Bible Study Blog
FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST
Philippians 1:21:
“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
Since God has decided to set you apart, He has ordained that your life from now should be in Christ. Paul, a man ordained like you, said for him to live is Christ. How can you make your life to glorify Christ? How can Jesus get the best from your life? How can Christ be seen in your life? You need to bring about a determination now that you are ordained, chosen, set apart, and selected Christ for the purpose of His service.
Power has been put upon your life and that power will prosper as long as you remain under authority. As long as you obey instructions, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven. When you set your hand upon a thing, it shall prosper.
David for example, in 1 Samuel 16, was ordained and separated by God to be used. From the day the oil came upon his head and hands laid upon him, the scripture says that the Spirit of God came upon him. Whether you know it or not, the Spirit of God has come upon you for the purpose of using you and you will never fail. If you are going to live for Christ, there are things you must know. according to the scriptures. In Galatians 2:18-20, the Apostle Paul spoke about living for Christ in verse 20:
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Paul was saying that since Christ died for him because of his former life of sin, unrighteousness, and failure, then he assumed that he was dead and therefore crucified the flesh. What will you do to live the life of Christ? You need determination. You must be determined by the anointing that came upon you. A divine ability has rested upon you and a quality has been invested into your life. It is by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, by the word of faith spoken into you, that life has entered into you. Power has entered into you. The ability has entered into you. You must allow this power to prosper. You must yield yourself so that this power can prosper. If you yield yourself to Him then the flesh will be dead.
Self-will has to die. What is self. It is that thing in you hat makes you proud. It may be your height, your beauty, the way you appear, the family you are born into, your position in life, your achievement in life, your wealth or your self-glory. Everything you see about yourself, which you are proud of, must give way.
Paul could not allow Jesus to live in him until he surrendered his pride. He said he wanted to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection, therefore the things that were glorious to him he counted as nothing. For those who have been ordained, there is a time Jesus will want to use you and your certificate may stand in the way. There are some of you that God has been calling into full-time work but you are looking at your exalted position in the office. Because of this reason, the glory of God cannot appear. Christ can not live through you until you let that office go
Moses had the throne of Egypt set before his eyes. He had been offered the crown of Egypt but he looked at it and he looked at the Hebrew slaves. He remembered the covenant of God and he preferred to be a slave so he rejected the crown of Egypt. Many years later, he received the anointing of the Holy Spirit and with this anointing, he defeated all the powers of Egypt. He would have become the Pharaoh temporarily and one day an anointed man of God would have conquered him. The position that is not allowing Christ to show forth in your life, one day, you will lose it and the glory will go to another person. Between the crown of Egypt and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which is your choice? Paul had many things to give up. He went to the Barbarians and became like them That he may show them, Christ.
After Moses gave up the crown of Egypt, God gave him the crown of eternal life and the power of miracles, signs, and wonders like he had never given to any other person. Self must give way. There are some things God will never use you for until you humble yourself. You cannot know the greatness and the power of the glory of God until humble yourself. you
The flesh must be disciplined. Samson could not take his eyes off beautiful women. After David had conquered the whole world, Satan conquered him by sending a strange woman into his life. In spite of the wisdom of Solomon and the strength of his army, Satan sent an army of women to make his life foolish. Joseph rejected the offer of pleasure that the glory of God reserved may come up in his life. He’s refusing to yield to the pleasure landed him in jail but the great glory, the crown that was waiting for him, would not have come his way except he had gone to jail.
The temporary pleasure you receive now may deny you the eternal crown of the future but the troubles and hardship of the moment might bring you eternal glory. Joseph rejected the offer of free sex, landed in jail but came out wearing the crown of Egypt. Some men, because of possession and property, will not yield themselves to be used maximally by God. Saul could not keep his throne because of his love for possessions. He preferred to acquire property than to obey the mind of God. In contrast, Moses rejected all the offers of Egypt to receive the anointing. Abraham lost his relationship with his family to obey God. Jesus left so much in Heaven to come into a very deplorable situation on earth.
You must reckon yourself dead that Christ may be seen in you and you must rise up with Christ to live just the life of Christ. In fulfilling the pleasure of God, Paul said we are fools for Christ’s sake. It is a fool that somebody will slap on one side and he will turn the other side. It is a fool that will accept cheating and keep quiet. It is a fool that will see free sex and say no to it. It is a fool that will see easy, corrupt, and unclean way of making millions and billions and will say no. It is only a fool that will reject the crown of Egypt and identify with Hebrew slaves and be treated as a slave. All the fools for Christ’s sake will come up with greater power, glory, honor, and eternal life. Anybody who is not a fool for Christ will eventually be a fool for the devil. I prefer to be a fool for Christ than to be deceived by Satan.
Self-denial will help you to fast when you have abundant food at home. Self-denial will make you stand on your feet and pray through the night when you have a beautiful and comfortable bed to sleep on. Self-denial will make you to choose prayer meetings for pleasure meeting. If Christ must live His life in you, you must be willing to let go. If the anointing that has been put upon your life must prosper, then you must be willing to let go. There are some things that do not look sinful but they hinder the anointing. Elijah was a man of like-passion but he denied himself. Let Christ have His way in you that this anointing may prosper. If I live in Christ then when I die, I receive my eternal reward. The pleasure you give up will be paid back into your eternal account, with greater glory.
In the end, Moses was not a looser. He did not have the crown of Egypt but he had the crown of the Lord. Joseph did not accept the offer of pleasure in sin but he ended u wearing the crown of Egypt and ruled over those who sent him to jail. Samson could not refuse the offer of free sex and he ended up a blind anointed man and died before his time.
ALSO, READ MY TIMES ARE IN HIS HAND-FOR SINGLES
