There is but a single thing that separates us from the rest of creation. Whether a believer or not, even new age philosophy teaches the power of the spoken word. From this basic idea of captivating our thoughts and being conscious of the words we speak, to understanding that God SPOKE the world into existence (and the immeasurable and incomprehensible power behind that), most of the world can somewhat agree that we are what we say… and that our thoughts and words can determine the course of our life as we know it!

Let me challenge you further by saying that to actually experience the promises of the God-breathed words in our Bibles, we must do much more than speak them. We must understand, believe & practice them.

We all know the story of Adam & Eve and the downward spiral of man from that moment. Most of us are even aware (whether we believe or not) that a man named Jesus Christ was born and crucified to save all of humanity from this original sin. Many of us even profess this Jesus as our Lord & Savior! But really… truly… what does it all mean? What is it all for? and How is it that we still find ourselves with the same sin, the same temptations, the same pain, and the same struggles throughout our lives? Once we are ‘saved’, aren’t we suppose to be transformed? Cleaned? Happy? Free? What is this ‘born again’ thing anyway?? Does it really mean that my life is now boring? Straight-edged? Stuffy? Limited? Isn’t it really just a lifetime of guilt and going against everything our natural selves want to do?

I think this is where many of us get stuck… so here is the revelation that I propose to you… you can choose to open your mind and receive it… or not!

The story of Jesus begins with his immaculate conception through Mary, the only way to be born of God, sinless, and free from original sin of man. Throughout His life and ministry, and to this very day, He is the only man that has ever lived what would be deemed as a ‘perfect life’ in God’s eyes. (Let’s just say we don’t know exactly what that means just yet… just stay with me). But because of this perfect, untainted spirit, He was and is the only perfect sacrifice that was able to cancel out the original sin of man, completely erasing and paying the price for all of us born directly into sin. And so explains the need for his death.

Now, during Jesus’ ministry and before His death, He taught His disciples everything about living a ‘God-perfect’ life (which is all written out for us plain as day in the New Testament… if we read it). And ultimately in John 14 Jesus promises that they will never be alone or without Him, but that God will provide a ‘friend’ or ‘guide’ who is the Spirit of Truth and will “make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. I’m leaving you well and whole.” Not only did Jesus promise his people that follow Him a ‘guide,’ but he also states in John 14:12 that we will do much greater things than He ever did!!! How can this be?? I’m sure that even if you don’t believe, you’ve heard the amazing stories of the miracles Jesus performed. So how is it that we can ever possibly come close?

Well, here’s my answer to you:

1. Jesus was only sent to ‘save’ and to ‘prepare the way’ for us… meaning to teach us how to live, and show us what God really wants from us.
2. Jesus’ ministry only lasted around three years.
3. Jesus’ death provided for our sins to be erased, which gave us freedom from the bondage of sin, and a completely NEW spirit ONLY IF WE BELIEVED AND SPOKE WITH OUR MOUTHS THAT WE BELIEVE ALL OF THIS TO BE TRUE. (Though this places us in the ‘perfect and without sin’ category that Jesus is in, it doesn’t mean that we automatically know how to live pure lives with no distractions, however. Hold that thought!)
4. The third part of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit, our ‘helper, guide, friend,’ is the invisible ‘all-knowing-energy’ (if you will) that God places in our spirit after we release our sin and unbelief through the declaration of Jesus Christ as our Lord (hence the term ‘saved’ from eternal sin and death).

BUT…

From the beginning of time, God has given us the choice of free will. And this choice can still be executed inaccurately even after we are ‘saved’ in Jesus Christ. Though we may be saved from eternal death and sin, we still have to live out our lives on this earth… and THAT is where the ‘understanding and practicing’ the Word of God comes into play. Believing and speaking of God and our faith is never enough to help us through this life. We can never be perfect and do more than Jesus did simply by going through motions. We can still choose to lie, cut-corners, get consumed with money and material things, have sex before marriage, hold grudges, judge one another, get consumed with anger, disrespect authority, turn your back on those in need and live a life of ‘me-first’ forever. This won’t get you into hell… but it may create a hell on earth that will ultimately cause you to carelessly blame God for not ‘saving’ you from a painful, confusing, difficult life now that you are a ‘Christian.’

So how does this help us at all? Well, now that we (Christians) are free… we must be careful not to abuse our freedom! God does NOT save us from ourselves if we do not follow His instructions! He can only protect us and guide us when we READ His words, humble our pride, surrender control, and be guided by the Holy Spirit that lives in us… our subconscious. He will only help those who want help… and to want help means to surrender. This is not easy! Not even for Jesus! Luke 22:41-44 even demonstrates Jesus praying to His Father in the garden to ‘let this cup pass from Him’ meaning He did not want to die… He did not want to go through this because He was scared! But He still surrendered Himself, trusted His Father, and continued to say, ‘But please, not what I want, but what YOU want.’ Jesus knew that God’s plan was bigger… and much better than His own. He knew that the pain He was facing was nothing compared to the happiness and freedom He would bring to the entire world! Not to mention in that same verse, we see that the angel of God was with Him, strengthening Him and giving Him courage!

Did you get that underlying message? WE (as believers) are just as loved, just as blessed as Jesus Himself!! Jesus was simply the first in the family to save us, lead the way and set the example. Now those of us that are called to be His sons and daughters are born-again into a perfect, sinless existence so that we can start fresh and follow the teaching of the one who went before us! When God tells us that we are ‘made in His image’ and that we will be ‘made perfect in Him’ this is what He means!! The freedom is given, the tools are given, now all we have to do is practice our ‘free will’ in the way that Jesus did and we are complete!

The great news is that we do NOT have the call from God to save the world from sin… Jesus did that. So not only do we have more time on this earth to do many more amazing things than Jesus did, we have our OWN unique call on our lives, and through Jesus’ death we were granted grace and mercy that continues to forgive us each and every time we sin and confess with our mouths what we have done against God’s plan. But just as in everything else in freedom, this can and is abused everyday by those of us who premeditate sin, understand God’s Words through Jesus’ teaching, and deliberately choose to do wrong, just to confess the next day. Ultimately, God is the only one that can judge those individuals, but know that it all comes down to the condition of your heart, and intentions of your mind. If your mind and heart are clearly filtered through God’s word, purely seeking His good will, and occasionally stumble through your pursuing of perfection, God will always forgive, forget, and continue to strengthen your weakness. If your mind and heart are clouded, selfish, controlling, and doubtful you continue to build walls between you and the grace, mercy, and power of God. Ultimately blocking you from all of the gifts that the Holy Spirit has for you (Isaiah 11:2-3), the guidance that will lead your way in this life (avoiding the most amount of pain and suffering), and the clarity of your purpose… YOUR unique calling in His kingdom!

Remember that declaring our faith cannot stand alone. We must come to understanding, understanding must then be practiced, practice will then bring you to a level of belief and experiencing God that many Christians never reach! So you see, we have all that we need to live in the freedom, peace & joy that God has promised us. But it is more difficult to begin the journey simply because it is not ‘understood’ and ‘practiced’ by most… therefore making it seem strange or extreme… when simply we are wanting very badly to experience the promise of our unique purpose, happiness and peace on this earth, and love beyond humanly (literally) imaginable. To believe is to have hope. And it is the hope that lead us directly to fulfillment of the desires that God has placed in our hearts for a REASON! But just as any treasure, not everyone will believe it exists, or have the trust, endurance, and humility to surrender to the unseen and unconventional. Just remember God’s Words when He reminds us that our treasures will always lie where are heart does. (Nice new twist on this verse, eh?)

Matthew 6:19-21 (New International Version)
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.