The Life Side. The mystery of sanctification is that the perfect qualities of Jesus Christ are imparted as a gift to me, not gradually, but instantly once I enter by faith into the realization that He “became for [me] . . . sanctification . . . .” Sanctification means nothing less than the holiness of Jesus becoming mine and being exhibited in my life.

The most wonderful secret of living a holy life does not lie in imitating Jesus, but in letting the perfect qualities of Jesus exhibit themselves in my human flesh. Sanctification is “Christ in you . . .” ( Colossians 1:27 ). It is His wonderful life that is imparted to me in sanctification— imparted by faith as a sovereign gift of God’s grace. Am I willing for God to make sanctification as real in me as it is in His Word?

Sanctification means the impartation of the holy qualities of Jesus Christ to me. It is the gift of His patience, love, holiness, faith, purity, and godliness that is exhibited in and through every sanctified soul. Sanctification is not drawing from Jesus the power to be holy— it is drawing from Jesus the very holiness that was exhibited in Him, and that He now exhibits in me. Sanctification is an impartation, not an imitation. Imitation is something altogether different. The perfection of everything is in Jesus Christ, and the mystery of sanctification is that all the perfect qualities of Jesus are at my disposal. Consequently, I slowly but surely begin to live a life of inexpressible order, soundness, and holiness— “. . . kept by the power of God . . .” ( 1 Peter 1:5  ).

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July 23, 2010

I am beginning to understand that sanctification; allowing Jesus to live through me, is also accompanied by keen sense of knowing when I have kept Him from living through me. I can look at my decisions and lack of peace and know exactly when and how I went off on my own. I can also remember very difficult times when I was at perfect peace because I knew Jesus was in control of my life.

It seems so simple.

And God says…”You often do not trust Me to meet all your needs and so you then go off to meet your needs on your own. You defend yourself, seek your own daily bread, and even seek out those to love and care about you. You forget my promise to meet all your needs because you don’t think you are worthy or you do not trust me to keep my promises….so you take matters into your own hands.

Then you worry about the outcome, and consequences. Fear, anxiety and worry then become a part of your daily life. You work hard trying to keep up and address your worries and concerns, until you are worn out. Until, you reach the end of yourself.

 When you let Jesus live through you, you know the peace that passes understanding, regardless. The circumstances do not matter, the outcome is assured.

Pray without ceasing, stay connected and hear my voice. Do not trust your own efforts. Trust Me; find your hope in Me…..every day, every moment. I cannot disappoint you

The Death Side. In sanctification God has to deal with us on the death side as well as on the life side. Sanctification requires our coming to the place of death, but many of us spend so much time there that we become morbid. There is always a tremendous battle before sanctification is realized— something within us pushing with resentment against the demands of Christ. When the Holy Spirit begins to show us what sanctification means, the struggle starts immediately. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate . . . his own life . . . he cannot be My disciple” ( Luke 14:26  ).

In the process of sanctification, the Spirit of God will strip me down until there is nothing left but myself, and that is the place of death. Am I willing to be myself and nothing more? Am I willing to have no friends, no father, no brother, and no self-interest— simply to be ready for death? That is the condition required for sanctification. No wonder Jesus said, “I did not come to bring peace but a sword” ( Matthew 10:34  ). This is where the battle comes, and where so many of us falter. We refuse to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ on this point. We say, “But this is so strict. Surely He does not require that of me.” Our Lord is strict, and He does require that of us.

Am I willing to reduce myself down to simply “me”? Am I determined enough to strip myself of all that my friends think of me, and all that I think of myself? Am I willing and determined to hand over my simple naked self to God? Once I am, He will immediately sanctify me completely, and my life will be free from being determined and persistent toward anything except God (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24  ).

When I pray, “Lord, show me what sanctification means for me,” He will show me. It means being made one with Jesus. Sanctification is not something Jesus puts in me— it is Himself in me (see 1 Corinthians 1:30  ).

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 22, 2010

I wonder about doing the “right thing”. Is that a byproduct of being sanctified? Is that a byproduct of being a believer? Or does it just become a part of us after we are sanctified?  And if a friend or relative or church member criticizes what we do and questions our doing “the right thing” how are we to respond?

And God says…”My apostle Paul lived in the midst of his sanctification process, and he said he was often unable to do the right thing. He too found his sanctification a process of giving up on himself and relying totally on Jesus Christ. The sanctification of your current state is really not possible. The process is not a process that “makes you better”; it is the process of dying. It will end when you join me and leave your earthly body behind.

As for interpreting your “goodness” or doing the “right thing”, simply accept the fact that even if you do the right thing, you will be criticized, just like My Son. You will deserve the criticism because you are suffering with Christ. You have the honor to suffer with Him as a part of your sanctification. And when you do the wrong thing you will deserve criticism (yours and others) because you earned it. It is not natural for you to freely accept the “slings and arrows” of unfair criticism, but dooing so is an indication of sanctification and identification with Christ.

Like Jesus, you will receive slings and arrows. Trust them as indicators of sanctification and trust Me to let nothing touch you that has not first touched My hands.

Be holy even as I am holy, through Christ Jesus. Let Me see Him when I look at you.”

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount produces a sense of despair in the natural man— exactly what Jesus means for it to do. As long as we have some self-righteous idea that we can carry out our Lord’s teaching, God will allow us to continue until we expose our own ignorance by stumbling over some obstacle in our way. Only then are we willing to come to Him as paupers and receive from Him. “Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . .” This is the first principle in the kingdom of God. The underlying foundation of Jesus Christ’s kingdom is poverty, not possessions; not making decisions for Jesus, but having such a sense of absolute futility that we finally admit, “Lord, I cannot even begin to do it.” Then Jesus says, “Blessed are you . . .” ( Matthew 5:11  ). This is the doorway to the kingdom, and yet it takes us so long to believe that we are actually poor! The knowledge of our own poverty is what brings us to the proper place where Jesus Christ accomplishes His work.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 21, 2010

I am demoralized again by my propensity to do the wrong thing, even as it appears that I am traveling along the right road. Once again I was feeling so “full of my spiritual self”…and then….whoa, what a slippery slope. Once again I failed, and feel so unworthy.

And God says….”Be poor in Spirit by realizing that you can do nothing good without Me; your works your “goodness” nor your very best even comes close to being acceptable to Me. When you come to the end of yourself by realizing that you must give up, then I can begin my work in you, from the inside out. Your constant failures should only reinforce the knowledge that apart from Me you can do nothing. Stay in Me. How do you do this?

Pray without ceasing or as you say, stay connected, and when you fall, and you will this side of heaven, get up dust yourself off, and reach out and up for Me. Nothing can separate you from My love. Not even your constant failures. Those simply convert themselves into an honest poor spirit that I can use and bless.

I love you so much I give you the opportunity to choose. When you choose Me you choose to be poor in your own Spirit and whatever brings you back to this decision …works for the good.

 I turned the horrible image of the cross into a sign of love and grace and hope. I can turn your failures into life and life more abundantly.

Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God’s control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.

Fill your mind with the thought that God is there. And once your mind is truly filled with that thought, when you experience difficulties it will be as easy as breathing for you to remember, “My heavenly Father knows all about this!” This will be no effort at all, but will be a natural thing for you when difficulties and uncertainties arise. Before you formed this concept of divine control so powerfully in your mind, you used to go from person to person seeking help, but now you go to God about it. Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct for those people who have His Spirit, and it works on the following principle: God is my Father, He loves me, and I will never think of anything that He will forget, so why should I worry?

Jesus said there are times when God cannot lift the darkness from you, but you should trust Him. At times God will appear like an unkind friend, but He is not; He will appear like an unnatural father, but He is not; He will appear like an unjust judge, but He is not. Keep the thought that the mind of God is behind all things strong and growing. Not even the smallest detail of life happens unless God’s will is behind it. Therefore, you can rest in perfect confidence in Him. Prayer is not only asking, but is an attitude of the mind which produces the atmosphere in which asking is perfectly natural. “Ask, and it will be given to you . . .” (Matthew 7:7 ).

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 16, 2010

My first thought this morning was to praise God, not necessarily as worship, but as a way of confirming that He was there.  Many of my prayers have been answered, however, many have not been answered, and sometimes I lose the “knowing”. Sometimes I do not “feel” connected because the evidence I seek in the human physical realm is not there. But then I seek Him in my first prayer of the morning and the “knowing” settles in like a very comforting peaceful sigh.

And God says…”I am always with you. I sought an intimate relationship with Adam and I sacrificed my Son so that you and I could have an intimate relationship. Pray without ceasing and know that I am always with you in everything you say and do. Stay connected to Me, hear my voice and respond. As you and I engage daily, hourly and minute by minute it will become as natural as breathing for you; and you will know I am here with you, always.

My sheep know My voice. Listen to and for me at every moment so our relationship can become more and more intimate.

Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. The greatest inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that same sense of indebtedness to Christ regarding every unsaved soul? As a saint, my life’s spiritual honor and duty is to fulfill my debt to Christ in relation to these lost souls. Every tiny bit of my life that has value I owe to the redemption of Jesus Christ. Am I doing anything to enable Him to bring His redemption into evident reality in the lives of others? I will only be able to do this as the Spirit of God works into me this sense of indebtedness.

I am not a superior person among other people— I am a bondservant of the Lord Jesus. Paul said, “. . . you are not your own . . . you were bought at a price . . .” ( 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ). Paul sold himself to Jesus Christ and he said, in effect, “I am a debtor to everyone on the face of the earth because of the gospel of Jesus; I am free only that I may be an absolute bondservant of His.” That is the characteristic of a Christian’s life once this level of spiritual honor and duty becomes real. Quit praying about yourself and spend your life for the sake of others as the bondservant of Jesus. That is the true meaning of being broken bread and poured-out wine in real life.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 15, 2010

I am restless…waiting on the Lord is hard work. I cannot see Him working, I do not know in my human mind that He is working; I simply must trust Him and take Him at His word. I know I am not capable of doing that…….but I know I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.

And God says………..” Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary. Wait on me. Recall when you rushed out on your own ahead of me? Recall how those circumstances and their conclusions ended? Recall when you knew absolutely, positively that you were in My will and my timing and how you were able to move forward through any and all circumstances?

Rest and trust in Me, and I will bring it to pass. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own devices. Trust and obey and be at peace. I am your God and I know you future…a future for good. If I did not spare My Son, will I deny you any good thing?

Trust, rest, and be at peace. And while you wait let me touch others through you. Many of whom I touch through you and you do not even know it. You are sometimes unaware, you are simply trusting in me…… while others can see and know My love and grace by watching Me live through you.

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From Charles Stanley’s  In Touch devotional for today: 

 If you want to know what God is doing in your life, obey Him. Often, you won’t understand the intricacies of the plan, but you can trust the goodness of His heart. Rest assured that all He does is purposeful and for your benefit. So step forward in faith, and you will see His faithfulness.

This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not. A personal insult becomes an opportunity for a saint to reveal the incredible sweetness of the Lord Jesus.

The teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is not, “Do your duty,” but is, in effect, “Do what is not your duty.” It is not your duty to go the second mile, or to turn the other cheek, but Jesus said that if we are His disciples, we will always do these things. We will not say, “Oh well, I just can’t do any more, and I’ve been so misrepresented and misunderstood.” Every time I insist on having my own rights, I hurt the Son of God, while in fact I can prevent Jesus from being hurt if I will take the blow myself. That is the real meaning of filling “up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ . . .” ( Colossians 1:24 ). A disciple realizes that it is his Lord’s honor that is at stake in his life, not his own honor.

Never look for righteousness in the other person, but never cease to be righteous yourself. We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it.

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 14, 2010

Sometimes I wonder why I do the things I do. I mean I am a Christian aren’t I? Then why can I be on the mountaintop one minute and then in the valley the next minute, having failed miserably at being a Christian? Why is it that I do some of the same stupid things over and over again? Where is my maturity, my growth as a believer?

And God says…….  ”Just like you wrote in your book, being a believer has no hierarchy of attainment. You do not start out in 1^st grade and matriculate up the “Christian scale” of growth to high school and then college. You do not enter into My service as a private and then progress to corporal and then on and on and up to Captain Christian and beyond. You enter in need of a Savior and continue to need a Savior the rest of your days.

You can only operate as a believer with the strength, power and courage of Jesus when you allow Jesus to live through you. You are a human being with all the weakness of a human being. When you are not connected to Me allowing the Spirit of God to live through you, you are vulnerable. This does not mean you are not responsible, it simply means you are responsible for doing your part by allowing Me to live through you. I will do everything else. You can do nothing apart from Me.

Stay connected to Me and stay holy even as I am holy.

Our soul’s personal history with God is often an account of the death of our heroes. Over and over again God has to remove our friends to put Himself in their place, and that is when we falter, fail, and become discouraged. Let me think about this personally— when the person died who represented for me all that God was, did I give up on everything in life? Did I become ill or disheartened? Or did I do as Isaiah did and see the Lord?

My vision of God is dependent upon the condition of my character. My character determines whether or not truth can even be revealed to me. Before I can say, “I saw the Lord,” there must be something in my character that conforms to the likeness of God. Until I am born again and really begin to see the kingdom of God, I only see from the perspective of my own biases. What I need is God’s surgical procedure— His use of external circumstances to bring about internal purification.

Your priorities must be God first, God second, and God third, until your life is continually face to face with God and no one else is taken into account whatsoever. Your prayer will then be, “In all the world there is no one but You, dear God; there is no one but You.”

Keep paying the price. Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvnVjLX_hRE

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Journal Entry for Today-JDV

July 13, 2010

Sometimes I wonder where you are or if you are even there in my life. I wonder if you hear my prayers and cries for some indication that you are there inside of me and my circumstance. I know from your word that you are there….it is just that sometimes I don’t see the changes occurring in my circumstances and life. And because I cannot see the impact you are having in my circumstances I sometimes get discouraged.

And God says…”You cannot define God working with your senses; My ways are not your ways…a thousand years is like a single day to Me. What is or is not happening in your life and surroundings is not for your review or even your experience…yours is to trust and obey. I am at work in your life, I have told you this. I am and will do immeasurably more in your life than you could ever imagine, however, you cannot pull your faith up out of the ground like a plant to use your senses to determine if and where I am working in your life.

Trust Me for the faith to wait and for the hope you need in day to day living. Simply stay connected and know I am with you. There is no need for you to know what and how I am working. I will make you aware when you need to react or experience the work I have done on your behalf. In the meantime, stay connected and reach out and let Christ live through you to others…..Trust and obey.

Keep your eyes on Jesus, trust Me and listen for the Spirit inside of you and you will never be discouraged. You cannot be discouraged when you are looking into the very eyes of love.

Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzKOrlPuWzo&feature=related

Am I building up the body of Christ, or am I only concerned about my own personal development? The essential thing is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ— “. . . that I may know Him. . .” ( Philippians 3:10  ). To fulfill God’s perfect design for me requires my total surrender— complete abandonment of myself to Him. Whenever I only want things for myself, the relationship is distorted. And I will suffer great humiliation once I come to acknowledge and understand that I have not really been concerned about realizing Jesus Christ Himself, but only concerned with knowing what He has done for me.

My goal is God Himself, not joy nor peace, Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God.

Am I measuring my life by this standard or by something less?

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July 12 2010

Today’s devotional spoke to me through the Spirit of God to remind me that I have no business slipping in and out of churches like I am sampling the fare and then making a critical decision about whether or not I want to participate wholly in the corporate body, as “they” define it. God wants me to worship and belong to a corporate body. I don’t get to “pick and choose”. It is God’s choice and His will.  I must let go of my preconceived views about my role in the body. God will define my role and direct me.

And God says….”I have provided a body for you and you for that body. Neither is complete without the other. I engage the world through the body and the individuals in those bodies assembled for corporate worship. You can no longer stay on the periphery of a church. You must be engaged so I can use you to help grow the body.

It is not unlike steering a moving car. Once you are engaged in the body, I can steer you much more easily as you experience the engagement of MY Spirit in the corporate lives of many believers. And as you engage in the corporate lives of believers you can deliver more miracles…you will have the opportunities to deliver more of Me. Go be a vital part of MY body.

Do you have even the slightest reliance on anything or anyone other than God? Is there a remnant of reliance left on any natural quality within you, or on any particular set of circumstances? Are you relying on yourself in any manner whatsoever regarding this new proposal or plan which God has placed before you? Will you examine yourself by asking these probing questions? It really is true to say, “I cannot live a holy life,” but you can decide to let Jesus Christ make you holy. “You cannot serve the Lord . . .”— but you can place yourself in the proper position where God’s almighty power will flow through you. Is your relationship with God sufficient for you to expect Him to exhibit His wonderful life in you?

“The people said to Joshua, ’No, but we will serve the Lord!” ( Joshua 24:21 ). This is not an impulsive action, but a deliberate commitment. We tend to say, “But God could never have called me to this. I’m too unworthy. It can’t mean me.” It does mean you, and the more weak and feeble you are, the better. The person who is still relying and trusting in anything within himself is the last person to even come close to saying, “I will serve the Lord.”

We say, “Oh, if only I really could believe!” The question is, “Will I believe?” No wonder Jesus Christ placed such emphasis on the sin of unbelief. “He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief” ( Matthew 13:58 ). If we really believed that God meant what He said, just imagine what we would be like! Do I really dare to let God be to me all that He says He will be?

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Journal Entry for Today

July 9, 2010

Like most occasions when God wants to tell me something, I hear it over and over again in many, many ways. I hear a song, read a devotional, or a brother tells me the same message in a different way. When I am listening for God I can hear Him. And lately He has been telling me that He can live through me if I simply let Him. He has been telling me that I can have all of God that I want. My requirement is to simply want Him and let Him live through me. It does not occur in the past or in the future, it occurs right now as I listen and acknowledge His presence.

And God says…”I am here with you all the way, all the time. Simply trust…..and obey. Even when you feel as if you cannot believe, that it is too grand or too remarkable or you are too undeserving, I will help you in your unbelief. Simply ask, and you will receive. Even when you cannot see the vision or know the result, believe. When all you know is a void …believe. And when you feel you cannot believe, trust Me to give you the faith to believe.”

“Let Me be your all in all, in the moment. Trust and obey, and let Me transform you. I will give you the passion, hope and faith you need to live life more abundantly.”