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Living A Victorious Life In Christ: In this day of motivational speakers and positive mental attitude seminars, he hard truth that any success comes with a price has been left out. Even many of the preachers of our day have fallen into the trap of the world by telling people how they can be successful through Christ, without also telling them about the sacrifice that is required for that success. It is not a one-time sacrifice; it is a DAILY sacrifice. It is the ultimate sacrifice that you can ever make, your very life. Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20 NIV: The key to living a victorious life in Christ is dying to self, daily. The motivational gurus are selling you a message of false hope since the core of their message is that YOU can do it. That flies in the face of what God's Word says in John 15:5, "without me, you can do NOTHING!" The lie of the world is that you can do it. The Truth of God is that you can do it, THROUGH CHRIST! The fact is The Bible is the greatest motivational book ever written. If you want to be successful in your business, in your finances, read the Bible. If you want to be successful in your relationships with others, in your marriage, in raising your children, read the Bible. If you want to be successful read the Bible. If you want to have peace, and joy, and an abundant life, read the Bible. If you want to know the purpose for your life, read the Bible. Today, there are many preachers and Christian speakers that have become Christian motivational gurus. Where this new breed of Christian motivational speakers are failing, is in telling people the WHOLE story. Everyone wants to have lots of money, be successful in their business or career, have a great marriage, be a wonderful parent, how to live each day with the peace, joy, and the abundance God's Word speaks of. All of these things are possible through Christ. But they choose to leave out the most important detail there is. All things are possible through Christ, IF YOU DIE TO SELF DAILY SO JESUS IS IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE! Dying to self, daily, is what Paul spoke of so often. It is how we walk in the "spirit" and not in the "flesh" as instructed in Romans Chapter 8 and Galatians Chapter 5. The whole issue of dying to self, daily, is the absolute key to living a victorious life in Christ. It literally means that you have to die to self, DAILY, and this is why so many people who are saved and love the Lord, live beneath their blessings and in constant turmoil. This is how people who know Christ as their Savior end up committing adultery, cheat people, lie, get in bondage to drugs, alcohol, food, sex, gambling, shopping, greed, and anything else people become enslaved to. They don't die to self each day and end up walking in the "flesh" and NOT the "spirit." All of the benefits in God's Word exist and are available now to those who believe; but there is a price to pay and that price is our very life surrendered, yielded to the Lord. It is a choice, an act. Only you can do it. The important thing is that it is not something you do just once and forget about. It is something that you must do DAILY! EVERY DAY! WITHOUT FAIL! Each morning when you wake up, you have to make the conscious choice to die to self, to surrender your life to Christ, and walk in the "spirit" instead of the "flesh." The key to living a victorious life in Christ lies in you waking up each morning and making the conscious choice to die to self and allow Christ to control your life. This is the meat and potatoes of the Word and where the rubber meets the road in regard to our Christian walk. We really don't want to think about the price Jesus paid or the sacrifice we have to make each day. You MUST think about it since it is the difference between you living a defeated life and living a victorious life. To live that victorious life in Christ, to walk in His victory, you have to die to self each day so that you are walking in the "sprit" and not the "flesh" so that it is Christ, not you that lives. In His love and service, your friend and brother in Christ, Bill Keller ***If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com |
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