Knowing Our Inheritance

KNOWING OUR INHERITANCE

By Rodney W. Francis

“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge (“clear and exact knowledge; it expresses a more thorough participation on the part of the knower, with the object of knowledge; a knowledge that has a powerful influence on the knower”) of His will in all wisdom (“wisdom, cleverness, skill, etc.; a right application of knowledge”) and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might (“ability, inherent power, miraculous energy, ability to effect all the purposes of rectitude and wisdom; power to perform”), according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father Who has qualified (“to make sufficient, render competent or adequate”) us to be partakers of the inheritance (“an allotment or portion, a possession”) of the saints in the light. He has delivered (“snatch from danger, to rescue, to deliver”) us from the power of darkness and conveyed (“transferred”) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have redemption (“deliverance from the guilt and punishment of sin, and applying to the whole being”) through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:9-15, NKJV).

WALK WORTHY OF THE LORD

Here we have clearly written of the tremendous privilege and advantage of being a true follower of Jesus Christ and receiving the revelation of who and what we are as new creations in Jesus Christ. Paul prayed continually that his fellow believers in Jesus would be filled with the knowledge of God’s will for their lives, and all that goes with the blessing of that knowledge. When we know these tremendous promises and are pressing more and more into them, then we have a tremendous inheritance in the here and now of walking and living with the Risen Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

Having God’s wisdom and spiritual understanding enables us to walk worthy of the Lord on a daily basis, and to bring forth much fruit for His praise, honour and glory.
We are told it is an increasing knowledge, so we are able to continue developing in the purposes of God.
It is a knowledge that strengthens us, and enables us to release more and more of the ‘dunamis’ power of God out of our lives. That dunamis power is a power that enables us to do everything that God asks of us through the power of the Holy Spirit!
We need what God has given us, because we have to develop in patience and longsuffering.

Why? Because people who do not know God do not understand the realm we are now walking and living in. To them it does not make sense. But to us we know that we have found tremendous life, wisdom, knowledge and spiritual understanding that we never knew before.

In spite of the opposition we face, God wants us to be a people of joy, with hearts of thanksgiving to God for all that He has done for us, and all that He has given to us to enable us to fulfil His purposes here on the earth. Praise the Lord!
When Jesus shed His blood for us, He not only obtained our salvation and freedom, but He also gave us the power and authority to live a life that glorifies God in every way.
How amazing is that??!!

Please take some time to consider and meditate upon these verses of Scripture (above). Let them sink down deep into your heart, and know in your innermost being that God has accomplished all these things because of His great love for you.

What a privilege it is to know Jesus Christ in these times!
When we are filled with the knowledge of His will, then we are able to do and accomplish the very things that Jesus saved us to do.
Whatever He asks of us we are able to do it ~ even if we have never done it before.
Through the Holy Spirit working within us ~ and our co-operating with Him ~ we can be amazed at what He can do in and through us.
Do you know His will for your life?
If so, are you fulfilling God’s will in your life in a practical way?

WE MUST GIVE OUR ALL TO JESUS

True Christianity demands a full surrender of our life and will to Jesus. We will never know His love, will and power until we have given Him our all. Anything less than that makes us a “double-minded person” and the Bible tells us that that makes us “unstable (“not settled, not standing fixed, not steady, inconstant”) in all our ways” (see James 1:1-8). There is a high price to pay for those who are double-minded and unstable!

Consider these verses of Scripture: “I beseech (“urge”) you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed (“to form, fashion or shape”) to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove (“prove by test”) what is that good and acceptable and perfect (“complete, perfect, full, wanting nothing”) will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

It is when we are fully committed to Jesus Christ that we get the benefits of all that He has purchased for us through His death (shedding of His blood for us, burial, and resurrection). We also are able to live so that we can not only know His will for our life personally, but also to prove it beyond doubt that this is what the Lord has saved us for and called us to do.

When we are living in ~ and proving ~ the will of God for our lives, we really know what to say “Yes” to and what to say “No” to.

My experience over the years is that many Christians do not know God’s will for their own life, but think they know God’s will for other Christians lives. Numbers of times other Christians (including leaders) have tried to talk us out of that which we know God called us into. I am so thankful to the Lord that we have stuck with that which God has called us to do. And it all started way back in April 1964 with 27 names and addresses. Over the years since then it has just kept growing and growing. The result is that we are touching multitudes of lives in over 220 nations of the world today. All praise to Jesus! He can be trusted.

If you have struggled in knowing God’s will for your life, then I urge you to do what Romans 12:1-2 tells you to do. Let go all the excuses, any resistance to yielding your all to Jesus, trust Him and see what He will do for you. He desires the very best for you, but you have to demonstrate to Him your genuine desire that He is Lord of every area of your life. The more He has of us, the more He can shine and work through us. Hallelujah!

The more we can yield our life to Jesus, the more we are able to prove His will and purpose for our life. Walking and living in that will and purpose is the greatest privilege we can have this side of eternity. I am so grateful to God that He got a hold of my life when I was just 18 years old. It has been a life (since then) of serving the Lord and seeing what He can do when we are willing to obey what He asks of us. His word is so true and comes to pass when we are fully committed to obeying what He asks of us. Through our obedience to Him we see and experience His miracles in wonderful ways. Praise the Lord! May this be your privilege and experience too ~ more and more than you have ever experienced before. Amen!

(Word meanings are taken from “Bullinger’s Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament”).

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