Tag: blood of Christ

The Atoning Work of Salvation

1 Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

As Christians, our bodies become sanctuaries of the Holy Spirit. This is a certain sign that we have been washed clean by the blood of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Because God is holy, holy, holy, He cannot tolerate the presence of sin. If there were any sin in us, the Holy Spirit could not dwell within us. Thus the Holy Spirit is witness to the atoning work of salvation in our lives.

Because in the flesh, we still hold on to the sin nature, there is perfecting work ahead for the Holy Spirit. Upon His indwelling, He immediately begins in us the process of regeneration and sanctification. When He begins the good work of grace, He takes full possession of the body, mind and spirit of each of us. He supernaturally influences our lives, our bodies and our conversations. He works to insure our bodies are fit habitats for Our Savior King.

As we submit to the sanctifying process of the Holy Spirit, we can anticipate that there will be trials in our lives. Jesus Himself told us that it would be so as we followed Him. These trials that create brokenness in our lives are the experiences that the Holy Spirit uses to complete and perfect our regeneration.

Let us surrender to the perfecting work of the Holy Spirit. Let us seek the grace that we need to keep ourselves firmly on the path of sanctification that prepares us for our places in heaven.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to be temples of Your Holy Spirit. We rejoice in knowing that through shed blood of Your Son, Jesus, and through the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit in our lives that You can use us to be instruments of Your good work. We pray for the aid of the Holy Spirit to build us up in Christ so that we can endure in faith all of our trials. We ask, Father, that we may become free flowing vessels of Your redemptive work. As the Holy Spirit witnesses to Our Savior in our lives, may we witness to Our Savior in the lives of those around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Casting All of Our Cares Upon the Lord

2 Corinthians 10:3
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

To wage war against Satan relying on our on strength is pure folly. To fight against the strongholds of our flesh without Jesus Christ is also pure folly. Without Jesus Christ, we will lose each of these battles more times than not. Without Jesus Christ, the small battles that we may win will only be pyrrhic victories. The costly war will be lost.

Our only formula for victory over Satan and over the torments of our flesh is to cast all of our cares upon the Lord. Through Him we have victory in everything. The process of sanctification is giving up one’s own ability to compete and placing the battle entirely in the hands of Jesus Christ.

Ultimately, the battle is not against sin. Jesus won the battle against sin on the Cross. The battle is our struggle to let go of our natural lives in which have no power against the enemy and take on the spirit filled life of Christ which allows us to apply the supernatural power of Almighty God against Satan and his minions.

Let us give up all confidence that we have in our own abilities to take on Satan. Let us take all of our battles before the Lord. Let us cast all of our cares on Him. Let us claim the victory that He won for us on the Cross.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the blood of Your Son that cleanses of our sins. We bless the name of Jesus who indwells us so that we may have the grace to turn away from our natural lives and turn toward our lives in Christ. We pray that when the enemy comes prowling with the intent to destroy us and those around us that we look confidently to our Savior King. We ask all these things in the name of Our Lord Mighty in Battle, Jesus Christ.

Sanctuaries of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

As Christians, our bodies become sanctuaries of the Holy Spirit. This is a certain sign that we have been washed clean by the blood of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. Because God is holy, holy, holy, He cannot tolerate the presence of sin. If there were any sin in us, the Holy Spirit could not dwell within us. Thus the Holy Spirit is witness to the atoning work of salvation in our lives.

Because in the flesh, we still hold on to the sin nature, there is perfecting work ahead for the Holy Spirit. Upon His indwelling, He immediately begins in us the process of regeneration and sanctification. When He begins the good work of grace, He takes full possession of the body, mind and spirit of each of us. He supernaturally influences our lives, our bodies and our conversations. He works to insure our bodies are fit habitats for Our Savior King.

As we submit to the sanctifying process of the Holy Spirit, we can anticipate that there will be trials in our lives. Jesus Himself told us that it would be so as we followed Him. These trials that create brokenness in our lives are the experiences that the Holy Spirit uses to complete and perfect our regeneration.

Let us surrender to the perfecting work of the Holy Spirit. Let us seek the grace that we need to keep ourselves firmly on the path of sanctification that prepares us for our places in heaven.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for allowing us to be temples of Your Holy Spirit. We rejoice in knowing that through shed blood of Your Son, Jesus, and through the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit in our lives that You can use us to be instruments of Your salvation plan for all mankind. We pray for the aid of the Holy Spirit to build us up in Christ so that we can endure in faith all of our trials. We ask, Father, that we may become free flowing vessels of Your redemptive work. As the Holy Spirit witnesses to Our Savior in our lives, may we witness to Our Savior in the lives of those around us. We ask all these things in the name of the Lord Our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Expressing the Love of Christ on All Occasions

Luke 6:28
Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

The supercharged, divisive mindset that has been growing and covering our nation sure does stir up everyone’s emotions. Strike back! Respond in defense! Prove that I am right! All of these are natural human responses to conflict.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to follow a different standard. “Love thy neighbor as thyself” requires a supernatural response when we run into personal conflict. We are called to express the love of Christ in each instance. This may require having to forgive the person in the heat of the conflict. Only our strength through Jesus Christ allows us to meet this standard.

On the Cross, Jesus prayed that His murderers would be forgiven by His Father. Stephen, the martyred disciple of Jesus, in his dying moments also showed us the standard to which we are called as he asked for forgiveness for those who were stoning him. To meet this standard of mercy, we need supernatural strength. When it comes to facing the day-to-day conflicts in our lives, the supernatural grace of God is required. Our human nature will be woefully insufficient. It is through His grace and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we are able to consistently respond in a manner that reflects the discipline of a follower of Jesus Christ.

Let us be merciful just as Our Heavenly Father is merciful to us. Let us bless those that hurt us. Let us pray for those that have come against us.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You loving us first so that we may love You and love those around us. We thank You for the mercy that You extended to us through the redemptive blood of Your Son, Jesus, so that we may extend mercy to those who we come in conflict with us. We thank You for forgiving us of our sins so that we may be able to forgive those who sin against us. We pray, Father, for the grace and the strength to release to the world the overflow of the lovingkindness that You poured out on us. We ask all these things in the name of the Slain Lamb, Jesus Christ.