Dear Beloved Partner in Christ,
Abiding in Christ
Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. We thank God Almighty, Our Heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His limitless grace, His goodness and mercies towards us individually, and towards the ministry since the start of the year up to now. Indeed we serve a good Father.
The months are going so quickly and we remain ever committed to our vision of seeking, saving and discipling the Nations. (Luke 19:10) In order to be fruitful in our God given assignment, we must abide in Christ. John 8:31 NKJV Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
What does it mean to abide in Christ?
In John 8:32, Jesus was speaking to the Jews who believed in Him and also to us, the believers of today and to YOU dear friend.
The root word of abide is “meno”
μένω ménō, men’-o; a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):—abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry.
Jesus Christ wants us to be in the heart posture where we welcome His Word, then we go a step further to abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry in His very presence, His being because JESUS Christ Himself is the Word. (John 1:1, 1:4).
We must accept God’s Word as “The Truth” above all else. We must come into union with what He has said about us. We must believe and go beyond that, beyond our feelings, what we see in natural and accept His Word as truth. (Luke 1:38)
Abiding in Christ is the place where we experience the supernatural. We experience the unlimited riches in Christ. We find everything we need when we are completely united with Christ. Our union with Christ grants us access to Philippians 4:19, Ephesians 3:20.
As human beings who are flawed, we can sometimes come to rely on our own self sufficiency – our own knowledge, past victories, tried and tested methods. We become prideful and it leads us out of abiding in Christ. In order to be truly fruitful according to the divine purpose written concerning us in our destiny, we must remain and abide in the vine, not a place of visitation but a place of permanent residency. John 15:7,If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
In order to bear fruit that pleases Father God, we must remain and stay connected to the vine. The words from Jesus’s very mouth. John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Abiding means we will be able to do much, because we draw our sufficiency, our entire life from Christ and the unlimited supply of the Spirit is made available for us to function. Philippians 1:19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ…
2 Cor. 3:5 (NKJV) Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.We cannot do this great work of disciplining the Nations in our own strength! Dear friend, The arm of flesh will fail us Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. , if we start to labour in the flesh, the labour becomes draining, we encounter failures, burnout and eventually we give up when we do not see the results we anticipate, but when we are connected, dwelling and remain in Christ, and God is at work in and through us, then we no longer have to rely on our strength, our sensual wisdom (James 3:13-15), our strategies and what we think is right, Proverbs 14:12, There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. We come to the heart posture which Jesus Himself had…in John 5:30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. The branch does no more labour than to draw from what is already available in terms of nutrients etc in the vine. When we abide in Jesus, our will is now God’s will and our desires are His desires because we are one with Him,.
As we begin this new month, take some time to ask the Lord to examine you, Psalm 139:23-24, Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. NLT
Dear friend, these are the questions to ask the Holy Spirit: Am I abiding in Christ? Am I still still connected to the vine?
The place of abiding is the place of constant consciousness of our union with Christ. Jesus lived in this consciousness John 8:29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”. (NIV)
Jesus was constantly aware, and in communication with Father God. He drew His approval from Father God and the key was obedience. Jesus lived to please Father God, He lived in complete and total surrender and yieldedness. Look what He was able to achieve.
Obedience is the key to the life of complete and total surrender. Whatever God is asking us to do, we do it! John 2:5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ,
We must become intimate and conversant with the Word of God and it must shape ALL of our lives.
Dear friend, is there any area you have not fully surrendered or yielded to God? He sees and knows all things… Psalm 139:7-12 Come into full yieldedness to His will and His way. This way, Psalm 91 becomes our actual reality. Be real with yourself, and tell the Holy Spirit exactly where you are at with Him. Corinthians 11:31 NLT But if we would examine ourselves, we would not be judged by God in this way. Be open and honest about your spiritual condition, your struggles, your fears, your conflicts, be real with Him and ask Him to take complete and total ownership. This is the real secret to intimacy Songs of Songs, 2:16, 6:3.
To do this, we must shed ourselves of the fear of man. The fear of man will hinder us, “what will people say?, “what will people think?” Jesus Christ’s only desire was to please Father God. Matthew 12:46-50, Galatians 1:10.If you are struggling with doing God’s will ask the Holy Spirit for help. He is our helper! This is His designated role. John 16:7 AMPC However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you]. The Greek word used here in reference to the Holy Spirit is Parakletos summoned, called to one’s side, esp. called to one’s aid, in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant.
He is the Spirit of Truth. He will reveal ALL TRUTH to us. John 14:16, 14:26,15:26,16:7.When we accept the truth of the Word of God in our innermost being, then we come into oneness with Christ and we can act on that TRUTH. John 8:32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” The Truth sets us FREE! From the bondages, lies and shackles of the enemy. He (The Holy Spirit) reveals the TRUTH of our identity in Christ, who we are, what God has said and written about us – and we know this as we read and meditate on the bible. He then gives us the courage and boldness to walk in it but first we must accept, allowing the Holy Spirit to work on our hearts, pulling down strongholds, lies and deception of Satan. These are all the lies, arguments, false identities and ideas that oppose God’s truth. These strongholds are the mental and emotional barriers, false beliefs that stop us from accepting and receiving God’s TRUTH in every situation and circumstances of our lives thus keeping us bound, stagnated and not experiencing the fullness of life in Christ. For the bible tells us, He has given us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness. 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Friend, as we enter this eight month, eight signifies new beginnings. Let us focus on making the choice to move into our new beginning in God, for He is telling us, Isaiah 43:19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
Begin to pray that the Lord will help you to shed the old and enter into the new, 2 Corinthians 5:17,Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (NIV) In Jesus name, we prophesy – the new is here, the old is passed away!
Begin to renew your mind by deeply studying and meditating on the Word of God. Joshua 1:8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (NIV), asking the Holy Spirit to reveal every stronghold, fears, barriers that have kept you stagnated.
Embrace the new! Walk in the freedom you have been set free in Christ. Hallelujah!
Have a blessed and glorious new month abiding in Christ.
