Galatians 2:20

This conservative Christian sect takes the Bible’s messages about the body very seriously. Even non-Christians can learn a lot from their healthy lifestyle.

Why Do Seventh-Day Adventists Live Longer Than Most Americans? — Longreads

Genesis tells the story of our Creator and creation itself; God spoke into existence the world and all that is. Adam was created on the sixth day, made in the image of God Himself. Ohh the honour and privilege to be made in the image of God is a marvel all by itself. In Genesis 1:26 it says “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness,” Vs 27 says “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

To better understand why the need to die to ‘Self’ let’s start from the beginning to see how God created us and this need we now have. In Genesis 1:9 God created the dry ground. In Deuteronomy 32:4 it is said of God “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.” This God, Our God, the one true God is indeed perfect. Anything that God creates is made perfect. He created the ground and the dust which man was formed out of. The dust was not living, man at this point was just a form, much like the clay pots that we see around us today.

The Epic part of this Creation Story is when God breathed into the nostrils of man with the Breath of Life, ‘AND MAN BECAME A LIVING THING’ a perfect creation of God made in His own Image, His perfect work. God breathed from within Himself into Adam. God the perfect God we know, the God of love, as mentioned in 1 John 4:8.

Being the God of love, Adam was not made to be a robot to worship God at His command or obey Him and Serve Him at His beckoning. This would have been a selfish act and as such an impossible thing for God to do. He is love and through love He created us with a will, a free will to choose who we will serve.

Adam was able to think and conclude, he made decisions, he named the animals, and he spoke with God. He wondered about the Garden of Eden. He was not mechanical. He was given a will, a choice.

So let’s recall….. so far we have said:

1. A perfect God created the earth and ground.
2. God used the dust from the earth to form Adam.
3. God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils.
4. God made us after His own image and likeness.
5. Gods work is perfect

I believe it is safe to conclude that Adam was perfectly made. This is the man that God created to live on the earth, the man He told to multiply and fill the earth. Without the fall of man this is the kind of people that God wanted and expected to live on earth. This should have been you and me today. This is the Original Man! A man like God, made in the image of God, working for God, walking with God, communing with God, spending time with God, being obedient to God, following God and carrying out His instructions.

Hmmmm!! Isn’t this the man/woman God is calling us to be today? Is this not what God wants from you and me today? To be saturated with and by Him. This is the childlike (simple and elementary) state that God says we must be like in Matthew 18:3 “And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Children follow the instructions of their parent, a child does not worry about the bills, children trust that their parents will provide food for them to eat, to provide their clothing and a roof over their head. Little children are obedient to their parents. They are fully and totally dependent on their parents. This is how Jesus said we must be in order to enter into the kingdom of God.

SO WHAT WENT WRONG?

God had also created angels. God created Lucifer who we now call satan.

Ezekiel 28: 12 to 15 says 

“‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. ¹³ You were in Eden,
the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.^[b]Your settings and mountings^[c] were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. ¹⁴ You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
¹⁵ You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
¹⁶ Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. ¹⁷ Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”

Lucifer was on Gods Holy Mount, a guardian Cherub! Lucifer’s focus began to turn away from God and unto himself! As his heart developed pride of self for the beauty he was; as his heart became filled with himself, his wisdom, his voice, his singing, maybe even with the precious stones that adorned him, he became proud. He began to see less and less the need for God as he got filled with self. Like a cup, under a tap, getting filled with water, so too pride filled Lucifer!

God was shut out of his life and as such his heart, for we can only serve ONE master. Satan began to esteem himself greater and greater, ‘self’ elevates a person above the need of God. ‘Self’ pushes God out, ‘self’ is evil. God cannot exist where self habitates. What satan failed to realize was that once cut off from the tree the vine perishes.

He got so caught up with himself he lost sight of the source of life. He became blind in his ways. He had no more light in him. He lost the light of God, the lifeline of all creations. Self is foreign to God, it is alien to God.

Now filled with self, satan began to conceive selfish thoughts and ideas. He became envious of God, he coveted the position of God. He wanted to be worshipped and praised. He wanted to be like God. Here all evil and malicious thought were birthed. Thoughts to overthrow God and all who choose to follow and serve him.

His heart was filled with continual evil, pure evil. He began to deceive angels and talk against God. He could no longer reverence God, this cannot happen where self exists. He lied and is called the Father of all lies. The Pride of Self flowed through his being which led him to fight in heaven wanting the throne of God.

Isaiah 14: 12-14 says

“How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
¹³ You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne
 above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.^[b]14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Lucifer had many “I Will” in his thoughts! Unfortunately many of us today have these ‘I’ and ‘I Will” in our thoughts too.

‘I’/‘Self’ takes away everything that make a man serve, follow, worship, praise and reverence God. Self puts away God period! The pride of self that started in Lucifer’s heart does not stand alone. It births other evil. To operate self needs fruits, fruits like corruption, sexual immorality, impurity, debauchery (excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures), idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord (disagreement between people), jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambitions, dissensions (disagreement that leads to discord), factions (a party or group (as within a government) that is often contentious or self-seeking), envy, bitterness, drunkenness and orgies and the like.

These product of self, yields nothing good. They are opposite and contrary to all good that comes only from Almighty God.

James 3:16 says “¹⁶ for where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”

These ways are completely opposite to the man God created in the Garden of Eden.

SO WHAT IS SELF?

Self as defined is “self is an individual person as the object of its own reflective consciousness”, “self is a person’s essential being that distinguishes them from another”.

‘Self’ distinguishes us from others, it ‘distinguishes’ us from God it’s the object of its own reflective consciousness’. This has caused heaven to loose many angels, it has caused the world to become the state in which we now live.

Are you satisfied with death? Are you satisfied with pain, with lost, murder, infidelity, adultery and sickness to name a few?

Are you satisfied with children being mutilated, family members being murdered?

Are you satisfied with the sorrow and depression in our world?

Are you satisfied with wasted lives to drugs and alcohol, with the many addictions that happen all around us?

Are you satisfied with the demoralizing sexually explicit conducts of our youths?

Are you satisfied only knowing that you were made to live eternal?

Adam yielded to satan and in so doing he gave satan dominion to the earth. We now living the reality of all that came along with that decision. Adam gave in to self through deceit and did not stand for God, he disobeyed God, he did not follow God’s instruction and did not abide in Godly principles.

Adam was thought by God Himself. He spoke to God directly yet he lost focus of God and yielded to his own selfish desires, to his own reasoning; he made his own decision, a man’s decision.

Ephesians 5:1 says “Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children.”

The apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “¹ Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”

Jesus said in John 14:9 “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” In John 10:30 Jesus said “ I and the Father are one.”

We are called to follow Jesus, Jesus and His Father are one. So then what do we know of God?

1. God is spirit – John 4:24
2. God is trustworthy – Hebrews 13:8
3. God is love – 1 John 4:8
4. God is Righteous – Psalms 119:137
5. God is Holy – Isaiah 6:3
6. God is Merciful – Luke 6:36
7. God is Forgiving and Good – Psalms 86:5
8. God is compassionate – Psalms 145:9

WE CANNOT BE ANY OF THESE IS WE HAVE NOT DIED TO SELF SO THAT CHRIST MAY ABIDE IN US!

Self and God cannot live in the same heart. Selfhood has to be surrendered and nailed to the cross. We must be like dead men, nothing you tell a dead man will generate a reaction out of him. We must die to self-purpose and follow god’s purpose for our lives.

We must die to what we want, die to doing what we want, die to pride of life, to feeling offended, to feeling embarrassed. Self, Selfhood must be replaced with Jesus and God.

SELFHOOD: “Our sense of well-being, of contentedness, of meaningfulness, of how we perceive our personal identity – all these relate directly to the individual’s notion of selfhood. Without that sense of self there’s nothing to which we might hope to attach, or attribute to, those same states. Yet when we look at our own sense of selfhood, we find that our understanding is somewhat shaky. We can’t quite grasp that self within which we believe somehow inhabits our mind and body, or is identical with them as an interrelation of the two.”

These are some very choice words to describe ‘Selfhood’. “Without that sense of self there’s nothing to which we might hope to attach, or attribute to”. To the world this is true but for Christians we know that it is Christ in us that fills the vacated spot that ‘self’ once existed!

The formed man from the dust in Genesis 2, this man, after life was breathed into his nostrils, had the likeness of God and was created by a perfect God.

This is the man that God intended to live on earth and multiply.

Self came through satan, it is satans ways and character. Where self is God cannot be, God cannot exist. Self will never allow us to have the promises only available through our God and our Saviour Jesus. The gift of Eternal Life among many others blessings.

If this is what you want? Then it is evident that self, in you, must die. The will of God must be executed in your life in all that constitutes your entire existence. There is no other way. Anything short of this is a form or godliness. It will not allow God to see His son in you and that is what the Father is looking for.

He will not look for Stacey or Roberto, He will look to see Christ in us!

1 John 2:6 says “The one who says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

Won’t you walk with God!

Won’t you put aside the nature of self that derived and was indeed birthed by satan?

Self was never the creation of God!

Jesus told the apostles “Follow Me”, He did not say “You come along”! He never addressed the residing being to be a part of His walk. That object of its own reflective consciousness, that essential being, that personal identity was not invited to be. They were invited to ‘FOLLOW’ (go or come after (a person or thing proceeding ahead). We are called to ‘SERVE’ (perform duties or services for (another person or an organization).

Luke 4:8 “⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’

Neither ‘FOLLOW’ nor ‘SERVE’ have any attributes linked to SELF. It is doing for someone else.  One’s self, and the goal of one’s own action, should not be a person’s motive. Your motive should be in complete disregard for you, yourself, your acts, and your interests; but a complete regard for God, God’s will, God’s choice, God’s command and God’s instruction. This is the reason ‘the God of love’ gave us a ‘Free Will’. The capacity to choose our own course of action.

Philippians 2:3 says “³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

Do nothing out of SELFISH AMBITION or vain conceit!

Again: The will of God must be executed in your life in all that constitutes your entire existence. There is no other way. Anything short of this is a form or godliness. It will not allow God to see His son in you and that is what the Father is looking for.

You who have an ear let him hear.

God gives us warnings and reproofs.

The gap between where we are now spiritually and where God wants us to be must be closed.

Take the necessary steps and make space for God!

WE ALL NEED GOD!!!!

We live in a world where every day we can be provoked, angered, mistreated hurt, abused, disrespected or even inflicted. With all these potentials, when do we get to decide, for ourselves, what we are to do when confronted with any or all of these situations?

Galatians 2:20 says “I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST AND I NO LONGER LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME. THE LIFE I NOW LIVE IN THE BODY, I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVES MEN AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.”

There is so much in this verse, it is deep, and it has a strong message for our daily lives and all that we do during our day. This verse takes all the legal claims that we have to the body we now reside in. It is our habitation yes, but what it obeys, what it does, what it subjects itself to, what it speaks and how it dresses is not for us to decide or do without the permission, approval or instructions from God. How I feel, what I think, what I want to do, what I see best to do, even what I am doing, this no longer counts. It is not your life anymore it is that of Christ.

Christ suffered much and all through the trial, the whipping, the taunting, the spitting on his face, the false accusations, the carrying of the cross, the placing of the crown of thorns on his head, the piercing of the nail in his hands, the piercing of the nail in his feet, the hanging from the cross, through it all he did not utter a word of discomfort or showed an angry face or held any malice, grudge or anger against anyone. He said nothing, not even to those that were inflicting the torture and pain upon him. Instead as the Bible quote, He said to His Father, our God “Lay not this sin upon them, for they know not what they do!”

To be a follower of Christ is to be Christ like. We learn from the Fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23, (which should be embedded character traits of the children of God) the way we should handle ourselves with others. Can an apple tree bear plantains or banana? Can a Fig tree yield oranges? Neither can the children of God yield the character of Satan! Our resident body, our habitation even our tent as Peter called it in 2 Corinthians 5:4; should display Love, Joy, Peace, Forbearance, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.

In all the circumstances we face in life, if we line up these Godly traits to them, what would the outcome be? Would they be in line with what God would allow us to do? Or would they cause our hearts to grow in anger or wax vex as self conflicts against the word of God?

Many of us walk around professing ‘Jesus is the Son of God’ yet we do not yield our actions in line with the Fruit of the Spirit or His example. So then is it YOU or CHRIST that now lives in you, in your body, in your habitation or in your tent? Who has the final say? YOU?

“IF IT IS POSSIBLE, AS FAR AS IT DEPENDS ON YOU, LIVE AT PEACE WITH EVERYONE.” Romans 12:18

Do you have the final choice? Did the apostle say in this verse ‘live at peace with only those that you love or like’? Let’s say you can justify that this verse means that you should only love those that treat you good, how then will Matthew 5:44 stand with you?

“BUT I TELL YOU, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR THOSE THAT PROSECUTE YOU.” Matthew 5:44

Can you run from upholding this verse? Jesus said in Matthew 5:9 “BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS FOR THEY WILL BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD”, this gives us evidence of the kind of life we ought to be living. Of the representation that should be seen in our lives. So then, if we are directly in the situation (one on one) we should live at peace with everyone, and if we are not directly involved in the situation (knowing of, bystander, adviser) then we should be peacemakers.

Can it be said that when we partake to treat sinners (that we believe got what they deserved) badly, that we are aiding and abetting satan’s plan to destroy their lives? Many are the times we Try, Judge, Sentence and Convict souls/people on our own without hearing a word from God. This entire trial happens fast in our minds; then we position our comments, actions, opinions, emotions and feelings based on our calculations of the person, all without hearing a word or instruction from God.

James 5:20 says “²⁰ REMEMBER THIS: WHOEVER TURNS A SINNER FROM THE ERROR OF THEIR WAY WILL SAVE THEM FROM DEATH AND COVER OVER A MULTITUDE OF SIN.”

There are a few verses that begins with ‘Remember’, to me it says you should have known this already, but I am reminding you now again.

Do you consider yourself a Child of God? Do you call yourself a Child of God? Then Galatians 6:1 says

“Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.”

King James Version says “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, RESTORE such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

In our day to day, in our 8 to 5, our Sunday to Sunday, in our Sun up to Sun down we meet many situations with our family members, with co-workers, with friends, with our church family, with neighbours, with people we know and don’t know. How does our Father desire that we should treat such a one? He said “He wish that none should perish but that ALL should have everlasting life.” As His followers should we then not work to help fulfil this desire of our God?

Should we as followers not follow our Father’s instruction as stated in the Bible?

Our character MUST be like that of Christ as we follow His example. ‘A servant is not greater than his master’! Christ died for ALL sinners, He laid down His life for ALL sinners. We are not being asked to die for our family members, or friends, church members, neighbours or co-workers. We are being asked to Love them, be Joyful with them, be Peaceful with them, to be Forbearing with them, showing Kindness to them, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and for our self to have Self Control. Do you believe Self Control was accidentally placed in this list? Or did our Saviour plan for the shortcomings and impatient ways we tend to have.

IF THEY ARE OUR ENEMIES WE ARE TOLD TO LOVE THEM AND PRAY FO THEM!!!

IF THEY ARE FALLING OR SINNING WE ARE TOLD TO RESTORE THEM!!!!

We are told to not JUDGE them,

We are told that ONLY ONE sits on the judgement seat and is worthy of that position.

SINCE WHEN DO WE DECIDE WHAT WE DO OF OURSELVES?

The one verse about doing things in our own way that I always remember is Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” This way is man’s way not God’s way.

Ephesians 5:1 says “¹ Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children ² and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

We are to follow Gods example. Many have grudges, malice, envy, anger, hatred and dislikes against family and friend both in the church and in the world. Is this ought to be so?

No No No…You have never been instructed to not talk to your son or daughter that got you upset or angry. You have never been instructed to not speak or hold anger against your wife or husband who provoked you. You have never been instructed to not speak to your neighbour who is unrighteous.

No No No…

EVERYTHING must be in subjection to God … EVERYTHING..

Vs 3 says “ ³ But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”

Vs 4 says “⁴ Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.”

How many reading this can attest to loving their enemy or to upholding the fruit of the spirit in their day to day lives? To restoring those that are falling and sinning? THESE ARE IMPROPER FOR GOD’S HOLY PEOPLE !!!!

Are you dressing to represent a Holy God? Or are you dressing in a sexually immoral way? Are we preaching and saying amen to “Thou shall not commit adultery” yet we walk provocative with all the curves and breast line showing. THESE ARE IMPROPER FOR GOD’S HOLY PEOPLE !!!!

Are your jokes uplifting God or are they coarse jesting as Vs 4 says? Foolish Talking…are you guilty here or do you speak Yea Yea or Nay Nay and all to the Glory of God? Or are you speaking more? Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.” THESE ARE IMPROPER FOR GOD’S HOLY PEOPLE !!!!

Is it no wonder the bible says ‘MANY’, not one, ‘MANY’, not some but ‘MANY” he will declare to on that day “I NEVER KNEW YOU, DEPART FROM ME” Folks these are not people of the world that God is talking about; No No No they are professed Christians !!! Those with a ‘FORM’ of Godliness those who are denying the power!

On that day it may not turn out to be the lady or lad that sat beside you in church. It may be YOU, it will be YOU if you do not line up your character with Christ and start to FOLLOW as A CHILD OF GOD!

Coarse Joking and Foolish talk, is this you? Are we then becoming self-pleasers? The things we say and do may be comforting to us and make us laugh but what are they doing for our Holy God? “THESE ARE IMPROPER FOR GOD”S HOLY PEOPLE”!

Vs 8 – 10 says “⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) ¹⁰ and find out what pleases the Lord.”

AND FIND OUT WHAT PLEASES THE LORD!!!

AND FIND OUT WHAT PLEASES THE LORD!!!

2 Corinthians 5:9 ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

AND FIND OUT WHAT PLEASES THE LORD AND FOLLOW HIM..

Follow JESUS, Follow His ways, Follow His words, Follow His instructions, be a FOLLOWER!!!

Vs 12 says “¹² It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.”

As much as you can, and if it is left up to you, do not let this be said of you!

Do not be found without oil at the arrival of the Bridegroom!!!

Do not be found wanting!!!

Do no think that your Lords has delayed his return!!!!

Vs 14 to 17 says “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. ¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

WHAT IS IT THAT HE WANTS YOU TO DO?

WHAT IS THE LORDS’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE?

Galatians 5:16 says “¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Ephesians 5:19to 20 says ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

HE THAT HAS AN EAR LET HIM HEAR…

HE THAT WANTS TO FOLLOW JESUS LET HIM FOLLOW INDEED !!!!

I AM IN NEED LORD, HELP US!

I gave my life to God and thought for many years, that all I had to do was basically attend church and do good things. That was until I started to search scripture and read. I then realized that MY STANDARDS were not those of GODS STANDARDS. I learnt also that GOD will not lower His standards to meet my level.

Through Decipleship Lessons God’s treasures were opened to me. I learnt, I grew spiritually and I received, I am still receiving and growing. Decipleship unlocked what I needed to know to work out my salvation.

Now as the Holy Spirit leads, I will share, hoping that as it is said in Proverbs 27:17 ‘Iron sharpen Iron’, these contributions shared through the Holy Spirit will help me along with others to walk with God in obedience to His plan for our lives; and in so doing, through grace, transforming our beings from earthly to spiritually heaven bound souls.

Paul like many ran the race and though we are not pioneers of the race we will have individual trials and struggles as we surrender to God by dying to our innate self. It is here that we need to support and uplift the brothers and sisters to endure. Enduring to the end to becoming perfect as our Father is and being His Holy People. Not considering ourselves but continually esteeming others better than our self in continual obedience to every word of God.

It is my desire to be used by God in obedience to His word and commands as I work out my own salvation with fear and trembling being weary least I may also be tempted.

As such and at the advice of one of my Discipler I sought help to open this blog site in order to reaching out to the serious minded who want to call heaven their home upon the return of Christ.

The topics, verses, and words are not my own. I will not choose what to share and how it is relayed but all to the glory of God in keeping of His ways, His will and His testimony!

Amen, Glory be to God!!!!!

Jesus is Lord….