Becoming The Person God Has Designed Me To Be
A Transforming Year
I am going to begin this article by telling you about the trials that I went through that made me who I am today. I have always been a Christian but to be that Christ-like example, that real true Christian—that has not always been my motive or at least not always. Becoming on fire for the Lord, totally sold out and following His example—that I know has been His plan for me since the beginning and that is the testimony that I want to share with you.
During my younger years, God has always placed special people in my life such as teachers and friends. Also my mother who continually taught me the ways of being a Christ follower. When I was eighteen I began dating. Around a year later I was dating a girl that was wanting to take our relationship to the next level. That meant having sex. That was when I knew I had to decide which direction in life I was going to choose. I had witnessed others failing at relationships over this thing that I now call "Temporary Love."
True Love
What do I mean when I say "Temporary Love?" I am talking about a feeling that people confuse with love and that is only lust. I wanted something that would last. Best explained in my recent blog: People these days believe in temporary love rather then real love. Driven by lust and out to get what they want rather than caring for their significant other. If people are to have a good strong relationship, they need to base their concept of love just as this verse explained it... 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
The Crossroad & Becoming A True Christ Follower
It was hard. During the time when I was at a cross-road in my life, that was when I was really intense about wanting a relationship. But I overcame it and that was the beginning of turning myself into the person I am today. I had to make that decision on my own terms without any limitations. After getting her out of my life it seemed that she was a big distraction. I began to grow a passion for writing and blogging and I was always writing new Christian articles. Later on I began a purity advocacy program. I guess you could say that the time of 2010 through 2012 was the years of my transformation.
Maybe you go to a church, maybe even have your names on the church's membership. But do you really belong to Christ? Have you ever felt His presence? I remember my first time was in the month of July. I was at the age of eighteen and I was at a church camp. That was when I knew that I was truly touched by the Lord. While worshiping Jesus and attending a group prayer, everyone including myself stared weeping while worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. His presence was felt and I knew that He had always been there for me. Now I must become His all of the way! And that was not the last time that I experienced His presence. And with all of that said.... if you are really wanting to become the person that you need to be, then I advise you with this very quote: Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about discovering who God created you to be.
Next let's touch on experiencing God's anointing presence... Read further by this article: The Presence of God
I am going to begin this article by telling you about the trials that I went through that made me who I am today. I have always been a Christian but to be that Christ-like example, that real true Christian—that has not always been my motive or at least not always. Becoming on fire for the Lord, totally sold out and following His example—that I know has been His plan for me since the beginning and that is the testimony that I want to share with you.
During my younger years, God has always placed special people in my life such as teachers and friends. Also my mother who continually taught me the ways of being a Christ follower. When I was eighteen I began dating. Around a year later I was dating a girl that was wanting to take our relationship to the next level. That meant having sex. That was when I knew I had to decide which direction in life I was going to choose. I had witnessed others failing at relationships over this thing that I now call "Temporary Love."
True Love
What do I mean when I say "Temporary Love?" I am talking about a feeling that people confuse with love and that is only lust. I wanted something that would last. Best explained in my recent blog: People these days believe in temporary love rather then real love. Driven by lust and out to get what they want rather than caring for their significant other. If people are to have a good strong relationship, they need to base their concept of love just as this verse explained it... 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
The Crossroad & Becoming A True Christ Follower
It was hard. During the time when I was at a cross-road in my life, that was when I was really intense about wanting a relationship. But I overcame it and that was the beginning of turning myself into the person I am today. I had to make that decision on my own terms without any limitations. After getting her out of my life it seemed that she was a big distraction. I began to grow a passion for writing and blogging and I was always writing new Christian articles. Later on I began a purity advocacy program. I guess you could say that the time of 2010 through 2012 was the years of my transformation.
Maybe you go to a church, maybe even have your names on the church's membership. But do you really belong to Christ? Have you ever felt His presence? I remember my first time was in the month of July. I was at the age of eighteen and I was at a church camp. That was when I knew that I was truly touched by the Lord. While worshiping Jesus and attending a group prayer, everyone including myself stared weeping while worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. His presence was felt and I knew that He had always been there for me. Now I must become His all of the way! And that was not the last time that I experienced His presence. And with all of that said.... if you are really wanting to become the person that you need to be, then I advise you with this very quote: Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about discovering who God created you to be.
Next let's touch on experiencing God's anointing presence... Read further by this article: The Presence of God
The Presence of God
Is a believer supposed to be able to feel the Holy Spirit? While certain ministries of the Holy Spirit may involve a feeling, such as conviction of sin, comfort, and empowerment, scripture does not instruct us to base our relationship with the Holy Spirit on how or what we feel. Every born-again believer has the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus told us that when the Comforter has come He will be with us and in us. "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17). In other words, Jesus is sending one like Himself to be with us and in us.
We know the Holy Spirit is with us because God's Word tells us that it is so. Every born-again believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but not every believer is controlled by the Holy Spirit, and there is a distinct difference. When we step out in our flesh, we are not under the control of the Holy Spirit even though we are still indwelt by Him. The apostle Paul comments on this truth, and he uses an illustration that helps us to understand. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). Many people read this verse and interpret it to mean that the apostle Paul is speaking against wine. However, the context of this passage is the walk and the warfare of the Spirit-filled believer. Therefore, there is something more here than just a warning about drinking too much wine.
When people are drunk with too much wine, they exhibit certain characteristics: they become clumsy, their speech is slurred, and their judgment is impaired. The apostle Paul sets up a comparison here. Just as there are certain characteristics that identify someone who is controlled by too much wine, there should also be certain characteristics that identify someone who is controlled by the Holy Spirit. We read in Galatians 5:22-24 about the "fruit" of the Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit's fruit, and it is exhibited by the born-again believer who is under His control.
The verb tense in Ephesians 5:18 indicates a continual process of "being filled" by the Holy Spirit. Since it is an exhortation, it follows that it is also possible to not be filled or controlled by the Spirit. The rest of Ephesians 5 gives us the characteristics of a Spirit-filled believer. "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:19-21).
We are not filled with the Spirit because we feel we are, but because this is the privilege and possession of the Christian. Being filled or controlled by the Spirit is the result of walking in obedience to the Lord. This is a gift of grace and not an emotional feeling. Emotions can and will deceive us, and we can work ourselves up into an emotional frenzy that is purely from the flesh and not of the Holy Spirit. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature … Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16, 25).
Having said that, we cannot deny that there are times when we can be overwhelmed by the presence and the power of the Spirit, and this is often an emotional experience. When that happens, it is a joy like no other. King David "danced with all his might" (2 Samuel 6:14) when they brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Experiencing joy by the Spirit is the understanding that as children of God we are being blessed by His grace. So, absolutely, the ministries of the Holy Spirit can involve our feelings and emotions. At the same time, we are not to base the assurance of our possession of the Holy Spirit on how we feel.
We know the Holy Spirit is with us because God's Word tells us that it is so. Every born-again believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but not every believer is controlled by the Holy Spirit, and there is a distinct difference. When we step out in our flesh, we are not under the control of the Holy Spirit even though we are still indwelt by Him. The apostle Paul comments on this truth, and he uses an illustration that helps us to understand. "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). Many people read this verse and interpret it to mean that the apostle Paul is speaking against wine. However, the context of this passage is the walk and the warfare of the Spirit-filled believer. Therefore, there is something more here than just a warning about drinking too much wine.
When people are drunk with too much wine, they exhibit certain characteristics: they become clumsy, their speech is slurred, and their judgment is impaired. The apostle Paul sets up a comparison here. Just as there are certain characteristics that identify someone who is controlled by too much wine, there should also be certain characteristics that identify someone who is controlled by the Holy Spirit. We read in Galatians 5:22-24 about the "fruit" of the Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit's fruit, and it is exhibited by the born-again believer who is under His control.
The verb tense in Ephesians 5:18 indicates a continual process of "being filled" by the Holy Spirit. Since it is an exhortation, it follows that it is also possible to not be filled or controlled by the Spirit. The rest of Ephesians 5 gives us the characteristics of a Spirit-filled believer. "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Ephesians 5:19-21).
We are not filled with the Spirit because we feel we are, but because this is the privilege and possession of the Christian. Being filled or controlled by the Spirit is the result of walking in obedience to the Lord. This is a gift of grace and not an emotional feeling. Emotions can and will deceive us, and we can work ourselves up into an emotional frenzy that is purely from the flesh and not of the Holy Spirit. "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature … Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16, 25).
Having said that, we cannot deny that there are times when we can be overwhelmed by the presence and the power of the Spirit, and this is often an emotional experience. When that happens, it is a joy like no other. King David "danced with all his might" (2 Samuel 6:14) when they brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. Experiencing joy by the Spirit is the understanding that as children of God we are being blessed by His grace. So, absolutely, the ministries of the Holy Spirit can involve our feelings and emotions. At the same time, we are not to base the assurance of our possession of the Holy Spirit on how we feel.
Steezy For Christ, DEFINING REBEL.: 1) The Briefing Intro. God will straight up make your reality into a living miracle if you let him
Steezy For Christ, DEFINING REBEL.: 1) The Briefing Intro. God will straight up make your reality into a living miracle if you let him: A little taste of what it's like to really put God in charge of your life. A process which by the way is meaningfully endless and which always requires an effort. Sometimes we do better then others, but when we can manage to swallow our pride, stop trying to exalt ourselves and choose to instead focus that time and energy on our God and savior, the only one who really deserves it. . When we can do that my friends, the result our endlessly incomprehensible. This is just a tiny story trying to grasp a small fraction of what God has been doing, I think the most encouraging part about it all is that even when I fail to surrender my everything to the lord and fail to carry my half of the bargain, God still remains faithful and loyally remains at work in my life. Those works, turn nightmares into dreams, turn dreams into plans, and those plans are so abundantly miraculous and wonderfully impactful that they make our most meaningful dreams look pathetic. There is no comparison between God's plan for us and our wildest dreams for ourselves, God's plan trumps our dreams, he's made a plan for you he's planned it out, he's put so much effort and thought and care into it, and all he asks us to do is to let him give it to us, he will faithfully lay it down before us, but it is our task to surrender ourselves and our plans and our desires, and to take that step of faith knowing that it is going to take us somewhere we never could have dreamed of going. It's hard to surrender everything, and often we are deceived and we think that we have assuredly handed our lives over to the lord. But the fact of the matter is that that usually is not the case. There will always be something more that we could surrender. And when we do, God will always be there to show us that we have made the right choice. So please take this step of faith with me today, even if you think you've surrendered your life to God, write out three areas of your life where your emotions or desires influence you to make decisions without first thinking things through. Look at the big choices that you've made in your life, and try to recall if you surrendered those choices to God, if you forfeited what you wanted to choose and asked God to help you see things the way he does. If your in a tight situation or if you feel that your being controlled by your emotions or desires or feelings or wants or needs, please take a moment to stop and pray, to just lift it up to God. If you happen to be in a life crisis right now, where you are making a decision that will change the rest of your life and future. Pray, and pray, and pray, and fast if you want to hear God, then bring it to your pastor, your spiritual anchors, your family, and gather their opinions, right out the good and the bad associated with each decision, and make sure that your list is centered on God's plan for your life, not what you want for your life. If you want extra motivation to actually follow through with these tasks, if you want proof that listening to God is whats best, then click on the link. It's got a quick example of God's brilliant plan in action.
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