God is not angry with you

I believe that God is not angry at people. We have heard so many things about an angry God, but think of it this way, God (The Father) so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whosoever believes, might not perish, but have everlasting life. God is the One who did something out of love. He sent His beloved Son. If His Son came and showed us such love, that He would die for the ungodly, why would He now be angry at us? We think Jesus is mad at us for being so sinful that He had to come and die to save us. No way, He loved us so much, and He proved His love in this, that at the fitting time, Christ died for the ungodly.

Jesus makes it very clear in John 3, and John 8 that He did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He said in John 8 to the Pharisees: You judge after the flesh, but I judge no man. In John 5:45, Jesus said the following: "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust." The accusing voice in you life is not the voice of the Holy Spirit, or of Jesus Christ, or of the Father, but the echoe of the preaching of law of Moses that you have heard throughout your life. Your own conscience accuses you because your conscience is concsious of the law of Moses. God never accuses anyone. The word Satan in the origional means: "Accuser". Think of that for a while. Satan uses the law as a weapon to accuse you. Jesus said that we should not think that He will accuse us to the Father. We need to realise that Jesus did not vindicate Himself when He was accused by the Pharisees, Saducees and Scribes. Their only aim was to kill Jesus. He did not seek His own will or His own way, but was obedient unto death, so that we can be made righteous and be set free.

He took our accusation, and bare the punishment for our sins. He was innocent, yet He did not speak out against His accusers who accused Him of everything we did wrong. he did that out of love for us, so that we can be free. Jesus Christ took all accusation and condemnation upon Himself, for our sakes, therein fulfilling the law and ending the world system of the law. Rom 10:4 says: "Christ is the end of the law." How then will Christ accuse you? He himself has been appointed to be judge over the living and the dead. John 5:22 says "Even the Father judges no one, for He has given all judgment (the last judgment and the whole business of judging) entirely into the hands of the Son"

Rom 8:31 says: "What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]
8:32 He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?
8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?]
8:34 Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?

Remember that a Judge make one of two judgements. Guilty, and Not Guilty. We are all guilty under the law of Moses, and the Law of Moses will forever judge every person who dwells on the earth, but Christ is the end of the law, and those who believe in Christ, are now saved from the verdict of Guilty, because Jesus has already been accused, condemned and sentenced for your sins. To accuse you again of your sin, will result in unrighteousness prevailing, because a Righteous Judge will never punish the same sins twice. Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God.

Those who disbelieve His salvation is conemned already, because the Law of Moses Condemns them, and they refuse to take the only true salvation offered to them: being acquitted on the grounds of Christ's death. Because Jesus died, and rose again, and because the Father has appointed Him to be the judge of the living and the dead, it is impossible for God to Condemn you if you believe in Jesus Christ. God can not go against His own Word. For God to Condemn a believer, He would have to go against His own purpose of saving the people of the earth from judgment and damnation on the grounds of the law of Moses. If you go to a Porsche dealership and buy a brand new Porsche Carrera 4S, paying a very high price for it, you would go against your own purpose of buying the car to enjoy it, if you then turn on it and attack it with a big hammer. It just doesn't make sense. God loved you so much that He paid for you with His own life and His own blood. Now you are His, and He has saved you. Heb 13:8 says "Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages)." He will not turn and start hating you.

In John 10:8-11 Jesus says: 10:8 All others who came [as such] before Me are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not listen to and obey them.
10:9 I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture.
10:10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).
10:11 I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd risks and lays down His [own] life for the sheep.

Who came before Jesus? The Pharisees, Saducees and the Scribes. What did they subscribe to adn teach? The law of Moses. What was their single aim? To kill and destroy Jesus. The law and the teachers of the law came before Christ did. Judgement according to the writings of Moses came before Christ. That is the thief and the robber. It will only steal from you, kill you, and destroy your life if you listen to a law which has been fulfilled 2000 years ago. You need to listen to the Words of the Good Shepherd. He came to give us life and life in abundance.

John 3:16 again says: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
3:21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

The law came before and condemned all people. Christ came to save. Those who believe in His goodness, are saved from the wrath of the law, those who do not believe are condemned already by the law of Moses that was already in the world when He came.

Isaiah 54:4 Fear not, for you shall not be ashamed; neither be confounded and depressed, for you shall not be put to shame. For you shall forget the shame of your youth, and you shall not [seriously] remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.
54:5 For your Maker is your Husband-the Lord of hosts is His name-and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.
54:6 For the Lord has called you like a woman forsaken, grieved in spirit, and heartsore-even a wife [wooed and won] in youth, when she is [later] refused and scorned, says your God.
54:7 For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion and mercy I will gather you [to Me] again.

(The Father forsook Jesus on the cross)

54:8 In a little burst of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with age-enduring love and kindness I will have compassion and mercy on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.
54:9 For this is like the days of Noah to Me; as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke you.
54:10 For though the mountains should depart and the hills be shaken or removed, yet My love and kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace and completeness be removed, says the Lord, Who has compassion on you.

The Lord Swore that He will never be angry with you again. By faith, we come to know Him for Who He really is. The law will only judge us, but God will only set us free and give us mercy and grace. All the wrath and anger of God because of sin and guilt, was poured out on Jesus Christ on the cross. You can now believe in His love. He will never do anything that could harm you. He will never put you through anything that is in the least scary or difficult. Every Good and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights in Whom there can be no variance or shaddow cast by His turning.

1 John 3:18 Little children, let us not love [merely] in theory or in speech but in deed and in truth (in practice and in sincerity).
3:19 By this we shall come to know (perceive, recognize, and understand) that we are of the Truth, and can reassure (quiet, conciliate, and pacify) our hearts in His presence,
3:20 Whenever our hearts in [tormenting] self-accusation make us feel guilty and condemn us. [For we are in God's hands.] For He is above and greater than our consciences (our hearts), and He knows (perceives and understands) everything [nothing is hidden from Him].
3:21 And, beloved, if our consciences (our hearts) do not accuse us [if they do not make us feel guilty and condemn us], we have confidence (complete assurance and boldness) before God,
3:22 And we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we [watchfully] obey His orders [observe His suggestions and injunctions, follow His plan for us] and [habitually] practice what is pleasing to Him.
3:23 And this is His order (His command, His injunction): that we should believe in (put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on) the name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us.

If your heart is filled with the law of Moses, you will accuse yourself, and you will feel guilty. That means that you have not realised who God is; Who Love is. God is only good, and He is not confused about His identity. Jesus and the Father tenderly loves you, and He will never rebuke you, ever! Only Believe!

Sin is condemned in the flesh

Rom 8 says
8:1 [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Jesus condemned sin in the flesh. The sin dwelling in you is already condemned. The sentenced is passed. You have been justified, but the sin in you have been condemned. Now you don't have to worry when you do something wrong, because the condemnation is not for you, but for sin in you. This means that you will remain, and the sin will gradually disappear, as you embrace the life of the Spirit. If the sin has been condemned, and you made righteous, you can now live in the Spirit of Life. Life mortifies the sin in your bodies. It carries out the sentence against sin. It executes the sin that have been condemned to death. So the sin is on death row, and you are the executioner. You don't need to be intimidated by the sin, because you have the authority to mortify it. How do I kill the sin? I live in the Spirit, and the Life kills the sin and death that was at work in me.

8:5 For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things
which gratify the [Holy] Spirit.

If the executioner will listen to the prisoner on death row, and be intimidated by his threatenings, the executioner will become afraid, and will start doing what the prisoner demands, although the executioner still has the upper hand. If you look at the sin dwelling in your body, the sin will use the law of Moses against you, and try to intimidate you by fear of death. We can only be intimidated by the law, if we don't realise that Jesus Christ has Himself justified us and declared us righteous. So let your thoughts dwell on what Christ did, and mind the things of the cross of Christ, and the holiness and glory that He has given you by grace through His sacrifice on the cross, and refrain from thinking that you are guilty and evil, because of accusation that comes by the law of Moses. The rightfull and just requirement of the law is now fully met in you, because Christ dwells in you. The sin is condemned in you, and has no power over you.

8:6 Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].

We want to execute the sin that brings death that has already been condemned by Christ Jesus. The law of Moses only deal with natural things and not with spiritual things. It is thoughts of flesh, and not thoughts of the Spirit. The law will only bring a mind of condemnation and guilt. This is the mind of the flesh. So the law failed in securing man's salvation, because man was fleshly. Because man was fleshly, the law could not produce something spiritual. But Christ had the Spirit of God, and He fulfilled the law for us. He has now freely given us His Spirit, which gives us the mind of the Spirit, the mind of Christ.

If you try to reason without the Gospel, and without the Holy Spirit, you will only think fleshly thoughts. If your reasoning is guided by the Holy Spirit, and focused on what Christ did on the cross, you will mind the things of God, because you will realise that you are justified and made righteous by grace. This thinking, that comes through the spirit, produces life, and kills sin in your body. If you think you're guilty of sin because of the law, your thinking will produce more and more sin, and you will experience more and more death.

8:7 [That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot.

The prisoner's thoughts are hostile to the thoughts of the guard, because the guard has the power to kill it. The prisoner will try everything to try and intimidate the guard. The thoughts produced by the law, i.e. the thoughts of condemnation and guilt can not submit to the law of God, which is the Law of the Spirit of Life, which is that man has been justified freely by grace, and that we have been made alive by the Spirit. So if we allow the thoughts of condemnation and death in our hearts, a war will ensue, and the peace will disappear. Just think of Christ, and what He did for you, live in the Spirit, and your will kill the sin (prisoner) which is trying to intimidate you by the law of Moses.

8:8 So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him.
8:9 But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God].
8:10 But if Christ lives in you, [then although] your [natural] body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the spirit is alive because of [the] righteousness [that He imputes to you].
8:11 And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you.
8:12 So then, brethren, we are debtors, but not to the flesh [we are not obligated to our carnal nature], to live [a life ruled by the standards set up by the dictates] of the flesh.

You don't have to obey the dictates of the sin that lives in you. You have been made free from it, and God gave you the Spirit of Christ, so that you van live through Him. Living the life of the Spirit, kills the life of the flesh in you.

8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

It does not say that if you live after the flesh you shall go to hell. You can not loose your salvation. It simply means that your body will die, but you can live the life of the Spirit, and verse 11 says that the Spirit of God will the restore to life your mortal body. That simply means that you will live and not die. It means immortality, everlasting life.

Acts 24:16 Therefore I always exercise and discipline myself [mortifying my body, deadening my carnal affections, bodily appetites, and worldly desires, endeavoring in all respects] to have a clear (unshaken, blameless) conscience, void of offense toward God and toward men.

It is by the Spirit. You can not do it by trying in the flesh.
Gal 5:16 But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).
5:17 For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are
prevented from doing what you desire to do.
5:18 But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

Col 3:1 IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
3:2 And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.

Don't try to overcome sin. Think of what Christ did for you.

3:3 For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God.
3:4 When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory.
3:5 So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is
employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God).
3:6 It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is ever coming upon the sons of disobedience (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will),
3:7 Among whom you also once walked, when you were living in and addicted to [such practices].
3:8 But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips!
3:9 Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices,
3:10 And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it.

You can not win when you try by yourself to overcome your sin. Do not try it. Christ has won already. He has condemned sin in the flesh already. He has done it in His body. He has withstood sin unto the pouring out of His own blood. He has been tempted in every respect as we are yet without sin. He was holy blameless and spotless according to the law, and He did die without cause for your sins. Sin has been condemned in His flesh, so that the righteous and just requirement of the law might be fully met in you, who live in the Spirit! He has given you His Holy Spirit.

You need to look at what he did, and live in the Spirit. Enjoy Christ. Enjoy your life in Him. By doing that, you mortify the deeds of the flesh. By letting Christ have full freedom in your body, and by totally yielding your life to the Holy Spirit, His life kills the sin and death in your body. You need to yield to Christ. He can't believe on your behalf. This is your role. Believe in Him, and yield to His Holy Spirit. Constantly turn away from self and the law, and turn to Him. Turn away from trying by the law, and look to what He did. If you sin, don't think you're condemned, believe that you're forgiven by what Christ did. You do have an advocate with the Father pleading for you. You are forgiven and free, don't listen to the lie that tries to convince you of sin and guilt and condemnation. That captivity has been led captive, and you have authority over it in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Living in the Word

Today at 16:00 my programme is broadcast on the Spirit Word Channel. The name of the programme is Living in the Word. It is a series of 4 programmes broadcast on the first Tuesday of each month at 16:00 or 4pm Central Africa Time (GMT+2). We have died with Christ to sin and the law, and have been justified, set free and placed in a position of rulership through His grace. Find out more by watching.

I believe it will really bless you, so don't miss it. If you can't watch it, you can order it on CD or DVD. Cd's cost R20 and DVD's cost R50. You can place and order by e-mail at contact@christlife.co.za

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Vital knowledge and true wisdom

We do not need all kinds of knowledge. We need vital knowledge or true wisdom. Vital knowledge is that kind of knowledge which produces life, which is the wisdom of God. To the Jews, its a stumbling block. To the Greeks it's foolishness, but to us, the Gospel is the power of God and the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is not only the knowledge or the information of the Gospel, but it is the intimate knowledge of the Person Jesus Christ. Intimate knowledge is that which you have experienced of the Person Jesus Christ. To know someone intimately is different than to know things about that person.

Truth is not correct information. Truth is a Person, Jesus Christ. This Person is also a place to dwell in. We can live in Christ, in Truth, in the Spirit. The Spirit searches out the bottomless things of God, and reveals it to us. People with a mindset of information and law can never know this, because it is revealed in fellowship of the heart with the Spirit, and not in studying of information with the brain. Love can not be learnt in books, but can be felt only in experience of intimate fellowship. The hearing and believing of the Gospel (of what Jesus did on the cross for us) produces the experience of this love. The Gospel directs your heart to the source of life, which is the cross of Christ.

If all the knowledge in the world is like a target, like a dart board, knowledge is the big area around the bulls eye with all the sectors and marks and stripes, and God's wisdom is the bulls eye. People want to know God, and then they set off trying to know more of God. They try to figure out how they can be more acceptable to God. They try to gain more knowledge about Him, in stead of becoming more acquainted with Him as a Person. We do not need to expand our field of knowledge about God, but to go deeper into vital knowledge. We need a deeper revelation of that which is the very core of life. Everything flows from there, and nothing we need in life is excluded. In fellowship with God, our every need is met, and our every question is answered. If we try to get the answers in stead of getting to know the Person, our focus is misdirected, and we miss the bulls eye. All our answers will then be wrong. If we stop trying to know everything with our minds, and start to experience Him with our hearts, all the answers are open and plainly seen, because He reveals it to your heart.

God's wisdom is foolishness to the world. The wisdom of God is Jesus Christ crucified. If someone claims to have revelation, and it is not consistent with Christ and Him crucified, that "revelation" is no revelation at all, but simply misdirected knowledge, which is just another distraction from Christ our Wisdom.

At the cross, the love of God toward us is demonstrated. You will never know God, if you try to please Him. But He will reveal Himself to you in an instant when you simply receive His sacrifice of His life for you with your heart, as an act of love towards you, and not as doctrine and information that needs to be studied and processed. We need not to try and know more. We need God to reveal deeper and deeper insight into what He did for us; into the small bulleye. At the surface, this bullseye has a small surface area, and seems like a small amount of knowledge, but it is deep knowledge. Deep and bottomless.

We don't need more surface knowledge, but deeper understanding and revelation of the knowledge we have already heard and attained. You think you know what Christ did for you on the cross. If you did, there would be no condemnation in your life, all your prayers would be answered instantly, and you would be a perfect person. So clearly we need Him to tell us more about what He did. We need Him to reveal to us the deep and bottomless things of God, which came our way through the cross of Christ.

Now imagine this bulls eye to be shaped like a funnel. The deeper you enter into it, the closer it draws you to the centre. This centre is the core of life. This is the core of our existence and needs to be our only focus: Jesus Christ's love for us, demonstrated on the cross of Golgotha. The more He reveals to you about the cross, the more true wisdom you will have, and the more you will experience Him, and the inheritance He gave you. The more we look elsewhere for knowledge, the less we will know Him.

If we browse around on the rest of the target, we will only move away from Him, and learn things about Him from an outside perspective. This can never fulfill you. The more we study doctrines, and laws, the less we experience Him. The more we meditate on what He did on the cross, the more He gets an opportunity to reveal Himself to us. Forget everything which is not Christ. He will reveal all knowledge to you. Just trust Him, and realise that He did everything for you!

Keep on hearing the Gospel. Keep on hearing about what Jesus did for you, and close your ears to interesting facts about Him. Close your ears to disputes and debates about whether Jesus truely lived, or whether he rised, or whatever else. Close your hearts to fruitless reasonings about things surrounding Him, like traditions of the times, rituals and feasts. Close your hearts to disputes about doctrines, social issues, and church politics. He lives now. He lives in you if you believe, and He is faithful! You will truly experience Him!

You need to know that He loves you, that you are totally forgiven forever, and that He has no judgement in His heart towards you.

1 Cor 1:17 For Christ (the Messiah) sent me out not to baptize but [to evangelize by] preaching the glad tidings (the Gospel), and that not with verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain (fruitless, void of value, and of no effect).
1:18 For the story and message of the cross is sheer absurdity and folly to those who are perishing and on their way to perdition, but to us who are being saved it is the [manifestation of] the power of God.
1:19 For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learning of the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify [them] and bring [them] to nothing.
1:20 Where is the wise man (the philosopher)? Where is the scribe (the scholar)? Where is the investigator (the logician, the debater) of this present time and age? Has not God shown up the nonsense and the folly of this world's wisdom?
1:21 For when the world with all its earthly wisdom failed to perceive and recognize and know God by means of its own philosophy, God in His wisdom was pleased through the foolishness of preaching [salvation, procured by Christ and to be had through Him], to save those who believed (who clung to and trusted in and relied on Him).
1:22 For while Jews [demandingly] ask for signs and miracles and Greeks pursue philosophy and wisdom,
1:23 We preach Christ (the Messiah) crucified, [preaching which] to the Jews is a scandal and an offensive stumbling block [that springs a snare or trap], and to the Gentiles it is absurd and utterly unphilosophical nonsense.
1:24 But to those who are called, whether Jew or Greek (Gentile), Christ [is] the Power of God and the Wisdom of God.
1:25 [This is] because the foolish thing [that has its source in] God is wiser than men, and the weak thing [that springs] from God is stronger than men.
1:26 For [simply] consider your own call, brethren; not many [of you were considered to be] wise according to human estimates and standards, not many influential and powerful, not many of high and noble birth.
1:27 [No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame.
1:28 And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are,
1:29 So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.
1:30 But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing
with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].
1:31 So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.

1 Cor 2:1 AS FOR myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God [concerning what He has done through Christ for the salvation of men] in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom;
2:2 For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified.
2:3 And I was in (passed into a state of) weakness and fear (dread) and great trembling [after I had come] among you.
2:4 And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power [a proof by the Spirit and power of God, operating on me and stirring in the minds of my hearers the most holy emotions and thus persuading them],
2:5 So that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men (human philosophy), but in the power of God.
2:6 Yet when we are among the full-grown (spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding), we do impart a [higher] wisdom (the knowledge of the divine plan previously hidden); but it is indeed not a wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and
rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away.
2:7 But rather what we are setting forth is a wisdom of God once hidden [from the human understanding] and now revealed to us by God-[that wisdom] which God devised and decreed before the ages for our glorification [to lift us into the glory of His presence].
2:8 None of the rulers of this age or world perceived and recognized and understood this, for if they had, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.
2:9 But, on the contrary, as the Scripture says, What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and
gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed].
2:10 Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man's scrutiny].
2:11 For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
2:12 Now we have not received the spirit [that belongs to] the world, but the [Holy] Spirit Who is from God, [given to us] that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts [of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly] bestowed on us by God.
2:13 And we are setting these truths forth in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the [Holy] Spirit, combining and interpreting spiritual truths with spiritual language [to those who possess the Holy Spirit].
2:14 But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.
2:15 But the spiritual man tries all things [he examines, investigates, inquires into, questions, and discerns all things], yet is himself to be put on trial and judged by no one [he can read the meaning of everything, but no one can properly discern or appraise or get an insight into him].
2:16 For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

Heb 12:12:1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,
12:2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
12:3 Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

I pray that the simplicity which is in Christ will be revealed to you, and that you will know the deep boundless and bottomless things of God!

Blessings!

Gerrit

The balance is in your favour! WAAAAYYY in your favour!

In Romans chapter 4, Paul explains how the righteousness which is of faith can be ours. Rom chapter 3 said that the righteousness which is of faith is revealed altogether apart from the law. How then is it revealed? By the Holy Spirit through faith. As it is written, Abraham believed and it was accounted or credited to him as righteousness (Gen15:6, the whole Rom4, James 2:23, Gal 3:6).

Rom 3:23 says that all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God, but verse 24 says that all have been justified freely by His grace. Now, if we look at a debit and a credit account, you get debts, and you get credits. Expenditures and Income. All men sinned through Adam, therefore all men have such great debts that they will never be able to pay it. According to Gal 3:20, the Law was a contract between God and Israel. All men sinned, but Israel got that contract with which they thought they could buy back their righteousness. The law and prophets testified about Jesus Christ, who came and paid the account in full, and all the debts were gone. So Abraham believed in the glad tidings preached to him, the promise, and Melchizedek ministered bread and wine (the Gospel) to him and he believed (Gen 14:18), and that faith was accounted to him for righteousness.

Rom 4:5 says But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God).

Rom 4:23-25 says But [the words], It was credited to him, were written not for his sake alone, But [they were written] for our sakes too. [Righteousness, standing acceptable to God] will be granted and credited to us also who believe in (trust in, adhere to, and rely on) God, Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, Who was betrayed and put to death because of our misdeeds and was raised to secure our justification (our acquittal), [making our account balance and absolving us from all guilt before God].

How great is that! Wonderful! This is indeed glorious. Our whole debt account is paid. The thing is though, if Jesus only balanced the account, and we sinned again, He would have had to come and suffer again after we sinned again.

Heb 9:25-26 Nor did He [enter into the heavenly sanctuary to] offer Himself regularly again and again, as the high priest enters the [Holy of] Holies every year with blood not his own. For then would He often have had to suffer [over and over again] since the foundation of the world. But as it now is, He has once for all at the consummation and close of the ages appeared to put away and abolish sin by His sacrifice [of Himself].

He put away and abolished sin in totality on the cross. Even the sins that had not yet been committed. His sacrifice was once for all, for all time, for all sin, for all people. This means that God did not only forgive your past sins, but all the sins of all time the world ever committed, forever. The sacrifice was for sin, all sin!

This is the bread and the wine. This is the Gospel of Christ. This is His sacrifice. It shall avail for all time! Sin will never be able to be bigger than the sacrifice, and grace of God. It can truly be said that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound Rom 5:20

Now, back to our debit and credit accounts. If the debts were too large to pay, and Christ only settled the debts to where it was manifested then, His sacrifice would not cover future sins. So now. His free gift is not at all to be compared to the tresspass.

Rom 5:15-17 But God's free gift is not at all to be compared to the trespass [His grace is out of all proportion to the fall of man]. For if many died through one man's falling away (his lapse, his offense), much more profusely did God's grace and the free gift [that comes] through the undeserved favor of the one Man Jesus Christ abound and overflow to and for [the benefit of] many. Nor is the free gift at all to be compared to the effect of that one [man's] sin. For the sentence [following the trespass] of one [man] brought condemnation, whereas the free gift [following] many transgressions brings justification (an act of righteousness). For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God's] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

The account of sin was balanced, yes, but much more than that! We received something far better. Something out of all comparisson to the fall of man. Think of all sin of all men of all time as a drop of blood. The superceding, greater gift, that balanced out that drop, is the ocean of God's grace. Yes the sin was cancelled, but far greater than that, we have been given God's own righteousness.

If I were an insolvent man, my debts would be more than my assets. The proportion of Christ's free gift is só great, that I would never be able to get into debts great enough that it would exceed the gift. If I were a sinner the effect of His free blessing would be so great that I would never be able to outsin His grace. No matter what I do from this point on. I will never ever have any debt ever again. All my sins are forgiven.

This doesn't give you the mandate to live in sin, because the blessing is so much greater. Why would you want to try and remain in debt, when you can just go and enjoy the blessing. Why would I want to try and sin, if I can now enjoy the presence of Christ? But we do not carry this revelation in perfection yet, therefore we will still regress back to old habits now and then, but it doesn't matter, because His righteousness can not be touched by my sin. His blessing can not be touched by my debts! Think of the drop in the ocean. Even if you have all the sin of all time in your life, its still just a drop, and His grace is still the ocean. Wake up! You are not guilty! Your sin is not such a big deal! His blessing gives you the ability to live the Christ life.

Its like having a $500 fine that you can not pay, and you get a free gift of $ 1000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000. Will this free gift make you want to try and get out of your fine all day long? Will you then try to justify yourself and write letters to the authorities to try and quash the fine, to lower the standard of the law so you can be justified yourself? Or are you going to go and buy yourself a yaught and go fishing? Do we believe His sacrifice is enough to pay for my sin and more? We need to believe that the grace of Christ is indeed enough. Believe in His sacrifice! Do you want to remain in sin all the time, or do you want to go and cure HIV/Aids and Cancer, and raise people from the dead? Do you still want to try and overcome your own sinfulness, or do you want the blind to see, the lame to walk and the deaf to hear? Realise what you have. Start owning your blessing, then you will not be so focussed on the debt that you thought you had.

Jesus did not give you a weak and poor and sickly blessing. He did a good job on the cross and blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies (Eph1:3). I'm sorry, but what He did on the cross weighs more than your little drop of sin!

Isn't that great news? No more sacrifices for sin. No more remembrance of sin (Heb 10:17-18). No more trying to convince God that you're sorry enough for Him to forgive you. You are already forgiven. Accept it, believe it. Then you can start walking in the perfection of Christ: this mystery, which He has placed within you and which He is revealing to you by His Holy Spirit, is Christ in us, the hope of glory!

Have a blessed day

Gerrit

Broadcasting on the Spirit Word Channel

Hello Christ Life Readers.

I am going to Spirit Word Ministries to record TV programmes for the Spirit Word Channel soon. Every 4 months I will record four Programmes for Living in the Word. One will be broadcasted every month. This is a fantastic opportunity to preach the Word of God to about 400 000 000 viewers. Please pray for me, and support the TV vision financially. If you want to be a TV partner, please send me your e-mail to contact@christlife.co.za, and send me your personal details, so that I can send you progress reports, TV feedback, and news letters.

The TV account is payed, but I still need support for the recording and editing of the programmes. The longer we wait, the longer it will take to get the Word out on the airwaves.

If you want to contribute financially, please use the following banking details:

Christ Life Ministries
Standard Bank South Africa
Menlyn Square Branch, 01-23-45
Current Account, 081 325 592
Swift Code: SBZA ZAJJ

Let's get the Word of Life out to the people of the world, and change as many hearts as we can reach!

Blessings

Gerrit

Sinner or Saint?

We as Christians believe that Jesus Christ died for us on the cross, laying down His own life for us, so that whosoever believes might be saved and inherit eternal life (Jn 3:16), and whosoever disbelieves remains condemned under the law by which they could not be justified Jn3:17; Jn 5:45 ; Rom 3:20; Acts 13:39). We've heard for centuries that our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ (1Jn1:7). We know that we are saved by His free grace (Eph 2:8), and not by any works that we may have done. We know that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law (Gal3:13), we believe that we are no longer under the law, but under grace (Rom 6:14). Why then do we still feel condemned?

Do we really believe He carried our sins, or do we still want to make right? Do we really believe that His blood cleanses us and keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations (1Jn1:7) or do we still believe that we are sinners, who still need to be cleansed. When will we enter the promises of God which is yea and amen in Christ, now or one day in heaven, one day when we die?

At some stage you need to realise that something has changed since Jesus Christ died on the cross. Heb 10:17-18 says (Amplified) "He then goes on to say, And their sins and their lawbreaking I will remember no more. Now where there is absolute remission (forgiveness and cancellation of the penalty) of these [sins and lawbreaking], there is no longer any offering made to atone for sin." You can not make right what you messed up. Jesus made it right 2000 years ago. That's why we believe! He's not out to judge you, He wants you to be safe and sound (John 3:17). He wants you to realise that He has already dealt with all your sins!

Now here comes the whole point: Since you are redeemed by His blood, you are no longer a sinner! You are now a saint! Rom 3:23-24 says: "Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. [All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus" Rom 4:5 says "But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God)." Heb 10:10 "And in accordance with this will [of God], we have been made holy (consecrated and sanctified) through the offering made once for all of the body of Jesus Christ (the Anointed One)." Heb 10:14 "For by a single offering He has forever completely cleansed and perfected those who are consecrated and made holy." You are a holy saint by faith in the power of the blood of Jesus Christ. Why do you still listen to the voice of condemnation coming from the law?

1Tim 1:9 (Amp) "Knowing and understanding this: that the Law is not enacted for the righteous (the upright and just, who are in right standing with God), but for the lawless and unruly, for the ungodly and sinful..."
1 Tim 1:9 (KJV) "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners..." Where do you believe you fit in? In the category of the sinners and the guilty, or in the category of the holy blessed saints who are sanctified and consecrated by grace by the blood of Jesus through faith?

If you are a faith person, you are totally and absolutely free, guiltless and holy. Not by what you did, but by what He did! If you are a law person, you always come short of reaching your goal. You always feel guilty and never have any form of boldness toward God, never mind love toward Him! You can not be a faith person when you cling to the law! You are either a sinner, or a saint. Either totally condemned, or totally saved. Either holy, as God is holy, by the sacrifice of Jesus, or totally wicked and evil like the devil. Which side are you on? What do you believe?

Either the blood of Jesus is stronger than your sinful nature, or it isn't. If it is, you are holy, if it isn't, nothing will ever be able to make you holy! You are either in Adam with all the sinful passions of the flesh, or you are in Christ, with all the bliss of the Holy Spirit and the inheritance of the Spirit and power we have in Him.

You must choose between flesh and spirit. You must choose between death and life. You can't have both.

The law of Moses was added later on because of transgression. The law was given to the sinful Israelites in the desert, because they refused to believe the message of promise, the Gospel which was preached to them in Egypt (Heb 4:1-2). They even ate the pass over meal, which shows to the death of Christ and the communion table. The law was given to them because of unbelief. (Gal 3:19; Is 28:12-14). They did not want to hear and did not want to believe the Gospel when it was again preached to them after the crucifixion of Christ. Because of their unbelief they were broken off from the vine and cast away as the people of God (Rom 11:20-23) and the Gospel went to the Gentile nations which would bear the fruit thereof. Now the Jews need faith in Christ to be grafted in again, just like Gentiles. Paul said in Gal 4:12 "Brethren, I beg of you, become as I am [free from the bondage of Jewish ritualism and ordinances], for I also have become as you are [a Gentile]."

If you cling to the law now, you are actively resisting the saving power of the cross of Christ. If you believe that you are still a sinner after coming to believe in Him, you are actively resisting the grace which is offered to you. All the epistles are given to the saints at Corinth, to the saints at Ephesus. The Gospel speaks to the saints, who are justified freely by grace, who are washed in the blood and consecrated to God, who are the temple of the Holy Spirit! If we are truly the temple of the Holy Spirit, then surely we are sanctified by the blood, because the Holy Spirit will not dwell with iniquity.

The Gospel is the only way to know the Holy Spirit. If we believe the Gospel, we believe the sacrifice, and we are holy. If we read the law, we distrust His sacrifice and try to bring our own. The Law was given to the unrighteous, to those who refuse to believe that they are righteous by His sacrifice. The Gospel was given to those who never tried by the law, the Gentiles, who were excluded, so that it could never be by the works of man, but of grace and by faith. We who do not try by the law, are justified, because we believe in Him who justifies the ungodly.

Religion is for unrighteous men who still think they need to become righteous by their deeds. The need for religion comes from a deep seated belief that one is sinful, i.e a deep seated unbelief or distrust in the free gift of the forgiveness of Christ. This creates the need to justify and redeem one's self, leaving the religious struggling against a sinfulness that their very struggle sustains. No law can justify you.

If then we are truly justified by His blood, it means that we are free from accusation and sanction which the law could bring upon us. This means that there is a just cause for you to assume the identity of a holy person. You are clean (Jn 15:3), therefore you can regard yourself as clean and holy!

You have faith in Christ. You have faith in God. Now you need to lose your faith in your own sinfulness. The lower nature is in Adam, not in Christ. Christ's sacrifice is stronger than Adam's sin (Rom5:17), so much stronger in fact, that it is not even to be compared.

We are totally forgiven, and set free. The Holy Spirit has made us His home (Jn 14:23). So now you are filled with His ability. You are filled with the Holiness of God Himself. You have been made His righteousness (2 Cor 5:21). Now we believe that He Himself is in us, and His ability is our ability.

I will explain it like this: in an aerosol can, there is compressed gas, which can be released by pushing the nozzle on the top. The ability of that gas, becomes our ability, when we have sufficient faith that the gas is in fact in the can. Air freshner for example, is found in an aerosol can. Press the nozzle, and the gas which has the ability to produce a fragrant odour, is released. You are then concidered to be the one who released it.

Scuba gear: If a Scuba diver has no faith in his scuba gear, he will drown under water, because he doesn't have the natural ability to breathe under water. If he however has simple faith that there is air in the tank, he will reach out for the DV (Demand Valve - through which a scuba diver breathes) and he will have the ability to breath under water. Faith will always lead to certain deeds. If then it is true that this cylinder has breathable air on the inside, the diver will reach out and use it.

We are filled with the Holy Spirit, the very essence of the Life of God. The very same spirit that raised Christ from the dead (Rom 8:11). This is like compressed holiness in us. If we can have simple faith that He is in fact in us, His ability becomes our ability. By faith, we the believer then reaches out and places a demand on His ability which is resident in him. If Christ lives in us, His ability also lives in us. Jesus is with the Father, and we are with Him on the throne (Eph 2:6). The Father is in Him, He in the Father. He is in us, and we in Him. Because we are ultimately one by the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us, His ability becomes ours. Jn 14:12 "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father." We believe that He exists (Heb 11:6) and that He will do through us what we believe He could do in His own body on earth, therefore, us believers reach out and lay our hands on the sick and see them recover. What we believe, we carry in our bodies, in our hearts. Faith that Christ paid the price, and that through Him we have an inheritance by the Holy Spirit, makes us conscious of the reality of Christ in us, and faith works become a reality.

The woman with the issue of blood (Matt 9:20-22; Mark 5:25-34; Lk 8:43-48) pressed through the crowd, because she had faith in the ability of Christ which was in Jesus. She touched His garment, and immediately, her issue of blood dried up. Jesus perceived that someone had touched Him, because He felt virtue go out of Him. The origional language reads: "someone has placed a demand on My ability". She was healed, because she had faith in Christ. Now we can do the works of Christ, because that same Christ now dwells in our bodies! We are Christians! If you are a Christian, you are a believer, which makes you justified, holy, sanctified, and which qualifies you to work the works of Christ! Hearing and believing the Gospel produces the ability of God Himself inside you, and you become His representative on earth. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God that is preached, which is, Jesus Christ and Him crucified!

Bless you!

Gerrit

The Vision of Christ Life Ministries

Last week Friday, God blessed me so much in Colosians 1. I just realised that this is my heart in ministry. I know that God has called me for the ministry, to minister the Spirit of Christ to all people, to everyone who receives me. This scripture just cemented it in my heart. There is a specific purpose God has with the preaching of the Word. It is to make the Word of God fully known to all people. The Word then in turn has the power to save our souls if it finds entrance into our hearts, and is rooted and implanted in our hearts (James1:21 So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls.)

The Word then works perfection in us. So what am I called for? To make the Word of God known to all men, so that I can present them mature, and perfect in Christ. What a vision. What a task. How is such a great vision possible? Only by grace. Only by His superhuman energy which He so powerfully works in us. I will preach this Gospel untill the very last person on earth looks like, walks like, and talks like Christ. Only His Word and His Spirit has the ability to accomplish this.

So here comes the scripture:

Col 1:25-29

In it I became a minister in accordance with the divine stewardship which was entrusted to me for you [as its object and for your benefit], to make the Word of God fully known [among you]-The mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations [from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints), To whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of [realizing the] glory. Him we preach and proclaim, warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature (full-grown, fully initiated, complete, and perfect) in Christ (the Anointed One). For this I labor [unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me.

About 5 years ago I had a vision. In this vision I was in darkness, holding something like a dark veil over my head. I felt someone pull on the veil like object over my head, and it was pulled off me. I saw light and as I looked up into the light, I was elevated from my dark surroundings to look from above. I saw a landscape of veils draped over the heads of people. I went down, and pulled a veil from someone else's head, and the person saw the light and was elevated. I started to fly over this landscape, pulling as many veils off people's heads as possible. Some people persisted and rejected the light, saying NO! Leave me under the veil! Others welcomed the light, and joined me in flying over this landscape of veiled people, removing the veils with me. Then God gave me 2 Cor 3:15-18:
3:15 Yes, down to this [very] day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their minds and hearts.
3:16 But whenever a person turns [in repentance] to the Lord, the veil is stripped off and taken away.
3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).
3:18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

This means that every sinner will receive God's uncoditional forgiveness, every sick person will be healed, every poor person will be amply supplied for, every distressed person will receive peace! This is a Kingdom Vision. It is not only for one man. Join me in reaching every person on the planet, making the Word of God fully known to them, so that they can be presented perfect in Christ!

If you want to learn more, visit http://www.christlife.co.za/, or e-mail me at contact@christlife.co.za, or come and join us in our the services, at the Alkantrand Community Library Hall, c/o Lynnwood & Daventry, Lynnrodene, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Sundays @ 17:00 (5pm) and Wednesdays @ 19:00 (7pm). There is a detailed map on the website.

Bless you!

G

God is on your side!

Psalm 121:1 I WILL lift up my eyes to the hills [around Jerusalem, to sacred Mount Zion and Mount Moriah]-From whence shall my help come?

121:2 My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

121:3 He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber.

121:4 Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

121:5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield].

121:6 The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.

121:7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life.

121:8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Psalm 124:1 IF IT had not been the Lord Who was on our side-now may Israel say-124:2 If it had not been the Lord Who was on our side when men rose up against us,

124:3 Then they would have quickly swallowed us up alive when their wrath was kindled against us;

124:4 Then the waters would have overwhelmed us and swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;

124:5 Then the proud waters would have gone over us.

124:6 Blessed be the Lord, Who has not given us as prey to their teeth!

124:7 We are like a bird escaped from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped!

124:8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Rom 7:24 O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death?

7:25 O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord!

Rom 8:31 What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]

8:32 He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?

8:33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?]

8:34 Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?

8:35 Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?

8:36 Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.

8:37 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.

8:38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,

8:39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE!

There is nothing He won't save you from. There is nothing He won't help you with. God is for you. Embrace Him. Let Him help you! Stop trying so hard to be strong. God is strong for you. Let Him fight. Stand back and let Him move. The battle is not yours, the battle is the Lord's!

1 Sam 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands. (David speaking to Goliath).

Ex 14:13 Moses told the people, Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again.

14:14 The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest.

God is with you. God is for you. He will deliver you from everything that stands against you. Fear not!

Ps 34:17 [The righteous] cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

When trouble come, rejoice, for the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. When temptation comes, rejoice, for the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

Bless you

G

Run to God!

I have a Word from the Lord to you.

Prov 18:10 The name of the LORD [is] a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Ps34:8 O taste and see that the LORD [is] good

Ps 37:3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.

Ps118:5 I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, [and set me] in a large place.
118:6 The LORD [is] on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
118:7 The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see [my desire] upon them that hate me.
118:8 [It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
118:9 [It is] better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

118:14 The LORD [is] my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
118:15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation [is] in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
118:16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
118:17 I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.

Zeph 3:12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall trust in the name of the LORD.
3:13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make [them] afraid.
3:14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
3:15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, [even] the LORD, [is] in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
3:16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: [and to] Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee [is] mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

We need to realise that God is only good, and that there is not even a spot of evil on Him. He loves you dearly! The message God gave me is simply this. Run to Him, He wants to help you and save you out of your mess! Even if you think things are going well. Run to Him. If you feel guilty, run to Him. Never shun away from Him. If you think He's against you, you are deceived!

He is you strength, you stronghold, your strong tower, your rock, your refuge. You can trust Him. Experience His goodness for yourself. Taste and see that He is good. Always run to Him!

Hab 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the [victorious] God of my salvation!
3:19 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds' feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]! For the Chief Musician; with my stringed instruments.

Heb 4:12 For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.
4:13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.
4:14 Inasmuch then as we have a great High Priest Who has [already] ascended and passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession [of faith in Him].
4:15 For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
4:16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].

You can really trust Him. He will never condemn you:
John 5:45 Put out of your minds the thought and do not suppose [as some of you are supposing] that I will accuse you before the Father. There is one who accuses you-it is Moses, the very one on whom you have built your hopes [in whom you trust].

He has shared feeling of what you are going through. It is time to let God help you and enjoy the benefits of your inheritance in Him. He will never change. His love is the antidote to your sinfulness. His love dissipates iniquity and sickness from you. Come boldly to Him. He is your only salvation!

Bless you

Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh

Hello all of you

Yesterday morning as I got up, God spoke to me.

Gal 5:16 [This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
5:17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

God simply put verse 16 in my heart. Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

Now before we go on, lusts in this context speaks of the works of the flesh made manifest, not only sexual lust, but all things that the flesh nature is and wants. Anything which is not the fruit of the Spirit.

The lust of the flesh comes out of the mind of the flesh, and the mind of the flesh can not submit itself unto God. This causes quite the predicament. In our hearts we carry the Spirit of God, and we want to be led by him. If we however lend our ears and minds to the preaching of the law of Moses, our minds are polluted with doctrines concerning the flesh and the mind of the flesh. This causes the sinful nature to revive, and the law causes forbidden lusts to surface and assume control of our bodies, and minds. Now the mind of the flesh can not submit unto God (Rom8:7). This means that the longer we are exposed to the law, the more we are subject to the carnal desires of the flesh, which are stirred up by the law, and causes the mind of the flesh to arise, which can not submit unto God. Rom 7:8 But sin, finding opportunity in the commandment [to express itself], got a hold on me and aroused and stimulated all kinds of forbidden desires (lust, covetousness).

So now what? The answer is clear in Galatians 5:16. We need not try to conquer our flesh nature. The flesh nature was killed 2000 years ago on the cross. We need to realise that we have died, and live who we really are, people who are devinely called. People filled with the Spirit of the Most High God. Christians, who believe in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. We need to walk in the Spirit in stead of trying to fix the flesh first.

The answer is not in trying not to sin. Victory is not in refraining from the desires of the flesh. Victory is in walking in the Spirit. Victory is in letting the Spirit express Himself through us.

You have already been justified freely by His grace. Don't feel condemned about your sin. However great it may seem, the price Jesus paid was greater! If you had done something condemnable, the source of your fleshly deed comes from meddling with the flesh. It means that your mind had been dwelling in the law, which tells you to change the flesh, and sin used its opportunity and stimulated the desire in you, which ultimately expressed itself in a fleshly deed. The flesh was manifested. Your flesh deed does not annull what Jesus Christ did for you. What you believe is much more important. YOU ARE FORGIVEN!

If you want to live in constant moral victory, you need to really take notice of what I am saying now. Repent from yourself, your own sinfulness, your sin, your law. Turn to Christ, His salvation, His cross, His blood. Never take your mind off Him! Life is in Him. Everything you need is in Christ. You have been placed in Christ already. You have free access to Christ NOW. Turn to Him, receive His forgiveness, which has no conditions. Keep on thinking on Him. You are in Christ.

Don't try to fix what you did. Don't try to make promises. You will break them. You need to realise that Jesus loves you despite your sinfulness. That's why He died, and washed you in His blood. Thats why He made you holy. Its by His mercy, His grace, and His decision. You just get the rewards.

I don't care what you struggle with. Break away from it. Walk in the Spirit, in stead of walking in the flesh. Walk in the light, in stead of trying to make yourself better. The light is this message: His grace is there for you. You are forgiven! You are already holy. You have been made holy by Him. He loves you all the same. Forget the what if's. You are already with him. One with Him forever.

I pray that Jesus Christ will reveal Himself to you, and that you will experience His love. Forgetting what lies behind. Knowing His love for you, is walking in the Spirit.

Bless you

Your Liberty is Secure

Liberty in general is very much misunderstood. The natural mind would connect the word liberty to a general absence of problems or financial burdens, or even the absence of war or some kind of oppression. This has lead to certain philosophically defined "liberties" that is fortified in the constitutions of the "free world", which is a good thing. It is good not to be detained without a trial, or not to be punished in an inhumane way, or to have freedom of movement, thought and speech, but this is not really freedom.

People are so focussed on the defence of their liberties and their rights, that they totally abandon the actual experience of their liberty. People get so carried away with their quest to succeed, that they never enjoy what they already have.

The real issues regarding liberty and bondage has more to do with what goes on in our hearts and minds. It has a whole lot to do with how we see God, and Who we think He is. Most people aren't even aware of the fact that we can have any kind of fellowship with God. With fellowship I mean a real experience with a real Person, not imagining what we suppose to be fellowship with Him.

Our reasoning is clouded by the law, because we think that we need to do something in order to obtain something, when Christ Jesus died for us to restore fellowship with us. He died to reconcile us to God. This act of Christ has made our trying to be better in order to reach His presence totally obsolete.

2 Cor 3:15 Yes, down to this [very] day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their minds and hearts.
3:16 But whenever a person turns [in repentance] to the Lord, the veil is stripped off and taken away.
3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).
3:18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

2 Cor 5:17 Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
5:18 But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].
5:19 It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).

In this lies our freedom, that we believe that Christ Jesus has made us free by His dying on the cross. The Truth of all time is Jesus Christ crucified for humanity.

John 8:32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.
8:33 They answered Him, We are Abraham's offspring (descendants) and have never been in bondage to anybody. What do You mean by saying, You will be set free?
8:34 Jesus answered them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Whoever commits and practices sin is the slave of sin.
8:35 Now a slave does not remain in a household permanently (forever); the son [of the house] does remain forever.
8:36 So if the Son liberates you [makes you free men], then you are really and unquestionably free.

How are we freed from sin? By faith in Christ. We simply believe that His sacrifice included all the sin we ever committed. We believe that He redeemed us, and has restored fellowship with us by paying for our misdeads. We believe that He has forgiven us by dying for us!

There is no wall of seperation between you and God, because all your sins are forgiven. If you believe this, and not teachings of the law, which tells you to be better in order to have fellowship with Him, your sins are gone, and you will have true unbroken fellowship with Him. This fellowship is by the blood of Jesus Christ, and is sustained by His blood. His blood washed us clean and keeps us clean from all sin in all its forms and manifestation.

Those who believe do not sin. Those who believe not always sin, all their works are condemned, because they do not except the price that Jesus paid for us. In the New Testament, sin is unbelief in Christ. Sin is unbelief in the forgiveness of Christ. The moment you believe it though, that sin is also washed away by grace.

Therefore the Apostle Paul speaks truly in 2 Cor 3:17, in that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.

Preachers, God did not save you to put you in the bondage of churches. People get saved and reflect Christ momentarily, before being put in pigeon holes for the rest of their lives, not allowing them any freedom to express their faith in God, but expected to perform according to church rules, doctrines, and structures. That is sick. Set God's people free. Let them be who they are. How will they be who they truly are? Tell them, and keep on telling them what Christ has done for them on the cross, and that He has set us free by grace and love, and stop trying to manipulate and control God's people. Stop telling them what to do to please God. God loved them before the world was made, even while they were sinners. THAT'S WHY HE DIED! All people qualify to enter God's presence if they believe that they are forgiven through Christ's sacrifice. Stop making Christ exclusive, and preach forgiveness.

The hearing of the message of Christ brings the Holy Spirit to people's hearts (Gal3:1-3) Preach what Jesus did, and the Holy Spirit will work in them. He sets them free. He changes them, not the preachers! It is the prerogative of Christ alone to change the heart of a man towards God. Just preach Christ, and liberate God to fulfill His hearts desire to set His people free!

Gal 5:1 IN [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].
5:2 Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no profit (advantage, avail) to you [for if you distrust Him, you can gain nothing from Him].
5:3 I once more protest and testify to every man who receives circumcision that he is under obligation and bound to practice the whole of the Law and its ordinances.
5:4 If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God's gracious favor and unmerited blessing).
5:5 For we, [not relying on the Law but] through the [Holy] Spirit's [help], by faith anticipate and wait for the blessing and good for which our righteousness and right standing with God [our conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action, causes us] to hope.
5:6 For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.
5:7 You were running the race nobly. Who has interfered in (hindered and stopped you from) your heeding and following the Truth?
5:8 This [evil] persuasion is not from Him Who called you [Who invited you to freedom in Christ].
5:9 A little leaven (a slight inclination to error, or a few false teachers) leavens the whole lump [it perverts the whole conception of faith or misleads the whole church].

According to Romans 7, the preaching of the Law, only gives power to sin, and stirs up unholy desires. Therfore, the preaching of the law, keeps people in bondage to sin, slaves of sin. The preaching of Christ, will set the hearts and minds of people free to know Him, and the fruit thereof will always be the fruit of the Spirit of God.

Liberty is only found in Christ. The preaching of Christ can never be mixed with the bondage of the Law of Moses.

Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then [is it] no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if [it be] of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

I pray that you will truly experience the freedom of Christ, the emancipation from the bondage of the law, the freedom from the fear of death. I pray that you will experience God for Who He really is, Love, and Goodness. I pray that the veil will be removed from your hearts, so that the Spirit can truly revive you and set you free.

Bless you

Bear fruit unto God

We've all heard that we need to bear fruit unto God. We've heard that faith without works is dead, and then feel guilty and inadequite, because we don't see the fruit in our lives. The thing is, we missed the power of the concept of a tree bearing fruit. God's idea is not for us to put pressure on ourselves, trying to bear fruit, but to be whom He made us to be. I can only be myself. I can not be anyone else. If I were to try to be anyone else, I would stop being myself, and present a deceiving image to the people around me, pruducing works that does not flow out of my identity. All the works flowing out of such self effort, effort in trying to be something I am not, are false works, and as fake as a flee market gold watch. I would then be stuck in a life of pretence.

Let me put it this way. Sometimes certain fruit and vegetable grocers use fake plastic fruit as a permanent display in their shop windows. The fruit sometimes look convincingly real, but have no nutritional value. Its intention is never to give nutrition, but to look like it. If I were to be hungry, and were to take a bite from a fake banana, my teeth would hurt, and I would find no pleasure or benefit from the experience. But if I were to sink my teeth into a real banana, I would taste the sweetness of the fruit, and my body would benefit from its nutritional value.

Col 2:20 If then you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things and have escaped from the world's crude and elemental notions and teachings of externalism, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? [Why do you submit to rules and regulations?-such as]

2:21 Do not handle [this], Do not taste [that], Do not even touch [them],

2:22 Referring to things all of which perish with being used. To do this is to follow human precepts and doctrines.
2:23 Such [practices] have indeed the outward appearance [that popularly passes] for wisdom, in promoting self-imposed rigor of devotion and delight in self-humiliation and severity of discipline of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh (the lower nature). [Instead, they do not honor God but serve only to indulge the flesh.]

Teachings with you in the centre, doctrines teaching you to modify your behaviour, have no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh. It only serves to indulge the flesh even more. It only produces a life of pretending that it's real and does work, like plastic fruit.

Sadly the church at large has become a society of pretence. Real fruit is nowhere to be seen and most people only try make a display of fruit convincing enough to look better than their neighbours. An image of what they need to become is etched in their minds, and they constantly try to pass themselves off as that particular image. The true standard of the law is also severely compromised. If we really understood what the law expects from its followers, no one would even try to fulfill it.

People in general have no idea who they are, and only have an image of who they think they're supposed to be. They then copy the behaviour of individuals whom they can see and idolise, and who present desirable images or lifestyles. One individual would do something different or inspiring, and the rest would try to pass themselves off as that person. How many people copy the hair styles, fashion and lifestyles of celebrities, and even the celebrities only show the public a fake glamorous image, the pretence that their lives are indeed picture perfect. Inside however, a lot of those people are empty and dead and are living a torturous life of trying to be someone they created in their own minds. They never get to a point where they are satisfied with who they are.

In church this also happens. A picture is painted in the minds of church goers through doctrine and preaching; a picture of who they're supposed to be. People don't think that they are notable, and think that they must become something which they are not, when in fact Christ already forgave our sins and washed them away with His own blood. This upside down mind set, makes people to pretend that they are what they think they must become. Everyone becomes actors, and no one is truly who they were made to be. This is a terrible waste of people's lives. When we go to church, we need to hear who He really is, so that He can show us who we already are. We need to hear that God is good, and that all our sins are already forgiven, so that we can understand that through His goodness, and through what He did, we are now perfect and holy. This true perception of identity will produce the true fruit, and the power of God will be demonstrated through us.

If I had a garden with a fig tree, it would be ludicrous to expect that tree to bear apples. In the same way, God does not expect of you to be someone you're not. Neither removing undesireable figs from a fig tree, nor trying to force a fig tree to bear apples will produces apples, but planting an apple tree would produce apples. Jesus Christ did pay a price, to redeem the fig trees of the world, in order for them to change in nature, and become apple trees. When we first believed, we were crucified with Christ. Our old nature died, and we were reborn. The fig tree in us was cut down, and an apple tree was planted in its stead. God changed your nature. Now it is simply the nature of the apple tree to bear apples. There is no effort involved. The apple tree is simply being what it was created (or recreated) to be. You were dead in your trespasses, but now you have been made alive by His Spirit in fellowship and union with Him (Eph2:5). It was done to satisfy His intense love for us (Eph 2:4)! Fruit comes in season, and simply out of the nature of the tree. The apple tree doesn't strain itself to produce apples. It just enjoys being an apple tree, and fruit automatically comes.

We have heard the Gospel, and believed it. Now we can trust the Word of God to bear fruit unto God in our lives. We need only to hear what Jesus Christ did for us. That will reveal to us who we really are, and will cause the fruit to come naturally.

John 15:1 I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser.
15:2 Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit.
15:3 You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you].
15:4 Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.
15:5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.
15:6 If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.
15:7 If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
15:8 When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.

Preachers, please, don't try to become like the preacher who has ministered to you. Sometimes preachers manifest the life of Christ and bear fruit unto God, and then others try to imitate the fruit of that preacher. The message of the Gospel has power in itself to produce fruit in your own life. This word changes you as you hear it, and the Spirit of God bears fruit in you! Fruit can never be imitated. Imitation fruit has only one function, and that is to try and convince people that the true fruit is there, but when the people try to eat the fruit, it will not benefit them.

Yes it is the Holy Spirit's fruit in your life, and yes the true works of Christ will happen through you, but the fruit is not produced by our efforts, but by the Holy Spirit. The fruit is produced by the Holy Spirit through the preaching and believing of the Gospel message! Christ died for you, and now lives inside you!

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
5:23 Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].
5:24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires.
5:25 If we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit we have our life in God, let us go forward walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]
5:26 Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.

Hear and receive the message, and let Christ Himself reveal to you who you are. Stop trying to be like other people. Be who God made you. If you copy another preacher it will only irritate the preacher who you are trying to copy, and everyone else will see it's fake. Bear your own fruit. This is only possible by hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God, and welcoming the Holy Spirit into your life. Let Him have free reign in your life, and let Him prompt your every move. He will then produce true fruit that will bring life to all around you, and you will be a beacon of hope to people who desperately need guidance.

I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will reveal to you whom He has made you to be, in Christ. I pray that you will know the freedom of being who you truly are. I pray that the Spirit in you will bear much fruit, bringing life to the world!

Bless you!