Christ's Joy of Resurrection and Overcoming

3/25/2018 CHRIST's RIGHTEOUSNESS, JOY AND PEACE

Do you lack JOY or even feel miserable and don’t know why?

As a believer IN CHRIST, Knowing The LORD with intimacy I still have struggled with lack of joy and peace and have felt misery, agony and depression to an extreme level. I have beat myself up for not having the joy, not being enough, not experiencing the peace promised that I know I am supposed to have IN CHRIST. As I have sought the LORD in prayer about this and seriously sought His Word about my needs and lack of faith or true experiences of what is promised in God’s WORD, a few key truths have brought about real HOPE and Help for me.

There was a lie I was believing that blocked the flow of God’s Spirit. I didn’t know the lie existed. As a REDEEMED SAINT I was still believing that “I = BAD AT MY CORE and NOTHING I CAN DO CAN CHANGE THAT BADNESS.” That statement is true in the sense that I was unredeemed BEFORE CHRIST but not after CHRIST! Because at my salvation, CHRIST BECAME MY SIN AND GAVE ME HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Through a series of events, I believe the LORD showed me in addition to the truth that without God I am spiritually dead and in my trespasses and sins, I added the lie and I thought I was bad even after true salvation because of the early childhood memories forming pathways of lies from the abuses I suffered. Those abuses were severe and set up a foundational identity of shame, blame and denial. See my abuser put the blame of the abuse ON ME, it was my fault it happened so I believed I was bad, then I was shamed and then denied that the abuse even happened. It was a horrible set up and caused me to have great difficulty believing GOD could truly make me GOOD!

ABUSE--SHAME--BLAME--DENIAL= misery of "I feel bad inside, I must be bad still."= LIES!

Romans 14:17 says (KJV)

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Christ’s righteousness received brings peace and joy in the HOLY SPIRIT! The lie that I was and am “still bad” blocked me from truly believing the Gospel of Grace at my core! Therefore I was still living somewhat by works trying to be good! The Gospel says I HAVE CHRIST’s RIGHTEOUSNESS by faith IN CHRIST and am made righteous by CHRIST! I no longer live in the flesh but in CHRIST’s righteousness! I repented of this lie of being bad even in my redeemed state and am trusting God to bring the fruit of receiving CHRIST’s RIGHTEOUSNESS! I believe God will bring me into a season of Joy and Peace and Holiness in my daily practical life in ways that far surpass what I have known all because HIS TRUTH and RIGHTEOUSNESS HAS BEEN IMPUTED TO ME! It is all the work of God on my behalf! Great reasons to LOVE GOD, be joyful and in peace!

In John’s Gospel after Peter was restored by Jesus, Peter asked Jesus what about him (speaking of John). Jesus answered Peter, "what is it to you?" My thought was: even after all JESSUS DID FOR PETER, all the grace and Spirit work in Peter, Peter still could quickly revert to his flesh and comparisons. Jesus alone knows our hearts and is able to transform us. We have His righteousness but must crucify the flesh nature moment by moment.

Sometimes after great revelation (Peter: You, Jesus, = THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD) and great restoration and reconciliation, we are to guard our hearts and not let pride or flesh take hold! Peter finished well despite what seems to me a "temporary regression"! Grace is great and transformational when we live by Grace! I too want to finish well IN great Grace!

All the "Me Too’s", "You Too’s" and "Us Too’s" that BELIEVE JESUS is who He says He is and has done what He says He has done (came to save sinners), will rise again because truly CHRIST HAS OVERCOME AND IS RISEN INDEED!

1 Cor 15:1-6: (ESV) Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.