March 2016 Spirit Food

Once you are presented with what the Word of God has to say about an issue, you are responsible for receiving His love, grace, & favor; and the gift of His righteousness. Remember, you are greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved by your Heavenly Father.

This month, let’s focus on entering into His rest.

Hebrews 4:10–11 - … he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest…

As a baby, we first learned to how to sit up on our own and hold our head up, without being propped up by pillows. Then we learned to stand, and eventually walk. When we were children, we learned from our surroundings – our parents, siblings, relatives, teachers, etc. In life, we came to accept and expect what we were being taught was true. Only later, when we took the time to investigate deeper, did we discover that many things we accepted and expected, were not necessarily entirely true, or, that we may not have fully understood, the reality of the issue in question.

The Christian life also begins with sitting. God “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus”. (Ephesians 2:6) How well we walk in this life on the earth depends on how well we sit and rest in the finished work of Christ.

Our Heavenly Father desires to have a deep personal relationship with every human being on the planet. He loved you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for you! (John 3:16)

Once you accepted that His Word was true in this area, and believed it enough to receive Jesus as the Lord of your life, it allowed His Spirit (The Holy Spirit) to dwell within your body with your own spirit, to cultivate a deep personal relationship with you. The Bible as we know it, is full of love letters from our Heavenly Father to mankind. And the Holy Spirit is available within us to reveal His truths to us about every situation.

The Bible has two covenants written in it. One is called the Old Testament and the other is the New Testament. The Old Testament was written to mankind and included The Ten Commandments. These commandants were written for mankind to show him that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep them, and were to show mankind that he needed a redeemer. The new covenant is the covenant of grace. And grace means unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. God wants us to know that He has cut this covenant for us through Christ our representative. And according to the covenant, we have His undeserved favor. We are blessed because Jesus took our beating. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we have victory over every issue.

Hebrews 9:12 - Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

Understand that one of the things Jesus did by shedding His blood for us on the cross (and before the cross), was to represent for mankind, as our lamb, and provide for our redemption from the curse of the law. When you come to understand that Jesus paid the price for all of mankinds’ sin for all time, it will bring joy to your life, as there will be no more condemnation!

Most people are familiar with John 3:16, however, many are not schooled on John 3:17 - For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. Saved from what you ask? The curse of the law, given in the Ten Commandments.

Yes, many people want to live right, but their concern with right living makes them focus on themselves and the things they struggle with, rather than keeping their focus on Jesus and His finished work on the cross. It is right believing that produces right living. Today, if you want to experience right living, find out what Christ has done for you and what you have in Him—and believe it! If you are trying to break free from an addiction that has bound you for many years, believe that Jesus loves you so much that at the cross, He paid the price for you to be completely free from any addiction. Believe that by His stripes you are healed and delivered.

Under the New Covenant Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”; but Romans 3:24 – goes on to say that because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross, each individual who accepts and believes this to be truth, we are “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:”

It is not what you do that makes you righteous. It is what Christ has done at Calvary. Romans 5:19 says, “For as by one man’s [Adam’s] disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” It is the obedience of one Man—Christ—and not your obedience, that has made you righteous!

God wants you established in what Christ has done. He wants you conscious of your everlasting righteousness in Christ. How do you do that? You can listen to anointed messages that remind you of your righteousness in Christ. And don’t just know it in your head; speak it. Every morning, tell yourself, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ!” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

You don’t need a revelation of how sinful you are. You know it when you sin. The devil reminds you of your sins. Even your friends and loved ones sometimes point out your sins. What you need, instead, is a revelation of how forever righteous you are in God’s eyes, especially when you sin.

When you are conscious of this gift of righteousness that is everlasting, you will reign in life! (Romans 5:17) You will reign over sin, bad habits, sicknesses, lack, and everything that holds you back from a victorious life!

This is part of entering into His rest.

We discussed that when you accepted Jesus as the Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit came to dwell/live inside of you. Well, this Holy Spirit is also the Spirit of wisdom. It is one thing to have the Holy Spirit inside you, but it is another thing to have the Holy Spirit flow as the Spirit of wisdom within you. When God’s wisdom prevails, there is no issue that cannot be solved. A person can be very well educated and full of knowledge, but still lack wisdom.

James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Ephesians 1:17 - That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Once you comprehend and believe that wisdom is part of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you, ask God for His wisdom in life’s decisions and flow in His peace as you make them.

Psalm 27:14 - Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

When you rest in Him, relying on His wisdom regarding a situation or issue to be revealed to you through the Holy Spirit within you, there are no cares/worries concerning the outcome. God has perfect timing, and He loves you deeply. Remember, you are highly favored, deeply loved, and richly blessed!

Hebrews 4:11 - Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

When you take matters into your own “works”, and take your focus off Jesus, you’ve fallen from grace and have subjected yourself once again to “the law”.

2 Corinthians 3:6 - For the letter (of the law) kills, but the Spirit gives life. ... The Law offers death, accusing all men of unrighteousness: the Gospel offers and gives righteousness and life.

If you’re reading this, but you have not made Jesus the Lord of your life, and would like to, pray this prayer out loud in an audible voice:

Heavenly Father, your Word says in Romans 10:9-10- “that if I confess with my mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, that I would be saved. For with the heart one believes unto salvation.” I believe your Word, Heavenly Father, and confess Jesus Christ (the anointed one and His anointing) as Lord of my life now. I believe that You raised Him from the dead. I confess that I was a sinner, but now I’ve been saved by Your grace, and in Your thoughts, I am now in right standing with You. I denounce Satan and all he stands for. Write my name in the Lamb’s book of Life. In Jesus Name. Amen (so be it).

Congratulations! If this is your first time praying this prayer, please write and let us know!

Should you decide to give and financially support this ministry with gifts given in faith, I join my faith with yours to see the devourer rebuked (Malachi 3:11) and for you to receive a harvest; pressed down, shaken together and running over (Luke 6:38). Please remember to name your seed!

Dr. Mark Krom, Ph.D., D.Psy

Minister/Clinical Pastoral Psychologist