“Who controls you?” There in one word that determines everything about your future – control.
Who is going to control your life – you or God?
Who is going to take up your time – you or the Lord?
What will dominate your mind’s attention – your agenda or God’s?
I hold God’s agenda, which is called His Word. He wants to have the first and last word in your life. He wants to control you. He was in total control at the beginning. That is why salvation is called the new birth. You and I were totally helpless to make it happen; all we had to do was let Him birth us by His grace. We were powerless, lifeless, hopeless, and helpless.
He gave us His gracious power by His Spirit.
He imparted to us His very life for eternity.
He made us to live and walk in hope.
He became our Savior, Shepherd and Guide as our Personal Comforter to help and keep us to the very end of life and then get us home.
That is why Paul said, “As you received Christ – keep walking that way.” Just like everything starts in the Christian life with God being the initiator, by God being in control – He says stay that way. Why did He say that? Because we don’t often do that.
When God controls my time – He bears fruit from it spent for Him.
When God controls my treasures, they bring an eternal increase to Him.
When God controls my attitudes, He gets the glory as I bear the fruit of the Spirit in the soil of my heart’s attitudes.
When God controls my actions, He gets to live through me, He gets the glory, and I bear fruit that pleases Him and rewards me forever!
We want control. The battle that rages each day, hour by hour, is all about who or what will control us. When in control, we use an operating system called LUST (when our flesh calls the shots).
We use an operating system called THE SPIRIT when God is in control. All of life is about power. The flesh lusts against the Spirit and a war wages. You determine who wins today by those little choices you and I make daily. Either we feed and strengthen the hold of the Spirit in our daily life – or the flesh.
So either we are growing in the flesh or in God. We are growing in lust (flesh controlling us) or Spirit (God controlling us). Who or what is controlling you?
Jesus wants to control more and more of my life.
That allows Him to produce His life in me – called fruit. He wants to farm more and more of my life so He can increase the fruit-bearing of every growing season of my life!
The question is how? That takes us to a study of fruit-bearing that God gives us in Psalm 92:12-15.
Psalm 92:12-15 NKJV
• 12 The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, (that means to grow in the harsh conditions, dry and desert places of life); He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. (that means they grow through storms and strong climate changes) RESPONSE: Lord — I want to flourish in EVERY SEASON of my life.
• 13 Those who are planted in the house of the Lord (a place of obedient worship, praise, ministry, and sacrifice); Shall flourish in the courts of our God. (that means in God’s Presence) RESPONSE: Lord — I commit to worship and serve you all my days.
• 14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; (that means life long, to the end – fruitfulness) They shall be fresh and flourishing, (that means life long and to the end freshness and overflowing lives of godliness) RESPONSE: Lord – I want you to do whatever it takes to make and keep me fruitful!
• 15 To declare that the Lord is upright; (His way is the Right Way) He is my rock, (His Presence is a place of Complete Security and Peace) and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (He is GOOD in whatever He DOES). RESPONSE: Lord – You are GOOD whatever you do in my life!
(WWJ-67; 041017AM)
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