JC Blog

As Christians we look forward to a time when Jesus will come back for us and we are united with him. We frequently sing songs to that end... "when we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!" While it is okay to look forward to this time, the reality is, that we have already been united with Christ and we are currently living a new life in Him. The Bible teaches that these things concerning a new glorious life are past tense. Meaning that they have already happened and we are living a present tense version of this truth. Born again believers currently have a new life in Christ Jesus, it is not something we are waiting for.

Paul teaches us in Romans, that when we died with Christ, we were also raised with him. This took place the moment that you accepted Christ as your Savior. He said the same thing in Ephesians 2, "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..." ( Ephesians 2:4-6 ). Ephesians concurring that this event happened in the past and is not something we are waiting for when we all get to heaven.

I remember the first time I read this and took notice of it. It caused me to stop and meditate on these verses until I understood what Paul was saying. Understanding came when I looked at these passages with spiritual eyes because that is the only way for this to make sense. Understand that there is more to life than just what you can see, touch and experience in the natural world. We are made up of one-third spirit, one-third soul and one-third body. ( I Thessalonians 5:23 ) Now your body is just the physical shell of who you are. It will go along with whatever you let rule you. Your soul, for simplicities sake is your consciousness. Your attitude, your thoughts, your personality, it is everything that makes you unique. Your spirit is what gives you life. It is the part of you that is sealed and redeemed and raised with Christ and seated in the heavenly realm. When you are born again, you currently possess this new spirit of Christ and if you currently possess it, then you have it. If your spirit was raised with Christ to newness of life, then so are you. It is one-third of your make -up.

Therefore, since this is accomplished in your spirit, you cannot look at what you can see. You have to go along with what you know to be true. For instance, do you feel saved or do you know? If I look at the physical realm then I look like a filthy sinner. That is why I cannot look there to know that I am born again. I have to look into the my spirit and see the righteousness that God has bestowed upon me. Then, I can look in to the word and confirm what I know in my spirit. I know it is who I am because the Bible tells me so. If I rely on feelings and letting them dictate what I know, then I am in trouble. I will doubt my salvation, I will question whether or not I'm worthy of it, I will focus in the areas that I fail constantly. But if I am settled and assured in the truth of what God has said, then physical circumstances do not matter... you can't talk me out of the fact that I am saved. Overall, the church has done a good job of teaching this, so that we understand when we ask Christ into our lives, we are saved and our circumstances and unworthiness do not matter.

However, this same process is true for this truth. The fact is, you have been raised with Christ Jesus and are seated with him in the heavenly realm. You have a new life through association with him. If I look around and decide this isn't true because of what you see, then you will get into unbelief and doubt and that will keep you from experiencing this new life that Paul is talking about. In your spirit, you are raised with Christ and have new life. To the degree that you think, believe, and act like who you are in your spirit, to that degree you will experience the life of Christ in your flesh as well.

There is no need to sing a song celebrating a future event that has already taken place. We can look forward to heaven, but God wants us to experience eternal life right now on this earth. Jesus said in John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." ( John 17:3 ) and since we can experience Jesus, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in this world, then we can rejoice in where we are right now, seated with Christ and made alive through his death on the cross. We don't have to wait until we get to heaven to experience this.

So how do we practice this? Paul said in Colossians, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1-3) We can experience this resurrection life that Paul describes by adjusting our minds and setting our hearts on kingdom things, where Christ is the center. And then you will see the result of this truth in the natural realm. See how important this is? Today, I pray that you are so blessed by this revelation. May it change your entire life. God bless you!

No matter what the circumstances around you, when you have a promise from God from his written word, then that promise is as strong and faithful as the guarantor of that promise. Abraham knew this and that is why his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham believed God, even though, what he was believing for had not yet come to pass.

The amazing thing from this passage of scripture is that Paul reminds us that this was written. Psalms 138:2 says, "...thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." (KVJ) So the written word of God carries much weight. We know that everything in heaven, on earth and under the earth will one day bow down and confess that Jesus is Lord. He is given the name above every name. ( Philippians 2:9-11 ). However, the Psalms said that God himself magnifies his word above his name. Why? Because His name rests on his word.

You have heard it say that a man is only as good as his word. Meaning that unless one does what they say the will do, they cannot be trusted. God holds himself to the same standard. In other words, if a promise has been spoken by him and has been recorded in his word, then that promise is as good as the name he bears and you can consider the promise fulfilled. The name to which one day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord.

Abraham believed God when he told him that he would be the father of many nations. No matter what the circumstances, he clung to that promise. It didn't matter that he was nearly one hundred years old. It didn't matter that Sarah was over ninety years old. No, didn't matter that she was barren. The scriptures tell us two things regarding this promise. First, God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Secondly the scriptures tell us that Abraham believed God.

In fact, Abraham believe God before he believed his circumstances. He knew that when God spoke and promised something that he would deliver it. He reasoned that God would do what he promised even when, in the physical it seemed impossible. And Abraham saw the fulfillment of part of that promise through Isaac and had glimpses of the rest of the fulfillment through Jesus. His faith was the catalyst to bring the promise to realization.

The second half of this verse is so powerful. '...God gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.' ( Romans 4:17 ) We see this example in creation. Nothing existed before hand, but God spoke and believed that what he had spoke would come to pass. As he spoke, things that did not exist, came into existence. He called things that were not as though they were, and suddenly the were.

Abraham believed God in such a way. Even though in the present physical condition, there was no heir to the promise, he believed God. He knew that God was able to call things into existence. All of this steams out of a personal relationship with Him and knowing him. It also comes from knowing his word and the promises within. When we know God in an intimate way, then we know who he is and what he will do. The more we know about him, the more we look to him and forward to the outcome rather than the circumstances.

This is so important for us today, because no matter what the circumstances are, no matter what the doctor has said, no matter what we feel, we need to rest of what God has said about it. He is the one who 'gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.' ( Romans 4:17 ) When we believe him in such a way, then, like Abraham we operate in unwavering faith. Also like Abraham, we see the promises of God that are done and complete, called to manifest into the physical realm where we can interact with them.

Today, I praise God, that He is the one who gives life to the dead and changes circumstances. I praise God that the more we know him, the more we are able to operate in the faith that Abraham had. Because of this, 'He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believe' ( Romans 4:17 ) His faith has blessed us and will continue to do so for the many generations to come. Amen!

I find it amazing that the whole time, God's intention from the very beginning was to bestow grace upon mankind. This is truly the greatest story ever told. God didn't want to take any changes with his beloved creation, specifically humankind so he knew that to do this, salvation must be through grace.

The truth is, God always wanted relationship with us. His desired was a family. I Peter 1:20 tells us that Jesus was the spotless lamb chosen before the foundation of the world as the precious sacrifice for sin. His blood would be the atoning medium to bring us into right standing with God. Jesus was the promised Seed of Abraham. "The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ." ( Galatians 3:16 )

So through Jesus, whether you are born into the natural line of Abraham or an heir to the promise through faith, the Bible says that Abraham is our father in the sight of God. God accomplished an amazing thing through the faith of one man. This man chose to believe God and because of it we share in the blessing that he obtained through faith. We choose to be a part of the family that God desired from the beginning and made possible through Jesus.

Today we can rest in the grace promised to Abraham, but provided through Jesus. It is by grace that we are saved and it has nothing to do with anything we can do. That my friend is wonderful news! That is why it is called the gospel or ‘almost too good to be true news!' Today I praise God that he has provided the means, the payment and the way to him through fulfillment of that promise.

An incredible love exists towards you from the Lord. It is a perfect love. It is a love that casts out all fear. So many times we think we must clean ourselves up and be good enough before we come to the Lord. We look at the state we are in and think that God cannot love us, forgive us or accept us on that basis. But this is not the case. God loved you from the beginning. He sent Jesus into the world to die for you. God has chosen you to be his beloved child. He does not want you to exist in fear but wants you to understand who you are in Christ Jesus and how much you are loved.

Several years ago, a dog wandered into city hall where my mother worked. He was mangee, dirty and scared. They kept him for several days waiting for his owners to show up and claim him. But they never did. This dog had obviously been starved and beaten, he was in poor shape. My mother had compassion on him and loved him right from the start. She started campaigning my dad to come meet him. She wanted him to see this dog because she knew that he would see what she saw. A wonderful kindhearted dog needing a good home beneath the layers of dirt.

Needless to say, they welcomed Buddy into their home with open arms. They feed him, they cleaned him up, they took him to the Vet to get the necessary medicines to take care of the problems associated with neglect and most importantly they loved him. They welcomed him unconditionally into their home. It was nothing that Buddy did or contributed to the family that made them love him. They loved him and accepted him because of who they were not because of who Buddy was.

At first it was slow going. He was a friendly dog and fit nicely into the family. He was gentle with the grandkids and loved the lifestyle he was grafted into. However, in the early years when ever someone would approach him quickly he would cower and whimper in fear. There was no basis for this behavior in his new home, he had never been hit or mistreated. But this fear came from remembering where he had come from. Time and time again he learned of my parents goodness towards him instead of the pain he suffered before them. After a while this memory faded out of existence and the unconditional love he experience became his reality. No longer does Buddy cower and timidly approach those that love him, but he excitedly runs to them with no fear. Buddy experience their love and it changed everything.

That is why God sent the Holy Spirit into your heart to testify to the fact that He loves you. It has nothing to do with who you are or what you have done. It has everything to do with who He is and what He has done. He loved you. He gave His Son to die for you. He forgave you. He gave you his righteousness. He made you worthy to be a part of His family. The only thing we need to do is respond to this love. Many of us are like Buddy in the early stages, we are wrapped up in our fear remembering where we came from. But Paul said "you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear..." ( Romans 8:15 ). God does not want you to live in fear, shame or remorse. He wants you to get a revelation of this love he extends towards you. If we truly understand this and let the Holy Spirit remind us daily of this very thing then we will experience the confidence that comes with sonship. "...but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father" ( Romans 8:15 ). He longs for you to approach him in confidence. Hebrews tells us the Holy Spirit testifies to us the New Covenant that Jesus brought to us. He assures us that our sins and our lawless acts he remember no more ( Hebrews 10:15-17 ). And if he doesn't remember them, then we shouldn't either.

God Loves you! Today I pray that you understand this love and remove any fear that keeps you from experiencing this love and grace. May you approach God in full confidence and find rest at his feet. Today I am going to leave you with one of my favorite verses, This is what God spoke about you even before you were born.

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing."
Zephaniah 3:17