OUR NEW NATURE

 

OUR NEW NATURE

Col. 3:9-10 Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old evil nature and all its wicked deeds. In its place you have clothed yourselves with a brand-new nature that is continually being renewed as you learn more and more about Christ, who created this new nature within you. NLT

What have you taken off? What difference has the Gospel you profess to believe in made in your life? What don't you do that you did before? What do you do now that you didn’t do before? What attitudes do you have now that you didn't have before about life and people? The reality is that if nothing noticeable has changed in you, then what you believe with your head is not what you believe in your heart. When Jesus is in us, we no longer can live in sin or maintain sinful attitudes. He won't let us. His Spirit convicts us of sin and moves us to confess sin and change.

In the place of our old way of life, Jesus gives us a brand-new life. It is a life built on the foundation of godliness. It is a life that never quits becoming more like God in character. It is a life that is never satisfied with what is, but is aware of the need for constant growth and change. When Jesus lives within us, we have a constant hunger and thirst for more of His life. We want who He is to be who we are.

Let the Lord renew your heart today by striving to learn more and more about Him in all His glory and honor as God within you. The old you has to go and the new you has to be your new norm.

It may take a while, in fact, the transformation into the new you will not be done until you get to heaven, but if you are indeed a child of God, progress will be seen in you and you will feel it.

PUT TO DEATH

 

PUT TO DEATH

Col. 3:5-6 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don't be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry. God's terrible anger will come upon those who do such things. NLT

Putting to death is to no longer let sinful things be a part of who you are. It is no longer living under the influence of sinful desires. It is refusing to participate in sinful things or practices. It is walking away from sinful temptations. It is squelching sinful desires. It is changing the course of our natural way to live and instead strive to live to honor and please God.

There are many things that the world deems to be good. There are many things that appeal to us and cause us to want them. We need to keep our desires under control. When what the world offers us become the driving force in our lives, it's greed. It causes us to want the world's offerings more than we do a healthy relationship with God. It is sin and we must be concerned about this. If we are not careful, we will develop greater priorities in life than God. We will be led away from God and into sin.

Paul warns us that those who do not put away from them their sinful desires and greed will face God's wrath. God will not fight for our allegiance; He lets us choose whether or not we will serve Him and love Him more than anyone, or anything, else in life. You cannot love the Lord and hang onto worldly desires or participate in worldly activities. You cannot love Him and desire something else more than Him. God commands all of our heart’s loyalties. We cannot live in Christ with earthly attachments.

Do not be lulled to sleep thinking God will not exercise wrath against those who live ungodly lives. He is holy and will NEVER let that which is ungodly near Him. The hammer will come down on everyone who lives in sin instead of Christ’s righteousness.

DO YOUR PART

 

DO YOUR PART

Col. 3:5a So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. NLT

Notice, we have a responsibility to put out the life of sin in us. We have to do our part if we are going to live in victory. God does not take away from us our desires. We still tend to want to sin and we must gain control over those desires. We must stand up to temptation and say no to it. We must resist the urge to pursue the things on earth that draw us away from God.

In order for us to be strong enough to put to death our sinful desires, we must take control over what we do in life. We must be students of God’s Word, which means we become more than casual readers of it. We must read the Word with a need and desire to learn its hidden treasures. We must be disciplined enough to spend daily time in it. We must be willing to listen to what it says and seek to apply it to our living. The more we study the Word, the stronger our faith becomes.

We must also put into practice what we learn. Knowledge alone does the soul no good. We must keep striving to develop the kind of life God says we should be living. Becoming holy in practice should always be our goal.

Strength of faith is found on our knees. We must discipline ourselves to be a people of prayer. It takes more than a casual thought to be a people of prayer. We need to discipline ourselves to wait before the Lord, spending quality time with Him on a consistent basis. Sunday morning prayer time in church is not going to cut it. Daily we need to spend time alone with the Lord, sitting at His feet, waiting before Him.

It is the strong in faith who will be able to put to death the sinful, earthly things that attract us and lure us away from God.

Satan is lurking, waiting for an opportunity to attack and devour you. Do your part and work out your salvation and you will be able to resist him and live in victory.

WHAT'S ON YOUR MIND?

 

WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND?

Col. 3:1-2 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits at God's right hand in the place of honor and power. Let heaven fill your thoughts. Do not think only about things down here on earth. NLT

One of the biggest reasons why there is such shallowness in our spiritual lives is that we have allowed our thoughts to be dominated by earthly things. We are primarily concerned by the things we find on earth. We thrive on the rewards found in the world and pursue the earthly pleasures available to us. We listen to the many voices of the world to the point where we scarcely hear the voice of God.

We will never grow into a godly people until we accept our actions and take responsibility for them. We must understand that in order to be the people whom God created us to be in Christ, we must get our priorities straight.

As children of God, we must retrain ourselves to set our sights on the realities of heaven. We must learn all we can about Christ and heaven. We must keep our thoughts focused on what is before us, not on what is around us or behind us. We are not citizens of earth; we are citizens of heaven. We invest our lives in the things of heaven, not the things on earth.

The more into Christ we become, the less attachment we will have for the things here on earth. Only when we become heaven-minded do we find ourselves and something worth living for.

Christ is in heaven seated at God’s right hand, watching over and sustaining creation, working to make and keep us holy, and preparing a place for us in heaven. Think on these things for a life worth living for.

SATAN DISARMED

 

SATAN DISARMED

Col. 2:14-15 He canceled the record that contained the charges against us. He took it and destroyed it by nailing it to Christ’s cross. In this way, God disarmed the evil rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross of Christ. NLT

Make no mistake about it; God knows our sin and will hold us responsible for it. No one gets away with sin. No one. But, when we humble ourselves before Christ, admit our sins, and seek His forgiveness, God destroys all the evidence. He puts on the cross our just punishment. He forever washes away our sins. We no longer are condemned to die for our sins; instead, we are given new life in Christ.

In Christ, we are freed from the hold Satan has on us. He is rendered powerless. He may nag us to death, but He cannot lead us unwittingly into God’s judgment. We are given in Christ the power to live a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God. We no longer are victims; we are victors in Christ.

At Calvary, Jesus publicly put to shame all the forces of evil. He put Satan in His place. He forever is known as the enemy of God, the object of His wrath. Satan, and all those who are his, are doomed to spend eternity in hell. There is no hope for him or any who would reject the love of Christ and follow him.

In Christ, all of our sins are gone. We inherit the righteousness and holiness of Christ. Forgotten is the condemnation we deserved for our sins. We now have eternal life in Christ. We will someday be in the presence of God with Him if we do not get weary and give up the good fight. In Christ, we will not faint; we will make it home. Satan is disarmed; it is about time we lived like it.

CHRIST IS LORD

 

CHRIST IS LORD

Col. 2:9-10 For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe. NLT

The fullness of God lives in Christ. There is nothing of God lacking in Christ. All that God is, Christ is. He is fully God who lived on earth in bodily form. Jesus is able to do all things, for He is God.

What Jesus does for us to save us is complete, there is nothing lacking in our salvation. We are made acceptable to God. There is nothing else Jesus can or needs to do to make us presentable to God. We can with confidence approach God in Christ without fear of being harmed because of our sinfulness. Jesus makes us righteous and holy before God.

In order for us to be able to continue to be safe as we approach God, we must stay connected to Christ. If we ever stray from Christ and attempt to approach God, we will be rejected by Him. He will not allow us near Him with sinful hearts. He is merciful and does not immediately condemn us, but neither does He waver in His refusal to allow sin into His presence. Only in Christ can we draw near to God. It is imperative that we understand this truth. We must never allow sin to draw us away from Christ’s protective care.

Jesus stands alone in His power and authority. He is ruler over all things and every authority on earth. They were made by Him and for Him. He has no equal. He is in control of all created things. He is the only reason why we are still here. He has the authority to save or not save our souls. He knows our hearts and saves all those who sincerely come to Him for salvation. All who are in Christ please God and shall live with Him forever and ever.

TELL EVERYONE

 

TELL EVERYONE

Col. 1:28-29 So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship with Christ. I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ’s mighty power that works within me. NLT

We are part of the persona of Christ. Everywhere we go we are telling people about Christ by the way we live our lives. What we say and do sends a strong message about who Christ is. It is imperative that we live so that Christ will be seen for who He really is.

We are part of the proclamation of Christ. We have been given a very clear and strong message of God’s redeeming love. We must warn and teach others about Christ and His ways. Where people will spend eternity may very well hinge on whether or not we obey the Lord and share our faith with them. God gives us wisdom so that we will know what to say when it is time to speak out, so if we fail to share the Gospel message it is disobedience; it is sin. Speak frequently about Christ and our redemption to everyone you can and if words fail you, let your life speak for you. The Gospel does no one any good if it is not freely shared. It must be seen in action and heard.

It should be our heart’s desire to present to God souls ready for the Kingdom of God. If we have God’s love governing our hearts, we will long to help others be prepared for heaven. Love compels us to promote healthy relationships with Christ.

It’s not an easy thing to do, and it requires a lot of work on our part to be a help and not a hindrance to the faith of others. We can do it if we are dependent on Christ’s power and not our own. Let us commit ourselves to the task for the glory of Christ.