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(Read John 15:7,8)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to teach on “Minimizing Your Humanity and Maximizing Your Divinity.” For the last two days we have been looking at John 15:1-8. I trust you have enjoyed it. Before I move on from this passage I feel led to readdress verses 7 and 8 one last time. Let’s take a closer look at these two verses.
The Message Bible paraphrase of verses 7 and 8 reads, “If you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.”
The God’s Word translation of these two verses reads, “If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours. You give glory to my Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are my disciples.”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Dying to self brings you in alignment with your assignment. In this series you have learned that: 1) God made plans for you before the foundations of the world, 2) He already gave you the grace to fulfill His divine plans for your life, 3) When we come to God our plans and God’s plans may not be in sync, 4) When we are not in sync with God one of us needs to change, and it will not be God, and 5) Dying to sin and self brings us in alignment with God and His assignment for our lives, thus positioning us to experience the supernatural life we were destined to have.
2. Once you are in alignment with God, your will and His will become ONE. When you consciously make an alignment with your divine assignment, and you adjust your will and submit it to God’s will for your life, you find that you start to like what God likes, hate what God hates, and think as God thinks. Once you start living this way, you can virtually ask for whatever you want and God will do it, because what you want will be what He wants for your life. Jesus said, “If you live in me and what I say lives in you, then ask for anything you want, and it will be yours.” Basically, at this point, your will IS God’s will, because your will has been aligned with and submitted to God’s will. This is how you minimize your humanity and maximize the divinity God has placed in you, and this is how God is able to make the greatest impact in the earth through you.
3. A life aligned with what you are assigned to do is a life that produces much fruit in the earth. Jesus said, “You give glory to my Father when you produce a lot of fruit and therefore show that you are my disciples.” The Lord wants you to be blessed, He wants to use you for His glory, He wants to impact the people of the world and systems of the world you have access to. God is free to do it when you come in alignment with His divine will and you allow yourself to be fashioned into His divine nature. The more you die to self, and the more you say “yes” to His will, the more He can use you to change the world.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for making plans for me before the foundations of the world by Your undeserved grace. You loved me well before I ever even thought about You. You planned for me, even before my mother met my father. The more I learn about Your love and grace towards me, the more I am able to love You and submit to Your will. By faith I declare that I die to self. I come in alignment with Your divine assignment for my life. I learn to love what You love, hate what You hate, desire what You desire, and think as You think. You are in heaven, I am in the earth, and I synchronize with You, so that heaven can influence the earth, through me, daily. I live IN You and Your Word lives IN me, therefore, I am getting to the point where my will IS Your will and where I can ask for whatever I want, because I will not want anything that You don’t want for me. This way I am able to live in total sync with You, surrendered to You in every area, and You are able to freely live THROUGH me, impacting the people and systems of the world I have access to, and making a mark that will never be erased. I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
