This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” In our last message we looked at how Christ redeemed us from condemnation. Once we embrace that and we live with a “No Condemnation” mentality, we are in a position to resist satan and to please God, even when we make a mistake.
In this message I want to reflect on what we have learned over the last few messages.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. When you were Born-Again your Spirit (who you really are) was made new. But your soul (the way you think, feel and make decisions) was not and neither was your body.
2. One day you will get a glorified body that will never decay (1 Cor 15:42-44).
3. When you were Born-Again your spirit (the real you) WAS changed instantly, your body WILL BE changed eventually, and now your mind is BEING changed progressively.
4. Your focus today does not need to be your spirit, because your spirit has already been changed. Your focus does not need to be your body, even though bodily exercise is good, because your body will be changed some day. Your main focus now that you are Born-Again should be your soul, which has your mind (your thinker), emotions (your feeler) and your will (your chooser). As your mind is renewed by the Word of God you will be able to change the way you think, feel and make decisions.
5. As a new convert you have not yet changed the way you think, feel or make decisions. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit leads you to do something that is pleasing in God’s sight, but your old programming tells you NOT to do it, or leads you to sin, you will probably make the wrong decision and sin. This does not mean you are not saved, that God’s Spirit is not in you, or that you are a bad person. It just means that you spent years programming your soul to think, feel and make decisions a certain way and it will take some time to renew your soul to align with God’s Word in order to quickly submit to the prompting of God’s Spirit.
6. Just like God has given you the Grace to do other things, you have the Grace to win the war within. By God’s Grace you will change the way you think, feel and make decisions and you will become the man/woman God has destined, designed and desires for you to be!
7. Grace takes you from the Law of Moses to the Law of Love. We are commanded to love God and love man (Mat 22:37-39, Gal 5:14), and we are able to do it because God first loved us (1 Jn 4:19). God poured out His love in our hearts, through His Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5), and our focus must now be to walk in divine love towards God and man, by God’s Grace. Because without His Grace we could not do it.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for loving me when I had nothing to do with You. While humans were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. You sent Your Son Jesus to die in my place because You love me. Jesus willingly took the punishment of the cross, because He loves me. And the Holy Spirit now lives in me, inspite of my flaws, because He loves me. You loved me enough to plan for me before the foundations of the world, to save me by Your grace, and to now use me, even though I am far from perfect. Your love is amazing. You put Your Spirit inside me and I now do not have to live my life based on external rules or laws. I live my life led by Your Spirit and Your Spirit leads me to walk in Your LOVE! Your Word teaches me that I am required to comply with the Law of Love and Your Spirit compels me to walk in love daily. I attempt to love You with all my heart, mind, soul and strength, and I seek to love my neighbor as I do myself. You poured out Your love in my heart, through Your Holy Spirit, and I now have the grace to walk in love with You and with man. Saying I love You is easy. But I prove my Love for my God, whom I cannot see, by loving those I see every day. Your love has come TO me, it now flows THROUGH me, and just like it changed me, I believe it will change others. I am able to love others because You first loved me. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
