1 Corinthians 6:19-20. - "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." - 1 Corinthians 7:23 - "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men."
The Apostle Paul is saying we no longer belong to ourselves, we have been bought and paid for. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We should use them to glorify God.
We as believers belong to Christ totally and completely. This is a one time thing, it happened the moment you acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We have got to recognize this fact in order to begin walking in the light of this new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
We must begin to become spiritually conscious of this accomplished fact. You are His, you don't have to fight to get it, you don't have to pray to get it, you don't have to work to get it. I realize this goes against religion, but we have got to start looking at what God's Word has to say.
The Apostle Paul said in Romans -10: 8-11 - But what does it say? "The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart'' (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.''
It is the confession of this acknowledged fact of the lordship of Jesus Christ that brings you from death into life. You are confessing and acknowledging His lordship and turning from Satan's lordship. We often struggle to get something that has been given to us freely. Many people fast and pray to get something that has already been freely given to them. I want you to please understand what I am saying, I am not in any way trying to diminish the importance of prayer or fasting. I am trying to make the point that our redemption has already happened. It is in the past tense. We have been bought, this will not happen sometime in the future, it has already happened.
This legal act has already taken place, we can not be bought again and again. Jesus doesn't have to redeem us over and over. When we do as Romans -10 says, "we take on the life and nature of God." Believers often fail because of a clear understanding of who and what they are in Christ Jesus. This is not religion but relationship. This is not legalism, it is life. This is ours legally as children of God but we must come to a place where we know who and what we are in reality, in order to walk in the light of it. This is an ongoing process that never ends. Revelation knowledge builds upon itself just as natural knowledge does. You can't understand complex mathematics if you have not first learned the basics can you. The same is true in spiritual things. Revelation knowledge builds upon itself. The more you know, the more you can walk in the light of your redemption. What is legally ours must be comprehended and acted on in order to see the reality of this redemption manifest in our lives. As we begin to walk in this reality we begin to be transformed by the power of God.
Ephesians - 3:19-20 "to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."
The more we know the more we can walk in the fullness of God, and He has given us the power to do this very thing. As Paul said according to the power that works within us. Praise God He redeemed us and did not leave us alone to fend for ourselves. He sent the Holy Spirit to empower us and guide us, and to show us the way to victory every time.
Matthew 13:45-46 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."
We are that pearl. Religion teaches us we have to go out and sell all that we have to get this great redemption, but it is the other way around, God gave His best to get us.
Isaiah 52:3 For thus says the Lord: "You have sold yourselves for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.''
What is the worth of one life. All the money in the world could not have paid the price for one soul. We are very valuable to God. Let's start acting like it.
Isaiah 1:18-19 "Come now, and let us reason together,'' says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;.."
We were created unto good works before the foundation of the world. God had us in mind before the world was ever created. He wants us to accomplish certain things while we are here on this Earth, He wants to bless us abundantly, so that we can be a blessing to others. You can not be a blessing to others if you first haven't learned to walk in the blessings of God yourself.
God has a plan and a purpose for your life. You are not here by accident, or to just take up time and space on this world. You were divinely appointed before this world was formed to accomplish certain things. Maybe you have fallen short, and don't know what your purpose really is. It's never too late to find out. I encourage you to pick up the Word of God and start to learn of Him. Spend time with Him in fellowship and listen to the voice of your spirit. He will reveal Himself to you and show you the things you need to know. He's given us all gifts and talents that we need to learn to walk in to fulfill our purpose here. Our purpose is to fulfill His purpose. We can never be truly happy until we do.
Matthew 11:29-30 "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.''
I encourage you to find your purpose in God and hook up with Jesus and accomplish the things God has for you, if you haven't already begun to do so. You are not alone in trying to fulfill God's plan for your life. He's with you all the way, but He wants you to do it with and through Him.
You may try to do it alone and even get the house built but you will not have accomplished God's will or purpose for your life. There have been many great houses built without God, and when it was all said and done, it was all vanity. What a waste. Let's get direction and by the power of the Holy Spirit accomplish what God has for us.
I would like to close with this...
1 Peter 1:17-19 "And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your sojourning here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."
Dear Heavenly Father,
I come to you in the name of Jesus. Your word says, "...and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (John - 6:37), So I know You won't cast me out, but You take me in, And I thank you for it. You said in your Word, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.'' (Romans - 10:13). I am calling on Your name, So I know You have saved me now, You also said, "...that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation." (Ro.10:9,10). I believe in my heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I believe He was raised from the dead for my Justification. And I confess Him now as my Lord, Because Your Word says, "... with the heart one believes to righteousness..." and I do believe with my heart, I have now become the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor. 5:21), And I am saved! Thank You, Lord! I can now truthfully say, I see myself as a born again child of God!
Glory to God!Amen!
About the Author - I was raised Catholic and was born again at the age of 17. I received God's call into ministry at the age of 19 and began to prepare for ministry. I graduated from Rhema Bible Training Center in 1979. The Lord has called me to teach. My desire is to help others come to a deeper understanding of the truth and I have started a web site for this purpose called The Olive Branch; Please visit us for more free studies and resources to help you on your journey. Mark Baker http://www.olivebranchministries.us - Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_E._Baker
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