God Thinking XCIII - Questions From Within 5

"I want to do better.  Every week I make a commitment to do this or that, but when the week comes around I find myself back in the same old traps.  What can I do to break the cycle?

Abide is the key word that explains how you can break the cycle, and delay is the key word that explains why you can’t.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall

abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”  Psalms 91:1

John 15:4-6

 4.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

 5.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

 6.  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.

The cycle is broken when you are abiding in Christ.  This abiding has to be a relational abiding, not a positional abiding.  There are whole denominations built upon positional abiding. 

Positional abiding advocates say: the work of the cross provides the substitutionary sacrifice for your sins, which is correct, but it goes on to say - and blocks any and all actions that you do from evaluation or correction by God.

Relational abiding says:  the work of the cross provides the substitutionary sacrifice for your sins, which is correct, but it goes on to say - God can and does evaluate your actions and provides correction as needed for you to continually be conformrd into the image of Christ.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29.  For whom he did foreknow, (knew before the physical existence of our being existed and prior to our having taken any actual action ) he also did predestinate (chose by responding positively to the choices that we would make in due time, which God knows because He has full understanding of all actions and future actions of all persons) to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”          Romans 8:28-29

This image that God foreknew and predestinated would take place is not a static image like a picture on paper, but a living image, fulfilled by relationship with the living Christ.

If you want success or victory over the things that pop up every week that stand in the way of your spiritual progress, you must rely on your personal relationship with Christ."

    Excerpt from God Thinking XCIII - Questions from within by Keith C.                                              Powell Copyright 2015