What Does Life Look Like?

What Does Life Look Like?

by David Brenneman 

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6.

"For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13.

"So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.  But you did not learn Christ in this way,  if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." Ephesians 4:17-24.

In the life of a Believer things are supposed to be different.  We have much entrusted to us in Christ. 

Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus through His Spirit.  

We are easily fooled by ourselves given the opportunity.  Our sin nature is slick, sly, deceiving in ways we really cannot fathom.  To trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight...takes a commitment!

We are easily swayed by what sounds good, what looks appealing, what feels good.  Our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour by way of these things. 

We read between the lines of the four Gospels and we see a commitment that's more than being a fan of Jesus Christ.  

A fan does not pursue what the Disciples pursued.  A fan doesn't do what they did. 

The Disciples wanted what their Master wanted of them and for them. They committed themselves to the Lord. To His teaching.  To allow their lives to be changed by His perfect influence and direction. 

Did you skim over the opening passages?  Go back and read them again.  They're talking about you. 

If indeed Romans 10 is true of you, that is: "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”  For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him;  for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?  How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”" Romans 10:8-15.

Last week I was prompted by the Spirit to look at all the terminology in the book of 2 Chronicles that I had already been reading in to find all the descriptions of the state of the hearts of the Kings of Judah and Israel.  It further cemented what it says in the Bible that it is He who searches the hearts. 

He searches your heart all the time. Every single second of every single day.  Every single thought you have every single time you had one and are having one. 

He knows you intimately. David wrote of that in the book of Psalms. 

My thoughts, ideas, dreams, are useless outside of the will of God for me in Christ Jesus. 

Yours are as well for you.  We only THINK we know what we want. We don't see the dangers toils and snares of this world. Some we have added to our lives are choking out the full work of the Spirit of God and we can't see it nor understand why we aren't as effective as we could be for Jesus. 

The sin nature we struggle with is a disaster waiting for the opportunity to happen.  We don't realize the poison it brings to a life in Christ.  

We don't look for idolatry in our lives because of what it would mean to remove it.

We don't look for self-deception because we would have to face the fact that we were fooled.

We don't look for roots of bitterness or anger because we want to feel justified by our great thoughts concerning ourselves and others. That we know enough to make an informed decision about our views on ourselves and others. 

We don't really look for the plans that He has for us because we really didn't think to ask in faith in praying. 

When you look at your yesterday do you see His will being done in your life or was it yours?

Did you get dressed with the thought that He has something for you to be doing for Him today?

Did you not spend time with Jesus because you made something else more important than that?

Stop and pray for your eyes to be opened about the condition of your heart. Pray that Jesus would have all of you. Not the just the parts that you have been thinking He wants. 

He is searching your heart right now. This second. And this second. And the next.

You may have come to Christ for salvation, but are you committed to living that out?  

From personal experience I can very easily say that I could never fathom the great things that He has had in store for my life in Christ. 

I only THOUGHT I understood what I wanted.  I had to let go of these things to find my purpose under Heaven that He has for me. 

My prayer for you is to live the Christian life in the way that most honors God and not you.  It may take some embarrassing things to get back to Jesus and His plans for you but it's worth it.

For those who read this, this far, and aren't saved yet. Are you done with the struggle yet?  Trying to figure out life and are tired of a life without meaning or purpose?  Jesus is at the door of your heart knocking.  Waiting for you to open up and let Him in.

He already knows everything about you...and loves you anyway. He knew everything you would say or do and still died on the cross for you anyway. He arose 3 days later to be Christ and King to make the way possible for you to be saved. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.