Grow Up!

JOY - FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

2011-09-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

There is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness depends upon circumstances or favorable outward conditions, but joy comes from inner or spiritual satisfaction regardless of outward (physical or emotional) circumstances.

The word “happiness” translates into Latin as happenstance. When broken down this literally means ‘happen’ (lucky; happy, elation) ‘stance’ (shortening for circumstance). In summary, happiness is defined as a temporary circumstance of elation. Conversely, joy is comparatively not temporary. In many cases Joy is described as something a person carries with them continually. It is more so a state of being rather than a fleeting emotion. Origins of the word Joy are traced back to Biblical writings and have direct Hebrew translations (Robin Sink).

Primarily, joy like love is a fruit of the spirit, and every child of God has this nature of God. Joy is the expression that we display when we dare to please God in spite of the cost. Joy enables us to focus on the goal instead of the discomfort.

Joy comes, as we understand God’s purpose for our lives and for His kingdom. Understanding God’s purpose enables us to joyfully identify with the sufferings, the shame, and all the other difficulties that are associated with walking with God.

It is vital for believers to express joy regardless of the challenges they go through in life. God wants our joy to be full and to be expressed all the time.

THE ABILITY TO LOVE

2011-09-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

Just as species pass on their genetic materials (DNA) to their offsprings the attributes of God such as love, joy, peace, faith, gentleness, patience, goodness, and meekness (Fruits of the Spirit) are inherent in the born again child of God. However, demonstrating this inherent nature of love is one of the biggest challenges of the believer. Nevertheless, understanding the realities of the New Creation is the key to walking in love.

The fruits of the spirit are not obtained as a result of petitioning God through some special prayers. Instead, they are to be recognised as something that one already possesses through the new birth. Thus, the capacity to demonstrate the God kind of love exist in every believer. The believer have to make a conscious effort to cultivate and grow this dimension of nature that is largely undeveloped because of the perceived difficulties associated with it. Obviously, demonstrating the nature of God in an ungodly world can be challenging. However, the believer is not of the world and the only thing that distinguish the believer from the world is the ability to reveal God (Love) to the world. As a matter of fact, demonstrating the love of God is not an option for the believer. Instead, it is a command, and it is about living true to the believers' very nature.

It is obvious that believers struggle in their ability to demonstrate love. This is largely due to the fact that the new birth has received less emphasis. As a result, the mind of the believer is not renewed to acknowledge the nature and the abilities of God that are available to the child of God. This is not about defining love or discussing different types of love, rather it is about knowing that to love as God does is possible because the believer have the ability to do so. As such anytime we fail to walk in love we choose to deny our true nature. The systems of the world and our five senses operate under different kind of love. The good news is that we are neither of the world nor ruled by our senses.

We must dare ourselves to walk in love and grow in love, because love is the proof of our God-given nature and the mark of true discipleship.

Renewing The Mind

2011-09-05T00:36:00.000-07:00

An Ethiopian family fled economical, social, and political repression in their North African country to Port Elizabeth in the southern tip of the Sub Sahara Africa. Indeed, Port Elizabeth offers the peace and the prosperity that the Ethiopian family so desired. However, norms, traditions, and way of thinking or lifestyle in Port Elizabeth are completely different from what they are used to in Ethiopia. In no time the family realised that their ability to access the enormous resources available in their new residence would depend upon how well they adapt to the norms and way of thinking in Port Elizabeth.

The new creation has its own way of living. It is living by faith. “The just shall live by faith.” Living by faith is to live according to the word of God regardless of how one feels.

A person comes to the Lord from a background where the norms are to live according to the senses.

The Bible talks about three distinctive mind attitudes with which people identify. They are natural mind, carnal mind, and spiritual mind. The natural mind operates in a mindset that is contrary to the word of God. It is logic dependant and demands empirical evidence of the existence of God. As such it opposes anything supernatural. The carnal mind is a double-minded fellow because it vacillates between the senses and faith in God’s unchanging Word. As such carnal minded Christians are unstable (James 1:6-8). The spiritual mind lives by faith in the word of God. “The Just shall live by faith” is the orientation of the spiritual mind. The spiritual mind does not ignore the five senses, but when and where the senses conflict with the word of faith (God’s word or promise), it would lean on faith rather than on the senses.

Like the narrative of the Ethiopian family, the renewing of the mind is a necessary condition for the believer to successfully live the new creation life and mature spiritually.

One cannot please God and access His great resources such as peace prosperity and power with natural or carnal mind attitude. When the mind is renewed fear and insecurity easily give way to boldness and assurance.

Confession Influences Success

2011-09-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

The Bible makes it clear that a person shall give an account of every word that comes out of his/her mouth. This is how crucial confession is whether positive or negative.

Confession has often been associated with confessing one’s sins or wrong doings, but that is only one aspect of confession. Generally, confession is defined as “Affirming the truth or saying the same thing as the truth.” The truth in this context includes the courage to admit one's lack, weakness, and limitation. The truth also includes the courage to admit and identify with what the Word of God says we are and have in Christ (We are more than a conquerer, we are the righteousness of God in Christ, we can do all things through Christ, and we have the wisdom and the Spirit of God). Negative confession is primarily a confession of lack, weakness, and limitation that largely depends upon what we see, how we feel physically, and what our circumstances dictate. However, Positive confession is a truth that may have little or nothing to do with how one feels physically or one's circumstances. Positive confession depends upon truth that transcends the senses. The only thing that transcends the senses is what God says. Therefore, the only truth we need to affirm in our confession is what God's word says about us. God does not condemn or look down on us. Instead, He says "We are joint heirs with Christ," He calls us His children, and has promised never to leave us or forsake us.
Our confession influence our success positively when we say what God says about us and negatively when our confession is limited to what we feel about ourselves and our circumstances.

Negative confession is more likely to overwhelm a person's sense of worth and induce sin consciousness, low self-esteem, and fear into one's heart. On the other hand, Positive confession is more likely to inspire boldness, sense of motivation for living, and appreciation for what God is done in one's life.

In order to make the right kind of confession it is imperative that one becomes acquainted with the truth (Word of God). The lack of knowledge of what God’s Word says about us will leave us with little or nothing to confess. As a result our confessions will become confined to our situations and feelings.

Miracles Are Real

2011-05-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

Miracles are real, and it makes no sense whatsoever to deny their occurrence. However, a person's definition of miracle can lead to vain pursuit.
Generally, miracle is considered as phenomena that cannot be explained by human logic or natural laws. Miracle is the extraordinary feat that is attained with little or no human effort. It is attributed to divine intervention. As such people seek after miracle when they realised that finite human prowess is inadequate. In this case, belief in miracles presuppose belief in the external world or the spirit world. God is a supernatural being, and of course Satan and all wicked spirits are supernatural. Thus the millions of gods or deities in India, Japan, Benin and other parts of the world indicate that miracles are real. However, people give varied reasons about what constitute a miracle. Some believe that child birth, the ability to talk, see, and the rest of the operations of the human body are in themselves miracles. On the other hand, some also belief that raising the dead, healing the sick, deliverance from demonic activities of some sort, and having our needs met in some unexplained way are what miracle is all about. In this case to define miracle is more like defining success because people define success differently.
When people perceive miracles only as something remote from the day to day grace that God affords us naturally they are likely to become less appreciative of God. As such, they would more likely ignore many a miracle they experience daily. Unfortunately, today many fine Christians are ignoring sound doctrine and have become victims of obsessive search for miracles. God does not expect us to be led by "miracles" but rather His word.