My Best Gift

              My Best Gift

Marsha Deveaux Johnson,

Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

Recently as I communed with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in meditation on the word of God, I said to Father God what I thought was the best gift that He had given me.  I said to Him that the best gift that He had given me was the ability to hear Him speak to me with His word (Logos and Rhema).  I began hearing God’s voice at a very early age in life.  At the time, I was not even conscious of the fact that it was His voice but as time went on, I realized that the God of the universe was speaking to me.  First He spoke through His “Logos” (written) word (Bible) and then in my spirit with “Rhema” (divinely implanted truths) words (John 10:27, My sheep know my voice…).

The grace that God also gave to me was that He gifted me with penning (writing) down the Logos and Rhema words He gives so that they may be a blessing to other people.  When He speaks so divinely and poignantly I always have an incredible desire to “write it down and pass it on” (Habakkuk 2:2, write the vision… that you may run with it).

Recently I reviewed some words God gave me in 2007 and I now share these phenomenal truths with you.  I know your life will be strengthened if not changed by His incredible words given to one of His friends, Marsha Deveaux Johnson (“I no longer call you servants but friends”, John 15:15).

August 5, 2007

“The best thing that happened to man was that He was created by God, made in His image and likeness, and brought into eternity with Him” (Genesis 1:26). 

In eternity our lives are complete in Him (Jesus), (Colossians 2:10, Ye are complete in Him…).  In time we are processing completeness as we daily make right choices. If we live each moment in the presence of God (He is in time and eternity), our lives will ascend to eternal faith.  We sometimes try to live life obsessing about future times. The truth is that each of us has a “moment in time” every second of our lives.  In a sense, this is eternity because the next moment cannot be experienced unless God gives it.  Are you walking in His image and likeness now?  Do you love Him wholeheartedly now?  Do you love yourself and others now?  Are you making godly decisions now?  If your life is lived in this “now” manner (favoring right choices now), then all of your life will resonate God’s will for you. “

August 10, 2007

“You favor your destiny by the choices you make today.”

“You have inside of you (God’s will, plan, and purpose for your life) in this life all that you will have in eternity.  Allow God to complete the work He has begun in you (Philippians 1:6).  External God-given goals are reached because of the status of the inner man.  If He lives inside of you, His life will be seen on the outside of you.”

“When you fear, you are on the throne in your life and are limited to your ability.  Fear is eliminated when you trust God and Him alone for all of your life (2^nd Timothy 1:7), God has not given fear… “

“Do not let the charm of earthly desires separate you from intimacy with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Lean in deeper to fellowship and intimacy with the God-head in spite of what you have or don’t have.  He is the Eternal Supplier, El Shaddai (More than enough).”

August 19, 2007

“Searching for God?  He lives inside of you!”

“Your interior sanctuary (spirit) is where God abides.  Deny selfish desires and commune with God in your inner sanctuary.  Then watch your life grow!”

“To be lost in God, you must come out of yourself.  Die to self-will.”

“Take God’s side against your selfish ways.  Let nothing in you oppose His plan, His purpose, and His delight in you.”

“I disband, derail, and deny every thought that denies the goodness of God.”

August 12, 2007

“Take down your own tent (self-will), pull up your own stakes (selfish-ways), and allow God to build His Kingdom in you.”

September 21, 2007

“I will what You will.  My will has become Your will.  They are now one in the same.”

“Internal prayer (spirit led) unites us with eternity.  Our prayers are not limited to earthly desires, but to eternal truths.”

“When you love and surrender to God completely, you are abandoned to His will and His glory.  Never again take charge of yourself.”

“The eternal treasure (man’s spirit) is in a human vessel (2^nd Corinthians 4:7 ) at this time.  The vessel may decay, but the treasure will live throughout eternity.”

 “Union with God demands instant obedience to His will.”

“The truth of God’s word must penetrate every aspect of our spirit, soul, and body.”

“Find what God wants if He is first in your life.  Then do His bidding (John 5:30, I can do nothing of Myself…).”

“Be filled and meditate on God’s word, prayer will follow.  When truth has saturated your spirit soul, and body, then true prayer will begin.”

Why Does God Put Up With Us?

Why Does God Put Up With Us?

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com Living Joy Ministries, Inc.

Recently after prayer and meditation on God’s word, I asked God “Why does He put up with us (man)? When we view current world situations and even the Body of Christ, it becomes very clear that many have fallen so very short of God’s will and purpose.  Sin, disobedience, doubt, fear, hatred, mockery, you name it and man is practicing it.  So then why does Elohim, Creator of the universe allow this renegade behavior from man?

It does not always happen that I get an immediate answer from God when I ask, but this time I did.  He took me to one of the most important verses in the Bible.  It is Genesis 1:26 that speaks of man being created in His (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) image and likeness.  This scripture embodies the plan and purpose of man and unlocks the key to the victory of Believers.  God said to me that we were indeed created in His image and likeness.  He knows what His creation is capable of and can do.  He views us as capable of walking, living, and functioning in His image and likeness.  Not only does He see us this way, He made provision for us to function in His image and likeness by sending Jesus to die for the eradication of sin in our lives. 

Adam disobeyed God and brought a sin curse on all mankind.  Jesus died to eradicate the inherited sin of Adam and the committed sins of every human being.  Adam brought the CURSE and Jesus brought the CURE.  As I was writing this piece, I noticed that if you take the letter S out of the word CURSE, it becomes the word CURE.  What a divine revelation!  Let’s just say S represents SIN and when sin is gone, the CURE (Jesus Christ) has come! 

God also spoke to me about every man being just one step away from Him regardless of circumstances or situations in their lives. We have but to reach deep into our human spirit and there He is. It doesn’t matter how well you know Him, or how long you have walked in His ways, He loves you and meets you right where you are.  Just step into your spirit and He appears. (Selah)

Five Reasons Why God Puts Up With Us

·         God puts up with us because He has a covenant with us.  In the Old Testament God chose the nation of Israel to issue to them the Abrahamic covenant.  This offered them  physical protection, protection from enemies, protection from disease/illness, and blessings.  This covenant with Israel was a “type” or “shadow” of the New Covenant to come.  This covenant was also broken by His chosen people.  In the New Testament, Jesus, God’s Son, the third Person of the Trinity comes to earth and dies to fulfill and establish the New Covenant.  This was purchased with His blood (Hebrews 10:9-18).

·         God puts up with us because when we receive Jesus we are His sons and joint-heirs with Christ.  He says in His word (1^st John 3:2) “Beloved, now are ye the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be;  but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”  In earthly time we are “in the process” of conforming to His image and likeness.  In eternity, we are already complete.

·         God puts up with us because we are His “righteousness”.  He sent Jesus to die for our sins.  We have been “declared righteous” when we accept the blood of Christ in eradication of our sins (2^nd Corinthians 5:21). We can then walk and live in His image and likeness.

·         God puts up with us because He sees the end from the beginning.  Isaiah 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”  He knows that our completed state (end) is far from our present situation. 

·         God puts up with us because Jesus is our Intercessor, seated at the right hand of God, with whom we are joint heirs (Romans 8:17). Hebrews 7:25, says, “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intersession for them.”  Jesus is our Mediator when He brings us to the Father for salvation.  But as a Believer, He becomes our Intercessor.

Why is Jesus our Intercessor? 

First, because when we receive Jesus as Savior we are instantly changed only in our spirit (Inner man, part that communes with God).  Our soul, which consists of our mind, will, and emotions is not changed.  Our bodies are not changed, but remain subject to our soul (mind will, emotions).  There must be a renewing of the mind to conform to the image of Christ (Romans 12:2).  The mind is renewed by reading, studying, meditating, and doing the word of God.  We walk in the image and likeness of God when our minds are renewed with the word of God.   That same word must be lived out in our body (flesh).  We walk and live in God’s image and likeness when we practice His word.

Secondly, Satan attacks our walk with God to stop or hinder our growth in Jesus Christ.  1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” We must know and use our authority, entitlements, and weapons to walk in the image and likeness of God (Luke 22:31-32).

Always remember that you are created in the image and likeness of God.  He created you in His image and likeness and made provision for you to walk in His image and likeness.  You see yourself and others in the realm of time.  God sits in eternity with the finished product of the lives of all He created. He is going to stick with you, put up with you, and love you because you are His. He sees you complete in Him, in His image, in His likeness, His finished product, fit for eternity!  

Remember the word CURSE minus the S (Sin) is the word CURE (Jesus Christ)!

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

1^st Corinthians 15:22

Evicting Adam

Evicting Adam

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

Who is Man?

Man is God’s creation (Genesis 1:26).

How does man exist?

Man exists as spirit, soul, and body (1^st Thessalonians 5:23).

Spirit:  The inner man that houses the Spirit of God.  It becomes alive to the things of God when you receive Jesus as Savior (Ephesians 2:1-3).  Your spirit is the only part of you that changes when you receive Jesus as Savior.  Your spirit is God-conscious

Soul:  The soul of man consists of his mind (intellect), his will (decision making power), and his emotions (feelings).  Your soul is Self-Conscious

Body: The body of man consists of flesh, blood, and bones.   Your body is World-conscious.

Who Is Adam?

Adam is the first man created by God and placed in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:4-25)

How does Adam relate to me?

Adam was given instructions by God for life and he willfully disobeyed these instructions. By doing so, he brought a curse (sin) on himself and on all future generations to come (Genesis 3:1-24).  Disobedience was the first sin committed.  Every man born after Adam inherited this curse of disobedience to the God of creation (Elohim).

Why must Adam be evicted?

Adam sinned and passed his sin on to every human being.  God was cut off from His creation in the manner that He had first ordained.  But He had a plan. His plan was to “become a man” and restore (or bring) His creation to a place where this separation could never ever be permanent.  He would give man a way to connect with Him so that separation would only take place if man made that choice.

This plan required God to take the inherited sin of Adam and the committed sins of man (past, present, and future) and abolish them forever.  This happened when Jesus came and died for all sins: inherited, past, present, and future.

What a blessing to know that God’s plan was taken care of from before the foundation of the world by God Himself.  He always had a plan for man to exist with Him in fellowship throughout eternity.

Eviction Plan Execution

Man’s New Existence (Human Spirit Changed): Step 1

Evicting Adam starts with making a decision to accept and follow Christ and His word (Bible). This is the first and necessary step for the redemption plan to work for man.  Christ then comes to live in your reborn human spirit.  Your soul does not change at this time.  You still have the full range of emotions, decision making power (will), and your intellectual memory and capacity.  Your body also does not change at this time.  You are as fully physical capable now as you were before you accepted Christ.  However, your “reborn spirit” changes your consciousness toward God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  You now desire to serve and fellowship with them!

Renewing of the Soul:  Step 2

Evicting Adam continues with bringing the soul under the authority of your spirit (which is sealed by the Holy Spirit), Ephesians 4:30).   Adam and his disobedience must be now evicted from the soul of man. Your soul must now seek to be subject to your spirit.  Your body then follows your soul. 

Step 2 is a process of the renewal of the mind of the Believer.  This renewal takes place by being a hearer and a doer of the word of God (James 1:22-25).  The word of God must first be known (studied) and then be applied (lived) in the Believers life.

The transformation of the mind of the Believer is called “Conforming to the image of Christ” (Romans 12:2, Romans 8:29).  This process is self-denial and  daily dying to the residual disobedience of Adam in the soul.   This disobedience has remained in the soul of man even after accepting Jesus as Savior.

“Disobedient Adam” lives for “self”.   Self love, self interest, self promotion, all things “self” are demanded to be on the throne of the soul. However in your newly regenerated spirit, you have become a new creature in Christ Jesus (2^nd Corinthians 5:17).  Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit occupy the throne in your human spirit.   And thus begins the struggle.  There is no doubt about it.  Adam screams death (1^st Corinthians 15:22) scripturally and spiritually.  But Jesus is “Life Himself” as we “die daily“ (1^st Corinthians 15:31) to “Disobedient Adam”.  We become more alive to Christ as we cast down imaginations (2^nd Corinthians 10:5) and all things that try to exalt itself above the knowledge of Christ.  We are transformed by God’s word (Romans 12:2).

Disobedient Adam diminishes as we conform to the image of Christ! Amen (So let it be)!  The blessings that God has prepared for us are limitless and timeless.  He desires us to walk in sweet communion and fellowship with Him.  This can and does happen as we continually yield our soul to His word.  All of Adam dies and all of Christ lives (1^st Corinthians 15:22)!

Generational Blessings and Curses: Step 3

Proverbs 26:2, “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come”.

Exodus 20:5, “Thou shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God is a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep My commandments.”

This part of evicting Adam addresses the blessings and curses (sin)  in the bloodline of man.  It is also known as ancestor traits and lineage sins.  These are things that are passed on through the generations that either bless or curse (Galatians 3:13-14).  When previous generations served and obeyed God, spiritual doors were opened for future generational blessings.  When previous generations sinned, spiritual doors for sin were opened for future generational curses of sickness, murder, hatred, etc. (Galatians 5: 19-21).

Blessings and curses try to visit future generations, (What spiritual heritage are you passing to your offspring?)  However, curses must be denounced and broken by Believers.  This process takes place by what I call, “Casting out” and “Closing doors”. 

In addition to the bloodline open doors, doors were also opened when man sinned himself.  The Bible says that the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We must first denounce the curses (sins) that entered our lineage when our ancestors sinned. Then we cast out every spiritual force (in the soul only) that entered and remained through them.

Then we denounce the curses (sins) (in the soul only) that entered when we committed sins.  Then we cast out every spiritual force that entered and remained through our committed sins.  After that, we close every spiritual door that was opened and remained open with bloodline curses and sins committed curses.

Your spirit is reborn, new creation.  Your soul must be transformed by God’s word.

Self Reflection with Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit

What generation curses do you recognize in your life?

What are the sins you committed that opened doors for curses in your own life?

Are you willing to denounce both generational and committed sins?

Are you willing to cast out and stop committing generational and committed sins?

Do you want doors closed for sin in your life?

By your words, denounce generation and committed sins and cast them out of you.

By your words close all open doors for sin.

Commit to daily conforming to the image of Christ by hearing and doing His word.

Evicting Adam

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

Self Reflection with Father God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit

What generation curses do you recognize in your life?

What are the sins you committed that opened doors for curses in your own life?

Are you willing to denounce both generational and committed sins?

Are you willing to cast out and stop committing generational and committed sins?

Do you want doors closed for sin in your life?

By your words, denounce generation and committed sins and cast them out of you.

By your words close all open doors for sin.

Commit to daily conforming to the image of Christ by hearing and doing His word.

Loose Him, Let Him Go!

“Loose Him, Let Him Go!”

A Prophetic Word to the Body of Christ

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

 “For as in Adam, all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive”.

1^st Corinthians 15:22

Adam represents the disobedient sinful nature passed on to every human born into the world.

Christ Jesus embodies the “new creature” born in man after receiving Jesus as Savior.

Sin and Death is the system under which the world operates after the disobedience of Adam.

Early, very early on one recent morning, God began to speak to my inward man (spirit).  He impressed in my spirit that the challenge for His body is that many walk around with Adam in their souls (mind, will, emotions).  He said that the problem with this is that, “in Adam all die” (1^st Corinthians 15:22).  Spiritual death is a by-product of Adam’s influence in the soul of man.  Adam’s sin was that he was disobedient to the instructions given to him by God.  Thus he became “Disobedient Adam”.  He plants rebellion and disobedience in the soul of man to destroy his life.

When we receive Jesus as Lord and Savior, our human spirits become instantly God conscious.  Life is spontaneously  imparted to our human spirit.  Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1-8 put it like this,  “And you hath He quickened who was dead in trespasses and sins…”.   We are indeed changed.  We receive past, present, and future sins forgiven.  We are washed clean of the inherited sin of Adam that chained us to the curse of sin and death (Romans 8^th Chapter).  Adam (sinful nature) is evicted from the spirit of man.  We receive the glorious freedom in our spirit that Jesus paid the price for in His death.  We are truly forgiven and changed!

But we are changed only in our human spirit.  Man’s spirit is that part of him that houses God.   God is on the throne of man’s spirit when Jesus is received.  The soul (mind, will, & emotions) of man remains the same. We have our will (choice) intact, our minds still store all of the previous data of our lives, and our emotions still have their full range (love, hate, joy etc.).  Our emotions at the time of receiving Jesus are impacted because of the wonderful “feeling” we experience.  However, the “Disobedient Adam” hangs around in the area of the soul to try and maintain power to rule. 

The body (flesh, blood, & bones) of man remains the same.  The body will do what the soul tells it to do.  This is why “Disobedient Adam” wants to stay and govern the soul.  He knows that the body will follow the soul and thus be led to either Life (Christ, Word of God) or death (Adam, sin and death).

“Disobedient Adam” lives for “self”.   Self love, self interest, self promotion, all things “self” are demanded to be on the throne of the soul. However in your newly regenerated spirit, you have become a new creature in Christ Jesus (2^nd Corinthians 5:17).  Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit occupy the throne in your human spirit.   And thus begins the struggle.  There is no doubt about it.  Adam screams death scripturally and spiritually.  But Jesus is “Life Himself” as we “die daily“ (1^st Corinthians 15:31) to “Disobedient Adam”.  We become more alive to Christ as we cast down imaginations (2^nd Corinthians 10:5) and all things that try to exalt itself above the knowledge of Christ.

As we grow in grace and the knowledge of God’s word, the influence of “Disobedient Adam” leaves, bit by bit, little by little, day by day, choice by choice, word by word.  “Disobedient Adam” does not go willingly, or all at once from the soul.  He hides, he stalls, he bargains, shamefully because he knows that God’s reign in the Believer changes the world.   Adam must be put to death by the Life (Christ) that comes out of our reborn spirit where God is on the throne.

When the spirit and the soul are in alignment with God on the throne, the body produces the life of Christ.  Saturation of God’s word in our minds brings the “mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5-8).  Adam knows his days are numbered in the soul of a man who surrenders to hearing and doing the word of God (James 1:22-25).

Loose Adam, let him go! Let Christ reign not only in your spirit, but in your soul (mind, will, and emotions) and your body. When this happens the Life of Christ Jesus will prevail in you day by day.

Loose Adam, let him go.  Christ in you the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27)

Have You Been Wrapped?

Have You Been Wrapped?

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

Luke 2:7

“And she gave birth to her Son, her Firstborn; and she wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room or place for them in the inn.” Amplified Bible Version

Our Heavenly Father speaks in His own time and in His own way.  In March of this year (2019) in the dawn of the morning, He began to speak to me about the “swaddling clothes” that Jesus was wrapped in at birth.  The celebration of Christmas had long gone.   But the messages of the birth of Christ are unending.  They unveil revelation knowledge anytime, anyplace, and anywhere to the listening ear.

Swaddling clothes are narrow strips of cloth In which babies are wrapped. This practice continues in some countries even until today.  Obviously, this was a custom at the time of the birth of Christ.  Swaddling clothes are used for two purposes.  The first is to restrain the movement of the child.  The second reason for the wrap is to quiet the nervous system of the child.

It is not by happenstance that our Savior was restricted in the natural at birth.  It foreshadowed the ultimate truth that He came to earth for a specific purpose.   He was bound to fulfill this purpose.  His purpose was to die for the redemption of man back to God the Father.  As Jesus grew in physical statue, He became laser focused on the purpose for which He came to earth. 

Jesus while here on earth stayed in tune with God the Father and announced that His sole purpose was to do the will of His Father. In John 5:30 He says, “I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders].  Even as I hear, I judge [decide as I am bidden to decide.  As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision}, and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [ I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me”. Amplified Bible Version

Do you follow in the footsteps of Jesus and allow yourself to be “wrapped” in His sole purpose for you?  Or do you freelance and pick and chose what you perceive is the will of God for your life?  Sometimes our loving Heavenly Father has to “wrap us in His swaddling clothes”.  This restriction sometimes shows up in our lives as a severe trial, an illness, the loss of a loved one or relationship, etc.  Yes, Believers we are sometimes restricted in our self imposed activities that we are so sure are God’s will for our lives.  The word of God says that there is a way that seems right, but the end of it is death (Proverbs 14:12).

Are you spiritually jittery?  Do you move from thing to thing seeking God’s perfect will for your life and circumstance from others (ministers, prayer partners, etc.)?  Are you in a quandary about a decision needed?  Do you need to know the next thing that you should do?   Are you crying out for help while being held by the eternal Helper? If you answered yes to any of these questions or if you just want to move closer to Him, you need to be wrapped.

The “swaddling clothes” wrap of God do not come to destroy us.  To the contrary, they come to heal us of the crushing maladies of a world that is under the curse of sin and death.  How can we see Him, and hear Him if we are not swaddled down by Him to rest in Him?  He wants us calmed, focused, and listening to Him for everything.  We sometimes engage too much with people, places, and things to enter into calm, and stillness.  These are the times when He steps in as Father with circumstances that gently (and sometimes not so gently) force us to be wrapped in His love, His peace, and His quiet.

There is quiet in your human spirit.  That is where the word of God is contained.  Your spirit is sealed by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).  Your soul (mind, will, emotions) must be brought into captivity by you and led by your spirit.  Your body will then follow your soul and be led into “listening mode” when God the Father speaks. 

The baby when wrapped is calm and rests in the loving arms of the mother or father.  The Believer when wrapped by God is steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (not their own works).

God’s ultimate goal for your life is for you to conform to the image of Christ.  Christ listened to God and fulfilled God’s purpose, not His own (John 5:30).  We must listen and fulfill our purpose.  But first we must be “wrapped” to generate maximum focus, calm, and rest (Hebrews Chapter 4). “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).”

Got a trial?                   You are being wrapped.

Got a need?                   You are being wrapped.

Misunderstood?             You are being wrapped.

Lonely?                         You are being wrapped.

Got a tough decision?     You are being wrapped.

Have You Been Wrapped?

Post Script

God once gave me a Rhema Word: (“You are good at listening to Me.”).  I endeavor every day to hear His voice for my life. MDJ

Belonging to Him

A Testimony

“He is Teaching Me How to Belong to Him”

Marsha Deveaux Johnson, Living Joy Ministries, Inc. http://hepzibah40.blogspot.com

What I Did Not Know Then

I accepted Jesus as Savior when I was around fourteen years of age.  At that time, I wasn’t even aware of all the instant benefits of belonging to Him.  I knew my sins were forgiven, but not past, present, and future sins.  I did not readily understand that I had the favor of God stamped on my life and was a joint-heir with Jesus Christ (heir to what?).   Neither did I understand that eternity had begun for me and I could now walk in the promises written in God’s word. I never even thought about my name being written in the Lamb’s “Book of Life”.  I surely did not perceive that I had been delivered from the “kingdom of darkness” into the “Kingdom of the dear Son of God”.  My redemption from the curse and being a new creation in Christ Jesus was not even on my radar screen. 

I just knew that I was happy in my heart and I now was going to walk with Jesus.  I knew the Holy Spirit was now an integral part of my life but I did not have a clue as to His importance and His role in manifesting in me that I belonged to God!

What I Found Out

As I continue my walk with God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, there is one thing that has become increasingly clear to me.  It is that the journey of faith is a journey of “progressively belonging to Him”. 

This journey starts with your understanding of how you got to be a “son” of God.  When you receive Jesus, become born again, experience the new birth, you receive instantly all the rights and privileges for which He shed His blood.  You are then the “righteousness of God in Christ“, 2 Corinthians 5:21.   Your righteousness is two-fold. First it is the imputed or God-given righteousness. This righteousness places you in right standing with God. Second, it is doing the will of God (Holy Spirit led) which brings you to right fellowship with God.  Right standing with God remains, while fellowship can and often is broken. The repentance path is the restorative process of fellowship.

“Imputed Righteousness”

Imputed (God Given, purchased by the blood of Jesus) Righteousness

After I received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of my life, these benefits of imputed righteousness were instantly mine.

·         My past, present, & future sins are forgiven. (Romans 10:9-13)

·         I have the favor of God (Grace). (John 1:16)

·         I have been “imputed” or given righteousness by God through faith in Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:9)

·         I have been born a new creation In Christ Jesus. (2^nd Corinthians 5:17)

·         I am redeemed from the Curse. (Galatians Chapter 5)

·         My name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. (Revelation 21:27)

·         I spend Eternity with God. (Revelation 21:27)

·         My spirit is now God-conscious & lives under the law of the “Spirit of Life in Jesus Christ”.  (Romans 8^th   Chapter)

 Imparted Righteousness

(Righteousness is imparted to the Believer daily as he obeys the Holy Spirit.)

As I walked with Jesus and grew in the knowledge of what was instantly mine when I accepted Him into my life, I noticed a “scriptural gap” between what was mine as a Believer and what I was experiencing in my daily walk.  I also recognized the frequent attacks on what was rightfully mine in Christ Jesus. My “imputed” or “God-given” privileges were often challenged by the world, the flesh, and the Devil himself.

As I grew in the knowledge of Him (God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) I realized that in addition to our instant benefits when we “receive Jesus”, “become born again”, “experience the new birth” that there is more.  It is after this experience that we enter into an on-going and progressive process that brings us to the point of “Belonging to Him”.  This process is a continuous progression of transformation, conforming to the image of Christ, dying to self, entering into the peace of God, and finally entering into the complete “Rest” of belonging to Him.  What is now evident to me is that this is the process by which God imparts righteousness and holiness to His body. He continually increases our ability to consciously belong to Him.

Romans 12:2                           Transformation

Romans 8:29                           Conformed to the Image of Christ

1 Corinthians 15, 31                Death of Self Will

Hebrews 4:9-16                       Entering into the Rest of God

1 Corinthians 6:19                   Not your own, “Belonging to Him”

Ephesians 4: 1, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 1 Peter 1: 18-19

Imparted Righteous (AKA) Belonging to Him AKA = (Also Known As)

You listen to the Holy Spirit.

You praise and worship God continually (spirit, soul, and body).

You choose to obey God’s word above all else.  As He reveals light, you walk in it.

You do not compare your walk with God with others regardless of their status, titles, or authority.

“Belonging to Him” is a continuum (on-going process).  It increases progressively as you yield to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.   He is in charge as you yield to the gradual process of becoming more and more like Jesus.   After all we are supposed to be “like Him” when we see Him 1 John 3:2.

What I Now Know about Belonging to Him

Belonging to Him brings “Intimacy with Him” as only He can reveal.

 Belonging to Him brings a peace that passes all understanding. 

You literally cannot be disturbed or shaken by what you see, hear, or perceive in the natural or spirit realm. 

You know unequivocally that God is in control of everything that happens to you.

You realize that God’s word is irrefutable, irrevocable, and infallible. 

Heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word will not.

The Special Anointing of Belonging to Him

I believe there is a special anointing that comes with belonging to Him.  You become a doer of His logos (written) and His Rhema (Spirit inspired) word.  As you do the word of God, you may notice:

God can trust you to see as He sees.

He can trust you to give and not be selfish.   

He can trust you to know and abide by His assessed value of temporal (time related, earthly) things. 

He knows you can live in eternity with Him right now. 

He can trust you to minister in the way He ordains. 

He imparts an incredible love in your heart for people.

He can trust you to be fair and just and righteous in your dealings with all people.

He puts people in your path that are supposed to be there. 

He removes people from your path who are not supposed to be there. 

He gives keen, revelatory insight to you in the deliverance of circumstances, situations, and relationships. 

He fellowships continually in your spirit as your body and soul attends to necessary temporal (time related, earthly) things. 

He gives a “Oneness” with Him that is unexplainable with words.

Scriptures for Meditation and Discussion

Ephesians 4:1, “I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called.

1 Corinthians 6:20, “For you are bought with a price:  therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

1 Peter 1:18-19, “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

A Surprise!

As I neared the end of this testimony, the Holy Spirit brought a song that I sang so much in my childhood in church. I remembered all but one of the verses in detail.  I lay in bed one morning singing this song that sums up the experience of “Belonging to Him”.  The song was written by the famed Fannie Crosby and William Howard Doane.

Fannie Crosby, (1820-1915), American Mission Worker, poet, lyricist and composer writing more than 8000 hymns and gospel songs 

William Howard Doane (1832-1915), American inventor, hymn writer, and church leader, composed over 2000 songs

I am Thine O Lord

 “I am Thine O Lord, I have heard Thy voice and it told Thy love to me,

But I long to rise in the arms of faith and be closer drawn to Thee.

Consecrate me now to Thy service Lord by the power of grace divine,

Let my soul look up in a steadfast hope and my will be lost in Thine.

O the pure delight of a single hour that before Thy throne I spend,

 whenI kneel in prayer and with Thee, my God, I commune as friend with friend!

There are heights of joy that I may not reach till I cross the narrow sea,

There are depths of love that I may not know till rest in peace with Thee.

Chorus:

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord to the cross where Thou hast died,

Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord to Thy precious bleeding side.”