SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1322

“In Him”

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? —unless indeed you fail to meet the test! – 2 Corinthians 13:5

Pop Quiz. Don’t fret, it is an open book test. Our life walk is like an open book before the Lord. Nothing is hidden from Him.

O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you. – Psalm 69:5

Examine yourselves – Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the truth about your life walk. Far too often we are hypocritical and in denial about the compromises we have made with worldliness to satisfy the lusts of our flesh.

Brace yourself. The Holy Spirit will illuminate the dark areas that you sought to keep secret. Now is the best time, not later, to acknowledge, repent, and let Jesus remove these dark chapters of our life walk by His sacrifice for our sins – His death and resurrection.

For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. – Luke 8:17

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. – Acts 3:19

As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:12

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. – Romans 8:1

Do you not realize…that Jesus Christ is in you?

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – Ephesians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17

In him we live and move and have our being; Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. – Acts 17:28; Colossians 2:6

Walk in Him:  Our walk is steady and forward-looking. We live today in anticipation of His eternal Kingdom.

Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me. – Psalm 119:133

Our walk is continuous and habitual. It is a lifestyle of steadfastly abiding in Him, bearing fruit for the Kingdom and to the glory of God. To walk in Him is much more than the religious observance of Sunday church and perhaps morning and evening rote prayers. It is a continual abiding, 24/7, 365 days a year. We remain in locked-step fellowship with Jesus.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing… By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. – John 15:4-5,8

Examine yourselves – Where do we go? Should Jesus be there, or have we broken fellowship with Him to flirt with the sin of the world? Do we break step with Jesus to yoke ourselves instead to the darkness of worldliness?

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. – 1 John 2:15

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? – 2 Corinthians 6:14

Examine yourselves – Our walk with Jesus in this body of flesh has a purpose and plan. Our body is a temple for His Holy Spirit. How are we caring for it? Is it defiled with the abominations and poisonous immorality of the world? Is it in a shambles, unkempt and unhealthy? Are we good stewards of His temple?

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God; No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. – 1 John 4:15; 3:6, 24

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Examine yourselves – If the book of our Christian life walk were in a library, where would it be categorized? Fiction or Non-Fiction? Fantasy or Reality of the Truth of God’s Word? Your Christian life walk is the only ‘bible’ that many people who do not yet know the Gospel will ‘read’. Do people in our day-to-day encounters know that they have been in His loving presence through us?

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. – 1 John 2:6

Whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him. – 1 John 2:5

Examine yourselves – Take the quiz and allow the Holy Spirit to lovingly convict, correct, and counsel you in the way you should walk in Him.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ. – 1 Peter 5:14