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All This is Ours!

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Have you ever thought about the amazing privileges we have as children of God? Think about it. Hebrews chapter 10 tells us all about them. First, it says we can draw near to God with a sincere heart. That we do that in full assurance of faith. That our hearts are sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscious. That our bodies are washed with pure living water.

We hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, because the One who promised it is faithful. We spur one another on to love and good deeds. We meet together for fellowship. We encourage one another and, it says, all the more as we see the Day of our Lord approaching.

You know, all these privileges are ours in Jesus Christ! Is that amazing or what? The blood of Jesus purified and opened the door in such a way that we can actually walk right into the most holy place, the very presence of God. In the Spirit, in prayer, in worship, in meditation-you and I can actually feel and be by faith, in reality, in the very presence of God Almighty.

Hebrews 10:19 says, “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.” Check it out for yourself. You can make an amazing impact on your world when you live life in light of God�s promises, God�s privileges, and God�s reality.

Taking Up Your Cross

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As followers of Jesus Christ, we have been promised that the Spirit of Christ dwells within each one of us. By our day-to-day choices, we can either squelch the Spirit of God, or allow Him to grow in us even more. This is a basic truth, especially when we’re confronted with a decision on whether or not to share our faith.

In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

What does it mean to take up your cross? Several years ago, I felt the Lord explain it to me this way: Every time my will crosses what God has told me to do, and I choose God’s way instead of mine, that is Jesus at work in me. That is taking up my cross.

The instant you choose, day-by-day, God’s revealed will over your own egotistical will, something dies and then something comes alive. What dies are your selfish, wrong ways. What comes alive is Christ’s Spirit in you. And He produces fabulous results in you and through you. You are cooperating with God Almighty! Is that living or what!?!?

Do you really want to please the Lord and be fruitful? Then taking up your cross is the way to do it. So the next time you’re wondering whether or not to share your faith and you hear God’s voice telling you to go for it, remember that choosing God’s will, over your own, is always the best way to live!