I Am Christian's Soul - Part Two

 

    I am Christian's soul. My soul is comprised of my heart, my mind, my strength. These three things are so intertwined it is impossible to separate them. What and how I think takes place in my mind. Then my thoughts travel to my heart, where I may ponder them and consider my next action regarding my thoughts. How I put my thoughts into action comes from my attitude towards what I am thinking about. 

    My soul has a price, it has value. Because I have been purchased by the blood of The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, my soul belongs to Him. This redemptive process began when I believed on The Name of The Lord for my salvation. Now I am in the holiness stage where The Holy Spirit of God is making me holy, for without this holiness from God, I could not be with God. For He demands holiness from His people. 

    My 💙 is filled with the love of God, the agape kind of love, which is unconditional. No requirements are there to this love. When God loves us, He loves all of us. That's why He sent His Son, His Word, to us: that Jesus would Redeem us through His death and give us new life through His resurrection. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

    My 💙 contains my faith. My faith has come from hearing The Word of God in all its fulness and truth and applying it to my everyday way of life. When I waken, I thank Him for a new day and I praise Him for Who He Is. As I move through my day, He is with me by His Spirit, encouraging me in His Word and the music He provides to me.

    My 💙 is the seat of my emotions. I have known joy and I have known sorrow. I love, but I cannot hate. Compassion and mercy flow through me. I have both sympathy and empathy within me. A sympathetic heart commiserates with the unknown trials a person goes through. An empathetic heart, having gone through various trials, knows the value of the words spoken or unspoken in those given situations. 

    I am Christian and this is my heart. 

My 🤔 is sound and sober. Though a million thoughts may race through me at any given moment, the only thoughts that matter are the ones that stay. Memories live here briefly. Most remain in the heart. Some fade away with time. 

    Because I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), I am clear-minded and can see with clarity. No longer do I live in a rose-colored world, nor do I bury my head in the sand. I read and I watch. I am alert and aware of the events going on around me. But I am not afraid for God The Lord is with me. I live in anticipation of the soon and coming King, for I see prophecies being fulfilled before my eyes and I hear of great and mighty things happening not just in faraway places but right here up close and personal. 

    My 🤔 is focused on the job at hand, this field work which I have been given to do. Though some days I struggle, with The Lord so close to me, I am able to perform the task given. I never work alone. The Lord has given me many tasks in His Word. There are times when I can get more than one done at a time. Some of my tasks are woven into each other and are unbreakable. 

    His Word says to "seek first the kingdom of God", which means I need to know God first before I can go looking for His kingdom or even begin to increase His kingdom, advancing His cause across the regions. Knowing God:  Acts 17:24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is The Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in temples made by hands." Know The Lord: Hebrews 8:11 "No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, 'Know The Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest."

    I am Christian and this is my mind.

    My strength, my attitude, is how I perceive that which is spoken to me and by me; it is how I process the things which I have heard and seen with my heart and my mind. I can live in despair and doubt or I can live in hope and faith. I choose to live in hope and faith. I choose to persevere and move forward regardless of the pain of movement or the knowledge that what lies ahead could be dangerous and life-threatening.

     My life does not belong to me, therefore nothing should stop me from pursuing the righteousness of Christ that I may obtain the crowns which He has for me; only to lay these crowns at His feet. For everything I have has been received from Him and it is only fit and due that I give it all back to Him. Attitude: Acts 20:24  "But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life]."

    My strength, my attitude is my will: it is the "I want", the "I have to have it" and "I need" of a person's desire. I am Christian and I have surrendered my will to God's will. For I have learned, and am still learning, that Father knows best. Therefore, what I want is what God wants: that all people everywhere should be saved. Having surrendered my will to His has changed my prayer life. His strength is my joy and my salvation. 

    I am Christian's soul and I am constantly being attacked by Satan and the little darts he throws in my direction. My shield of faith must always be raised to block them. So I will stand firm on The Word of God and I will be His steadfast servant. For I have armed myself with The Word of God, The Love of God and The Hope of My Salvation. I am strong in The Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10); I am fearless. Yet the enemies of my soul should live in fear of what Christ is doing through me and in me. 

    I am Christian's soul and I live in Christ Who lives in me. 

JESUS HAVE IT ALL - Jeremy Riddle
MAKE ROOM - Community Music

LIVING FOR JESUS 

I Am Christian's Soul - Part One

    I am Christian and I have a living soul. I became a living soul when I believed on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation. Once I lived in the world according to the world's standards of living. Then I was a different creature with an old name. Now, I am a new creation in Christ and in Christ I have a new name. For I have been born again, born from heaven, born anew through the power of God's Holy Spirit working God's redeeming grace in my heart by the blood of God's only begotten Son Jesus Christ. 

    This new life in Christ has changed the course of my life's journey. No longer do I dwell in darkness and despair. Though I may get discouraged, I always have God's Word nearby to encourage me not to give up, but to push the spirits of fear, dismay and doubt out of my way that I might reach my journey's end. 

    My soul prospers when I grow closer to God and remain in His Word. The ground does not open up for the seedling to pop through; the seed must first germinate, then push it's way up through the ground. So, too, does my faith grow, enabling my spirit to prosper. 

    David wrote in Psalm 1:1-3 of the blessings of staying on God's pathway. That, in verse three, therein is prosperity. He was not writing of material wealth, but of the treasure that lies within the pages of God's written Word; of the wealth of wisdom which comes only from fearing God and being obedient to what He says to us. He wrote of the riches of staying near God, away from fools and their foolishness. This is true prosperity.

    My soul prospers when I remain in constant communion with God. Prayer is the breath of life in my spirit. A lack of prayer is a lack of communication between my God and myself. Therefore, I will draw near to God that He may draw nearer to me. Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 that we are to "Pray without ceasing." There is no "later" when it comes to prayer. You want me to pray for you, we'll pray now, together. Later never comes around. 

    My soul lives forever now that I belong to God, now that my heart is filled with His love and grace and mercy. I have eternal life because I repented of my sins, of the wickedness of my words and actions, and received God's forgiveness and His grace. That's why we sing so many wonderful praise and worship songs to Him. Who wouldn't want to praise God for His merciful lovingkindness? 

    A tree planted by the water remains nourished. Not only does it receive life-giving resources from the water itself but the nutrients in the water sustain the tree which is planted there. Its roots extend deep into the soil and takes hold of the very thing into which it has been planted. I am Christian and my soul prospers in The Lord as a tree prospers near the water. In Him I live and move and have my being (Acts 17:28). Without Him the opposite is also true. Without Christ I existed but I didn't live. Without Christ I was stuck in the miry clay and could not get myself out of it. Such was the life of sin. But IN CHRIST I am Alive. IN CHRIST I move when He moves. IN CHRIST I am Christian. And my soul prospers.

THAT'S WHY WE PRAISE HIM - Tommy Walker

REDEEMED - Big Daddy Weave

NOW I BELONG TO JESUS - Monica McCoy

ABIDE IN ME - Andrew Marcus

    

I Am Christian - The Weight of A Good Name - Part Two

    

  My name is Christian. My name is my reputation. My name is bound in Christ's Name for it is Christ I am named for. I am a person of honor and integrity. My word is my bond. When I say I will do this or that, I mean it. When I make a promise, I keep it. I am not perfect. I will fail. I will fall. But I will persevere through it all. 

    Though I contend with they who come against me to destroy me, I will not hate them. For I am filled with the Love of God: Jesus Christ. God loves. God loves all people everywhere. It is this great Love of God for a dying world that caused Him to send His only begotten Son Jesus Christ into the dying world. And this great Love of God LIVES IN ME, CHRISTIAN! So, I love with the Love of God. 

    I am a troubleshooter, a peacekeeper. I walk in the Wisdom of The LORD, for I am filled with His precious Holy Spirit, Who leads me through The Word of God and reveals God's intentions for me. In this Wisdom, I am compelled to share Christ with everyone I meet, wherever I am. My name is Christian and I will accomplish the tasks which God has prepared for me. 

    Though at times it may seem to myself or those watching me that I get very little to nothing done, it is God Who determines what has been accomplished in me and through me. Only God knows where His Word will go through my actions. Only God knows who will receive it and who will dismiss it. It is my privilege and my honor to serve Him in this capacity. It is also my job. I am a laborer in His field. My name is Christian, my name is Worker. 

    In my walk with Christ, I am a fellow laborer. I do not work alone. I do not study alone. I do not pray alone. I do not speak alone. I do not cry alone. I do not walk alone. I do live my life on my own terms but on Christ's terms. I do not rest alone. I do not read alone. And when I leave this world, I will not leave alone. My name is Christian. One way or another when I leave here, I'm going with Him. Whether I leave in death or leave at His return, I'm going with my Fellow Laborer. 

    My name is Christian. It is not a name I bear lightly. Heavy is this weight upon my shoulder. There is responsibility in being Christian. I must find out what it means to be Christian and live that life. I read my Bible out loud for my "faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word of God". I delve into my Bible and study out what God wants me to know on a regular basis. For I must have The Word built up in me for such a time as when I cannot get my hands on a Bible, that The Holy Spirit may draw from within me the Strength of The Word, the Power of The Word, and pour it out upon the ears of they who will hear it, whether they receive It or not, I must have The Word in me. My name is Christian and I am Student, I am Studier. 

    I am the well, the cistern, in which The Water of Life dwells and flows through. I am Christian and I have set my face like flint. I feel it every time I study and remain focused on what The Spirit tells me to say. I hear what my King wants me to hear and I choose to obey. I am Christian and my name is Obedient. I neither grumble nor complain. Though the work in His field is hard, it is not impossible. The whip of self-righteousness and ignorance falls across my back and I forgive.  For I am Christ's servant: it is for Him I will suffer, for His glory is only increased. 

    My life is not my own. Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in The Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me." 

ABBA - John Mark Pantana

INTO THE DEEP - Citipointe Worship

WAYMAKER - Leeland

THE MEASURE OF A MAN - 4Him 

BELONG TO YOU - Here Be Lions

I Am Christian-The Weight of A Good Name

 

A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, 

and loving favour rather than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1

I AM CHRISTIAN

    I've been blessed with so many studies over these past few years I wasn't sure what I would be doing or where I would be going in The Word at the end of this year and into the beginning of the next. After pondering this for some time now ( it is why the studies have been few lately), The Spirit brought to mind an old Reader's Digest story line called I Am Joe's Body and it talked about how Joe's anatomy worked. Was really well written by J.D. Ratcliff and became one of their most popular series. I still remember reading it even now. 

    This series is about the body of Christ. And to day I'm talking about her name. For the body of Christ is the church, the bride. A bride is always a her. When the bride joins with the Bridegroom the two become one and none can tear them apart or break asunder their bonds of love. 

    I am Christian. A name once spoken in mockery to the first followers of Christ: His disciples and those who believed the gospel message they spoke. The early Greeks and Romans labeled the believers as such and the name has stuck through a couple thousand years now. We are still held in contempt by the unbelieving person. But as long as we remain faithful to the full gospel message of the cross and the resurrection, our witness will remain strong and our name will be bound in Christ's name. 

    I am Christian. I live my life in the Way of Holiness, sometimes stumbling but always getting back up to continue moving forward, not looking back with regret but learning from past experiences that my faith may grow. I don't need to see the whole picture: I just need to hold The Artist's hand and believe The Maker's Voice. If I ever see the whole picture, it will be from the realms of glory. But if I never see the whole picture which God is putting together, I'm good with that, too. That takes faith; faith in the goodness of God and trusting that God knows best. 

    This faith journey is at times difficult and treacherous: leaping from one ledge to another requires great faith if I only concentrate on the gap beneath my feet. But if I am following The Shepherd, then I don't even see the gap. I am not graceful. I am Grace-Filled. I am Christian and I follow Christ. 

    

By Your Spirit - Kim Walker-Smith

Nothing Else - Cody Carnes