God is Love Taken from Days of Praise 10.24.09

God Is Love
October 24, 2009

"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." (1 John 4:8)

The simplest description of God is the Bible phrase "God is love." Everyone responds to love, and everything seems empty and pointless without it. Little wonder, then, that the Scripture also says, "He that loveth not knoweth not God." If God were truly known, love--not hate--would be the result.

The love of God is not merely a theoretical concept or a theological doctrine. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

One of the first glimpses we have of God is when He was looking for Adam and Eve after their disobedience. One godly preacher noted, "When you read God's first question to man, 'Where art thou?' (Genesis 3:9), as though He were some sort of policeman seeking a fugitive from justice, you do not know anything about God. You must read it as though God were a broken-hearted father looking for a lost child."

God aches to help us. God loves us more than we can ever understand or even begin to feel. Our text tells us that "God is love." "The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth" (Exodus 34:6), loves us.

Yet in spite of God's love and His never-ceasing desire to bless us with His love, our thoughts toward Him and our relationships with Him are often troublesome and uncomfortable--not warm and loving. Could it be that our "iniquities have separated between" us and God, and our "sins have hid his face" from us (Isaiah 59:2)? God is love, but God is holy, too (1 Peter 1:16). These meet together in Christ. When we come to Him, we need only to "confess our sins," for "he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). HMM III

Thats My King

Thats My King

Power of Addiction by John Eldredge

The Power of Addiction
08/11/2009
This is the power of addiction. Whatever the object of our addiction is, it attaches itself to our intense desire for eternal and intimate communion with God and each other in the midst of Paradise—the desire that Jesus himself placed in us before the beginning of the world. Nothing less than this kind of unfallen communion will ever satisfy our desire or allow it to drink freely without imprisoning it and us. Once we allow our heart to drink water from these less-than-eternal wells with the goal of finding the life we were made for, it overpowers our will, and becomes, as Jonathan Edwards said, “like a viper, hissing and spitting at God” and us if we try to restrain it.

“Nothing is less in power than the heart and far from commanding, we are forced to obey it,” said Jean Rousseau. Our heart will carry us either to God or to addiction.

“Addiction is the most powerful psychic enemy of humanity’s desire for God,” says Gerald May in Addiction and Grace, which is no doubt why it is one of our adversary’s favorite ways to imprison us. Once taken captive, trying to free ourselves through willpower is futile. Only God’s Spirit himself can free us or even bring us to our senses.

(The Sacred Romance , 133–34)

Sin the Problem and Love we have with it

For many of us we would shutter at the idea that we love our sin. We would think that cant be yet as I have been thinking about this idea in light of counseling for over 20 years now. I have come to believe that if your remove the addictions, disorders, and many of the psychological words we use to describe the human condition you find that sin answers what they are all trying to describe. I dont mean that is to be easy to agree with our sin nature raise its fist and want to say no way. However the fact remains that sin entered the world with Adam and Eve when they said no to God and we have been doing that ever since. I want to spend the next month exploring the cause, consequence, curse, and cure for sin. Sin is our problem. And there is only one way to really overcome the problem, I believe it is intimacy with Christ and a true dependency on the Trinity.

Who I am In Christ

Who I Am In Christ
Posted on July 31, 2009 by v2or | Edit
Who I Am In Christ
 Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17—I am a fisher of men.
 Matthew 5:13—I am the salt of the earth.
 Matthew 5:14—I am the light of the world.
* Matthew 28:19; Luke 14:27; John 8:31; 13:35; 15:8; Acts 6:1, 7; 11:25-26, 29; 14:20-22; 16:1—I am a disciple of Christ.
 Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8—I am Christ’s witness.
* John 3:16-18; 10:28-29; 17:3; Romans 5:21; 6:23; 1 John 5:11—I have eternal life in Christ.
 John 8:32, 36—I am set free from sin in Christ.
 John 10:10—I have abundant life in Christ.
 John 14:26; 16:13—I have been taught all things by the Holy Spirit.
 John 14:27; 16:33—I have peace in Christ.
 John 15:3—I am clean in Christ.
 John 15:4, 5, 8, 16; Romans 7:4—I bear much lasting fruit in Christ.
 John 15:5—I am a branch abiding in Christ the Vine.
 John 15:11—My joy is complete in Christ.
 John 16:33—I have overcome the world in Christ.
 John 17:16—I am not of this world.
 Acts 2:44; 4:32—I am a believer.
 Acts 5:20—I have new life in Christ.
 Acts 8:3; 2 Corinthians 1:1—Together with all the saints, I am God’s Church.
 Acts 11:26—I am a Christian, a little Christ.
* Acts 13:39; Romans 3:24, 26, 28, 30; 4:25; 5:1, 9, 18; 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:7—I am justified freely and fully.
 Acts 20:32; 1 Corinthians 6:11—I am sanctified.
 Romans 1:6—I am called to belong to Christ.
* Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 6:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; 4:21, 22; Philemon 4; Jude 3—I am a saint.
* Romans 3:24; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14—I am redeemed in Christ.
* Romans 3:21-26; 4:3, 5, 6, 9, 22, 23, 24; 5:17, 19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 3:9—I have been credited with Christ’s righteousness.
* Romans 5:17—I am a recipient of God’s abundant provision of grace.
* Romans 5:18—I have new life in Christ.
 Romans 6:2—I am dead to sin.
 Romans 6:3—I am baptized into Christ’s death.
 Romans 6:4—I am buried with Christ in his death to and over sin.
 Romans 6:4—I have been raised to new life in Christ.
 Romans 6:5—I am united with Christ in his resurrection.
 Romans 6:6—My old self is crucified with Christ.
 Romans 6:6—My body of sin has been done away with.
 Romans 6:6—I am no longer sin’s slave.
 Romans 6:7—I have been freed from sin in Christ.
 Romans 6:8—I died with Christ to sin.
 Romans 6:8—I live with Christ.
 Romans 6:11—I am dead to sin.
 Romans 6:11—I am alive to God.
 Romans 6:13—I have been brought from spiritual death to spiritual life.
 Romans 6:14—Sin shall not be my master.
 Romans 6:14—I am not under law, but under grace.
 Romans 6:18, 22—I have been set free from sin.
 Romans 6:19—I am a slave to righteousness, righteousness masters my being.
 Romans 6:22—I am a slave to God.
 Romans 7:4—I have died to the law.
 Romans 7:6—I serve Christ in the new way of the Spirit.
 Romans 7:22—My inner being delights in God’s law—his holy standards.
 Romans 7:25—In my innermost mind, I am a slave to God’s law.
 Romans 8:1—I will never suffer condemnation because I am in Christ.
 Romans 8:2—I am set free from the law of sin and death in Christ.
 Romans 8:4—I have met the righteous requirements of the law in Christ.
 Romans 8:5—My mindset is on spiritual affections and passions.
 Romans 8:9—I am not controlled by the flesh, but I am controlled by the Spirit.
 Romans 8:29—I am predestined to be conformed to the image of the Son.
 Romans 8:37—I am more than a conqueror in Christ.
* Romans 9:23—I have been prepared in advance by God to be glorious.
 Romans 10:9, 10, 13—I am saved in Christ.
 Romans 15:14—I am full of goodness in Christ.
 Romans 15:14—I am complete in knowledge in Christ.
 Romans 15:14—I am competent to disciple others in Christ.
 Romans 15:16—I am sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
 Romans 15:16—I am acceptable to God in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 1:2—I am sanctified in Christ Jesus.
 1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 5:26; Colossians 3:12—I am holy in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 1:8—I am blameless in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 1:30—I am wise in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 1:30—I am holiness to God in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 2:16—I have the mind of Christ.
 1 Corinthians 3:9—I am God’s fellow worker.
 1 Corinthians 3:9—I am God’s field.
 1 Corinthians 3:9—I am God’s building.
 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16—I am God’s sacred temple.
* 1 Corinthians 6:11—I am washed in Christ.
 1 Corinthians 6:19—I am the temple of the Holy Spirit.
 1 Corinthians 6:20—I have been bought and redeemed with a price.
* 2 Corinthians 2:14—Christ always leads me in a triumphal victory march.
 2 Corinthians 3:6—I am a competent minister of the new covenant in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 3:10—In Christ I have surpassing, lasting glory.
 2 Corinthians 3:18—I am a growing reflection of the Lord’s glory.
* 2 Corinthians 3:18—I am increasingly being transformed into Christ’s likeness.
 2 Corinthians 4:16—I am being renewed inwardly day by day in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 5:17—I am a new creation in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 5:18—I am a minister of reconciliation.
 2 Corinthians 5:20—I am Christ’s ambassador.
 2 Corinthians 5:21—I have the righteousness of God in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 8:9—I am spiritually rich in Christ.
 2 Corinthians 11:2—I am Christ’s spiritually pure virgin.
 Galatians 1:4—I have been rescued from this present evil age.
 Galatians 2:20—I am crucified with Christ.
 Galatians 3:13-14—I am redeemed from the curse.
 Galatians 6:1—I am spiritual in Christ.
 Ephesians 1:1—I am faithful in Christ.
 Ephesians 1:4—I have been chosen to be holy in Christ.
 Ephesians 1:4—I have been chosen to be blameless in Christ.
* Ephesians 1:17-19—I have God’s resurrection power actively working in me.
 Ephesians 2:5—I am alive with Christ.
 Ephesians 2:5, 8—I am saved by grace.
 Ephesians 2:6—I have been raised up with Christ.
 Ephesians 2:6—I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms.
 Ephesians 2:10—I am Christ’s workmanship, his opus, his poem, his masterpiece.
 Ephesians 2:10—I was prepared in advance in Christ Jesus to do good works.
 Ephesians 2:15—Together with all the saints, I am a new person in Christ.
 Ephesians 2:21—Along with all the saints, I am God’s holy temple.
* Ephesians 2:22—I am a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
* Ephesians 3:16—I am strengthened with power through God’s Spirit.
* Ephesians 3:17—Christ dwells in my heart.
 Ephesians 3:17—I am rooted and established in love.
 Ephesians 3:18—I have power to grasp God’s great love for me in Christ.
 Ephesians 3:19—I am filled to the measure of all the fullness of God in Christ.
 Ephesians 3:20—Christ’s immeasurable resurrection power is at work within me.
* Ephesians 4:13—I am maturing to the full measure of the fullness of Christ.
 Ephesians 4:22—My old self is put off in Christ.
 Ephesians 4:23—I have been made new in the attitude of my mind in Christ.
 Ephesians 4:24—My new self is put on in Christ.
 Ephesians 4:24—I am created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
 Ephesians 5:8—I am now light in the Lord.
 Ephesians 5:9—The fruit of my life is goodness, righteousness, and truth.
 Ephesians 5:26—I am cleansed in Christ
 Ephesians 5:26—I am washed in Christ.
 Ephesians 5:27—Together with the Bride of Christ, I am presentable, radiant, ​without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
 Philippians 2:1—I am united with Christ.
 Philippians 2:1—I am in fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
* Philippians 2:13—God works in me to accomplish his good purposes.
 Philippians 2:15—I am blameless and pure, a child of God without fault.
 Philippians 2:15—I shine like the stars in the universe in Christ.
 Philippians 3:9—I have a righteousness that comes from faith in Christ.
 Philippians 3:10—Christ’s resurrection power conforms me to his image.
 Philippians 3:20—My citizenship is in heaven.
 Philippians 4:13—I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
* Philippians 4:19—God meets all my needs through his riches in Christ Jesus.
 Colossians 1:2—I am a holy and faithful brother/sister in Christ.
* Colossians 1:12—I am qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints.
* Colossians 1:13—I have been rescued from the dominion of darkness.
* Colossians 1:13—I have been transported into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.
* Colossians 1:22—I am holy in God’s sight, without blemish, and free from accusation.
 Colossians 2:10—I have been given fullness in Christ.
 Colossians 2:11—My old sinful nature/man/self/person has been put off.
 Colossians 2:12—I have been buried with Christ in baptism.
 Colossians 2:12—I have been raised with Christ from the dead.
 Colossians 2:13—God made me alive with Christ.
 Colossians 2:14-15—In Christ, sin is defeated and disarmed in my life.
 Colossians 2:20—I died with Christ to the world.
 Colossians 3:1—I have been raised with Christ.
 Colossians 3:3—I died with Christ.
 Colossians 3:3—My life is now hidden with Christ in God.
 Colossians 3:9—I have taken off the old self with its practices.
 Colossians 3:10—I have put on the new self in Christ.
* Colossians 3:10—The new me in Christ is being renewed in knowledge in the image of the Creator.
 1 Thessalonians 3:13—I am blameless and holy before God’s presence.
 1 Thessalonians 5:23—God is sanctifying me through and through.
 1 Thessalonians 5:23—God keeps my whole spirit, soul, and body blameless.
 2 Thessalonians 2:14—I am called to share in the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 2 Timothy 1:7—God placed within me his spirit of power, love, and wisdom.
 2 Timothy 2:3-4—I am a good soldier in Jesus Christ.
 2 Timothy 2:5—I am a victorious athlete in Jesus Christ.
 2 Timothy 2:6—I am a disciplined, hard working farmer in Jesus Christ.
 Titus 3:5—I am saved, washed, re-birthed, and renewed in Christ and by the ​Spirit.
 Hebrews 1:3—I am purified from sin in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 2:10—I am brought to glory in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 2:11—I am made holy in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 7:25—I am saved completely.
 Hebrews 8:10; 10:16—God’s law is in my mind, written on my heart.
 Hebrews 9:12—I have eternal redemption in Christ.
 Hebrews 9:14—My conscience is cleansed in Christ.
 Hebrews 9:15—I am set free from sin in Christ.
 Hebrews 9:26-27—My sins are done away with and taken away in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 10:2—I am cleansed once for all, guiltless in Christ.
 Hebrews 10:10—I have been made holy once for all by Christ’s sacrifice.
 Hebrews 10:14—I have been made perfect forever in and by Christ.
 Hebrews 10:22—I am cleansed and washed in Christ.
 1 Peter 1:3—I am born again, given new birth in Christ.
* 1 Peter 1:18-19—I am redeemed from my old empty way of life by Christ’s precious blood.
 1 Peter 1:22—I am purified by faith in Christ.
 1 Peter 1:23—I have been born again of imperishable seed.
 1 Peter 2:5—I am a living stone, being built into a spiritual house.
 1 Peter 2:5—Along with all the saints, I am a holy priesthood.
 1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a chosen people.
 1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a member of a royal priesthood.
 1 Peter 2:9—Along with all the saints, I am a citizen of a holy nation.
 1 Peter 2:9-10—Along with all the saints, I am a people belonging to God.
 1 Peter 2:9—I am called out of darkness into Christ’s wonderful light.
* 2 Peter 1:3—God’s Divine power has given me everything I need for life and godliness.
* 2 Peter 1:4—Through God’s great and precious promises I participate in the Divine nature.
* 2 Peter 1:4—Through God’s great and precious promises I have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
* 1 John 2:20—I have an anointing from the Holy One and I know the truth.
* 1 John 4:4—I have overcome the world, the flesh, and the Devil because greater is he who is in me, than he who is in the world.
 1 John 4:4, 6—I am from God.
 1 John 4:7; 5:1—I am born of God.
 1 John 5:4-5—Born of God, I overcome the world by faith in Christ.
 Jude 24—I stand before God’s glorious presence without fault and with great joy.
 Revelation 1:5—I am freed from my sins by Christ’s blood.
* Revelation 1:6—God has made me, together with all the saints, a kingdom of priests.
* Revelation 19:7-8, 14—Along with all the saints, I am the pure Bride of Christ, clean, white, and righteous.