"Knowing What You Are"

"He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel." (Psalms 103:7)
So, as it might have happened, Pastor Bryan touched upon that same portion of Scripture yesterday morning, "and his train filled the temple." Thus, the title of today's blog, and the meaning of the vision that God had given me; it is about knowing what I am, and that I am in Christ! The message got a little dark, but it pretty much needed to be, as it was based upon David's encounter with Saul in a cave; the cave where David cut off the skirt of his robe. But then Pastor Bryan took it to another level, as he discussed why David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt. David knew that Saul was God's anointed; never mind that he wanted to kill David, because it didn't matter in David's eyes who the man was, but what matter to David was the position that the man was in. That might not sound all that important to everyone, but for those of us that are in Christ, it means more than anything else; more than who we pretend to be, or who we think we are, it is who we are, regardless of what we might appear to ourselves or anyone else. I can't stand myself sometimes; the stuff that comes out of my mouth sometimes, I wish there was a way to take words back. There was another thing that Pastor Bryan said that made me take notice, he said, "Pain lets you know you're not dead." It's okay to feel the way I feel when I say the things I say, that pain within my heart lets me know that I even have a heart. If we don't feel the pain of the things we do or do not do, then that would be a sign that there is no real life within us. Thus Paul's appeal in Romans 7:24, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" This body is failed, period! There is no saving this vessel, it is destined to die and it is not Kingdom Property. But, there is a new body that awaits me; one that is not corrupt, that does not fail, and lives forever! That body is in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior; who not only purchased our souls from hell, but He has provided for us a new dwelling place in heaven with Him. I am in Christ; no matter what others might say, what the devil might suggest, or what my mood might try and persuade me! That is what this verse today is telling me. We are loved by the Creator of all that there is, and that Creator has made us His...
"Those who are trying to force you to be circumcised want to look good to others. They don't want to be persecuted for teaching that the cross of Christ alone can save. And even those who advocate circumcision don't keep the whole law themselves. They only want you to be circumcised so they can boast about it and claim you as their disciples. As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. From now on, don't let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus."
(Galatians 6:12-17) NLT