Let us look to the scriptures to understand fully how we are called to be Christ like and the fulfilment of the words found in scripture, “we were made in His image”. Genesis 1:26 says “Then God said, “Let Us (united decision) make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over (be responsible for the care of) the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” NASB
Like God we are spiritual beings, we are immortal and this earth suit or tent we currently dwell in will fade and wear out. At that point, we will step into the intended existence God created for us. If you have read any of my previous writings you know that according to scripture we have everything we need, supplied by God to live here on earth and then step into eternity confident of our position in God’s kingdom. God did not create us to walk around in fear wondering what will happen to us here and in eternity…He left His Living Word to guide and prepare us.
God gave us an intelligence, problem solving, a rational spirit which when submitted to Him will control our flesh. Notice how I did not give those words of knowledge to your brain, instead they truly belong to your spirit and that supernatural spirit should be in command of your entire body and mind. God has given us the ability to discern between right and wrong, that is a moral consciousness (our spirit) which allows us to have a personal relationship with God, accountable to Him. This relationship is an option but without it your spirit will remain dormant, unable to guide you…this must be a priority…to accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, recognize his sacrifice of coming to earth, suffering, crucifixion, and resurrection, once that truth is believed…you must ask Him into to your heart and to forgive you of all your sins. I would be remiss if I did not make this truth known to you.
Most of us believe our mind is in charge but scripture tells us that our mind is vulnerable to the world and can be manipulated by the enemies of God, namely Satan. Therefore, we must arm our spirit with every truth available and with the help of the Holy Spirit move through this chapter in our life with intention, focused on what our spirit says. Simply our spirit must be bigger and more powerful than our mind and flesh.
2 Corinthians 10:5, “We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” If we are working together with God, He will examine and clean up our flesh…”For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of mind and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12 NASB personalized The picture in my mind is a fine scalpel, cutting away the diseased flesh and actions (sin), then heated it cauterizes the wound, supernaturally healing it, so that what is left is the restored creation of God. This is a continual process throughout our life here. It is known as God’s refinement.
God clearly tells us in His Word that we must take on His character and attitude. Rick Warren says in “Purpose Driven Life” that “God’s ultimate goal for your life on earth is not comfort, but character development. He wants you to grow up spiritually and become Christ like.” Rick also puts character and personality into perspective. “Becoming Christ like does not mean losing your personality or becoming a mindless clone. God created your uniqueness, so He certainly does not want to destroy it. Christlikeness is all about transforming your character.”
This character and all it’s attributes are already wired within your spirit and a relationship with God orchestrated by the Holy Spirit will empower you to walk in your earthly body, representing our King without fear, boldly living for Him expressing His character in a fallen world. Here is the heart of this writing, God’s character in you waiting to be released…
Giving His character within you full authority will change your outlook and when you find yourself in tough circumstances His character will give you the hope and encouragement to make it through. As you embrace God’s character and set it free within you there is a reward tasted and a glimpse of every one of God’s promises made real.
Here are God’s Character traits as recorded in His Word.
Matthew 5:4-12 Known as the Beatitudes… The Passion Translation says, “What delight comes to you when you wait upon the Lord! For you will find what you long for.
What blessing comes to you when gentleness lives in you! For you will inherit the earth.
How enriched you are when you crave righteousness! For you will be surrounded with fruitfulness.
How satisfied you are when you demonstrate tender mercy! For tender mercy will be demonstrated to you.
What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God.
How blessed you are when you make peace! For then you will be recognized as a true child of God.
How enriched you are when you bear the wounds of being persecuted for doing what is right! For that is when you experience the realm of heaven’s kingdom. How ecstatic you can be when people insult and persecute you and speak all kinds of cruel lies about you because of your love for me!
So, leap for joy—since your heavenly reward is great. For you are being rejected the same way the prophets were before you.”
God’s character expressed as the Fruit of the Spirit, is revealed in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.” TPT
1 Corinthians 13 speaks of the love within our spirit earning to be released, beginning in verse 4 “Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance. Love does not traffic in shame and disrespect, nor selfishly seek its own honor. Love is not easily irritated or quick to take offense. Love joyfully celebrates honesty and finds no delight in what is wrong. Love is a safe place of shelter, for it never stops believing the best for others. Love never takes failure as defeat, for it never gives up. Love never stops loving. It extends beyond the gift of prophecy, which eventually fades away. It is more enduring than tongues, which will one day fall silent. Love remains long after words of knowledge are forgotten.”
Our present knowledge and our prophecies are but partial, but when love’s perfection arrives, the partial will fade away. When I was a child, I spoke about childish matters, for I saw things like a child and reasoned like a child. But the day came when I matured, and I set aside my childish ways. For now we see but a faint reflection of riddles and mysteries as though reflected in a mirror, but one day we will see face-to-face. My understanding is incomplete now, but one day I will understand everything, just as everything about me has been fully understood. Until then, there are three things that remain: faith, hope, and love—yet love surpasses them all. So above all else, let love be the beautiful prize for which you run.
2 Peter 1:5-7 TPT puts God’s purpose for our life into perspective, “So devote yourselves to lavishly supplementing your faith with goodness, and to goodness add understanding, and to understanding add the strength of self-control, and to self-control add patient endurance, and to patient endurance add godliness, and to godliness add mercy toward your brothers and sisters, and to mercy toward others add unending love.”
Let us go back to 1 Corinthians 13 with closing thoughts…God inspired Paul to write these words just prior to revealing the character of love found in God and also hidden within your spirit.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 TPT “If I were to speak with eloquence in earth’s many languages, and in the heavenly tongues of angels, yet I did not express myself with love, my words would be reduced to the hollow sound of nothing more than a clanging cymbal. And if I were to have the gift of prophecy with a profound understanding of God’s hidden secrets, and if I possessed unending supernatural knowledge, and if I had the greatest gift of faith that could move mountains,[d] but have never learned to love, then I am nothing. And if I were to be so generous as to give away everything I owned to feed the poor, and to offer my body to be burned as a martyr, without the pure motive of love, I would gain nothing of value.”
God’s warning us about our focus and where we get affirmation…is it built on the emptiness of pride, material things or found in serving God? God wraps the truth of Godly love in 1 Corinthians 13 like a sandwich made of stale bread. The key to express God’s character of love is found in the center, just like our spirit is found deep within our flesh. He closes with these words telling us to grow up and stop looking to satisfying our flesh and find every answer…verse 9-13, ”Our present knowledge and our prophecies are but partial, but when love’s perfection arrives, the partial will fade away. When I was a child, I spoke about childish matters, for I saw things like a child and reasoned like a child. But the day came when I matured, and I set aside my childish ways. For now we see but a faint reflection of riddles and mysteries as though reflected in a mirror, but one day we will see face-to-face. My understanding is incomplete now, but one day I will understand everything, just as everything about me has been fully understood. Until then, there are three things that remain: faith, hope, and love—yet love surpasses them all. So above all else, let love be the beautiful prize for which you run.” TPT
Here is the truth of God’s character location and that He intends for us to set it free within, bring freedom not only for ourselves but for all the captives. “Since these virtues are already planted deep within, and you possess them in abundant supply, they will keep you from being inactive or fruitless in your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately.” 2 Peter 5:8 TPT
Thank you God, that within us is all we need to live here and train for the future, to share your love with the lost, to seek and find you…thank you God for the freedom from sin paid in full through Jesus and the sacrifice He made for all Your children.
Blessings, Sister Laurie
Instructions For Life According to Jesus Christ 