The Christian faith transforms! For those who receive and believe in Christ, an eternal shift in our lives occurs. We are delivered from the power of darkness and translated (repositioned) into the Kingdom of God’s Son, Jesus Christ (Col. 1:13).
After God translates us into His Kingdom, He desires that we be wholeheartedly determined to walk in His truth and life! Some only want to know about God instead of encountering Him for themselves. These will remain on the sidelines of the faith, frustrated and wanting. We do not want to be those who have a “form of godliness but deny the power thereof” (2 Tim. 3:5). The Kingdom of God is a kingdom of power that truly delivers and sets us free.
Praise God that we now live in a Kingdom that beckons us to walk in brighter and brighter light. Paul explains in Eph. 1:18 from the Amplified Bible: “And [I pray] that the eyes of your heart [the very center and core of your being] may be enlightened [flooded with light by the Holy Spirit], so that you will know and cherish the hope [the divine guarantee, the confident expectation] to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints (God’s people).” Here we see that God floods us with light on the inside by His Spirit so we can have confident hope in all He has gloriously planned for us.
Believing For Ourselves
In the first three (3) segments on the topic of “People of God’s Spirit,” I’ve drawn from the story of the woman at the well (John 4). In this final segment, I want to highlight the response of the people in the city who heard this woman proclaim, “Come, see a man!” After running to Jesus and receiving His message for themselves, these people declared a marvelous thing: “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” (John 4:42). They came to believe from their hearts for themselves.
Indeed, each believer in Christ should shift from believing based on what others have said to believing for ourselves based on our own encounters with Christ. Job said the same: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You” (Job 42:5). He had believed based on what he had previously heard. Now that he encountered the true and living God, he believed from the heart for himself.
God Searches the Heart for Faith
God searches our hearts, and He sees what’s inside: “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). In Psalm 139, David invited the Lord to search his heart when he said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps. 139:23-24). We see here that when we invite God to search us, we can trust His divine character to reveal what is good and what is not. Then, He will kindly lead us in the way everlasting—the way that leads to Him and eternal life.
A Heart Settled in God
Personally, I have made the decision to believe. My heart is now settled. God is in my life, working behind the scenes in what looks to be good and in what looks to be bad. He IS the Savior of the world; therefore, I must trust He is doing a “saving work” in every area of my life. I rest myself in this belief, and “establish my heart” (James 5:8).
The following scriptures reveal how God blesses those who position their hearts to believe.
Ps. 24:3-5: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
1 Peter 5:10-11: But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect [mature], establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
May we, as believers, continue in the faith, mindful of the state of our hearts. God desires that we ascend, stand in His holy presence, and receive blessings. Let us endure the process of being matured, established, strengthened, and settled in our hearts. The Samaritans spoke well, “Now we believe… for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” May we too believe from the heart!
Peace~
Dr. Iris Barrett
Read Part 1: https://thewordismylife.com/people-of-the-spirit-of-god-part-1/
Read Part 2: https://thewordismylife.com/life-in-the-spirit-part-2-lay-down-the-weight-and-run-toward-destiny/
Read Part 3: https://thewordismylife.com/people-of-gods-spirit-part-3-fed-through-obedience/
