Chapter 10: Transformation unto Glorification

Once we confess and forsake our sin, we repent of sin and according to the passage in James 4, we thereby cleanse our hands of sin. This cleansing is removing sin from us or separating sin from us, just as soap cleanses us of dirt. Nevertheless, we are still liable to get dirty. We can stumble and fall by accident or step into some filth unawares. In sanctification, our hearts are purified from double mindedness as we consecrate ourselves unto the Lord to obey Him and live for Him. In this place of active obedience, we form a single-mindedness such that sin loses its power over us. The desire for sin dies. What once appealed to us, ceases to have any more appeal. Suddenly sin appears very cheap, very distasteful, and hardly worth a second thought. So, sanctification brings about deliverance from the power of sin. In repentance, we start to be delivered from the power of sin but are still very much under the sway of its attraction and in this place, we must flee every appearance of evil.

22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:22

In repentance we must actively abstain from all appearance of evil because we are yet double minded and so are liable to fall into temptation so we must abstain from the appearance of evil and flee.

22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
2 Timothy 2:22

An alcoholic who is on the road to recovery must flee the appearance of the bottle. The bottle is itself not evil, but it has a power over the recovering alcoholic and so that he doesn’t become entangled again with that bottle, he must flee.

In consecrating oneself to God however, the heart gets purified of double mindedness, such that the sanctified one doesn’t give the sinful object a second glance. The bottle no longer holds any sway over the alcoholic, neither does pornography hold any sway over the former addict. Why? Because he has become single-eyed. This is the secret to deliverance from the power of sin.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
Matthew 6:22-23

To get to this state however, fleeing must become killing that which offends, that which is liable to make one stumble.

29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Matthew 5:29-30

These were the words of the Lord Jesus in His sermon on the Mount. If your right eye offends (i.e., causes you to sin), pluck it out; if your right hand, cut it off. The Lord is not talking about bodily mutilation here, but about how ruthlessly we must deal with sin.

Sin cannot be overcome by philosophy, nor by psychology, nor be anger management, nor by any kind of trickery. There is absolutely no treatment for this type of cancer. To be free from the effects, one must take the harshest measures. The infected must be excised. God has no other remedy for it. Just like there is no remedy or treatment for cancer. Either the cancer dies, or you die! Hence the sermon. The only antidote to sin is to excise it completely from you. This is what happens at sanctification.

To apply this excision, just like the alcoholic cannot have any alcohol in the house, one cannot drink sin “socially”. If a friend causes you to sin, cut off the relationship. If the internet causes you to sin, get a very powerful filter and have others manage the passwords. If television causes you to sin, get rid of the TV. Whatever causes you to sin, must be literally killed. Scripture tells us that there is pleasure in sin for a season.

24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; 25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Hebrews 11:24-26

Therefore, the Lord says it is better to enter maimed into heaven than to be cast bodily into hell. And if we shortsightedly indulge this pleasure and live a careless life, not watching for iniquity, we may be so infected with sin that the only remedy is to be cast entirely into hell, where the fire doesn’t go out and the worm does not die. Remember the zombie movies you may have watched, where the government comes in and first quarantines a city and then eventually sends in the military to utterly destroy it? That is the only remedy for sin. Sin is very wily and like a cancer that doesn’t want to die, it masquerades in different forms trying to hide. So, there are several “good” people that are full of filthiness in the eyes of God. Several Christians even, who profess Jesus as Lord and savior but never got free of sin.

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23

Hence, sanctification is all about dying to sin and self. Either you die now and be born anew, else you die later, for all eternity. But all must die because all have sinned. There is no escaping it. This is the full import of Jesus’ message to Nicodemus a leader of the Pharisees who snuck to see the Lord at night.

1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:1-19

Look at verse 7. Marvel not that I say to you: You must be born again. Millions of Christians don’t understand what it is to be born again. Rather they go ahead and quote the Lord without understanding what the Lord means.

How can one be born AGAIN, unless one first DIES? If one doesn’t die, one cannot be born again. This is not speaking of physical death, but of the death of the Old Man of Sin. This is the death of the flesh and its lusts, death to self. I must die, my ego must die and where I was a slave to sin in obedience to it, sin must no longer work mischief in my body. I must no longer be moved to obey it in its lusts. Rather, I must be born again, to a life of obedience to the Spirit of God. Obedience to Christ, obedience to righteousness and the Kingdom of heaven. This is what it takes to see eternal life. Failing this, one will face utter destruction in the fires that never go out.

The soul that sins is cast into these fiery fires because God is still trying to purge the sin. And why do these fires never go out? Because an eternity in hell still doesn’t kill sin. Even at those insane temperatures, the worm of sin still doesn’t die. Only the blood of Jesus wipes out the sin; even the fires of hell cannot kill it. This is the crux of the matter and the reason why we MUST come to this place of consecration and sanctification. Firstly, we apply the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from all sin, then we abstain from all iniquity ourselves, repenting to be converted (the washing of our hands) and His blood will cleanse us from our sins of ignorance (the washing of our feet).

Once delivered from the power of the besetting sin, the sanctified ones must now ensure that they no longer get entangled again by the same. If they do, they are no different than a dog returning to its vomit.

10 The great God that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors. 11 As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. 12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Proverbs 26:10-12

1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1

It is also very dangerous to become enslaved again to besetting sin for several reasons, the greatest being the grieving of the Holy Spirit. Any sin against the Holy Ghost is not forgiven, not in this life nor in the world to come. Grieving the Holy Ghost is therefore a very dangerous situation which could result in eternal damnation. A second reason, almost as dangerous is that the spirits in charge of the sin will re-enslave with a vengeance. Having been formerly routed from its place of dominion (the former slave), the spirit when it returns will return with other stronger, more wicked spirits to prevent being dislodged a second time.

24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25 And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.
Luke 11:24-26

Someone may be reading this and wondering why I’m using terms such as slavery and enslavement. I use it because that’s what the bible teaches. Anyone who is an addict to a particular vice, be it drink, pornography, drugs and so forth, knows without any doubt that they are in bondage, bound to the vice. They can’t help themselves. This is the power of sin. Perhaps someone else reading this presumes that they are exempt because they are not under any compulsion to indulge in any of these. Yet the scripture is clear:

34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
John 8:34

16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
Romans 6:16

Most other translations use the word “slave” rather than “servant” for these two passages.

John the apostle also used some very strong words to describe the sinner:

7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.
1 John 3:7-10

Read these verses very carefully, again and again. John isn’t mincing words here. He that commits sin is of the devil. This isn’t speaking of accidental sin. He who sins, or habitually sins or is in the power of a besetting sin, is of the devil. This is a rude awakening. Many Christians will find that they are in this camp. Many “good” people are in this camp. Many religious people are in this camp. For some it is the little white lies that they tell. For others, it is the sin of avarice, others, malice, others, gossip, others unforgiveness, others, lusts, and covetousness. In verse 10, we see that this practice of sin or practice of righteousness is the difference between the children of the Dark and the children of the Light.

This is crucial to understand, so I’m putting the Amplified translation to make sure it’s absolutely clear:

7 Little children (believers, dear ones), do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who practices righteousness [the one who strives to live a consistently honorable life—in private as well as in public—and to conform to God’s precepts] is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 The one who practices sin [separating himself from God, and offending Him by acts of disobedience, indifference, or rebellion] is of the devil [and takes his inner character and moral values from him, not God]; for the devil has sinned and violated God’s law from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, because (a)God’s seed [His principle of life, the essence of His righteous character] remains [permanently] in him [who is born again—who is reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose]; and he [who is born again] cannot habitually [live a life characterized by] sin, because he is born of God and longs to please Him. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are clearly identified: anyone who does not practice righteousness [who does not seek God’s will in thought, action, and purpose] is not of God, nor is the one who does not [unselfishly] (b)love his [believing] brother.
1 John 3:7-10 (AMP)

Like I stated earlier, many Christians who have come to Christ as Savior and believe that He came to die to redeem them from their sins are still living in sin. They are still under the dominion of the kingdom of darkness, so Jesus is not their Lord. They cannot HABITUALLY obey Him. Rather, they habitually sin. So, like we saw in James 4, they continually wash their hands to cleanse themselves of their sin; always asking God for forgiveness, often with tears, always falling, even as they find that they just can’t stop sinning. Unfortunately, many resign themselves to this life of defeat and say that it is just too hard to stop sinning, saying things such as “We are all sinners, saved by grace” then they quote the misunderstood Romans 10:9 to give themselves comfort.

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Romans 10:9-10

So, they reason that they already confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and believe with their hearts that God raised Him from the dead and take solace in this, amidst their many defeats. But God doesn’t want them to live in this place of bondage, under the dominion of the kingdom of darkness. This place is known as the Romans 7 life. In the seventh chapter of his letter to the Romans, Paul aptly wrote:

14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Romans 7:14-24

What surer evidence of bondage do we need than one doing that which they wouldn’t and not doing that which they would? The new birth or the new life of the revived spirit of the man is engaged at this time in a life and death struggle with the soul for dominion. Please revisit part one of this book to refresh your mind on the tripartite man. The inner, hidden man has been revived and must take his place as the head, but the soul has been dominating the life of the man, hence the bondage; because the soul is not accustomed to following the law of God but has always followed the law of self. Hence, we see in verse 22 that though the regenerated man delights in the Law of God, another law is warring in his soul to keep him captive to sin! Hence the lamentation: O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Remember that the soul is governed by the will, intellect (thoughts) and emotions (feelings). Since the man from Adam chose to eat of the tree of KNOWLEDGE, he is governed by the outputs from his brain. He collects inputs from the outer world via his five senses and these in turn are processed through his intellect (thoughts) and emotions (feelings), before he decides (applies his will). This is the natural man. He is carnally minded as a result because he doesn’t pay heed to the higher law that is not observable by his five senses.

Now, if anyone professes to be a Christian and you never come to this point, it is debatable if you are indeed a Christian! If you delight in the sin and don’t feel any guilt but you rather justify your sin, then one wonders if you ever came to repentance in the first place.

But for those who are in this place, what do you suppose is the fate of the Christian who never overcomes? Who never leaves this place of constant struggle? Well, scripture says to judge not, so I wouldn’t pronounce any judgement here. Just let me state that this is a very, very dangerous place for the believer to live in, according to the scriptures that we have read. To buttress this point, here are a few more to ponder:

7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

11 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star.
Revelation 2:7,11,17,26-28

To him that overcomes…. overcome what? Is the one who lives in Romans 7 an overcomer? Does such a one from that passage you read, not rather sound as one who DID NOT overcome? When they do the thing that they would not and do not the thing that they would?

5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.

21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 3:5,12,21

The Lord has provided reasons why we must overcome.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. 8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Revelation 21:7-8

He that overcomes shall inherit all things and will be the son of God and verse 8 discusses the fate of them that do not overcome.

4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5

The believer must win the fight! They must overcome! To overcome the world is to live above sin and self. It is overcome by faith, faith in the Son of God, to keep on getting up, no matter how often they are defeated. To have this victory. The battle over sin and self is the greatest battle every believer will face, which they absolutely must win. And to win it, they must walk in sanctification. There is no other way!

At regeneration, the believer has accepted Jesus as Savior, but only in sanctification, does He become their Lord! Without Him as Lord, one cannot overcome. No, not by will power, no, not by a 12-step program, not by the arm of flesh, but by the Spirit only. Only by pressing in and submission and purification from double mindedness is this victory attained, only by death to the Old Man of Sin. The old man cannot be tamed. He will not yield; he will not conform. He will try every trick in the book, from will power to 12-steps, to delude and beguile you to thinking you are safe and in the Lord’s camp, while you are still full of iniquity! For this reason, millions who identify as Christians will find themselves in hell due to this deception. Look at what the Lord says:

21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23

Another way to say verse 21 is: Not everyone that calls themselves Christians shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Now, these verses in the book of Matthew above are one of the most sobering of all scriptures which many Christians are unfamiliar with. If the Christian is living in Romans 7 and does what he would not do and does not do the thing that he would do, how can he do the will of God? He cannot, rather he can only do the opposite, which is iniquity!

Hence, this book of Salvation is written to address this problem in the church. Once saved always saved is a lie! One must put on Christ and walk in sanctification.

Sanctification

Having been purified of double mindedness, the sanctified one is now worthy of the trust of God. Imagine a couple, a husband and wife, where one loses the trust of the other, say due to infidelity. They may love each other, but if there is no trust, there is a barrier to intimacy. The Lord wants above all to have an intimate relationship with us. This intimacy can only come about if there is trust. We must strive to be worthy of God’s trust above all things!! God must be able to trust us.

Look at how much God trusted Job:

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?
Job 1:6-8

Do you see how pleased God is, with Job? How much He trusts Job? How may we obtain this trust of God, but by obedience to His word to do it with single mindedness? How else will He trust us?

3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
Amos 3:3

We must agree with Him to live by His principles and do what He says, to walk in sanctification before Him. Sanctification frees us from the power of sin. Though the temptation to sin is ever present, it no more has power over us in sanctification; we are delivered from the power, we no more live in Romans 7. He then affirms His trust by filling us with His Spirit. He begins to dwell in us!

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Romans 8:5-9

In Romans 7, we were yet carnally minded, but in sanctification, we become spiritually minded and subject to the law of God which gives us life and peace with God. Look at verse 9: If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His! God affirms His trust by filling us with His Spirit. His Spirit therefore is His stamp of approval, His seal, just as companies have company seals or logos, His Spirit confirms that we are His and we must strive to get this approval!

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Ephesians 4:30

People work hard to curry the favor of man; either in the workplace or just to make friendships. They work hard to benefit themselves, for self-aggrandizement, more money, work outs for healthy bodies, hitting the gym at 5 am, why? For the approval of man! But the spiritually minded must work for the approval of God:

15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 2:15

He shows His approval by sealing us with His Spirit. And He gives His spirit to only them that He can trust, them that He knows will obey Him. God boasted to Satan about Job because Job was trustworthy. Though Satan attacked all that Job had, not once did Job sin against God. Can He trust us like Job? He wants to and we must show Him that we are worthy of such trust. When angels visited Daniel, he was referred to as “greatly beloved”. The angels of God knew Daniel to be greatly beloved by God! We must strive for this testimony!!

The Spirit is His promise to us; all who obey Him:

29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. 31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
Acts 5:29-32

If we don’t get the promise, the fault is not with Him, but with us. This promise of the Spirit is what will truly transform us. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians speaks of this promise of God by the mouth of Ezekiel the prophet:

16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18

24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. 28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. 29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you. 30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.
Ezekiel 36:24-31

The promise of the Spirit is to all who obey Him. But look carefully at verse 26 of Ezekiel 36. A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you. And verse 27: And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them. What is the difference between the spirit of verse 26 and Spirit of verse 27?

In the process of consecrating oneself to obeying God and submitting to His will, like we saw in James 4:8 is what purifies or sanctifies us from double mindedness. This purification process is what brings about the new heart and new spirit. This is talking about the spirit of man. At sanctification therefore, the spirit of man is now fully in dominion of the man, heeding the voice of God and the soul of man (his intellect, emotions and will) are working to obey the leading of his spirit. This is what it is to be single minded, or what scripture refers to as the eye being single. This is the new spirit in the man: a spirit of obedience to God.

In double mindedness, there is still that striving for dominance between soul and spirit and initially when the convert is in Romans 7, her worldly soul wins the battle more times than naught. With consecration however, the tide begins to turn and the spirit gains dominance over the soul such that more often than naught the spirit wins. This is the new spirit. A victorious, dominant spirit. And the new heart means that the things we used to love – the world and its lusts – are now replaced by a new love for God and His Kingdom. This is what it means to be renewed in one’s mind:

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:1-2

In verse 1, Paul is beseeching that we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. This is our consecration. This is the submission to Him to do His will, to obey Him and live for Him not for ourselves. In verse 2, we see the result of such service: we will not be conformed to the world but will be transformed by the renewing of our minds. The corollary to this is that if we don’t walk in consecration to Him, at best we remain in Romans 7, at worst we are every bit like the world. Again, looking at several professing Christians the world over, most are worldly, living at best in Romans 7 and not living sanctified lives. But this is changing! Praise God!

This renewed mind is what scripture is referring to in Ezekiel 36:26. And it is God that gives this to us, not of ourselves. It is not by our own willpower, it is by our submission to His will and drawing close to Him, then He PURIFIES US of the double mindedness. Praise Him! God wants to partner with us. If we play our part, He will play His.

Once we have this new heart and new spirit, the Lord will try the reins of our hearts to make sure that we really love him, that the new heart and new spirit are not false, not deceptive, not defective in any way. A goldsmith working away at the metal, purging it of impurities, continues to pass the gold through the fire until he can see his reflection in it. Only then is the gold pure. It requires the right amount of heat. Too much and the metal is destroyed, too little and it remains impure. So also does our Lord:

1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. 2 But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 3 And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. 4 Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.
Malachi 3:1-4

He shall sit as a refiner to purify the sons of Levi and purge them! We must be purged of all filth. He will purify us and ensure we are ready for His Spirit. Why? Because He gives His Spirit to them that OBEY Him. Also, He doesn’t want His Spirit to be grieved. If His Spirit comes upon a disobedient person who will not follow Him, what is the result, but that the Spirit MUST leave. His Spirit cannot abide iniquity nor disobedience. Where there is light, there is no darkness and vice-versa.

So, with the new heart and new spirit, God then enacts Ezekiel 36:27: And I will put MY SPIRIT within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them. Note that with the new heart and spirit, the sanctified one was already walking in His statutes and keeping His judgements. They are free of the power of sin. But with His Spirit abiding in them, they can do this more perfectly.

The abiding of the Spirit leads to transformation! To true conversion! Until the Spirit abides in us, the conversion is not complete; we only have been in a state of conversion, but not completely. Look at this:

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Luke 22:31-32

The disciples of Christ ate, drank, and lived with Him, going with Him wherever He went, for three and a half years and YET were not converted. Yet many in the church think that they are! The Lord was telling Peter here that none of them were yet converted. When did they become converted? When the Holy Ghost came upon them! These had gone out with the Lord, even cast out devils and healed the sick and performed many miracles in His name. Yet, the Lord was telling Peter that he was not converted!!

5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines: and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a tabret, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they shall prophesy: 6 And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee. 8 And thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal; and, behold, I will come down unto thee, to offer burnt offerings, and to sacrifice sacrifices of peace offerings: seven days shalt thou tarry, till I come to thee, and shew thee what thou shalt do.
9 And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. 10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.
11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied among the prophets, then the people said one to another, What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?
12 And one of the same place answered and said, But who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
1 Samuel 10:5-13

When Saul was anointed to be king of Israel, Samuel the prophet told him that the Spirit of God would come upon him, and he shall be turned into another man. Now Saul wasn’t a prophet, but he was turned into another man when the Spirit of God came upon Him. Moses was filled with the Spirit of God and the glory of God so shone upon Him that light flashed all around him, which some theologians say was like lightening flashing. Remember in Numbers when God took a portion of the Spirit on Moses and put on seventy elders how two of them prophesied non-stop? Another man!

This is the new creation of God, the man fully filled with the Spirit of God indwelling him that He becomes transformed into another man. He is removed from the presence of sin, because the Spirit cannot abide where there is sin; so, where sanctification frees us of the power of sin, in transformation, we are free of the presence of sin and are another man, who can obey the Lord perfectly.

Transformation

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. 24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:15 & 23-26

The Lord has promised us these things, even as it was prophesied by Ezekiel. The Holy Ghost is the Comforter who the Father gives to all who obey Him. He already dwells with every believing Christian. But the promise goes beyond this: He shall be IN us. Look at verse 23. Both the Father and the Son will come to abide (live) IN the one who keeps the words of the Lord, who OBEYS. How do they do this? In the person of the Holy Ghost.

12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:12-17

Look at verse 17. He that is joined to the Lord is ONE spirit with Him. In Transformation, we have UNION with the Lord. This union is what brings about the transformation, or conversion as the Lord spoke to Peter in Luke 22: When thou art converted … This is the conversion that the Lord is talking about. The church preaches on conversion, yet much of the church lives like the world, because the church, while redeemed of their sins are mostly still unconverted. Most abide in Romans 7 and think this to be the norm, rather than the abnormal. They wrestle with the devil in the flesh, all the while expecting to be victorious. They make flesh their arm resisting things with such devices as “will power”, and “religious pontification”. Does the church imagine that the devil doesn’t know the words of the bible word for word and can out-quote them? The devil is a spirit, and one cannot wrestle a spirit with carnal weapons.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
2 Corinthians 10:3-5

And so, without spiritual weaponry, the church is puffed up thinking they “have arrived”, while they are yet poor and blind and naked and destitute. Only in Christ is every victory wrought. Not in carnality. This ultimate victory over the enemy of our souls is found in Transformation. Hence the church must press in. Remember the words of Moses to Joshua his servant:

29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!
Numbers 11:29

Moses spoke directly from the heart of God. It is His ultimate desire to abide IN us. His desire for this is exponentially greater than our desire. Yet, He cannot compromise His standards and put His Spirit willy-nilly on anyone, because our God is a consuming fire. Lest we perish in His presence. Only the heart that is prepared to receive Him can do so. By being regenerated, by going through the fires of sanctification, burning away all dross and iniquity, unto union with Christ and the transformation that it brings.

This transformation leads to REST.

Rest from the works of the flesh. Rest from striving under the curse of the law. Rest in soaring above it all like the eagles soar above all the mundane, dropping out of the sky on unsuspecting prey. Soaring high above every principality and every power. Rest in the throne of Christ.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 2:4-6

Right from the moment of our coming to Christ, this seat in the heavenly places, high above every principality and power has been prepared for us. Yet we could not possess it. Just as God had given the children of Israel all the land of Canaan, yet they had to arise and possess the land that was given to them. Similarly, God has provided to us this seat in the throne of Christ, yet not all will enter into this REST.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. 7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, 8 Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: 9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. 10 Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways: 11 Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
Psalm 95:6-11

For forty years, a generation of the Israelites who left Egypt perished in the wilderness. A journey that could have taken as little as forty days took forty years until the erring generation perished and they never saw the promised land. Why? Unbelief! Look at verse 10. For forty years, God was grieved in His Holy heart over this generation that WOULD NOT believe Him, would not obey Him, refused to learn His ways! It is always His way and not ours. His way or the highway!

This generation was saved from Egypt. Like many who have come to Christ and obtained the same redemption from their sins, these were saved by the blood of the lamb. God had instructed Moses to prepare the people against the visitation of the angel of destruction which was to go over the entire land of Egypt to kill the first born of all Egypt, the tenth plague. They were to take a year-old lamb of the sheep or of the goats, one without blemish and kill it and apply the blood on their door posts, both sides and the upper post. This was the first sacrifice of all the people, whose similitude is also after the death of Christ for us, which if we have faith in and believe in, we are transferred out of the judgement of God and are redeemed of our sins.

12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD. 13 And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

29 And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead.
Exodus 12:12-13 & 29-30

Let’s pause here to think for a while. Do you think that there were some Egyptians that were not “good” people? Was all Egypt bad? Were the Israelites extraordinarily “good”? Absolutely not! What saved them? Their belief in the word of God in applying the blood. If any of the families had failed to apply the blood, what would have happened?

In like manner, we are not saved of our works, because of our self-righteousness, but because of our belief in the atoning work of Christ. Yet this is only the beginning. We begin the salvation journey at redemption from our sins. This is the gift of God, not of our own works or so-called goodness. Only at transformation is our salvation complete and sure. Only at transformation do we obtain the rest of God, the assurance of complete salvation. On the salvation journey, ANYTHING can happen. If the person who repents turns back to a life of unrepentance, they will surely perish if they die in such a state, according to the word of the Lord by Ezekiel the prophet in chapters 18 and 33!

In the day that the righteous turns from his righteousness, ALL HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS THAT HE HATH DONE SHALL NOT BE MENTIONED; IN HIS TRESSPASS THAT HE HAS TRESSPASSED, AND IN HIS SIN THAT HE HAS SINNED, IN THEM SHALL HE DIE.

20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: and not that he should return from his ways, and live? 24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? 26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? are not your ways unequal?
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.
Ezekiel 18:20-32

This is so important to understand. Man thinks that God has a pair of scales in heaven weighing the good and the bad that man has done. Do enough good and you end up in heaven, but if your bad outweighs your good, you go to hell. Nothing could be further from the truth. You must be all good. Is God looking for perfection? Only in submitting to Him and as far as what you know to be His word, to keep it faithfully. And what about the sins of ignorance that you may commit? The stuff that you don’t know about. The blood of Christ will cleanse us of those! That is one of the benefits of the blood: To cleanse us of the sins we don’t know about (even though ignorance doesn’t make you any less guilty) as well as accidental sin. Willful disobedience is what God requires us to repent of.

Unlike man who seeks vengeance on his enemies, God doesn’t delight in the death of the wicked, but rather that all should come to repentance. He repeats this twice in verses 23 and 32. Please do yourself a favor and re-read the verses above until you absolutely understand the mind of God in this matter. It was so important that the Lord repeated Himself again by the mouth of Ezekiel:

11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
12 Therefore, thou son of man, say unto the children of thy people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness; neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth. 13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
14 Again, when I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; if he turn from his sin, and do that which is lawful and right; 15 If the wicked restore the pledge, give again that he had robbed, walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity; he shall surely live, he shall not die. 16 None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live.
Ezekiel 33:11-16

Do you now see the grave error of them who think all they need to do is to believe on the Lord Jesus for salvation? Yes, that is required to be saved from the judgement of God for redemption from sins, but repentance which is confession and forsaking of sin is a CONDITION for obtaining said forgiveness. Every single promise of God is not without conditions. God covenants with His people, like a contract. You cannot hoodwink God, eating your cake and having it at the same time. The purpose of salvation is not for us to continue in Godlessness and lawlessness. Rather to walk according to His prescription, in Holiness before Him!

Do you think you can pull the wool over the eyes of the Most High? Rather, if you do this, I will do that. This is clear, throughout the scriptures. Also, the error of them which say: Once saved, always saved? The righteous man who turns from his righteousness will face the judgement of God. God has repeated Himself again in Ezekiel 33 to show how important this is.

Back to the Israelites who left Egypt. Though they were saved, most of them perished in the wilderness! Most didn’t get to obtain the promise. They could not possess their possessions! They could not claim the seat in Christ’s throne, high above every principality and power because they would not pay the price. After the people of Israel escaped the wilderness, they STILL had to contend with giants and many, many enemies. You must understand that the devil isn’t going to hand anything to you. You must strive for it. He will not relent to any half-heartedness. You must overcome. This is also the overcoming the Lord spoke of, in the book of Revelation. We must overcome the world and every work of the enemy to receive this prize.

But many sit down, name it and claim it and expect the devil to waltz over and just hand it over. No, brethren we MUST contend for this place in Christ. We must show ourselves worthy of the prize. We MUST attain unto union with the Lord and be One spirit with Him. We must press in. Only then can we say we are indeed seated with Him in heavenly places!

Remember 1 Corinthians 6:17? He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. This oneness is what brings about transformation. We must strive to enter into this place of union. This is our ultimate destination as believers. This is the culmination of our salvation. Only those who get to this point are at rest. The baptism of repentance is our first baptism, the second is the putting on of Christ, specifically, putting on the SERVANTHOOD of Christ to the Father, which is the baptism of consecration that leads to sanctification. Our third and final baptism is the baptism of transformation which leads to glorification. We must strive to be fully baptized in the Lord, through and through and be thus converted.

This ONENESS was what our Lord prayed for His disciples, which prayer was answered. But not for them only, but for us all who will follow Him. It is such a beautiful prayer full of love that I have the entire prayer here:

1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
John 17

In verse 11, He prays for oneness for His disciples. Not that they may be in accord with one another, but subsequent verses explain what this oneness is:” …that they may be one as We are.” In verses 20-21, He prays for us who follow after Him and clarifies what oneness is in these and subsequent verses: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them which shall believe on Me through Thy word; that they may be one; as thou, Father, art in Me and I in Thee, that they may be one in US: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” Verses 22-23: “ …that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them as Thou hast loved Me.”

Only at transformation does the world get to know, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Why? Because these who walk in union with the Lord are these after whom signs, and wonders follow. These are the manifested sons of God in the earth, the crucified ones, these who carry Christ everywhere they go. They are one with the Lord. Not charlatans, who peddle the word of God, manifesting lying signs and wonders by the power of the evil one in the name of Christ, whose wrath is being stored up, but the truly anointed ones.

12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Romans 8:12-19

The earnest expectation of the creature waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. We who are believers must strive for this high place in God. The entire world is looking for meaning in life. No amount of money, fame, men, women, children, or any worldly possession can ever satisfy our souls. Why? Because God put this into us at creation. So, we keep searching, looking into space, looking into relationships, astrology, money, entertainment, looking for that missing something to fill the void. But only Christ can fill this void. And for those of us who know Christ, we pant after Him as the deer pants after water in a dry land, because there is SOMETHING MORE. This is the something more. This oneness with the Lord. We were created to be seated with Him in heavenly places. We are called to a higher position than Lucifer ever was. He enjoyed being with Him in the highest heavens, but he wasn’t seated with Him. He wanted to seat with Him and be like Him and so he was cast out (Read Isaiah 14 again, from verse 12).

We are called to this place. Who will answer the calling and quench their thirst? Who will fulfil destiny in the truest sense of the word? We have absolutely nothing to lose, but everything to gain. Who will set their face like a flint and determine to accept no less that what He has to offer? This was the heart that King David had for God, such that even God called him a man after God’s heart. I will conclude this chapter with how David expressed his longing for God. May it be our expression too:

1 {A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.} O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
Psalm 63:1-8