Transformation: “Jesus who are you in me?”
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12
“You are a New Creature”
The first thing God declared: “Let there be Light.” Jesus is The Light. He existed before the first Word spoken. Jesus, The Light of the World was the “first born” of all creation. As well as the Alpha and Omega, Jesus is also the first born of the new creation in Christ. In Christ, we also are a new creation.
Renewing the mind brings transformation. Transformation makes room for the Spirit to reign in my life. Transformation begins with a choice to change directions from the old man/woman, from what has died in Christ into who I am in the I AM. This means I am choosing through my free will gift to grow the “new creature” in partnering with Christ. Growing the new creature in Christ is like going from crawling to standing then walking. Growing the new creature in Christ is inviting the Spirit to till the soil, plant the seeds, and water my spirit with His Word bringing the fruit of His life into my life. I believe growing into the new man/woman takes a life-time. When I invited Jesus into my heart, He gave me everything of the Kingdom in that moment. I became complete in Jesus as a new creature in Christ.
Romans 8-17 And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit (the kingdom with and through him.) We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own.
The definition of ‘creature ‘ is: as distinct from a human being. Distinct from human being means I am no longer of this world because the very Spirit of God lives in me. Transformation is nothing more that getting in touch with who I now am/becoming in Christ. Transformation is a journey of delightful discovery of getting to know and embrace the reality of who Jesus is in me, all of who I am in Jesus. That’s why salvation is “calling it:” new birth–new man/woman. I would go as far as to say that the “DNA” of the Father is transforming me. All things become new in Christ forever more.
Transformation: “Jesus, who are you in me?”
Romans 8:10 Now Christ lives his life in you! And even though your body may be dead because of the effects of sin, his life-giving Spirit imparts life to you because you are fully accepted by God. 11 Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you!
May I approach Jesus expecting to be transformed by His presence with the full knowledge that there is no gap between He and me or I and Him. I seek what it means to be one with the Father and Jesus Christ by receiving His prayer found in John 17. I draw closer to Jesus within me. “It is not the testimony of Him coming into my life. It is the testimony of Him IN my life” (Pastor Ted Hansen) I ask: “Jesus, who are you in me in this moment? “
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.
Unity with my brothers and sisters begins with me. I used to totally invite the Holy Spirit to engraft His nature, ways, power, and authority in my mind through His Spirit and the Word of God. In fact I almost begged him to do so. Well guess what! Jesus already engrafted His nature, ways, power, and authority into my life when I responded to Him and fully accepted Him into my heart. However, I have been attempting to arrive somewhere that is already inside my being called The Holy Spirit. It is up to me to ask Him who I am through Him, with Him, and act upon His nature, ways, power, and authority. May Jesus bring Jesus in me to the place of Transformation: “Jesus who are you in me?”
“He is the potter and I am the clay. Mold me and make me this is what I say.”Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2
In following Jesus, John 15 speaks to abiding in Jesus:
I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless. 6 If a person is separated from me, he is discarded; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire to be burned. 7 But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done. 8 When your lives bear abundant fruit, you demonstrate that you are my mature disciples who glorify my Father!
When we put these scriptures together I see the “Baptism of fire message” which relates to allowing the dictates of the world and the ways in which the old person thought about the dictates of the world to be cut off and burned. The branches that do not bare fruit are those things in my life that are not partnering with Jesus (See “Partnering With Jesus in the index). This is the presence of God partnering with me because this is His mandate to manifest His life in my life by living within me.
The Holy Spirit living in me is what transforms me to be Christ-like and sensitive to His nature, ways, power and authority rising up in me rather than striving to make the fruit do it’s thing. No-God speaks and life happens–He is the vine who naturally causes me to bare fruit. Can the banana tell the tree to make it a banana? No. Can the seed tell itself to grow? No. The Father of the Universe takes care of it. So it is with us–He does the tilling, planting, watering and fertilizing with His Spirit and the Word. When we partner with God, we allow Him to direct our thoughts to:
. . . .the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11).
He will cause His Word to blossom in us. The fruits of the Spirit are the nature and personality of God. The Word and the Spirit are like sunshine and water in our hearts that causes “photosynthesis” to happen in our Spirit in “growing” (transforming) from Glory to Glory.
Transformation: “Jesus who are you in me?”
Quite frankly, the more I discover who Jesus is in me, I want all the branches that do not bare fruit cut off from my life. He promised that if I abide in Him, I can ask anything because His words abide in me in a powerful way. I wish to bare fruit and be a new creature who lives to Glorify the Father by practicing His nature, ways, power and authority. The fruit of the Spirit is such an awesome vantage point in terms of expecting the Spirit and Word of God to develop in our being so that we can take on the nature and ways of God. God is not a linear being we know that. His personality in three persons continues to astound me. Just meditating on His love is enough, but each aspect of His nature as given in the Fruit is so utterly beautiful. The fact that there is nothing on earth or devil for that matter that can challenge the Fruit of the Spirit is really profound. How is that going to look in our relationships and how the world views the nature, ways, power and authority of the Living God in our dealings with others in all aspects of life; from family, to work, to church and community? How will we impact the world for the Kingdom?
Romans 8–12 So then, beloved ones, the flesh has no claims on us at all, and we have no further obligation to live in obedience to it. 13 For when you live controlled by the flesh, you are about to die. But if the life of the Spirit puts to death the corrupt ways of the flesh, we then taste his abundant life
In order to allow my old nature to die, I must do this: Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Colossians 3:5
The way that I kill the old nature is through abiding in Jesus in everything. Abiding in Jesus this way is a heart choice of love: loving the Father, loving the Son, loving the Holy Spirit and others as myself. Abiding in Jesus is asking Him: “Jesus who are you in me in this moment.” There is no room in my being for negativity because of the garden of love that defines “Jesus in me, the hope of Glory!”
Romans 8–Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son!
Negative thinking is any thought that can stand the test of the Fruit of the Spirit, perfect righteousness in glory. Negative thinking actually sows death, negative thinking is the soil of sin; we know that sin is a breeding ground for futility. We have the freedom to pause and choose a higher way; The Mind of Christ. The Word tells us not to judge but to test the spirit; does it bring forth Fruit? Is it life-giving or life-robbing? “You will know them by their love.” What does love look like? Love looks like the Fruit of the Spirit connected to The Mind of Christ every time.
Transformation: “Jesus who are you in me?”
Jesus is the Word-Jesus is the fruit of the Spirit. I become what I feast upon. I chose to be nourished in my heart and therefor my mind with the Living Word and His Spirit.Transformation will happen when I feast on the Word of God. Transformation is a practice. I will practice the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things, there is no law. What this means is that when I am feeling fear or the like I ask: “Jesus, who are you in me?” He will say: “I am your peace.” If I am feeling alone, “Jesus who are you in me?” He will say: “I am your loving Father.” Jesus is all of these fruits in any given situation ready to navigate this life with me. This means that God will rise up with His nature in the fruits of the spirit–I do not possess the fruits through an intention that I can do peace or love on my own–what this means is the more of the Word is engrafted in my mind and heart, the more the Word will reign in my thoughts and therefore the way I do life in everything. I triumph over all the issues of life as He is rising up into my consciousness.
Romans 8–Yet even in the midst of all these things, we triumph over them all, for God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!
With the expectation that He will abide in my circumstance, the way I do life will look more like Jesus!
Romans 8-And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words.
God manifests Himself and His presence in my life and I rest in expectation in Christ rising up in me. I celebrate the fact that I rest in Jesus within my heart and allow Him to do what He does best. He is my rest in the storms of life; “Who are you in me Jesus in this storm, in this trail, in this negative attitude?” He is making intercession for me empowering me in my weakness. The rest of the Lord is allowing His sabbath to reign in my “weak” heart. Therein lays His power in me–“the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in me.”
This means that the Lord is a habitational God, rather than a “performance God.” It is not about my performance that God loves me, it is about the Truth that He abides in my being in Love. I just need to get in touch with His Spirit in me in my navigation of life. I rest from the cares of this world because He promised to overcome the world on my behalf. Does that mean I just sit around and do nothing? God forbid? It means that I am no longer burdened with fear, ego, attachment, aversion, doubt, envy or any other emotional prison. I celebrate the opportunity to allow Jesus to rise in my being to the occasion I have no power over. I stand firmly on the ground that apart from Jesus I can do nothing. “Jesus, who are you in me?” Doesn’t this sound like relationship? Doesn’t this smell like faith in action. Faith and expectancy that Jesus is going to show up right now within my heart to guide, protect, council, fill to overflowing my life with His promises?
Transformation: “Jesus who are you in me?”
As I celebrate the Word as the Bread of Life, more precious than gold and sweeter than honey; Father delights Himself in me and I delight myself in Him. This brings transformation: Doing life with Jesus in the inner man/woman. “The Kingdom of Heaven is within.” Jesus is not out there in outer space light years away. He has made His abode in my heart of hearts–and I do not wish to contaminate the Temple of the Holy Spirit with the nature, ways, power, and authority of the world. I wish to live in my eternal destiny right now and forever more.
It takes practice and above all it is a process–line upon line with allowing the love of God to nourish my heart. Choosing to keep His commands, living in His love through choosing His nature, ways, power, and authority in all things. “Jesus who are you in me while I am in the world?” This is the life-giving sap in the vine as I abide in Jesus so that I can be life-giving in all my relationships. This love brings more light into the earth–more of His Kingdom comes and His will be done. Transformation is the goal of my life so that I can be a shadow of His life because I am alive in Him.
He is good!
John 15–I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. 10 If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by his love.11 My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness!