Barnabas Bulletin ~ 0079 WHAT POSSESSES YOU?
Recently (while out pray-walking) I was impressed by this question: “What possesses you?” It made me think of my personal commitment to Jesus Christ, and of the Christian Message in general. Where do I stand in my personal commitment to Jesus Christ and His cause? If I own something, I possess it. It is mine to do what I like with. That “something” is at my will and wishes. In Christianity Jesus Christ demands His right to own us ~ to possess us, so He can do as He wills with us. Does Jesus own us? Does He own me? Am I totally at His command, or does He have to fit in with my plans . . . and a lot of other things as well? In other words, does Jesus only have a part of us, because we have other possessions that we hold near and dear? I remember a saying that was circulating some years ago: “If Jesus Christ is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all!” How true that is. Jesus did not come to take sides in our lives ~ He came to take over . . . to possess us. How can He be Lord if He only has a part of us? As soon as life takes a different turn for us, we will re-act and miss out on perhaps the greatest opportunity of our life, because we did not have the commitment to trust Jesus with our every thing. To say the Christian “road of life” is littered with “has-beens” is an under-statement. In my travels I am continually meeting people who once used to serve God, who once were in Christian ministry. But today they are in a sad state. What possesses them now? Often it is disgruntlement, anger, bitterness, the sense of failure in ministry, etc. Dear Friend, it is not a matter of what happened “back there,” but rather where does Jesus Christ stand in your life right now? He can forgive us our past failures (and those we think caused them), when we will simply hand them all over to Him and allow Him to possess us through and through!! Life is too short to be dwelling on what used to be, what should have been, etc. The same Jesus of the Bible awaits your presence and company so He can show Himself worthy of possessing your life and doing something very worth while with it. It is all a matter of “Who or What Possesses YOU right now?” Christian, if it is not Jesus, then you have a problem that needs to be sorted quickly! When that happens He will touch you in such a way that you will rise into a new season of joy and fruitfulness ~ and He will open doors of opportunity for you that you never thought could be possible. It all depends on WHO possesses your life! We live in a world where so many false religions are taking possession of their followers to the point that they are willing to die for their lost causes. Yet, so many times, we Christians are not even willing to stand up and openly live for the greatest cause of all ~ that of personally knowing Jesus Christ in time that will last throughout all eternity!! Think about it. If Jesus Christ does not “light us up” and receive our full commitment, there is something wrong with the revelation we have of Him. When He truly possesses the reins of our heart and mind and will, then His wonderful revelation will flow into us in such a way that we know that we know that we know we are in a personal love relationship with Him. The question is: Does Jesus possess those reins . . . Does He possess you? ~ Rodney W. Francis. Bible Readings: Philippians 3:3-16; Colossians 3:1-17; Mark 8:34-38. Please Pray This Prayer: “Dear Lord, I come to You in the All-powerful name of Jesus Christ Your Risen Son. I ask that He take over more of my life, so that I can honestly say that He possesses me! Lord, I realize that I can only have of Your best as I am willing to give You of my best ~ so I yield more of myself to You right now. Show me and teach me more of what You want to do with my life, as well as in and through my life to impact others for Your glory. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry, New Zealand. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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