It's Not What You Think

As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. 2 Peter 1:3 As a Christian, you have everything you need to live a holy and abundant life (2 Pet. 1:3–11). 

Your intelligence, your education, or your family background do not determine the holiness of your life. Everything you need to live a victorious, joyful, and abundant life is found in the Holy Spirit who resides within you (Gal. 5:22–23). According to Peter, each Christian, by faith, has access to these qualities: goodness, knowledge of God, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. It would be of no use to inherit a fortune if you did not know it was yours. Likewise, it is of no benefit to inherit everything necessary to become like Christ if you do not claim it. If we continue to lack self-control when God has made it available, we rob ourselves and those around us. If God is willing to instill brotherly kindness into our behavior, but we never display it, people will suffer needlessly as a result. The key to all that God has made available to us is our faith. We must believe that God wants to build these qualities into our lives. In the Gospels, Jesus related to people according to their faith (Matt. 8:13; 9:29; 15:28). He rewarded genuine faith by granting salvation and healing. If He met unbelief, He did not reward it (Mark 6:5–6). - Blackaby Experiencing God Day by Day 

It's an interesting thought in the first paragraph that Blackaby writes.  Consider it well that your talents and your abilities are not what you inherited from God when He saved you.

It is mostly clear to me now, and Blackaby's statement rings true, but it wasn't always so with me.   I was very much like an over anxious Peter in regards to my Spiritual walk decades ago.  I had thought that my knowledge and abilities, my newfound expertise in certain areas were what God had gifted me with in order to serve Him.  

Granted He made the way for me to learn, but nothing of what amounts to knowledge in doing or abilities in practice are gifts of the Spirit.  

I thought that I understood where God was taking me and I jumped behind the wheel an hit the gas...and made the jump! Only to land like Sheriff Roscoe in the "Dukes of Hazzard"...with a broken car and broken ideals of what just happened. 

I was messed up and kept on messing things up.  At least with Peter, Jesus immediately got in his way and told him to put the brakes on.  For me, Jesus took a bit longer.  My viewpoint is that He wanted me to see the extent of it and to not forget. 

Each of us is different.  Each of us is at a different starting point in our walk with God.   Each of us, Spiritually, grows at a different rate than others.  A very incorrect carryover between the physical and Spiritual is the comparing of ourselves to others.  We are all unique in Christ. 

In Corinthians we are told of the body and how each of us is a different part of it.  I am never going to become a different body part.  Corinthians tells us that each part is where it is at the direction of God. 

A favorite analogy of mine I heard once is "bloom where you're planted!".  Be what God made YOU to be in His body. 

The ATTRIBUTES of the Spirit will indeed begin coming out in your life as you grow in Christ.  As you release more and more of your heart and mind to the control of the Spirit you become more Christ like. 

One of the jobs of the Spirit is to teach.  He will teach you as long as you are willing to be taught.  As long as we listen we will hear Him.  Funny how it works that when we disengage our mouth our ears work. 

The Spirit joins our prayers with His. The Spirit cleans out things in our lives that are not Godly.  We need to let go when He says so.  Some of my most painful memories are of fighting when He said to let go.  He had something better.  After several decades of the repercussions of my getting ahead of Him, I think that I finally see my Spiritual life getting on track.  By no means am I saying that I have arrived.  Oh in no way am I saying that.  What I am saying is the more light of God in your life, the more you learn to let go of what you think is important, the more you see the beauty of what God's making of you.

People, Christians too, have no idea the real depths of what it means to "have no other gods before Me" until God starts showing you how many you honestly have in your life.  Think on that one alone. 

You DO have gods in your life.  You DO worship other things or even people.  You just may be in denial of it.  Making excuses.  Waving off the very idea.  Well, don't take my word for it.  Do as I dared to do.  Ask God to show you.  I am serious.  Ask Him!   If you truly are a Christ follower, then FOLLOW.  Ask Him to show you what He sees in your life that shouldn't be there.  THAT is what began changing my life years ago.  Jesus comes into our darkness with His light not for His health, but for ours. We need to take off the blinders when He's pointing to things in our lives.  When He and the Spirit begin a work in you, they WILL get you to see what you are in denial of.  Be real before your Savior today.  Ask Him to show you what needs to go from your life.  Ask Him to show you what's important to Him.  That's what a Disciple does.