When We Abide In Christ
With every passing day in marriage restoration ministry, I become more and more aware of the vital significance of John 15:5 as we stand for the miracle of marriage restoration in our lives, because it very clearly says “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. And when I see men and women who are standing for marriage restoration struggling so hard to “do” what they know they need to do, but just don’t seem able to do; I wish I could just do some kind of heart transplant and help them get the power of God’s love, mercy and grace so deep into their being that they could never forget it and that they would realize the power it has to transform and renew their hearts, minds and lives. But even that is something that ONLY God, through the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit can do.
Yet, I long to see people understand that Jesus Christ is the ONLY way, the ONLY truth and the ONLY hope we have for abundant life, as John 14:6 says: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. And it’s so important to understand that, because until we get to a place of longing for an intimate love relationship with Jesus Christ more than we long for the restoration of our marriages; we are likely to be terribly frustrated and disappointed, because the reason the Lord caused or allowed the circumstances we’re in now is to make us turn to Him and recognize that we are nothing and can do nothing without Him. Jesus did not die just to give us fire insurance; He died so we could exchange the filthy rags of our sin and unrighteousness for His holiness and glorious righteousness. And that means a literal exchange of some kind MUST take place; which means we have to give up our own will and way and submit to and conform to the will and ways of God. And just as we can’t take the past and all of the hurt, bitterness and resentment of unforgiveness into the glorious futures of restored marriages God has planned for us; we won’t get there without giving up control of our own lives and submitting and surrendering EVERYTHING to Jesus Christ. Otherwise, we have NOT made or allowed Him to be the Lord of our lives, and without being Lord, He WILL NOT BE and can not be our Savior! And Matthew 16:25 leaves no doubt that making that exchange means giving up our own lives; no longer trying to do things based on our own will and flawed human understanding, and making Jesus our Lord so we can experience the joy and victory we all seek as we stand for the restoration of our marriages. It simply says: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. It doesn’t get any clearer than that. In and of ourselves, we can DO nothing, but in the strength of Christ Jesus, we CAN do ALL things, just as Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) states: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. And, we are all quite familiar with The Lord’s declaration and promise in Matthew 19:26, which says Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
One of the things the Lord has really been dealing with me about personally over the past few months, and especially so in the past few weeks, is that I MUST avoid the devil’s trap of striving to do and accomplish even the Lord’s work and will in and of myself, because as John 15:5 states above; apart from Christ, we can do NOTHING! It is ONLY when we are VITALLY connected to Him and when HE ABIDES IN US that we can be all God calls us to be and all that Jesus died to make possible!
However, as we begin the process of being transformed into the image of Christ, we must stay in the Word daily, because otherwise we will find it very difficult if not impossible to heed Paul’s warning in Romans 12:1-2, which says Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. And without reading and STUDYING god’s Word, we can’t possibly know His GOOD and PERFECT will! And it’s very important to remember that as we LEARN to die to self and crucify our old nature, we MUST put on the WHOLE armor of God as instructed in Ephesians 6:10-18, which says:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
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.
Otherwise we are in danger of experiencing what Jesus warned against in Matthew 12:43-45, which says:
43 “When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.
44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
But the good news is that the Lord even sent the Holy Spirit to enable us to do ALL that God calls us to do and to guarantee the final outcome for HIS glory, including our ability to abide in Him and the restoration of our marriages and families! So read Ephesians 1:11-14 and be blessed and encouraged!
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.