Remain in victory

Remain in Victory

In the last 6 weeks we have been examining the where and how to walking in victory! The intent for this series was to provide a Bible-based introduction to the new life you have in Jesus Christ. If you have been a believer for many years, my intention was to help you see your salvation and God’s promises from a new angle, grow in your knowledge of Him and abide in your true identity.
I once heard this…”If your desire is to abide more fully in your identity in Christ, you’ll find that self-feeding on Scripture is an invaluable habit.”  As you read the Word of God, and  pray over Scripture. I ask God to reveal this principle of abiding to you as you seek to remain in victory.
My prayer is that God will use His Word and the concept of abiding  to change your life and help you develop a deeper relationship with Him.

Abide in Christ - “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 15:7 NIV

I’ve met many Christians who hold God at arm’s length, afraid to let Him get too close. They attend church, read their Bibles, and pray when something important comes up. Either they have a skewed vision of who God is, which makes them afraid of Him, or they are sure that God will make uncomfortable demands on their lives. Either way, they are distant and not abiding in Him.
To abide means to continue to remain connected. John 15 paints a beautiful picture of a life that is connected to the vine of Christ. As you read, think of how this passage connects to our relationship and growth in Christ;

The following are some key thoughts about John 15:1–17 that you may have noticed:
• This passage emphasizes the intimacy between Christ and the Father, as well as the intimacy Christ wants with us, just like He has with the Father.  
• Christ spoke about the importance of bearing fruit and the consequences for those who do not bear fruit. Did you see how the Father was glorified when we bear kingdom fruit?
• We must depend totally on Christ. Our prayer life changes when we abide in Him and have His heart.  
• Notice the importance of love in this passage and how walking in His love is connected to obeying His commands and loving others.  
Jesus does not want you to put Him at the top of your list of things to do for the day. He does not want you to check off your time with Him like you would check off items on a grocery list or a list of household chores. Jesus wants to be the center of your life. He wants everything else in your life to flow through your relationship with Him. This is totally different from just being part of a to-do list. If you were to view your spouse or friend as only a checkmark on your list, the relationship would not last for long. Your relationship with Jesus is no different.

What does it look like when you are abiding with Christ?
• You develop a hunger for God’s Word and spend time really digging into the Bible, reflecting on what is being said, and applying it to your life.  
• Throughout your day, you assume a posture that allows you to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying.  
• You don’t look at what people will do for you; rather, you seek out ways to show God’s love to others.  
• Throughout the day, you find your heart seeking to draw closer to Jesus no matter what is going on around you.  
• You see godly fruit all around you, not because of your efforts, but because you are in tune with what the Holy Spirit is doing in and through you.  

In moving forward, the most important thing is that you’re abiding in Him. This abiding should never be overlooked in your pursuit of knowledge about God. There is a significant difference between the two, and it is easy to fall into this trap.
Ask God to teach you how to abide in Him. Ask Him to reveal to you the fellowship and love that is spoken of in John 15. Ask Him to show you areas in your life that need to be cut off and removed, as well as other areas that need to be pruned, so fruit can grow. Give God permission to discipline and prune you in ways that will make you grow more. As you abide and grow in Christ, you will become a better disciple for Christ and will encourage others along the way.

Let me end with this…Sometimes your greatest revelation of Jesus is likely to come in the midst of your most hopeless situation. Your greatest kingdom encounter will come when you are at your lowest point emotionally, spiritually and physically. Your greatest manifestation of Christ will come when He seems the furthest away. It’s not necessarily going to come by going to church or during a small group study. It will come when you seek His presence.
Your eyes will be opened to Jesus and all He is, both in you and for you when you are hanging out in His presence, watching Him and keeping your eyes focused on His every move.
More often than not, Jesus will reveal Himself to you in the middle of the ordinary moment in life, when He sees that you are focusing on Him because you want to.

John 15 says that if you will abide in Him and His Word, and He abides in you, you can do anything. You can overcome anything. Your prayers will be answered because your prayers will be aligned to Him. Jesus doesn’t want you to just learn about Him, study some stories, post some Scripture and throw up some prayers. He wants a relationship with YOU. That’s the kingdom encounter you need to pursue.
It’s called: abiding.

Are you allowing religious activities to take the place of abiding in Christ?

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?””
John 11:25-26 NIV