I was listening to a woman tell me she felt frustrated within herself pertaining to her own spiritual growth. She said she felt stalled out & had run out of gas. I listened intently for her explanation as to why she had stalled and she gave no answer, just those rolled up eyes and that frustrated deep breath people take when they are stuck. I want to lay out an explanation that I believe fits that feeling. (Of course there are other reasons for that. No spiritual issue is generally limited to any one solution.)
Recently we are, yet again, being "force-fed" culture's idea of a "new normal". In actuality, it is really just the same old sin the devil has deceived people with down through the course of history....with disastrous results. But I want to talk about a new normal for the child of God....one of power and knowledge of how to live a solid life in Christ.
Lets start by looking at the Apostle's. Their life is a great model. Note that the apostle's were saved while enjoying very powerful personal times with Jesus, but it's important to realize that they showed very little power while with Him. It wasn't until Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit juiced them up, that their lives took on a power they hadn't had previously.
This was the beginning of a great heavenly deposit of power into the Apostles life and it was just the start. When the Holy Spirit began to move in these men of God it was a time when what they had known as a Jew, or a carpenter, a tax collector, or fisherman was shattered by what was now going to be their 'Christ life', their 'new normal'. In order for what was going to be the 'Christ life' to become the 'new normal' the Apostle's had to crucify their flesh and accept these new moves of God. There was going to be a 'new normal' for these men as they would now walk in not just a knowledge or intuition but a very real, demonstratable...... 'POWER' of God.
I would like to make this next statement the thrust of my thoughts today. You must have a relevant 'cross life,' before you can have a sustainable 'resurrection life,' or life in the 'Spirit,' which is a Christians 'new normal.' In order for the apostle to enjoy the power of their 'new normal,' they had to continually lay their carnal life down at the cross. They had to subdue their flesh, they had to continually be crucified. They had to maintain an active yielding of the things and desires of the flesh so as to enjoy the 'POWER' of the resurrection life.
You know, one of the perils for those of us who live in the Spirit is to forget the necessity to continuously put to nought the flesh and the desires of the flesh. We always have a carnal nature that will try to subdue that 'new normal.' For a 'new normal' to flourish and get stronger there must be a death of the flesh "stuff". You can't have a resurrection life without a death. The problem today is that to many Christians get saved and they crucify their flesh and put the 'self life' on the cross, nailed down tight at first but then as their walk progresses they forsake the position of death and try to live a resurrection life based simply on that first visit to the cross. (That is the danger of becoming "lukewarm" which Christ warns us against.) In order for your resurrection life, your 'new normal,' to thrive there must be a continuously maintained death of the flesh. It is ongoing, constantly needing kept in check! That is why a Christains life sometimes stalls out. We have to be aware that the 'Spirit' life is the strongest when the carnal life is the closest to death. (Gal 5:24-25 "And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (KJV)
Continually review your wants and desires and always keep your ear to the Lord (read the Book He wrote for you) so He can show you how to live a POWERFUL 'new normal.'
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