My frankness and honesty to tell you of my own failures as a Christian are not to try to say in any way that I regard sin in my life lightly. Quite the opposite is true. I hate sin in my life. In fact there have been times, that the thought of possibly dishonoring God plagued me with such remorse and despair that I became paralyzed in my attempts to be a witness for Christ. After all, how could I ever point anyone toward Christ with my stumbling walk, my stuttering speech and the broken wings that would never allow this “saint” to fly? Indeed over the years, I often had to stop and wonder why God could have ever chosen a fragile heart such as mine. It took me years of trials, bible study, listening to great theologians, and constant prayer to finally learn the secrets of how to stand firm, joyous, and victorious along this journey. It is for that reason, I urge you to try to grasp the truths of the gospel and the scripture. Understanding correct theology will unlock the door and will transform your life forever from despair to joy, failure to victory, loneliness to love, fear to fearlessness, and self-loathing to a healthy self-esteem. By healthy self-esteem, I am not referring to misplaced pride either. A careful study in the lives of David, Peter, Solomon, Eve and the majority of the Bible’s Patriarchs would reveal that right before they succumbed to their most memorable sin they had developed a misplaced pride which made them believe their plan was better than God’s plan. Neither is a healthy Christian self-esteem laden with a self-loathing, regret and the woe is me, I am just a sinner saved by grace mindset. It is recognizing that in Christ I am a Saint—because of His atoning work on the cross. It is knowing that Christ won the victory, declared me to be a saint and endowed me with the power of the Holy Spirit to live the life I was destined to live. Step by step I am being transformed into the image of Christ. It is His work in me. Understanding this truth is paramount in you or I living this Christian life victoriously, joyously and in a manner that Glorifies God.
Original photograph courtesy of Alexander Smith–
As long as I am focused on my failures, my sins, and my weaknesses; I will not be able to focus on the only power that resides within me which can live this life victoriously—the Holy Spirit. In other words, as long as I am focused on me and my guilt; I will keep falling into the same pitfalls. It is only by recognizing who I am in Christ that I am able to live in a manner that honors God. The power to live victoriously comes from understanding that in Christ, I am a saint—ordained as such by God before the foundations of this world. It is not my power, but His.
Let us dive into some scriptures that I hope helps you to understand.
Psalm 37: 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: …23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. 24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand….28 For the Lord loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever…31 The law of God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide…39 the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their strength in the time of trouble …40 And the Lord shall help them, and deliver them: he shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in him.
Before you say, wait but that was in the Old Testament before Christ and in that verse it begins with “Delight thyself in the Lord and then gives the commands of committing thy way as well as trusting”. Are those not actions on my part? So to answer the first part of this question, all saving Grace in the Old Testament and all righteousness bestowed was done so in Christ’s atoning work that would be done. Remember for God, time and space are not an issue as it is for us. David’s sainthood was held in Christ by faith as David awaited the coming messiah who would pay the atoning price for that salvation. Part two of the question? Yes, delight, commit, and trust in the Lord may at first appear to be actions; yet, that is the natural outflow of faith and the true knowledge of all the spiritual riches I have secured in Christ. This is part of the mystery which we will not be able to fully understand until our finite human minds are set free to see God’s Glory in its fullness. Our works outflow, our delight outpours as we begin to comprehend who we are in Christ and what are the spiritual riches we have in Christ. As long as we strive on our own to perform, we will fall short. I can never perform of my own volition. Look at this another verse:
Colossians 1: 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Paul said, “Whereunto I labor”; yet, that labor is according to His (Christ Jesus) working that was working in Paul mightily. Not by the hands of Paul could he accomplish the work—so it was Paul’s labor; although, he could not take credit for it because it was Christ in him doing the labor.
I Thessalonians 3: 11 Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.12 And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: 13 To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.
It is therefore God’s power that can stabilize and establish my heart to be perfectly righteous, unblemished before God abounding in His love which can over flow. Still, despite that being the truth of who I am; I will not live a life reflecting that truth until I grasp hold of it, write it with indelible ink upon my heart.
How to do that my dear friends and readers will have to wait until Monday’s writing. Until then, please study these truths and even re-read the previous writings in this series.
Listen to this song “Not Guilty” by Mandisa. If you don’t know Christ, I pray that God open your eyes to see Him as so gloriously beautiful that you would seek Him with all your heart. If you have any questions you may go to my page on “how to be saved”, leave a comment or contact me through the contact email on the right of this page.
©2015 Effie Darlene Barba
Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.