The real Power of the Cross

I experienced God in a way that day that changed me. I did not even want to do those things that I struggled with before and guilt no longer kept me from having a relationship with God.   

I spent over 6 hours in that room that day praising God, but it felt like 20 minutes.

Since that day I have never looked at Sin the same way.  Now before I choose to sin I think to myself, do I want to do this to you Jesus?  Do I want to hurt you?   No!   I do not want to do that to you anymore Jesus.  Forgive me for all the ways I still hurt you.

I know that I have no power to change myself.  Will power really does not change you but it suppresses it.  Before, my sin areas would cripple me in my relationship with God.  But now I see that was just pride.  I am a sinner and capable of the worst of sins.  It is only because of Jesus that I am made clean. 

So I use my free will to choose to come into the Fathers presence because I know that in his presence I am changed.  It is like standing next to an atomic bomb when it goes off you will be changed.  It is like that when I experience Gods presence.  Something about me is going to change. 

When I fell in love with Marybeth before we were married, the more time I spent with her the more I wanted to change to please her.  Not because I had to but because I wanted to.    I love her. 

That is the way it is with God.  He has cleared a way for me to know his love and have a relationship with me.  And because I love him I want to change.  But I need to stay in that place everyday.

The Real Power of the Cross is to recognize the Blood covers me and choosing to come into the presence of God covered with the Blood and in His presence you are really changed.  Your flesh dies.  We come out different.  So remember you can’t change yourself.  Will power does not work very long.  Self efforts can’t make you good.  You have been given a gift and that gift is free will.  You can use that free will to spend time with God and enter into a relationship with Him.  Or you can choose to run away from Him and avoid his presence.  I try to choose to spend time with God but I have this challenge that we all face.  My flesh does not want to die.

Someone once asked me what principle in life do you live by.  After thinking about that for a long time I had all sorts of good sounding answers but when I looked deep I had only one.  I avoid death at all cost.  My flesh does not want to die so it will come up with every excuse to keep me from spending time with God and having that relationship with Him.  My flesh is not dumb, it knows when I spend time in the presence of God something has to change and it’s not God.  It will be my flesh that has to change.  We are not talking about a paint job on an old car.  We are talking about a whole new car.  If given the choice I would not stand next to that atomic bomb because when it goes off I will not be the same.  God is so much bigger than an atomic bomb to our flesh.  So just know that there is a battle going on always and it is a good thing.  Choose wisely!!

God once said to me "Unless you understand how you put Jesus on the Cross, the Cross has no power in your life to change you"

Stay tuned for more about the Battle.

John