Today we continue our series entitled, “Press through it! I heard something yesterday in church that I will share with you today. When I heard it, the Lord immediately started speaking to me about it. It was a statement my Pastor, Cynthia Brazelton, made. She was teaching on Kingdom Authority and in her message she said, “Don’t just live FOR God. Live FROM God.” She did not say much more about it. She let it sink in for a moment, but she then moved on. However, I could not move on from it. From that moment on I started to meditate on the statement.
In today’s message I share some of what God has been dealing with me about as it relates to this statement.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Jesus redeemed us back to the Holy Spirit.
a) When God breathed into Adam’s nostrils He breathed HIMSELF into Adam. From that moment on Adam had God on the INSIDE of him. The Holy Spirit was Adam’s connection to the Father. Adam was able to walk with God and commune with Him Spirit-to-Spirit, because the Holy Spirit was His direct connection to God. (By the way, this is the same Holy Spirit we have today).
b) God told Adam that the day he ate of the forbidden fruit he was going to die. When Adam ate he died. He did not die physically, but he died spiritually. His eyes were opened and he was resigned to living his life as a mere human. The Holy Spirit was removed from Adam and from all humans from then on.
c) In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit lived in the Most Holy Place, above the ark of the covenant, inside of the temple. Only one person (the High Priest), once a year, was able to visit what Adam had living inside of Him 24×7.
d) Jesus came to get us out of everything Adam go us into. Because of Jesus, we are redeemed all the way back to the intimacy with the Father that Adam had in the Garden of Eden.
e) When Jesus said, “It is finished,” the veil in the temple that protected the Most Holy Place was torn. This veil was about 50 feet high and it was very thick. It was not torn by man. It was torn by God Himself. It was torn from top-to-bottom, and not bottom-to-top. God Himself reached down and ripped the veil. This was to signify that the Holy Spirit was no longer going to live in the temple. 50 days later the Holy Spirit was poured out upon man and the New Testament church was birthed. We are now the temple of God and the Holy Spirit lives INSIDE of us.
2. Once you are Born-Again you are no longer disconnected from God.
a) The common symbology is that God is “up there” and we are ”down here”. Most people see themselves disconnected from God and they spend their lives in what they consider to be a pursuit of Him. However, once you are Born-Again, you are no longer disconnected from God. He actually lives INSIDE of you.
b) In one sense God the Father is in heaven and He reigns with an eternal presence around the universe. But in another sense He has deposited Himself down inside of you in the person of the Holy Spirit. So you are not disconnected from the Father. The Holy Spirit is your Spirit-to-Spirit connection to God.
c) You are IN God and God is IN you. You are IN the Kingdom and the Kingdom is IN you! Do you realize that?
3. Your life will change forever when you embrace the reality that you have God living INSIDE of you.
a) Don’t just live FOR God. Live FROM God. There is a huge difference!
b) When you live your life FROM God, and not just FOR God, you don’t live your life as a mere human. You enter every day knowing that you are a human walking around with God inside of him/her. This reality changes everything.
c) When you realize that God Himself is living inside of you and you start to see things from His point of view, you will realize that there is nothing you cannot do.
d) We all face challenges. But when you face a challenge cognizant of the fact that you are carrying around a God on the inside of you — not just any god, but the only true God — then all of a sudden the challenge seems small, because you are comparing it to your God. The challenge was BIG for you, but it is NOTHING for God!
e) The God who has all power and who can do all things LIVES IN YOU! So you are not just living FOR God. You are living FROM God.
f) God is not just your destination. God is also now your starting point. You are running TO Him, because you are starting FROM Him. Embracing this truth will change the way you look at everything.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I am IN You and You are IN me. I am IN Your Kingdom and Your Kingdom is IN me. You deposited Yourself down inside of me when You gave me Your precious Holy Spirit. I have the same Holy Spirit Adam had. I have the same Holy Spirit Jesus had. You live IN me. So I don’t just live FOR You. I live FROM You! You are my destination. I live my life in pursuit of You. But You are also my starting point. I enter every day knowing that the God who created all things is living IN me. There is nothing I cannot do, because there is nothing You cannot do, and You live IN me! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
