Hooked on a Feeling?
When we were born again, God gave us a new spiritual nature. Therefore we have the spirit of God in Christ in us whether or not we feel like it. Was there ever a time when you, as a man of God, didn’t feel like you were the spiritual leader of your home? According to the Word of God, we men are the spiritual leaders of our homes whether or not we feel like it. God has called for husbands to lead and for their wives to follow a man of God in loving obedience to God’s Word.
God has also called us to a spiritual battle even if we don’t feel like we’re soldiers in the front lines of spiritual warfare. The war of the spirit is a reality for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and dominions; against the rulers of spiritual darkness in high places.
We are ambassadors for Christ. Therefore we pray you in Christ’s stead be ye reconciled to God. For God made Jesus Christ to be sin for us who knew no sin that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. According to 2 Corinthians 10, for though we walk in the flesh, we walk not according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual to the pulling down of spiritual strongholds. Therefore, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.
For everything in life there is a cause. There is always a spiritual cause behind the effects that we feel and see in the physical realm. The adversary will say that reality is limited to the things that we feel with our senses and see with our physical eyes. However, the adversary hides in the realm of spiritual darkness where those who do not have the spirit of God cannot perceive. We must have our spiritual senses exercised to discern both good and evil. The wisdom of this earth is earthly, sensual and devilish. However the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, then full of mercy and good fruits, easy to be intreated, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. We must forsake our own pride and our own worldly wisdom in order to come to God with a meek and humble heart. He will open our eyes to see reality from a heavenly perspective with a spiritual awareness and perception… The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that ye may know the hope of his calling and the riches of the glory of his inheritance of the saints.
The man of the flesh from a perspective of worldly wisdom thinks that “tolerance” means “please don’t punish me for sin.” However, to him that knows to do good and doesn’t do it, to him it is sin. Everything not done in faith is sin. Sin is missing the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. The man of God with a humble heart runs to God for forgiveness of sin. For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just fo forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The devil’s purpose is diametrically opposed to God’s loving purpose. The thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill, and to destroy. In contrast, Jesus Christ came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. The spiritual battle is a matter of life and death. The choice is clear… Choose life.
Jesus told his disciples a parable about three servants to whom he gave talents. One talent is 75 pounds of silver worth $18,000. The master gave his servants more than enough… more than abundant funds to invest. The master challenged to his servants to make faith based decisions to grow the Master’s resources instead of a fear based decision to bury the treasure. Likewise, we have been given great and precious resources of his gift of Holy Spirit. How do we invest these spiritual resources to the glory of our Lord? The answer is to surrender our hearts to him… I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I now live I live by the faith of the son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
God has called his men to be holy. Holiness is to be set aside for the purpose intended by the designer. According to Ephesians 2:10 We are God’s workmanship (Greek word poema) created in Christ Jesus unto good works which he has prepared in advance for us to walk in them. We are God’s masterpiece, his poem, his great work. When we advance as his soldiers in the spiritual battle, as his ambassadors in the midst of crooked and perverse nation, as his stewards investing his resources into his eternal Kingdom, we are fulfilling the purpose for which he designed us. Our prayer is, “Oh Lord, make us the men that you designed us to be… Lord, come and help yourself to our lives.”
Our feelings will deceive us. The reality is in aligning our hearts with our Heavenly Father’s heart in prayer. He will open the eyes of our spiritual understanding so that we can see that reality is fellowship with the Father, his son Jesus Christ and one with another in the household of Faith.
May God richly bless you!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael