From The Inside Out

From The Inside Out

When I became a true follower of Jesus I became more than just a better person. As a true follower of Jesus I was transformed into whole new person with a new identity in Christ and whose life is now set apart for God's purpose.  At this stage of my life, God continues this metamorphosis that won’t be complete until my complete transformation when I receive my heavenly body.

The Process:

Justification:

• God's act of declaring or making a sinner righteous before Him through Jesus’ work on the cross.
• Declared free from the penalty of sin.

Sanctification:

• God’s act by which believers become more and more conformed to Christ’s image.
• A lifetime process a believer goes through to become Holy and set apart for God’s purpose with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Glorification:

• The final phase of the transformation process whereby we receive our imperishable bodies after the second coming of Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

Until that time, my goals are to be more Christ-like so others will benefit, to live life with an eternal purpose and perspective, and to serve God carrying out the mission of the Church through what God has gifted and called me to do.

In the past, since becoming a follower of Jesus, I did not have the same amount faith that I have now, but through the work of the Holy Spirit, my heart has changed and those changes have been a benefit to me, my family and others. Yet, I would have to say that I wrestled with God through a lot of the life changes that were made, but thankfully, God is a much better wrestler than I am.  In fact, knowing myself, I would have never chosen the life I am living now. God has transformed me from the inside out, not from anything I have done, but through what Jesus has done. God’s desire to give my life some eternal purpose was

solely based on His decision. He decided to have compassion on me opening to me the floodgates of heaven.  I still kick myself wondering why God would choose me. I am reminded everyday that without God, none of the joy and blessing I have now would be possible. This verse reminds me why God might be using me for His kingdom purpose:

1 Corinthians 1:27-31 NIV

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.

If you would have known me before Jesus came into my life you would have seen the large “I’m a fool” sign resting on top of my head. You would have heard words that mocked God. You would have seen a lifestyle that rivals the ones portrayed in the movie “Animal House”.  But I am not that person anymore. I am a new creation in Christ and I am thankful that God had mercy on me and allowed me to live through the years that I experimented with life without Him.  Now that I have been transformed and have been adopted into God’s family,

I know longer desire to live a self serving life.  However, there are still times when I mess up and get self-focused. So therefore, it is still important for me to daily confess and repent from my sins. The good news is that I have the assurance of God’s forgiveness which continues to be essential to my walk and relationship with God.  When I mess up I am reminded that I still need God’s Word to instruct me and direct my life. God’s Word is full of instruction and teaches me to live life with a Godly perspective. Here are some passages that reinforce this principle:

Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Romans 12:1-2 NIV 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual  act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.

For me, just claiming to be a Christian and serving God is not enough. I believe God continues to this day to desire to transform me from the inside out so I become more like Christ. His desire has now become my desire too.  Since I began to seriously focus on my spiritual growth, my relationship with God has become more intimate, more joyful and more trusting of His Lordship. Some of the major issues I have struggled with in the past have now been placed in His hands. I continually live and wait expectantly for God’s answer to prayer and see difficult circumstances as an opportunity to exercise my faith.One thing I have learned about God is that He has perfect timing. So if His timing is perfect, I should be willing to wait. Boy, I wish I could do that perfectly but I have come to realize that I am a "Terrible Waiter"!

 God has a good purpose for those who love Him. This next verse reassures me of that:

Romans 8:28 NIV

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Since becoming a Follower of Jesus, I wake up each day thanking God for another day of life. Each day I eagerly await for God to do His work through me, to serve His purpose and for me in some way to edify His kingdom and hopefully be a blessing to others.

In this new life I have been graciously given, I have the honor and privilege to reflect some of God’s Glory. I know the more and more I become like Christ, the more and more God’s Glory will be seen in my life. 

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

So now I can be thankful there is some substance to my life and not just a bunch of hype. Yet my struggle continues as I question myself about the motives behind my words and deeds. Are they truly for God, or are they for myself?  The truth is, I am still a work in progress. I know I need the Holy Spirit to continue to conform me to the image of Jesus' by continuing to transform me from the inside out. My challenge continues to be this:  “whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did” (I John 2:6).

Just Sayin……………….………..Dave

If God directs it, it will happen. Understanding the Sovereignty of God

If God directs it, it will happen......

Understanding the Sovereignty of God

I believe in the Sovereignty of God.

The Bible teaches that God is sovereign which means that God possesses and exercises supreme authority and control over all His creation.

For me, that means God will carry out His plans regardless of what I think He is capable of.

God can make happen, what seems impossible to me, possible.

There are certain scenarios I think about everyday where I believe only God has the power to intervene and effectively intercede in the circumstances.

For instance, there are situations I am dealing with right now where people in my extended family at this point in time seem like they will never receive God’s offer of salvation because they are Jewish and actually find the Cross offensive.  There are friends and family members of mine who are dealing with physical illness, some to the point of daily pain and suffering. In some cases the Doctors are unable to prescribe an effective treatment or cure.

Personally, I used to think that I would never be able to overcome certain attitudes or behaviors. There are times in the past I have felt hopeless that my marriage would survive. There have been times when I was at the end of my rope.

In all these situations that I have noted above, I believe God has the power intervene and change the circumstances. I believe this because God has already intervened in my life many times and has effectively made some incredible changes in me. I have seen His power at work through the Holy Spirit who has strengthened my confidence and faith in God and His promises.

When it comes to Salvation, even though my Jewish family members have not yet received Jesus as Lord and Savior, I believe there is still hope that they will. I use my own life as an example. I received Jesus, even though I, like my family, never had the desire to do so. I believe God displayed His sovereign power and will in my circumstance and was responsible for the softening of my heart. I believe God predetermined that I would receive His free gift of salvation. 

Ephesians 1:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through 

Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

Ephesians 1:11 New Living Translation

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God^, 
for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

When it comes to my old habits and behaviors, I believe the power of the Holy Spirit in my life continues to refine my character to the point where my identity is no longer defined by the old self, the person I used to be. I am now putting on the new self and continually striving to be a man of character and integrity, becoming more like Jesus, who is now my greatest example of the servant leader, the kind of leader I want to be in all areas of my life.

Other examples of God's sovereign power and will include, when my marriage was failing, I believe He reconciled it. When I was at the end of my rope and fully broken, God was able to lift me up and restore me. When I sin, God continues to forgive and extend me grace.  

Jesus confirms that God has the power to make what seems impossible, possible.

Mark 10:27 NIV
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Luke 1:37 NIV
For nothing is impossible with God.”

Luke 18:27 NIV
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.”

So it is important if one is a follower of Jesus to believe that God has a plan and a purpose for everything that takes place in our lives and that just at the right time He will change our circumstances to fit that plan.  This means God can take a situation that we know we can’t do anything about and miraculously direct it to fulfill His purpose.  For example, some years ago my wife and I had been praying for one of our sons to go on a mission trip and that the result of His going, He would become a devoted follower of Jesus. We waited for a long time for God to answer this prayer and then out of the blue, after we surrendered this situation over to Him, my son was invited to go on a mission trip which ultimately did change his life. He now has a personal relationship with Jesus.

The question we have to face is, if God has this incredible power, why does He sometimes wait to use it? Can we as His followers be patient and trust Him while we wait for God to intervene?

We are encouraged to do so:

Psalm 27:14 New Living Translation

 Wait patiently for the Lord.  Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.

Let’s understand this -  God works according to His plan and timing. Here again is the Ephesians verse

Ephesians 1:11 (New Living Translation)

Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance,  and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

Proverbs 16:9 New Living Translation 

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

What we can see throughout the Bible along with events that take place in our own lives is that God chooses the when and how He will fulfill His plan. 

I can witness to the fact that God has perfect timing based on the events and circumstances in my own life.

We can know this:

Just at the right time God will guide, provide and restore:

Isaiah 58:11 (New Living Translation)  

The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.

Hosea 6:1-2 (New International Version 1984)

“Come, let us return to the LORD. He has torn us to pieces
 but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds.
After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us,
that we may live in his presence. 

Just at the right time God will help us with the temptations we face:

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Just at the right time God will listen to my heart and speak into my situation:

 Matthew 7:7-8 (New International Version 1984)

Ask, Seek, Knock

 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Just at the right time God fulfilled His plan of Salvation:

Romans 5:6 (New International Version 1984)  

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

***For me, looking back, I can say that God saved me just at the right time.

Examples of God’s Sovereignty:

God showed His sovereignty when He created the heavens and the earth.

(Read Genesis 1)

God showed His sovereignty by bringing about the Great Flood and making possible for Noah, his family and the animals to survive and repopulate the world. (Read Genesis 8 & 9)

God showed His sovereignty by making it possible for Moses and the Israelites to leave Egypt. The parting of the Red Sea, etc. (Read Exodus)

God showed His sovereignty by foretelling the events surrounding the Israelites being exiled to Babylon and then fulfilling what He foretold by the events surrounding their return home

 (Read Isaiah, 2 Chronicles 36)

God showed His sovereignty through the birth, life and death of Jesus.

Feeding the 5000, healing the sick, the Resurrection etc.

 (Read the 4 Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke & John)

Check out all the fulfillment of prophecy that has already occurred. That’s God’s sovereignty in action. When you look at the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, you will realize that Jesus fulfilled those prophecies to a tee. The odds are astronomical that Jesus or anyone else could have fulfilled all those prophecies that were made. Yet, Jesus did, and that again points to God’s sovereignty and supernatural power at work.

The examples above are just some we can look at and clearly see God has ultimate power over His creation. With that said, we can be assured that God has ultimate power over our lives as well, even though we have been given free will to make choices.

I will emphasize  this verse from proverbs again, which tells us about the sovereign power that God has over our lives:

Proverbs 16:9 (New International Version 1984)

 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

God has power because He is truly the Lord over all things, everything belongs to Him.

Psalm 24:1 NLT

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

 

An understanding of God’s sovereignty is explained in the book of Ephesians:

Excerpts from Ephesians 1:4-14 (New International Version 1984)

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.

Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. 

The Bible tells us that God has a plan for those He chooses to save. The difficult question is, does God choose to save some but pass over others? Actually, a better question we should be asking is, why does God elect anyone to be saved? Why does God show us any mercy at all?

The Bible teaches, from beginning to end, that God does what pleases Him. He can create something out of nothing. He can give, and He can take away. He is able to part the Red Sea and flood the entire Earth. He can save Daniel from the Lions Den. He can heal the sick.  He was able to resurrect Jesus from the dead.  He gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to His followers.

Isaiah 46:10 (New International Version 1984)

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.

So one thing about God we can know for sure is that God does what pleases Him.

I think what pleases God is to reveal himself to all creation and motivate us to receive salvation. For me He intervened and softened my heart so I would be open to the Gospel.

The Bible tells us about the Creator's choice in the matter at hand:

Exodus 33:19 NIV

And the LORD said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Romans 9:15 NIV
For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion

on whom I have compassion.”

Isaiah 30:18 NIV
Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a

God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

I am sometimes perplexed by God’s actions, or His decisions to allow things to happen without His intervention. I am sometimes baffled by His will in a particular circumstance.Yet, I have come to the accept, with help from the Bible, that I will never in this life fully understand the mind of God. God tells us directly:

Isaiah 55:8-9 (New International Version 1984)

 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

One thing I can apply to my life is that I can trust and invest in the promises of God. If God is sovereign, and He says He has a good plan for our lives, then we can rejoice in His ultimate power to fulfill those promises.

Romans 8:28 (New International Version 1984)

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Application:

If God has an awesome plan for our lives, then why not surrender our will for His better purpose? Check out theses verses below: Good will do a good work in us. God will do a good work through us, God will fulfill in us His good purpose.

Philippians 1:6 (New International Version 1984)

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Philippians 2:13 New International Version for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose

The Bible is clear, God has awesome plans for His people.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version 1984)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

John 3:16 (New International Version 1984)

 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

So let’s take time each day to thank God for the plans He has for us.  Let’s rejoice in His sovereignty. Lets trust in God's plan for our lives:

Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version

Trust in the Lord with all your heart  and lean not on your own understanding; 
in all your ways submit to him,  and he will make your paths straight. 

Remember and trust in this: If God directs it, it will happen.

Just Sayin………………..Dave