As I began to journal I reflected on the darker doubt filled place I was in yesterday morning before I started my devos. So I thought to myself what has changed? The simple answer is that for the past mornings I have spent time in meditation and prayer with my God who is mighty to save!
The question that came to the page was "what happens when I don't feel or act as more than a conquers?"
Right?
The verse that was tumbling around in my mind is found in Romans 8: 37 where the Apostle writes "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Earlier he makes the argument that those who are in Christ Jesus have been set free from the law of sin and death (vs. 2).
I have to be honest sometimes, maybe even quite often, I don't feel or act free from sin, instead I am feel and act conquered by sin, defeated, struggling, unable to live the life of freedom and flourishing I read about in the Scriptures, and that I do believe is meant to be mine, "oh Jesus I believe help my unbelief."
The next verse that came tumbling into my mind, or rather that was placed into my heart was Romans 12:2 " Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Or as the Message puts it "Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."
I thought "Yup! That's the answer." This is a truth that God has to remind me of often... fix your eyes on Jesus, because HE is the founder and perfecter of your faith! (Heb 12:2).
So there you have it, don't feel or act as more than a conquer? Whatever it is that you struggle with, we all have something, it might be a sadness we can't shake or a we can't get a control of our unhealthy eating patterns, whatever it is we need to FIX OUR EYES ON JESUS BECAUSE HE IS THE FOUNDER AND PERFECTER OF OUR FAITH!
My recommendation is that we get into the habit of fixing our eyes on Jesus through mediation on his Truth and in prayer everyday, because lets be honest we are still broken humans, yes we are being perfected by Christ, we are not yet perfect and we still have our weaknesses, so we need daily, if not more than that, reminders of his Truth and promises!
This does not need to be long or extravagant, maybe start be reading through the Psalms, start with Psalm 1 read it over and over again, really chewing on it for 5-10 mins, then take a pen and paper and let your thoughts flow for a couple mins, don't filter them. don't analysis the verse, let the outflow of your meditation on God's Word be your response in prayer.
I also recommend doing it in the morning, before you go out into the world, plant your feet firmly on the Rock that is Jesus Christ.
29-30 God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun.
31-39 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. (Romans 8: 29-39 MSG)
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