finding, taking back, and keeping our righteous mind

Week three: though only the second week of lectures I believe I speak for everyone when I say we are starting to feel the intensity of DTS. Everyday is filled with homework, classes, processing, work duties, and building relationships, but most importantly, spending time with Jesus. Although hard at times, it has been a great journey this week looking at some of the thoughts and misinterpretations I had my whole life and walking into new understanding. When hearing this week would be on, "dealing with the past", I was thinking under my own assumption that the week would be about dealing with the problems that haunt us and finding healing. But what does God like to do when we assume things? He shakes it up a little bit. Laurie, our speaker from Atlanta, brought to the table many new thoughts and ideas but none of which really dealt with our "past", but looked more at our flesh. What is our flesh? We can find the definition in the Bible in Isaiah 53:6, "All of us are like sheep who have gone astray, each of us has turned our own way." The flesh is not some gross, ugly sinner's nature that a lot of us think it is. Flesh is simply our own unique way of living with out God. It is the way we deal with our problems outside of God's grace. Most Christians, including myself, think this battle with the flesh was matter of out choosing the flesh and allowing Jesus to make me "a better person". However, the moment I was born again and was taken from the family of Adam and born into the family of Christ, I won the battle. No longer does my flesh hold any power over me because Christ's grace covered my sins. I am not a sinner, and I do not inherit any of Adam's families characteristics, but I now am able to walk in FULL RIGHTEOUSNESS, one of the many perfect traits in God's family. Full righteousness? How is that we in our human being can live in righteousness? We all know that we still sin! Therefore doesn't that make us unworthy to be called righteous? But remember, we are given a new identity in Christ. We may still sin, but we are no longer sinners and our behavior is not our identity. Our identity is a holy, righteous, blameless, wonderfully made daughter or son of God. We are always seeking Identity in and of our self. People often identify who they are with their job, their hobbies, or even their family name. We as Christians, must only see ourselves as GOD'S BELOVED and CHOSEN and find our identity in Him alone. There is no condemnation or guilt in our sin, and the Holy Spirit doesn't want to convict us of sin, but of righteousness. When ever we sin and we feel the Holy Spirit convicting us, he is simply calling us to turn around and turn back into righteousness. That is all repentance is: turning around and listening to God. Romans 2:4 says God's KINDNESS and GOODNESS leads us into righteous, never guilt or shame. That guilt and shame we feel is nothing but lies and deceit from the devil. Here is also a freeing goodness. Once we have revelation of sin, we have the authority and the God given power to stop sinning. It is then our responsibility to tell our flesh to stop fighting and submit to God. What are some other lies and deceit that have slipped into Christianity and the church over the years? Laurie made a quote this week that really stood out to me. "Many Christians are living trying to get into a room they are already in". So many of us think that we have to do good works once we become a Christian. We think that God requires us to become slaves to Him. In evangelizing to non believers, we often speak of Christianity as being free. However, once that non believer comes into salvation, there are things we are told we "have to do" such as read our Bible, pray, teach Sunday school, etc. What happened to free? God doesn't want us to be leading Sunday school or reading our Bibles only because we think we have to and we think by doing those things we will gain more of God's love. HE LOVES US WHERE WE ARE AT. Once you have salvation, you are in that room. You don't have to work for God's love. God is a relational God. His love for us is not based on what we do, but who we are. All we have to do, is rest in that loving relationship with Him and live with Him as our source. So the question I would like to leave you with, is what is your greatest desire? Is it seeing the Broncos win another football game, or going to starbucks? Could it be getting your to do list done, or spending time with your kids? While none of those things are bad, do you desire those little things (or maybe even bigger things going on in your life) more than you desire relationship with the Father? Living in a state of constantly having a reality check to what our greatest desire is, and making sure that is Jesus first will revolutionize your walk with God, your daily life, and even your relationships with others.