I Am Christian's Closet

 

ROMANS 13:14

But put on The Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

    I am Christian's closet and I am empty. For everything Christian needs to clothe himself or herself is already on the body. It is a conscious decision to choose to clothe one's self in Christ. 

    It is a daily commitment to be arrayed in the salvation of Jesus Christ as outlined in Ephesians 6:10-20. For every piece of armor and equipment is on the body and in the hand. 

    My head covering is a helmet of salvation and I am wearing multiple crowns; not golden crowns, for one gold crown is heavy enough in itself. Christian wears the crowns of victory which are light and fragrant. These crowns do not sit in Christian's closet but on Christian's head:

One crown is imperishable (1 Corinthians 9:25).

One crown is eternal life (James 1:12; Revelation 2:10).

One crown is God's Lovingkindness (Psalm 103:4)

One crown is the anointing oil reserved for the high priest who could enter the holy of holies (Leviticus 21:12).

One crown is God-given glory and honor (Psalm 8:4,5).

One crown is  knowledge given to the wise/prudent (Proverbs 14:18).

One crown is righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8).

One crown is souls won for Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:1; Proverbs 11:30, Jude 3, Ephesians 6:12).

One crown is beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3). 

    I am Christian and my garments are many. 

    The garment which covers my skin is the righteousness of Christ Jesus. This goes on before any other pieces of clothing. Without the blood of The Lamb of God covering Christian's nakedness all other attempts to clothe one's self are vain and destructive. 

Therefore, as Paul writes in his letter to the church in Rome, "Put on The Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the lusts/desires of the flesh." In other words deliberately and with careful thought pursue a life of holiness, following The Spirit where He leads us as we keep near to our Lord and Savior. 

    Atop this garment of righteousness Christian places his vestment of love and righteousness. It is akin to a thick leather tunic,  which protects Christian both on the front and the back. A belt of Truth holds the tunic in place and keeps Christian on balance, unwavering. 

    Knowing that The Word of God is The LORD Jesus Christ we see that Christian has both Sword and Shield, two items one might not ordinarily deem articles of clothing. But since we know that Christian is dressed in Christ, then we now know that Christian's hands are the hands of Christ, as well. When Christian raises his hands, he raises Christ up and God is glorified. When Christian pushes his hands out in front of him, it is Christ defending Christian, it is as if the blood of Christ were pushing back against whatever and whoever is coming against Christian. 

    I am Christian and I wear a garment of praise. I have traded it for the garment of despair I used to wear before the moniker Christian was given to me (Isaiah 61:3). This garment is like a cloak, covering all of me from the neck to the ankle. It is protection in and of itself to me, for in this garment of praise is my GOD. This I know because The Word tells me that GOD inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). There are hundreds of verses throughout the Holy Bible and Scriptures which remind us that we are to Praise The Lord God not just every day but throughout our day and even our nights. 

    

    In Christian's closet is an empty shoebox. For on Christian's feet are the only shoes he will ever need to wear: the preparation of the gospel of peace. These shoes strap on to the foot first, then over the ankle and up the calf. To hold the straps in place is a leather greeve which will protect the shin and calf. Now Christian is fully dressed and ready to greet the day. 

    Wherever Christian steps he steps on the lies of Satan. Though the sting of death came through Satan's actions, the victory over death comes only by the death and resurrection of The Lord Jesus Christ. Christian has this victory. Christian will only taste death for death will have no power over him. And so the folly of Christian's antagonist(s) becomes their undoing. For the power of The Living Word of God, which is strapped to Christian's feet and legs has overcome and  destroyed that which has tried to destroy him. 

 

    I am Christian and my closet is empty because I am fully clothed in the garments which my Lord God has given me.  

JESUS MY RIGHTEOUSNESS - John Mark Pantana

COVERED - Planetshakers

OIL OF YOUR SPIRIT - Lindell Cooley

GARMENTS OF PRAISE - Robin Mark

UNDER MY FEET - Zach Williams

YOUR LOVE DEFENDS ME - Matt Maher

A Crucified Life - - Afflictions Produce Increase

 

2 Corinthians 4:17

For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. 

#Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 2716

Producing: to work out, to accomplish

From the Greek word ' katergazomai' (pronounced kat-er-gad'-zom-ahee): to an exact definite conclusion; bring to decisive finality.

LIGHT AND MOMENTARY AFFLICTIONS

    In other words, whatever affliction or trial or tribulation the Christian goes through is not as valuable as what we gain after we have gone through said affliction. 

    Paul went through many, many afflictions to deliver the gospel wherever the Lord brought him. 1 Corinthians 4:10-13; 2 Corinthians 11:19-29. Yet, Paul considers that everything that he has experienced in order that the gospel Truth may go forth was 'light and momentary'. That all his trials were necessary. And he's right. 

    For the seed which is planted into the ground cannot produce fruit unless it first goes through its own tribulations: being buried beneath the ground, bursting through its outer shell, pushing through the dirt to reach the sun. It is then transforming from a seed to a seedling (young plant); from a seedling to a shoot; from a shoot to a stalk which flowers briefly before small fruits begin to appear. It is the same in our spiritual growth. 

    The seed of the Word of God gets planted into the hearts of men by the actuation of their faith in Christ. This living faith in Christ is transformed through daily meditation on God's Word. We are transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit: the only thing we can do is believe. As the seed cannot be transformed by outward actions, neither can the believer be transformed by his or her own actions. God saves us; we cannot save ourselves. 

PRODUCING FOR US

    The believer in Christ is promised many rewards. Some rewards we receive in this life, some after this life has ended and our heavenly life in Christ begins. These rewards are earned by the believer who endures, perseveres, overcomes. By this we are made aware that being a believer is not going to be an easy road to travel. Jesus tells us in Matthew 10:22 that we will be hated by everyone because we bear His name. But with that promise of what we receive in this world: hate, we also are given a promise of what we receive when we believe: salvation. 

    Matthew 5:1-12; Matthew 10:22, 24:9, 13; Mark 13:13; Luke 6:22, 21:17; Isaiah 66:5; John 15:20-21. 

    Ephesians 6:12 tells us who we are fighting against when we struggle to live the holy life we have been called to live in Christ. But verses 13-20 tell us how to arm ourselves that we might be better prepared to not only fight against them (endure, persevere) but win (overcome) and defeat them. Our greatest weapon is Love: the Love of God.

     We do not hate people: we hate sin in people. We hate the very garments of unrighteousness in which they are clothed, but we pray daily for their salvation (Jude 1:23). 

    Sometimes we appear to hate ourselves, but it is not ourself we hate (being made in the image of God, how can we?), it is the sin we have committed whether consciously or unconsciously. But the Christian who stumbles and falls in the fight against spiritual darkness gets back up again and lives to fight another day.

     For this race we run is run in the valley of the shadow of darkness: things do always appear as they are, for they are in the shadows: watching, waiting for us to fall and despair. But we will not. For we are overcomers who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of His Testimony. 

    Daniel 11:35 says we are "being refined, purified and made spotless". John 15:2 says we are being pruned that we may produce more fruit. We may be humiliated at times, but we are to remain humble and place ourselves under the blood of forgiveness and redemption in Christ when we repent of our sins. 

AN ETERNAL WEIGHT OF GLORY

    > Rewards: Revelations 2:7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3:5, 11-12, 21. 

    >Crowns: James 1:12, Revelation 2:10; 1 Corinthians 9:25; Psalm 103:4; Psalm 8:4, 5; Leviticus 21:12; Proverbs 14:18; 2 Timothy 4:8; Esther 2:17; Isaiah 28:5, 1 Peter 5:4; Philippians 4:1, Proverbs 11:30, Daniel 12:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:19.

AFFLIcTIONS PRODUcE INcREASE

Give Me Faith - Elevation Worship

Just As I Am (I Come Broken) - Travis Cottrell

Mercy Came Running - Phillips, Craig and Dean

Where You Go I Go - Jesus Culture

Nothing Compares - Third Day

    

    

    

Thanks Be To God - - Sing His Praise For His Salvation & Deliverance

 

Psalm 106:47

Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto Your holy name, and to triumph in Your praise.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3467

Save: yasha (pronounced yaw-shah') means (in this context): deliver (this word occurs 206 times in the Old Testament Scriptures); is sometimes rendered: help, defend, liberate

*Strong's Ex. Conc. 3034

Thanks: yadah (pronounced yaw-daw') means:  to confess, to glorify, to give praise while throwing one's hands or arms up. (occurs 114 times in Scripture)

*Strong's Ex. Conc. 7623

Triumph:  shabach (pronounced shaw-bakh') means: laud, praise God (occurs 11 times in, 8 of which refer to God or God's power Scripture)

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 8416

Praise: tehillah (pronounced teh-hil-law') means: 'song of praise', adoration, thanksgiving, laud, hymn (occurs 57 times in Scripture)

Only The LORD God can save/liberate/help a person stuck in sin. 

We can be relatively good people our whole lives and not be saved. We can go to church/temple and not be saved. Whether we sing contemporary worship songs or traditional hymns, just singing these songs of praise will not save us. We can grow up in loving homes surrounded by the Word of God being shared in our homes and our churches, yet, still not be saved from the consequences and punishment of our sins. 

We will never be 'good enough' to get to heaven on our own merits. God says our self-righteousness is comparable to filthy rags:

Isaiah 64:5, 6 "You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways. Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins? Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind."

When we do our own thing and not the LORD's thing, that's sin. 

Isaiah 53:6

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Not just some of us, either, but ALL of US.

Romans 3:23

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

How can we Triumph in His praise when we have nothing to be triumphant about when we continue to live a life that is displeasing to God? We can't. All those praise and worship songs coming out of our mouths are just noise. God can't hear your worship because you're not His people. 

God's people are saved by God's grace. Did you hear me? GOD's People are SAVED by GOD's GRACE. This salvation is our Inner Garment, a Righteous Robe that covers our soul (Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh); a Crown of Life (James 1:12); a Crown of Righteousness  (2 Timothy 4:8); a Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4);   a Crown of Glory & Honor (Psalm 8:5 and  Hebrews 2:7). We are, according to 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light."

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 703

Praises: arete (pronounced ar-et'-ay), which means: moral excellences, goodness, uprightness, virtue which is displayed to enrich life

Dear God,

You are God and there is no other god before You. You are holy. You are faithful. You keep Your promises. You are the God who saves and delivers. You have saved me out of all my transgressions, my iniquities and my sins. Sin still tries to drag me down, but, You, O God, have saved me from the miryness of sin's clutches. 

Your grace is my covering. Your love is my adornment. Your salvation is my armor. Your wisdom resides in my heart. Your Word is my Light, my Song, my Hope, my Everything. 

Thank You, Father, for saving a wretch like me. For sending Your Son to die in my place and for raising Him from the grave, the First of us to do that. Thank You, Father, for all Your many mercies and blessings on me, Your child, Your servant, Your friend. You call me friend. And I am content. 

And, now, I thank You, God, for what You are doing in the hearts and lives of my families and friends. For though we are born into one family, we gain many more along the way on this journey. Thank You for saving and delivering my many families, my friends, the strangers whom I encounter, they who declare themselves my enemies. 

Thank You for pouring out Your Holy Spirit into our hearts and lives that we may live empowered lives which draw people to You and cause us to be bold, loving witnesses of Your grace.

To You be all glory, honor and praise.

In Jesus' Priceless Name, I pray,
Amen