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This is going to sound ridiculous, but you only live once. I have a dog that poops and pees in the house when opportunity arises. I looked at this dog today and said, “Lupe, I forgive you.” She trotted over to me. I realized I can be mean. I realized I am mean because I don’t want to be hurt, but the ones I love end up getting hurt anyways. So, being mean doesn’t work. Being mean is a form of control through fear. It is abusive and can manifest either physically, verbally, spiritually, sexually, socially, and so on. It comes from the heart.

1 Cor. 13:5, “It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Perfect love casts and thrusts out fear, but I would venture to say that fear pushes out or hinders love.

1 John 3:14, “Anyone who does not love remains (habitually lives and dwells) in death.”

If I am not loving by and through Him then I am nothing, 1 Cor. 13:2. I am attempting to impart and show what “I suppose” is love. I am “trying” to love. That is not love. Godly agape love is unveiled and revealed from above through Christ in us, Heb. 1:2. Love is not “I will love you when you act like this”. Read Romans 5:8. Now, that is love.

Jesus died for me, forgave me, gave his life on earth for me, resurrected for me, became a man for me, did not sin for me because He IS LOVE. And in Him is no darkness.

Being religious is also being mean. Another form of control. Looks all nice on the outside, 2 Tim. 3:5.

Pure legal religion is the practice of hypocrisy.

The definition of the Greek word for hypocrisy, ὑπόκρισις

It means: the acting of a stage-player,”because such answered one another in dialogue; hence the meaning “dissembling or pretense.”

Hypocrites also do this,

Roman 2:1, “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.”

Lord, I pray I not be religious, but real in You. Remove the scales from eyes so I can see You in me.

Col. 2:2-3, “..being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full
assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both
of the Father and of Christ,
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Col. 2:4, “Now this I say (verses 1-3) lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words.”

I believe others, Gal. 2:4, as well as ourselves, Rom. 12:3, can be negatively persuaded back under the entanglement of the law when we really are not.

Christ is the Hope of Glory. In this hope, we have FULL assurance of understanding
by faith through grace unto knowledge of the mystery of God (Eph. 1:9)
of both the Father and His Son in which ALL the repository of wisdom and
knowledge.

This hope does not put law on us, Rom. 5:5, but creates ever-eager, passive, joyful expectation by faith. Faith is the substance of things “hoped” for. Hope predicates on faith not enticing words. It is His hope and faith in us expressing itself through His love that we partake in, Gal. 5:6.

Gal. 4:6, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.””

Rom. 6:17, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.”

Rom. 1:5, “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:”

Phil. 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

Phil. 2:13, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure.”

Philemon 1:6, “that the fellowship of thy faith may become working in the full knowledge of every good thing that [is] in you toward Christ Jesus;”

Controlling my emotions versus godly temperance is different. Temperance is love and grace based without fear. The fruit of temperance is born in great liberty because “against such things there is no law.” Controlled emotions is not trusting, honoring or loving self. When emotions are controlled the motive is to “not cross the line”. The motive to control the emotions is not a motive of willingness, but because “I am supposed to.” Controlling emotions does not work because usually I blow up or it will manifest in my body physically, body language, tone of voice, actions and true motive. Godly temperance does not try to be temperate. It emotes because love IS. It does not hesitate to emote or bear itself because its motive is not self-seeking. Controlling emotions can be or rather is deceptive because the true emotions are not being honored.

Religion at its core is about external image, appearance, value based on man’s opinion and self-will.

Jesus said in Matthew 23:27, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.”

If I am controlling my appearance in public then my witness is falsehood and hypocritical, Col. 2:23. This does not reflect Christ, but may look godly on the outside, but isn’t to the discernment of the Spirit of holiness and truth, 2 Tim. 3:5.

Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruit.” Sincere, righteous fruit that freely gives.

Controlling emotions cannot and does not protect the pain or hurt of the heart. Why? The pain and hurt is still there. Our heart should be covered by the breastplate of righteousness. Christ is our righteousness. If I control my emotions I will eventually betray myself and end up getting hurt anyways. In Christ, I will still get persecuted and hurt, but it does not have to be self-inflicted. The old nature or man is out of the way and we have a High Priest who is able to sympathize with our needs because He was tempted just like us, but was without sin. He imparts and freely gives grace and mercy from the throne of grace.

Controlling emotions does not make me strong, but very fearful and vulnerable for more hurt. To think if I control my emotions makes me stronger is a deception. I really can’t control my emotions. If so, then Christ died for nothing and I don’t need Him. I cannot keep myself. He keeps me.

Our identity is hid in Him. Our righteousness is not according to controlling our lives, but according to His righteousness and headship, Col. 1:18, Gal. 5:18, Rom. 8:14. Our identity is to BE in Him. The Lord told Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.” Jesus the firstborn among many brethren.

Rom. 6:21, “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things [is] death.”

Builds on previous blog, Unto perfection…

I was thinking about His love today and Hebrews 6:1 popped in my skull. I went and looked around for the Greek words elsewhere matching the same or root word for “perfection” in Hebrews 6:1.

These are some verses I found:

• Heb. 6:1, “..let us go on unto perfection..”
  • Let us our hearts be established by His grace and no longer be under law.
• Col. 3:14, “And above all these things [put on] love, which is the bond of perfectness.”
  • Only His love and grace can be the unseen spiritual ligaments that fitly join His Body into One Body.
• Rom. 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
  • Knowledge and understanding of His will (Col. 1:9) through His Son unveiled in us, Gal. 1:12,16
• 1 John 4:18, ” There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear hath torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love.”
  • There is not torment¹ in His love, Rom. 8:34.
  • The fear of the judgment and penalty of the law will torment the judged, but He became a curse for us!, Gal. 3:13. And bought us back into the Father’s family into His Kingdom, Col. 1:13.
• Eph. 4:13, “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:”
  • I believe this perfect man is Col.1:19 manifested in the Church universal.
• Phil. 3:15, “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded..”
• Col. 1:28, “Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:”
• Col. 4:12, “Epaphras, who is [one] of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
• Heb. 5:14, “But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age (perfect), [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
• James 1:4, “But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
• James 3:2, “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.”
• 1 Cor. 13:10,13 “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away (Aramaic:”nullified”)…And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.”
  • The beauty of nullification
    • Quote: “Someone or something dead is NULLIFIED. He who is dead is FREED or liberated from sin and its power, Rom. 6:7. In Christ I AM DEAD to the world and legal power of the Mosaic or self-imposed law in my heart, Col. 3:3.”

2 Cor. 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Christ’s grace (enabling power of God to those who believe, Eph. 1:19, imparted by revelation) is continuously, habitually fulfilled, accomplished and made perfect in the believer in infirmities, pressure and persecution. While I am ‘being’ in Him this dynamo power rests on me like a tent or tabernacle. This power generates itself more and more in the midst of pressure. Pressure applied to coal creates the hardest rock known to earth. A diamond. At a molecular level, the coal evolves into a new, better, stronger creation of itself. This is an example from the natural. How much more from Christ? Eph. 1:3.

• His power working in us…
  
• Power unto salvation
  

Trust

• -noun
  • reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
  • confident expectation of something; hope.
• -verb (used without object)
  
  • to rely upon or place confidence in someone or something (usually fol. by in or to ): to trust in another’s honesty; trusting to luck.
  • to have confidence; hope: Things work out if one only trusts.
• -verb (used with object)
  • to have trust or confidence in; rely or depend on.
    to believe.
  • to expect confidently; hope (usually fol. by a clause or infinitive as object): trusting the job would soon be finished; trusting to find oil on the land.
    
  • to permit to remain or go somewhere or to do something without fear of consequences: He does not trust his children out of his sight.

One of the things I enjoy so much about my walk with the Lord is that there is always opportunity for growth. And this growth will benefit even in the life to come, 1 Tim. 4:8, 2 Pet. 3:18, 1 Cor. 13:11, 2 Cor. 3:18.

The thought came to mind today, “If I fail to meet my self-expectation of <fill in the blank> over and over there is a likelihood I will loose trust in and toward myself.” In doing so, I could then question my motive and everything I do or am about. I become whimsical and indecisive, Rom. 8:6-7, James 1:6-8. Some call this insanity. I totally agree. I am reminded of a quote from Obliterated.

“Obliterating the handwritten “opinion or judgment” that was bonded and diffused into our actual nature. He took it out of the way (to the Father), nailing it to his cross in His flesh.”

So, according to Col. 2:14, if the rule in my heart that I am failing to meet is obliterated then the expectation of this rule no longer exists. It should not matter what I think or suppose of myself if Christ is the New Man and is my peace and righteousness, 1 Cor. 1:30, Eph. 2:14. My thoughts are to be sober, Rom. 12:3.  My thoughts are to be like the mind of Christ like Philippians declares. If we have the mind of Christ then these thoughts are influenced by the Spirit of Truth, grace, truth and revelation according to hearing the word of truth. The word of truth bears fruit, Col. 1:5-6.

• One New Man
• Obsolete motive
• Motive impartation
• The streak is over

As we abide in the True Vine by grace and His faith, we partake of His nature and are transformed into His likeness by the renewing of our minds. If we stumble, miss it or utterly fail our righteousness does not alter whatsoever because it is not based on self-expectation or what I think or suppose of myself, but is rooted in True Hope deeply as anchor in my soul. Christ is the Hope of Glory! Thank you Lord. Thank you Father for Your Son.

As we grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ we fall and stumble less because we eventually learn. If we keep stumbling and falling then we have not learned, but have knowledge. We are not “faithing” the revelation of Christ in us and faith does not manifest its purpose in the believer because part of the purpose of faith is to live out in the one in which it dwells, Gal. 2:20, Phil. 3:9. Grace by faith is “set aside” or frustrated, Gal. 2:21, because the believer then is adhering the self-imposed law and living by its works. The things which were destroyed are being rebuilt. The dog is chasing its tail and it makes no sense if Jesus really died and did all that the bible says He did. And for the record, He: was born, became a man, lived on the earth, was crucified, went into Sheol (Hell), lead the captives in Sheol into Glory with Him, resurrected, was seen of men and angels, ascended, glorified and now sits at the right hand of the Father as the Most High Priest and Apostle of our profession.

Romans 7:24, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”

This morning, 10/29/09, I was praying in the Spirit and the thought came to mind that as I was praying I was praying outside of time. I believe the inner man in the believer is in Christ. Christ is in the inner most part of our being. Our spirit is immortal. It always has been. Christ Who was and Is and Is to come is immortal. He is in the believer. Time does not limit God. He exists outside of time.

Heb. 10:12, “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God..”

Gal. 1:16, “..to reveal his Son in me..”

Gal. 4:19, “..Christ is formed in you..”

Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you..”

Eph. 6:18, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”

Jude 1:20, “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.”

John 5:25, “”Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live.”

Last night, 10/11/10, I was going to sleep and felt the Father tell me, “You are my son.” When I heard this it rang throughout my being. I realized I am just as much a son to Him as Jesus is. Heretic! 🙂 Chapter and verse please.

Romans 8:29, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.“

Galatians 4:6, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”

Through Christ’s blood and sacrifice we now have access directly to the Father. Christ in us, Gal. 1:16.

Ephesians 2:18, “For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.”

John 17:23, “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”