Transformed Women For Christ

Do you ever get lost in those Christanese phrases: abide in Christ, Spirit-filled, rooted in Christ, be still, bear fruit?

We will always be disciples who come up short. We will always be imperfect, weak, and in need. Our walk through life as disciples is going to be splattered with suffering, feelings of loneliness, lost-in-the-woods mindsets, failures, and anger. That’s to be expected. What’s rough is when you are going through these situations and someone says, ‘Abide in Him, be still, and it will be over before you know it.’ You probably think, ‘easy for you to say! But what do I do? What am I supposed to think? That doesn’t actually help me’. There is so much to say about what God does, is doing, and will do. We, as disciples, should be more concerned about getting to know God and having a relationship with Him in order to abide in Him, be still, bear fruit, stay rooted in Him.

(Being Spirit-filled is what you already are if you have asked Jesus Christ into your life as your Lord and Savior. If you have done that, then you do not need to ask God to pour His Spirit out on you or anyone else who has given their life to Christ. Being Spirit-filled can be thought of as Pastor Billy Crone so eloquently puts it, as a geyser. The Spirit is there, inside you already, waiting for you to surrender to Him and let the Spirit take control. Don’t suppress it. It means exhibiting a life of service in contrast to the will of the flesh. You show nonconformity to the world and dedicate your life to God by the power of the Holy Spirit controlling your life. The Lord is working through you to do His will. You yield to the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit which gives you inner peace and joy and Christlikeness.)

So how do we stay rooted in Christ? What does it mean to abide in Christ? John 15:5, Luke 10:41-42. Why does it feel like a chore to obey God and be fruitful? Gal 5:22-24 (fruit)

I would like to ask you, what does your relationship with the Lord currently look like? Is abiding in Him at the top of your priority list? The real motivation to obey God is for the sake of others. The fruit of your life, which is produced by the Holy Spirit, can and will benefit those around you. The world desperately needs us to be disciples, to spread the Word, to live the Word and be IN the Word daily. Abiding in Christ is surrendering your whole self to Christ. It is seeking the Kingdom of God. Walking with Christ is the main concern. If you are abiding in Christ, you are bearing fruit. Concentrate your thoughts and your affections on only God, no matter what your current situation may be. Stay that way (rooted) by making a habit of keeping this perspective. Read your Bible, preferably in the morning, each day and be sure to give thanks to Him before you ask Him of anything.

In Hebrew the word ‘blessed’ comes from a root word ‘ashar ‘meaning to go straight, to advance, to guide, to lead. For us to be blessed, we must be careful how we walk. We are disciples. How we disciple ourselves affects not only our future walk with the Lord, but the walk of others around us. If we are busy thinking about how God can help us, what He can do for us, what He will do for us or others, then we have missed the mark. Please don’t be guilty of opening the Bible and trying to use it to better your life. Maybe you want to win an argument with a believer of another faith. Don’t be guilty of thinking of the Bible as a self-help book. Yes, it will help you. But it’s not about you. Reading the Bible is a time of deep devotion. It is a time to discover what is God’s will and who He is. We need to sit at the feet of Jesus and focus on only Him. Our desire should be to deepen our relationship with Him. If we can do that, then we will be rooted in Christ, we will be abiding in Him, we will allow ourselves to show how Spirit-filled we truly are, we will be bearing fruit and we will be blessed.

I encourage you to sit down and read Psalm 119, especially verses 33-40. This is a wisdom psalm and also the longest psalm so grab a drink and a snack, friend. Psalm 119 tells us how the Word reflects His character. True discipleship starts with learning who your teacher truly is and what He desires.

Obedience to our merciful Lord is not work. It is an honor to serve.

Col 2:6-7 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” ESV