Possess Your Possessions

  We are the most blessed forever according to Psalm 21:4. The Lord Jesus Christ has made us whole, given us His faith, His righteousness, His wisdom, allowed the Holy Spirit to release the same power that raised Him from the dead in our bodies, and has given us the mind of Christ.  He promises to always be with us and to never leave or forsake us.  We are overcomers, always led in triumph, and have the assurance that no weapon formed against us shall proper.  We can walk "just as He walked" 1 John 2:6.   All the promises of God are yea and amen.  No wonder the Lord asks "What more could have been done for My vineyard?"  

 This same victorious revelation is given in Psalm 65:4. "How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You to dwell in Your courts.  We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple."  Jesus states the fact that He chose you and appointed you to bear fruit.  He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.  Twice in 1 Timothy 6, Paul tells his spiritual son, Timothy, to take hold of eternal life.  Later in 2 Timothy 1:14, he instructs him to "Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure that has been entrusted to you.

 The point is that we are blessed beyond our natural ability to know and understand.  Yet God has sent the Holy Spirit to reveal His mind and lead us into all truth.  Just as the children of Israel were brought into the promised land, it was up to them to use God's power and anointing to defeat the enemies and possess the land, so we have been given this eternal inheritance won by Jesus Christ on the cross and through His resurrection.  He then tells us to use the authority and power in His name to make known His Gospel to every creature on the earth and to be His light in the darkness of this world.  

 As a man thinks in his heart so is he.  Obviously, if we don't take time and focus on what the Lord has done and given us, we will be deceived into thinking we are not good enough, not overcoming, and will still fail.  The battle is in our mind.  The good news is we have weapons with divine power to take every thought captive and overthrow everything that exalts itself above the knowledge of God.  My admonition this morning is to ask the Holy Spirit, our helper and counselor, to teach us how to use prayer, the Word, and the authority given in the name of Jesus to keep our mind and heart filled with the truth and peace of Christ.  

 God has given us (you) all that you need "for life and godliness" and through His Word provided the great and precious promises to escape the lusts of the flesh and partake of divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).  God made it possible for you to be a mighty warrior equipped for every good work, and promises to be with you to help you bear eternal fruit.  Choose to hear and receive the promises that the Spirit is saying to His people (to you!).  Let him who has ears to hear, hear.  As you read carefully and continue to think and reflect about the Word, as you "let the Word dwell in you richly," you will realize what the Lord has given you.  Deliberately let that awesome truth and goodness fill your mind and heart so you can possess or have what is actually yours. Possess your possessions.   

 

Behold the Man!

Pilate invited the crowd to "Behold" Jesus.  Everything is decided by how we behold Him.  

The foundation is that God is love and He simply desires to love and be loved.  This relationship for us starts, of course, with receiving.  Romans 5:5 declares the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Spirit of God who has been given to us.  It is beyond our finite understanding of why, but the Lord simply loves being in our presence and enjoys us loving Him by being in His presence.  

How much time does the average Christian (or you and I) spend in His presence, not asking or talking, but waiting on Him and just enjoying being with Him?  When was the last time you just sat and were still before Him? Someone, who died and went to heaven but was sent back, reported that Jesus was grieved that people wanted what the Lord has (such as healing, power, miracles, strength, etc.), but didn't simply want Him.  

Psalm 17:15 suggests that not only will we be satisfied, but also changed as we take time to behold Him.  "As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness."   We see the same principle in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."  In His light, we become light.

Therefore, purpose to want more "of Him" rather than just to get things "from Him."  There is fullness of joy in His presence.  So today, take time to just be still and enjoy Him and who He is.  We talk about a relationship with the Lord, but do we keep the relationship alive and growing by spending time with Him, not just asking things from Him.  As Ephesians 1:23 reveals, Jesus' goal and ultimate purpose is to be "all in all."  Take time to "Behold the Man" in love with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and let Him reveal Himself to you.  

Glory of God Will Be Seen

 Jesus told Mary, after the death of Lazarus, that if she believed she would see the glory of God. Therefore, in that same promise we can stand in faith that, yes, today we will see and experience the glory of the Lord. It pleases God to give us the kingdom.  We beheld His glory in receiving Jesus according to John 1:14.  Even though we live in the real world which always has tribulations, God is always with us and reminds us to focus on Him and His victory rather than let our hearts be troubled.  Psalm 17 graphically brings this truth to our attention with the last verse, 'As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in your likeness."  

What a powerful assurance that His presence will result in being satisfied. What could describe this condition better that these promises: my needs are all met, no good thing will He withhold, surely goodness and mercy will follow me today, in His presence is fullness of joy, and all things work together for good because I love Him and am called according to His purpose.

Moses consecrated Aaron with the instructions of what he needed to present to God and with the assurance that "Today the glory of the Lord will appear to you." in Leviticus 9.  In the New Testament, we are instructed to present ourselves as a living sacrifice and be renewed in our mind to prove or demonstrate God's good and perfect will.  We know the promise in Isaiah 60 that in the midst of darkness His light comes and "the glory of the Lord will be seen upon you."

So God created you and this day to show HIs glory to you.  He clearly desires to walk with you in His glory wherever you go and whatever you do.  The command is to consecrate yourself and this day to Him, believe His Word, and surely you will see the glory of God.  In His presence we are being changed from glory to glory.  

Believe the promise of God that today His glory will be seen upon you.