Soul and spirit are used interchangeably by most preachers. This is why the church continues to strive to be better rather than rest in Christ finished work on the Cross. When He saved us the salvation was for our whole being, spirit, soul and body. We know our spirit was redeemed but our soul is being redeemed through the process of sanctification. Our body is affected by this transformation of our soul. Sin still can affect our soul man and manifests in sickness and disease in our  body and mind.

Holy Spirit

When we are filled in the Holy Spirit we have a power to overcome all things. Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit which is the same Spirit that possessed Him. He knew we could not walk the path of holiness without help. He sent the Comforter to help us in our walk. We have the same authority as sons of God as Jesus had when He walked on earth. Why then the disparity between our walk and our talk? I believe this is because we are not walking in the Spirit but in our flesh. This is why we need a separation to occur between our flesh and our spirit. This separation occurs when we are filled in the Holy Spirit and walk in the Spirit.

Authority

In the Holy Spirit we can overcome all things as Jesus did. we must be prepared to die to all things fleshly to be made whole. Our flesh will protest and refuse to die to our dying day. However we can overcome the flesh through our spirit. I know this by experience and daily am growing in strength and authority in the Holy Spirit. The rate of growth is proportional to my death to my flesh. This is why Jesus said that we must be prepared to carry our cross daily to follow Him. The suffering we experience in the flesh is nothing compared to the glory that we will experience. 

When I Come To The End Of My Faith, His Faith In Me Takes Over.

Faith is a gift that we all have a measure of. God has given us enough faith to believe in Him. We were born to believe. It does not matter what we have faith in. This is an inherent quality of our being. Even an atheist has believe in something! God has given all of us a measure of faith so that we can trust in Him. We just need to look up and see His creation all around us. We see the moon and the stars and marvel at how the planets are held together in such a balance. Even a fool can see that the universe is so immense that we cannot fathom the immensity with our finite minds. Yet God in His infinite wisdom has made Himself known to us through His son, Jesus.

Jesus

Jesus took the form of man so that the infinite could become finite for us to grasp the reality of the unseen God. Man tried to form god in his own image to worship him. God took the initiative to come down to the level of man so that we could have a relationship with Him. God planned this before the foundation of the world. Now we His creation can know Him personally and relate with Him. God is not a distant figure in the sky but a present person in the Holy Spirit. Now we have the  opportunity to relate with Him like a person near to us.

Faith

We need faith to believe this. However there are times when our faith is not enough. He grants us the gift of faith when our faith is not enough. His faith propels us to believe for the impossible. There were many situations when I realised that but for the gift of faith I would have drowned in misery. Recently I lost my car key and was desperate. Faith came through for me and I believed it would be found and it was. There are many other occasions when I had given up but God came though for me in dire circumstances. God loves us to believe in Him at all times and not just in good times. He is faithful and true to the end.