In Him

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,” (Colossians 2:6).

How did we receive Jesus? Most of us didn’t know the Bible. We didn’t know the how nor why Jesus saved us. If we were not brought up in a church, we never even heard of salvation and that we needed to be saved. We didn’t know the cost of salvation to Jesus. What did we know? We knew that we needed a change. We might have thought it was peace and looked everywhere for it. It might have been that we were suffering from an illness, a mental disorder, a financial fiasco, relationship(s) disintegration or malfunctioning and needed help because everything we’d tried hadn’t worked. Hadn’t worked...sounds so mechanical, but that was where we were, without knowledge and without understanding. Others who had some knowledge of God and Jesus maybe wanted a closer or a real relationship with God. But no matter how or when in our lives we surrendered to Jesus, there is one thing everyone had in common. And that is the fact that we believed Who Jesus is, Who He said He was, that He died on the cross and rose up from the dead, that He lives forever more seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and that by surrendering our lives to Him in obedience, we became a follower, a disciple of Jesus and are saved from the destruction of sinners and this world. We did that on pure faith and were rewarded with a supernatural peace and joy no matter the difficulties, the hardship and troubles we were going through. It was like being in the eye of a hurricane but in complete peace when all around is chaos.

Unless one is a believer and follower of Jesus, our connection and devotion is not understood because others have not experienced the supernatural peace and joy that comes when one receives Jesus. We know it’s real. That’s because when we surrendered to Jesus and made Him the center of our lives, spectacular things happened in the spiritual realm. We don’t see it in the natural, but we witness it in our spirit and feel it in the spiritual.

Our Scripture of study says to walk in “Him,” meaning in Jesus. What does Paul mean by walk. The Greek word that Paul used means to live, tread around and be occupied with. We received Jesus as God by faith in Him. And in faith we must live, tread around and be occupied in Jesus, surrounded and embraced by Him so that we are not seen, only Jesus. “For in it (the Gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The just shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11) When we go before the Father, we go “in Jesus,” covered by the work of salvation for which He suffered, died and resurrected so that our past life as a sinner and enemy of God is hidden.  And it is hidden forever. We believe by faith. We live it by faith counting on the righteousness of Jesus. “For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2Corinthians 5:21) In Him, “in Jesus” we are righteous because Jesus made us righteous. So as we walk around, consciously in righteousness, the righteousness of Jesus, embraced and covered with Him. In the natural, it’s impossible. But in the spirit we can and we do. What? Yes, in the born again of God human spirit, we want to and do. Our hearts lean toward God and obey His Word. But if our mind is not renewed by the Word of God, the flesh will rule our minds and influence our will and emotions to do something else. The battle between the flesh and the spirit is real. “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. And these are contrary to one another; lest whatever you may will, these things you do.” (Galatians 5:17) We do what the will decides to do. If the spirit has more influence on the mind, the will decides to act righteously. But if the flesh and the world have more influence on the mind, the will decides to act in the flesh. That is what Paul also experienced and wrote about. “For that which I do, I know not. For what I desire, that I do not do; but what I hate, that I do.” (Romans 7:15) It doesn’t matter how many years one has been a Christian, how many good works you do, how much money you give to the needy or how long you pray. Whether the flesh or the spirit rule you is determined by how much living Word is in your heart. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) The Word of God is alive and able to transform your mind so that then, the will is influenced by the Gospel and decides to act righteous. We are righteous, but many times we don’t act like it because our minds are being influenced by the world through TV, social media, culture and societal norms which are controlled by the world system which spouts satan’s lies. There is a pastor in El Paso that said it didn’t matter what Word you read, just read the Word because it is light. And even if what you are reading pertains nothing to what you are seeking, the light of the Word will light your way to the Truth.

In review, we must walk our lives out in faith, in Jesus and in the Word. We must believe we are righteous and walk so that others only see Jesus. And that is only possible when there is so much of God’s Word in us that it has changed our mind. And the mind influences our will to act righteous.

Let us pray:

Father God, You have made me so intricately special so that Your Word which is alive can change my choices and my actions through the transforming of my mind. Jesus has made me righteous, but there are times, that my emotions are influenced by the flesh or the world and I don’t act righteously. Forgive me my Lord and give me victory over my mind. Let the light of Your Word illuminate those dark areas that influence my will and that keep me from acting righteously. Help me to have the faith that I need to live “in Jesus” no matter the circumstances. Help me to act like Your child. Help me to love You so much that I will not act, speak nor think like the world. I know that in the natural, I cannot do it. So I thank You for the Holy Spirit Who whispers Your Word in my heart and changes my course. I love You Lord. And I thank You for Your wonderful provision for living a holy and righteous life in this world. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.