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Archive for exchanged life

Christ in you1

In and through

Posted by Carey 
· Friday, August 8th, 2014 

What if it’s true that Jesus really does live in and through His followers?

I know, it’s almost heretical to say “if” about such a thing, because all of us would say,

Oh yes… Jesus lives in and through me. The Bible teaches it to be true. I do believe it. Of course.

But let’s be honest… there are many, many things we say we believe but don’t put into practice or live out.

Here’s a sample list:

  • Healthy eating will extend and improve your quality of life.
  • Smoking will cause cancer and destroy your health.
  • Regular exercise will give you more energy and better overall wellness.
  • Daily time in prayer and God’s word will dramatically increase your rate of spiritual growth.
  • Diligence to practice healthy communication will keep your marriage healthy and strong.
  • Intentional parenting will bear fruit for generations.

Did I make my point?

When it comes to experiencing true spiritual life in Christ, here’s the truth we all need to face… We SAY Jesus lives in us, but where’s the fruit to prove it?

The same issues that have plagued us our entire lives are still very much in charge:

  • addictions
  • anger issues
  • impatience
  • pride
  • control
  • perfectionism
  • anxiety & worry
  • doubt
  • fear
  • stress

Christ in you

“Christ in you” is the unexperienced reality of most Christian’s lives.

It’s sad, but very true.

So how do we change it? How do we come to understand and experience the reality of Christ living in us, of Christ living through us?

1 Forget what you know

I mean it. Let go of all that church stuff you’ve been taught over the years. You need to start from scratch, at the beginning. Why? So you can be taught afresh by the Holy Spirit without the baggage of previously held wrong beliefs.

You need to come to a place where you’re like a child – OK with the fact that you don’t know what you need to know, and eager to be taught. Eager.

2 Read the Bible afresh, looking for what God says about the subject

Here’s a starter list of passages you should read.

  • Download it now. Go ahead, I’ll wait. 🙂
  • Read through it.
  • Look up the passages listed and read their truth.
  • Ask the Spirit of God to saturate you with the implications of what they communicate.
  • Put the list in your Bible or hang it on your fridge to help you remind yourself (and your family) of these truths.

As you do all that, take what you’re reading literally. Don’t assume there’s spiritual or mystical meanings to the passages you’re reading. Take them for what they actually say. Then ask yourself questions like these…

What would my life be like if what I’m reading is true? What if Jesus really does live inside me and wants to express His life through me? What changes would I see?

3 Ask the LORD to illuminate your mind/heart/spirit to these truths

You won’t get this if God doesn’t show it to you, so ask Him to show it to you. Leave your pride aside and allow yourself to be taught. Learn about how your body, soul, and spirit work together and how the indwelling of the Holy Spirit impacts you as a new creation (you’ve got to see this one).

In addition, here are some books/resources that are very helpful to help you dig into these truths…

  • Anything you can find by Bill Gillam
  • True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer
  • My upcoming video/workbook course – “Transform” (watch for it)

4 Trust the LORD to get you there

You’ve got to know that the LORD wants you to get this truth even more than you want to get it. So trust Him. Relax. You do your part to read, study, and learn, and trust Him to get you there in His good time.

An assignment for your family

After you’ve had a little bit of time to familiarize yourself with the passages above, start talking about them with your family.

Maybe at breakfast or dinner you could take one of the verses…

  • read it
  • focus in on what it says about Jesus living in you
  • discuss what your lives would look like if it where really true
  • pray together that the LORD will show you how it IS true and how you can submit yourself to it in faith.
  • follow up on your conversation later in the day… maybe at bed time.
  • do it again the next day, with another verse.

Over time, you’re going to saturate yourselves with this amazing truth and it will begin to soak into your souls. That’s when you’ll begin seeing the fruit of Christ, who does live in you.

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Categories : Family Foundations
Tags : abiding in the vine, Christ in you, exchanged life, identity in Christ, in and through, indwelling Christ
go wtih god

How to practically Go with God (one example)

Posted by Carey 
· Monday, May 20th, 2013 

You’ve heard the phrase, “Go with God.”

In this series of posts I’m trying to unpack what the Bible describes that to look like.

In the previous post, I opened the door to Galatians 2:20… let’s walk on through today to try to understand what it means.

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Notice what it says is fundamentally true – of you and of Jesus.

1. YOU have been crucified, right alongside Jesus

There are some very natural questions that arise from such a statement…

How can that be? You weren’t even alive when Jesus was crucified. Nevertheless, God (for whom nothing is impossible – Luke 18:27) says it is true.

  • So somehow, on a fundamental, spiritual level, when you trusted in Jesus Christ, He took you back in time to the cross, and killed you there.
  • Never forget the cross. It’s where Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sin… and it’s also where YOU, the sinner died.

But you are still living, how can it be that you died?

  • Paul says it’s a certain part of you that died… your “old self.” Look how he describes it in Romans chapter 6, verse 6:
We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of s

in might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

The old, sinful sinner that was you, is now dead. You do not have to be enslaved to the power of sin anymore.

2. The life you are now living is to be lived by Jesus

What if you didn’t have to be “on the hook” for making the right choices in the tough, dreadful, impossible things of life?

Things like:

go wtih god

 

  • An irritating boss
  • A nosey neighbor
  • A hurtful spouse
  • A handicap
  • A financial shortage
  • A threatening medical condition

What if Jesus would step in and take your place, offering to make the call on all of those things?

THAT IS THE REALITY OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE FOR YOU (and your children).

Jesus DOES live in you, to live His life through you.

  • So when the tough decision needs to be made, you need to know how to let Him make it.
  • When the hurtful words come, you need to know how to draw on His strength to handle it.

And how do you do that?

3. You now live by faith in the Son of God

Faith is kind of a nebulous term… hard to get a handle on sometimes.

But think of it as trust, reliance, dependence on what God has said is true.

Let’s consider a practical situation:

Your spouse comes home irritable and tense. Something is one his/her mind and you don’t know what it is. The situation is putting the entire household on edge.

How do you live by faith in the Son of God in this situation?

  1. You believe that Jesus is really living in you (that’s faith in what God has said, isn’t it?).
  2. You rely on Him to give you wisdom, strength, discernment, sensitivity… whatever is needed for the situation (that is faith in Him personally, isn’t it?).
  3. You open your heart and mind to receive instructions from Him regarding what He wants to do (through you) in this situation (that is faith in Him personally also, isn’t it?).
  4. HERE’S THE HARD PART: You ACT according to what He’s leading you to do.

For some Christians, especially those who are very “word-of-God centered” (which should be all of us), that seems a bit too mystical, too ambiguous. How can you really KNOW that it’s Jesus guiding you in that situation rather than your own emotion or desires?

I’m glad you asked my word-of-God-centered bretheren!

You know by judging what you believe the LORD to be telling you according TO the word of God.

Jesus would never instruct you to contradict or go against what He’s already revealed in His word.

It’s HIS word after all, revealing HIS will for human relationships, life, the world… everything.

So we should always, always, ALWAYS utilize the word of God as our gauge of what is truly from the LORD.

Back to the purpose of introducing this topic: YOUR KIDS

What would your children’s lives be like, years from now, if they were able to learn and apply this truth beginning now?

It’s a question worth asking… and one I’ll tackle in a future post.

What PRACTICAL difference does it make to you that Christ truly lives in you? Share below!

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Categories : Parenting, Spirit Health
Tags : Christ in you, exchanged life, Galatians 2:20, go with God
change your life

Change your life (and your child’s) forever

Posted by Carey 
· Friday, May 17th, 2013 

Knowing that Christ really lives in you can change your life forever

I wrote briefly about this as one biblical value to teach your children earlier.

It’s a HUGE and strange idea for “modern” people to hear. In a nutshell it’s this…

Jesus Christ literally LIVES WITHIN YOU (if you’ve trusted Him as Savior and LORD).

Not in a symbolic way…

Not in a “touchy-feely” sort of way…

But in a REAL way. Literally.

And what it PRACTICALLY MEANS for you and your children is enormous!

It will impact:

  • HOW you live life,
  • WHY you walk in obedience to God,
  • WHAT the scriptures mean to you,
  • and WHAT your life is intended to be.

Those are vital, life-altering questions that you and your children need to be able to answer with confidence and conviction, because they will change your life radically if you can answer them truthfully, according to God’s word.

What does it mean, “Christ in you?”

change your life

The New Testament refers to Christ being in us and us being in Him so many times I’m not sure we can actually count them. It’s woven intricately into almost every doctrinal passage.

It’s fundamental to what it means to be a Christian, in the deepest, truest sense of the word.

One of the most clear and oft-quoted passages on the subject is Galatians chapter 2, verse 20…

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

In the next post, I’m going to unpack this verse a bit and help you walk through what it looks like in a practical, day to day situation.

Take some time between now and then to think about the verse. Ponder it. Meditate on it. Let it sink deeply into your heart and mind. Consider how it might change your life if the things it is teaching really are true.

What are your initial thoughts about the significance of this verse? Share them below…

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Categories : Parenting, Spirit Health
Tags : change your life, Christ in you, Christian growth, Christian parenting, exchanged life
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