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,
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” 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 knowI 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 subjectHere’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…
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.
by 
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