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 - - Has A Willing Mind

 

2 Corinthians 8:12

For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4288

Willing Mind:  inclination, readiness

From the Greek word 'prothumia' (pronounced proth-oo-mee'-ah): before-passion, pre-inclined; predisposed.

    Matthew 22:37

Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’"

    When our minds are willing to love the Lord, then the rest of the body will follow suit. For in our physical anatomies it is the brain that determines how the rest of the body functions. So, too, when our mind is willing to love God before we meet Christ, then naturally we will want to honor God even more so afterwards.

    A crucified life is willing to be obedient to the cause of the cross, the instrument of death by which God has given us life eternal. While it may seem paradoxical, we must remember that God uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27-29). 

    In a world where right is wrong and wrong is right, living a crucified life stands out. The lighthouse shines its piercing beams into the darkness of the harbor, highlighting the angry waves crashing against the reefs and the boulders. The born again believer is such, shining the Light of God's Love into that same darkness, that same wave of anger currently smashing itself up against the immovable force.

    A crucified life is willing to be the lighthouse. We have chosen to take a stand and stand up for Jesus, raising high the banner of Grace & Mercy through the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world. Our stronghold is our God. Our fortifications are Trust and Obedience, Faith and Hope. 

    We stand on the Word of our God as our standard of living, for Christ is our Way of Life. The light of Christ in us attracts other believers to us, as well as those seeking to become a believer. When the discernment of the Holy Spirit is active within a believer, recognition is instant and joyful. "I know you! You're a Christian! I can see Him in your face." 

    But the hateful heart can also see the difference in our lifestyles without wanting anything to do with us except to try and destroy us. Persecution is on every side; no longer does it hide itself away and depend on secrecy and the darkness to hide its agenda. 

    Blatant hate spews forth in abundance and falls on God's church, Christ's bride. She, however, is both resilient and steadfast, waving her Banner of Love to encourage other believers to keep following Jesus Christ. Her faith in one hand, her Bible in the other, the church moves forward and ahead with a steadfast, sober mind.

    1 Corinthians 15:58

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

    Galatians 6:9

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

    1 Peter 3:14

Therefore, beloved, as you anticipate these things, make every effort to be found at peace--spotless and blameless in His sight.

    Colossians 2:6-8

Therefore, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

PERSEVERING

Rise Up - Cain

We Will Not Be Shaken - Brian Johnson

Firm Foundation (He Won't) - Cody Carnes

I Will Trust - Red Rocks Worship

I Surrender All 

There Is A Name - Sean Feucht

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me - CityAlight

Spirit and the Bride - Joshua Aaron

    

Arming The Spiritual Warrior -- Sobriety, Faith, Love, Hope

 

1 Thessalonians 5:8

But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

Believers Belong To The Day

1 Thessalonians 5:5

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

The Day of The LORD

Prophetic Verses 

Zechariah 1:7-18

Malachi 4:1-6 (refers to both Christ's first coming and His second)

2 Peter 3:8-13

Be Sober

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 3525

free from illusion, i.e. from the intoxicating influences of sin (like the impact of selfish passion, greed, etc.)

refers to having presence of mind (clear judgment), enabling someone to be temperate (self-controlled); means to have "one's wits (faculties) about them," which is the opposite of being irrational.

To watch, To be alert, To be vigilant in all things and at all times.

2 Timothy 4:5

1 Peter 1:13

1 Peter 4:7

1 Peter 5:8

The Breastplate of Faith & Love

Being a spiritual covering, we learn that it covers our spiritual heart, protecting us from the temptations of the enemy of our souls. 

This Breastplate consists of Living by Faith, Walking by Faith; Having the Love of God in us through Christ, Speaking words of Love with Love. 

FAITH

Hebrews 11:1  

Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for and the certainty of what we do not see.

The Just Live By Faith

Romans 1:17

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Galatians 3:11

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Habakkuk 2:4

Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

The Just Walk By Faith

2 Corinthians 5:7, 8

(For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

LOVE

1 John 4:7-10

Living In Love

1 John 4:11-21

John 13:34

1 Peter 1:22

Romans 12:10

SALVATION

Our helmet, which is fixed securely to our spiritual heads, gives us defence against the tactics of our the enemy of our souls. Having the Word of God firmly planted in our thoughts prevents the wiliness of the his strategies from reaching us. When we know the Word of God, we also know and become aware of how the devil works against us. Knowing our enemy from this advantage point helps us in our times of temptations and troubles to turn to God and His Word to keep us from being prey, but instead makes us the victor in every encounter. And there are many encounters throughout our lives; day in and day out.

HOPE of SALVATION

Romans 8:19, 24

 For the earnest expectation of the creation awaits the revelation of the sons of God. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

1 Peter 1:3-5

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Ephesians 2:8-10

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. 

2 Timothy 1:9

He has saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works, but by His own purpose and by the grace He granted us in Christ Jesus before time began.

Titus 3:5-7

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 

John 3:16, 17

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved.

 

Directional Love

Every decision made in our lives is based on motivation. The immediate outcome is usually the only thing we see. We seldom see the 'big picture', the enduring consequences of our actions. And, yes, I myself am included in the 'we' of these statements. So, don't think I point fingers in any direction besides my own.

When I was a teenager, I blamed my parents for my inability to bloom and blossom. When I was in my twenties, it was my boyfriend's inability to commit. In my thirties, I still hadn't learned anything useful. It was my inability to accept change that kept me from growing up. How hard and painful is that to admit? It is change, after all, that allows growth in the first place.

I desired to be loved. Therefore, I went looking for someone to love me. My decision led me to men who wanted casual sex, but not a relationship. My decision to have sex outside of marriage led me to having a baby. My decision saw only the immediate need of self and not the enduring needs of others in my world. Every decision made after that had only a self seeking love as a base. Just sand, not solid foundation; meant to be shaken by the merest breeze of a storm and lost in the tides of life.

My desires were more important to me than God's desires. Had I had the inclination to study God's Word for myself and not just believe what I had been told, not only would the outcome have been vastly different, but the desires also. But I did not.

Many of us think we were raised by strict, hypocritical parents. We did not see from our viewpoint that they were just trying to be good parents. "Can't do this" and "Can't do that" because we are Christians. Unless we are at a wedding, then it's okay. Or a family party, then it's okay. I am referring to drinking and dancing. Now, did that make me want to not do either or just stoke the fire? Well, duh, stoked.

Sex, of course, was not talked about. In any form. Everything I learned, I learned from books and movies. And life. I would have rather been informed by Christian parents who knew the dangers of touching someone you are attracted to. I never saw either read the Bible at home. Or pray, at home. We never prayed together as a family. Or studied our Bibles together as a family. Religion was for church, not for home.

But I was always looking for someone to love me, someone I could love in return. And it was in my first marriage, at a church, that I accepted a relationship with Christ that became the foundation for a consuming, all or nothing, love. This love keeps me sane, keeps me sober, keeps me strong. This love caused me to want, to desire more than just what made me happy; I began to desire what makes God happy.