The Daily Word of Righteousness

The Mystery of the Gospel, continued

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. (II Corinthians 1:8,9—NIV)

When Satan enters the Christian assembly to enjoy the spiritual activity he notices that you are holding on to your own way even though you profess faith in Christ and speak in tongues. Satan has access to your personality through your self-will. The first thing he will do in you is to point out the faults of the saints. You will find yourself hopelessly bound with a spirit of gossip and slander. You will become a member of the synagogue of Satan, the synagogue of the accuser of the brothers.

Every time God moves forward in the Divine plan the religious people who are full of self-will cry, "This is the work of the devil."

Why do they do this? It is because their insistence on running their life the way they want to provides an open door for the accuser of the brothers.

The Pentecostal-Charismatic movement is at this very fork in the road. The believers who attempt to use their gifts to save the world, not hearing from the Lord but going by what they perceive to be the need, will become the False Prophet mentioned in the Book of Revelation.

The believers who turn to Christ and wait to hear what He is saying, who will set out to meet the needs of people only as He directs, will become an object of accusation and slander. The believers who are active in their own religious works will come against the remnant of people who choose to put their own life on the cross with Jesus.

Every time you come to the end of yourself because of trouble, pain, or danger, you have a wonderful opportunity to call on Jesus so that His Life, His body and blood, might lift you up. Every time you die in this way and come to life in Jesus you are eternally changed.

Like Paul you are living by His resurrection and sharing His sufferings. You are counting every aspect of your adamic life as loss for Christ, as so much garbage, that you may become a new creation in which all the old has passed away and all the new is of God through Jesus Christ.

Does such a transformation, such an exchange of your life for His, interest you? Then tell God right now this is how you desire the rest of your life to be conducted.

We stated that there are two aspects of "Christ in you." The first aspect we have just discussed. It is the transformation of what we are, a change from an adamic soul to a life-giving spirit. Christ is formed in us and He is the Tree of Life. As we mature in Him we also become trees of life so other people can partake of Divine Life through us.

To be continued.