Five Steps to Living in Joy
Our pastor, Tony Walliser, said something recently I’ve been thinking about ever since. He said, “The me I see is the me I’ll be…” He then explained what he meant. We become the person we imagine ourselves to be. So, if he sees himself as “A saint who occasionally sins” versus a sinner constantly focused on and repenting for often only imagined sins, he lives a positive, victorious life rather than a burdened one.
WOW! So, since there is no more condemnation in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1) rather than constantly feeling unable to measure up and defeated by our failings, we can focus on all God’s victories in our lives, every day transforming us into the imagine of Jesus.
Are you living in the reality of that joy that you are a new creation in Christ? Or are you still burdened by sin and the condemnation of the enemy of your soul?
Do you picture yourself as a sinner constantly striving in your own strength to please God or are you resting in the strong arms of God trusting that He is at work in your life, transforming you every day as a saint who occasionally sins?
Ask the Lord Jesus to reveal Himself to you in new ways so you can experience all He desires for your life today.
How can you grow in this?
- Thank God that His Holy Spirit alone has the power to enable you to do His will and be transformed every day to be more like Jesus. That’s my daily prayer.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” II Cor. 3:18. - Recognize that it is inevitable that you will sin (we live in a broken world), but when you seek to please Jesus and repent when His Spirit convicts you of an attitude, action, or thought that displeases God, you are completely and immediately forgiven. I repeat this verse to myself every time I realize I’m tempted to condemn myself at all.
“When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive your sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” I John 1:9. - Accept the fact that God does not look at you with condemnation but as His child He loves dearly. He stands ready to forgive any and every moment when you confess your sin and turn away from it. I thank Him for this blessing often!
“Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” Romans 8:1. - Each morning, surrender your day to the Lord Jesus. Ask Him to guide and direct your day showing you what His plan is for your day rather than your own plans. This is incorporated in my prayers each morning.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans for good and not for evil to give you a future and a hope,” Jeremiah 29:11. - Finally, each night before going to sleep, keep a journal of the ways you saw God at work in your life that day. Thank Him for His answers to prayer and His active participation guiding and directing your day. I’ve begun doing this each evening!
“…For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness,” Lamentations 2:22-23.
I’ve told you how I am applying these ideas so you know I am not simply offering empty suggestions. I am living the truths I share with you every time I write to you! I struggle just as you do and these are the things the Lord taught me over time and I apply every day.
Freedom in Christ is ours when we believe! Let’s learn to walk in it!
