98 - Maturing in Christ

Maturing in Christ is a daily spiritual process where we set our minds on things above and plant the seeds of what is righteous and holy within our hearts and minds, who we are in Him through what He has done for us. - Ephesians 4:23 Not what we once thought about ourselves or from any worldly point of view. For we are a New Creation, the old is gone and the new has come. - 2 Corinthians 5:17 We water these truths extinguishing the lies opposed to our recreated being. Reinforcing within us God's view in order for our minds to renew. - Romans 12:2 For not even God who knows all things sees us as we once were. As far as the east is from the west, so far has our old self been vanquished. - Psalm 103:12 From this process, the renewal of our minds, God produces the growth transforming us and our lives through His Spirit. - 1 Corinthians 3:6

Since it is God who produces the growth, by His understanding and power, according to His will, we give ourselves over to Him. - Romans 12:1 He is the one who directs and guides us. When we came to God, we died with Christ to ourselves, and it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us. - Galatians 2:20 It is now through faith in Him we live and walk this walk. We have free will, but we have relinquished that will, our former identity to take a hold of His view, our new identity. Through prayer we let go, casting all upon Him, all that we no longer are and ask to be filled with His Spirit of wisdom and understanding to see ourselves new in Him.

We struggle in our walk, in growing closer to Christ, when we define ourselves by anything other than what He now identifies us as. Our focus may turn to the distance between our recreated spiritual self He has made, and our walk in the flesh. Looking at it, this misalignment, as if it were who we are, not as it is, a part of God's transformational process, the alignment of the flesh with the Spirit, reflecting Christ. - 2 Corinthians 3:18 We may in ignorance strive to manipulate and coerce the flesh through our own power and doing. As if to think it is the flesh that transforms the flesh which was part of our former worldly way of thinking. - Galatians 3:2-3 We find ourselves veering of course when we attach our identity to the flesh instead of what it is, from the Spirit, who we actually are. Our identity does not lay in our walk in the flesh no matter how good we become. Our identity will always rest in Christ living in us, and what that makes us.

Victory is found when through Christ we allow ourselves to be set free from ourselves. The negative influence of our thoughts and feelings, those schemes of the devil, trusting in ourselves and not in Him alone. - John 8:36 To progressively, and with greater ease, release our minds from the grip of the flesh, letting go, extinguishing all the flaming arrows of the evil one with the shield of faith. - Ephesians 6:16 To take every thought captive. - 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 To be absolute in our understanding this is not who He has made us. He is working in and through us and will continue to work in and through us till the very end. From one degree to the next we lay aside our thoughts in exchange for His thoughts. We possess the mind of Christ. - 1 Corinthians 2:16 He who lived out who He was because He knew who He was. And so too with us, we live out who we are seeing as He sees.

As one maturing in Christ we lay ourselves open, honest, and humble before a God who knows us completely. We expose through the light of Christ the sinful deeds of our flesh. Not that they in any way become part of our identity, but that in doing so we acknowledge and understand they are no longer who we are. That in walking in them we act outside of our true and new nature and what makes up our new character. We walk in the light of who we are in Christ a continual shedding of our old perspective for what is new. - 1 John 1:7 For everything exposed by the light becomes visible and everything visible becomes light. - Ephesians 5:13 This is the renewing of our minds by what is right, allowing God to transform us through His Spirit.

Part of maturing in Christ is the ability to move on from the past, trusting and relying on His salvation and not our own. We forget what is behind and reach forward to what lay ahead because who we are, what we possess, and what is ahead for us in Christ far transcends yesterday. - Philippians 3:13 While we were still sinners Christ died for us, how much more now one day at a time will He not fulfill in us His desires. Working out in us what is good, because He is good. - Romans 8:32 For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are yes. - 2 Corinthians 1:20

It is spiritually advantageous for us to spend our time meditating on the depth of God's love for us. It will take a lifetime to grasp the breadth of it, to fathom its height and length. We do so because in understanding His love we are filled to all His fullness. - Ephesians 3:14-19 Our walk becomes one of love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control because that is who He is in us. As we reflect on Him, seeing Him clearer, we see ourselves clearer because we have been recreated in His likeness. How glorious is that that in seeing Him we see ourselves. None of us should be found short-sighted in the true revelation of who we now are by God through Christ Jesus.

Lord,

Set us free from ourselves,

to be captive by who

you alone say we are.