All for Love - Part VIII

The unique self created by God is distinct in each person; it includes a person's God-given talents, abilities, intellect, personality, and temperament. The unique self is like a tool. It can do nothing on its own, but derives its value from how it is used and by whom. For example, a hammer can be used by a madman to kill someone or by a generous man to build a window at home. The same is true of the unique self. The unique self cannot be changed, but its source and purpose can be exchanged. There are three unique selves.

Self # 1- The unique self under the control of the Adam-life; this self belongs to the unbeliever, or unregenerate man, producing a condition called flesh. God‘s command concerning the Self # 1 is that it be crucified in Galatians 2:20.

Self # 2-  The unique self under the control of the baggage and residue of the dead and removed Adam-life and unholy trinity. This person is a born-again believer in a carnal condition. The command regarding this self is to deny it daily by the power of the cross. Luke 9:23

Self # 3- The unique self under the control of Christ’s life within. This person manifests a condition called walking in the Spirit. The commandment concerning Self #3 is that we are to love it. Matthew 19:19

Boasting must be in the Creator of the unique self. The first will be last and the last shall be first. No one creates himself. Just remember, however God is made you, enjoy yourself, love yourself, and refuse to listen to those who would intimidate by boasting of their natural abilities. Whatever measure God has given you, enjoy it.

Whenever the door just above your heart is closed to Christ’s life, the enemy tempts you to dabble again in the garbage resident in the mind, causing you to live a replica of the life you did before becoming a Christian.

Relationships ever flow; what makes them wonderful is not so much what happened in the past, but what is happening in the present moment. It doesn’t matter that you got along with your wife the first year of your marriage; what matters is how you are getting along now.

God has the aspiration to be in fellowship with us moment by moment; he also has a plan to bring about his wishes. First of all, he must destroy the old self that dwells within and replace it with the life of his Son. If this is not done, then no fellowship with him is even possible. The next thing that he does is to leave all the baggage and residue from the old man in the mind. When through unbelief a person closes the door to his life within and consequently cuts off fellowship, of necessity all the baggage, garbage, residue, lying emotions, false feelings, old idols, inaccurate identity, and every manifestation of the flesh arise. In fact, this one is now more miserable than when dwelling in the world. God will drive to build the believers awareness of a desire to be free from those miseries 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, 60 minutes an hour, 60 seconds a minute, yes, moment by moment. It is then that God can do business! You see, God structures our lives in such a way as to keep us ever near his side.

Jesus, just like the bread that fed Israel in the wilderness, is to be consumed daily, if one tries to keep what he has savored of the Lord one day for the next, it will prove to be useless. Jesus is to be partaken of each day! Exodus 16

People often tell me they simply do not understand their condition. They explain that a few years ago they came to the place of giving up on all their own resolve and methods to save themselves, and did in fact find real victory. This I do not question; they did in fact come to the end of themselves several years ago. The problem is that they haven’t come to the end of themselves in the moment in which they are talking to me. It must be firmly implanted in our minds that victory is for one moment at a time, and that in any given moment we are participating in eternal victory or eternal defeat.

Therefore, the only thing that Satan must accomplish to defeat us is to steal the moment, which he does by reminding us about the past or nudging our fears about the future!

Many Christians have allowed an incident in the past to continue to steal abundant life from them in moments that stretch into days and then years.

Many have relinquished the present moment through unforgiveness; though they took place several years ago, memorable encounters may have access into their mind at any instant, stealing peace and joy.

The carnal mind sees the progression from a life of defeat to the life of victory somewhat like a staircase. Each time he does good, he takes one step up the staircase, and each time he complies with evil, he regresses one step. But the book of Galatians teaches that our options are to walk after the flesh or in the Spirit, and there is no staircase. At any given moment one is either in the flesh or in the Spirit, tapped into eternal defeat or eternal victory. Remember that many believe that the door to Christ life can close as fast as a thought, but do not believe that it can also open as quickly with repentance. What opens the door is humility, saying that one has nothing or, “I can’t.” What closes the door is pride, which says, “I can.” God has so structured things that victory will only be moment by moment as we abide in Jesus Christ.

For some reason that we need not know, the majority of Christians are satisfied to walk away from the Lord; God allows it, but is not content until he calls them back to himself. Anyone who wants to go from the room called “Carnal“ to the suite titled “Spiritual” must take the only doorway, named “trouble, suffering, and defeat.“

The Lord spends considerable time teaching us to recognize the baggage and residue when it surfaces. Those old things (of depression, unbelief, desire to do drugs, pornography, alcohol abuse, etc) are flashing red lights informing us that the door is closed. And here is a secret: the more baggage that one has, the more flashing red lights he has, and the more he will be aware of his need to abide. The more one is aware of his need to abide, the more he will open the door, and, therefore, the more he will have Christ’s life living through him.

The more weakness, the more power released; therefore, he would be proud of his limitations. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 ; 1 Corinthians 1:25-29

Don’t lament over your past failures, hurts, and identity; they have all been crucified, and their remembrance is but God’s stronghold. Do you realize, child of God, all that Satan had planned for your destruction, God has planned for your good? Satan may taylor-make a temptation to destroy you, but God will walk by and, with the snap of his fingers, change the newly designed funeral clothes into garments of celebration. God is never, I repeat, never outdone by Satan.