Thursday, February 16, 2023

Living for Christ

Broadcast 3579

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 2 Corinthians 5:15 (NET)  And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised.


Even though Denise had accepted the Lord Jesus, he still struggled with certain sins he used to enjoy while he was an unbeliever. He had attended several prayer vigils, given himself a very strict prayer schedule, and had gone for several deliverance services, but these did not change much. He found that he was still a slave to the flesh and to sin. He was bothered because he understood that as long as he was still a slave to sin, he could not walk in the fullness of his glory as a son of God. 


It was when he attended a student congress outreach program in the northern part of his country that he understood the message of the cross, and that was the beginning of his freedom. Several months later, he reflected on his life and remembered how he used to be a slave to sin. He had nothing but thanksgiving in his heart. "The cross indeed is the secret of real power" he exclaimed. 


God's answer to the flesh is the cross. It is not prayer and fasting nor is it deliverance. These are good and can provide solutions when a believer who has adopted the philosophy of the cross life finds that for whatever reason, he is demonized and being manipulated against his will. But when talking about overcoming the power of the flesh, the cross is the solution. 


The doctrine of the cross is the philosophy by which Jesus lived. It is the philosophy by which all his followers must live if they will conquer the power of the flesh(Adamic nature). The Lord Jesus did not live to please himself or fulfill his own pleasure. He carried his cross daily -- existed to only please the father. The reason Jesus came to the world was to do the will of the father. He went to the cross because that was the will of the father. 


A believer who lives by this same philosophy must come to terms with the truth that life for him is no longer about pleasing himself but about pleasing God. He must die to his self-life and begin to live the God-life. He must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Jesus. 


In those days, if you saw a man carrying his cross, he was carrying his death sentence. He was going to be crucified. Carrying your cross daily means carrying your death sentence to the flesh. You must remind yourself daily that life is not about pleasing you, it is now about pleasing God. 


Go into today remembering that the secret of real power over sin and over the works of the flesh is the [philosophy of] the cross.


Reflect on today's Bible Text and this scripture:

Galatians 2:20 (NET)  I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

—Abraham Damilola Arigi Download the Audio Version of today's Devotional: http://bit.ly/aud3579 Bible in 1 year: Romans 5-6 (In Devotional Audio) Audio Bible credit: Bible Experience, Zondervan Kindly share this devotional with your contacts and let's touch lives together. Streamglobe Devotional is nondenominational and interdenominational Get our latest sermons here: www.streamglobe.org

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