But you [are] a chosen (favorite) generation, a royal priesthood (kings and queens called to perform the functions of Christ on earth), a holy (sacred-pure, morally blameless saint) nation (people group), His own special (peculiar, purchased, preserved, and possessed) people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; - 1Pe 2:9 (emphasis mine)
If you truly understand the new nature you have been given as a believer in Christ Jesus, you will put it into effect in your life. You will experience a change in your life that reflects the very nature of Jesus Christ. Why? Because you have been given a new spirit with a godly nature and your old nature has passed away.
Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy. - Eph 4:24 NLT
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. - Col 3:10 NLT
To put on is like sinking into a garment. It means to be clothed in Christ Jesus. When we put on something, it covers and protects that which it is put over. After we have bathed our bodies, we do not put on our dirty clothes and undergarments, that would not feel so good. Rather we find fresh undergarments, clean and washed, and we put them on our freshly cleansed body.
When we have asked Jesus to become our Lord and Savior, we put Him on, and He cleanses us from all unrighteousness. When you believe and receive this revelation, you can’t help but change. You will want to live like Christ, talk like Jesus, walk according to His Spirit, and testify to the world of God’s goodness!
11 Beloved, I beg [you] as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by [your] good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. - 1Pe 2:11-12
The power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. When you remain in the old thinking and doing of a pre-Jesus life, you give way to the flesh and quench the Holy Spirit. You also keep the door open for devils to remain in your life and take advantage of your carnal condition. Instead, you are to renew your mind with the word of God and speak and release it over your entire life.
Decree the Word of God
Our speech and actions should prove our status as heirs to the throne of God. If we say a thing it should be, if we declare a thing, it should be done in spirit and the natural. Proverbs states that there is power in the tongue, life and death are in it. If we give our words to the Spirit of God and allow Him to use us as a beacon of hope, then everything we do will be in His name and bring Him glory.
And whatever you do in word or deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. - Col 3:17
We must begin to press back against the darkness! It does not take a prophet to see that the world is spinning out of control with regards to godly morals and protection of women and children. Society has challenged the goodness of God in every direction yet cries out to blame Him when their lives crumble. God is blamed for the condition of this world yet not praised for His goodness. God has not judged us according to our deeds, but rather, He sent a Savior, His Son to give us a way out of our sinful position that leads to death.
If one is truly in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to direct his steps, then he will decree God’s word into the earth. You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways. - Job 22:28 NKJV When we declare the word of the Lord over situations, we are strengthened by His truth and not in what we see as our truth. The Apostle Paul said, “And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak.” 2Cor 4:13 CSB.
So, what are you believing? Most of us, if we were to be honest, would say we believe more of what we see, touch, smell, and think then what God says. We all have a measure of faith to believe in God but do we allow it to take us deeper into the intimate knowledge of Him? True relationship with God depends on His word. We must read it, believe it, speak it, and apply it if we are going to see a genuine change in our lives from our old nature to our new nature.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10:17). If we do not hear the word, we cannot receive the word. The word hear gives the understanding that something is preached, reported, or understood in order for us to receive it.
13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? - Rom 10:13-14 NKJV
A preacher is one who is a public crier, one who proclaims or publishes the divine truth, the gospel. Anyone can be a preacher if they would release the word of God into the earth. God is calling us to make a sound, and the sound is one that is to be heard by all those who have lost their way. Yet today many are too busy with our jobs, families, vacations, and sports events to release a sound unto the earth that could change its direction.
The Media Preaches
As a watchman, I can attest to the fact that it is often hard to look at the condition of this nation and have any hope. Many times people lose hope because of the bad news reported daily. Others just put their head in the sand and determine that Jesus will rapture them out of here one day while others are left behind to suffer. A sad reality to that belief is that Jesus said we would have trials and tribulation in this life. We see evidence of this in countries where believers are being murdered or imprisoned for their refusal to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. Tell them there is a rapture whereby they won’t have to endure. It is time the Church stop relying on not so biblical truth as being raptured out of here before suffering comes. We live in suffering because the world has fallen, and we are all under the sway of the wicked one, the devil.
Let us remember that even though tribulations will come, our Lord Jesus has overcome them. He triumphed over Satan, and all things are to be subjected to Him now. Satan has the power to kill, steal, and destroy, but for a Christ-follower, his power and authority are easily revoked when we stand against him by submitting to God and resisting the devil.
Let’s pray,
Heavenly Father, thank You for being a strong tower for me. Thank You for Your Word that is a lamp unto my feet and illuminates the way in which I should go. Thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to reside in me, giving wisdom, strength, and comfort in times of need. I pray that the eyes of my understanding would be enlightened and that I would fully know and understand the hope of Your calling. Give me strength, wisdom, and knowledge to follow all Your ways and rebuke the ways of the world. Help me sound the alarm and love the unlovable. In Jesus name, Amen
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