A New Nature – Prophetic Declaration
A number of years ago I attended a men’s retreat. A national guest speaker was invited to help us discover our “calling”.
I left the retreat with more desire but little specifics on what to do going forward. I became more aware of how lonely my journey has been and how much I did not understand about God’s plan for me.
This was a good place for me to be. Fertile ground for God to pull up the old and plant the new.
What are the deep things in your heart God wants to conceive and birth in you? What are your true talents and gifts Christ desires to reveal? What are the rich treasures in your heart? And who’s thirst will you quench from your overflow? (Psalm 23:5b)
A Divine Appointment
Over 15 years ago on my way to an audit client I was impressed to stop for lunch at a particular fast food restaurant.
Feelings of uncertainty and expectancy were swimming around in me as I entered the restaurant. As I stood in line, I felt led to introduce myself to the gentleman in front of me. I offered to buy his lunch. With a puzzled look he declined.
I said something to the effect, please, I really want to do this – I feel led to buy you lunch. He smiled and said okay let’s have lunch together.
I found he was a retired minister from California who recently relocated to Washington. After we shared some pleasantries, he talked about the difficult transition he was going through.
He described how the shift from busyness and ministry to retirement, the loss of relationships and being “needed”, left him lonely and empty. My heart went out to him.
I felt led by the Lord to share how this season will be one of the most important in his life. I felt the Lord’s wisdom for him. I think hope was rekindled in his heart. He needed reminding he was not forgotten. Jesus was focused as ever on him!
Dr. David Jeremiah gave a wonderful message in March 2015 about waiting before the Lord. Many times, that’s when we grow the most. It’s a golden opportunity to be in his “care”.
God’s Plan
There are seasons in our journey where we have intense fellowship and intimacy with one another in and out of ministry. But those are seasons. Busyness, ministry, meeting other’s needs, will never fill those deep places set aside and apart for you and Jesus.
Do you sense the need in your inner man for the deep things of Christ?
Today we hear so much about “story”. The story of adventure, battle, and rescue. The desperate cry of our heart. To impact and change lives for the good.
In Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’” (NIV)
In one sense “image” appears to refer more to the outward, and “likeness” more to the inward. See Hebrew Strong’s Number 6754 and 1823. (1)
Of course, at creation, Adam and Eve were created whole, pure and holy. But they were untested, inexperienced and undeveloped. They were just beginning their journey.
Of this we can be sure, God had much in the way of adventure for them. An opportunity to grow into the fullness of his image and likeness.
Image and likeness are our story as well. It is God’s master plan to bring our identity and destiny into conformity with Christ’s. A beautiful plan to shepherd who we are, our uniqueness, talents and gifting’s, from brokenness into wholeness, Christ’s image and likeness.
Jesus was the first one to fulfill God’s master plan to make man into his image and likeness, to be perfected. (Romans 8:29; First Corinthians 15:20; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 2:10; Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 5:8-9; Hebrews 6:20)
Now that he fulfilled God’s master plan completely and perfectly, he can fulfill God’s plan in us.
Many Old Testament saints (Enoch, Moses, Samuel, David, Solomon, Elijah, Isaiah etc.) experienced a measure of Christ likeness based on God’s work in their life and foreknowledge of a coming redeemer. How much more is Christ available to us on the other side of the cross?
The Christian experience, the heart of the gospel, is about being made into Christ likeness. (Romans 6:5; Romans 8:13; Romans 8:29; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 2:21; Ephesians 4:13; Hebrews 3:14 (see literal Greek))
The heart of the gospel is not about being a minister, theologian, worker of this or that, etc. No! It’s about those who hunger and thirst for Jesus to make them new according to his pattern. Out of the new creation, Christ likeness, whatever depth and measure he is able to build, comes the fruit of the spirit and the blessings of godliness to others.
Jesus is the only one who finished the race without sin. He blazed the path for us. Let’s follow him through the journey he’s marked out and apprehend what he’s apprehended for us.
Your story may seem pretty bland right now, maybe even a prison sentence. But remember, great things come out of prison. Joseph came out of prison and became second in charge of Egypt. David came out of the wilderness and became king of Israel. Paul wrote Scripture in prison.
The same prophetic declaration spoken over Adam and Eve speaks to us, in Christ. How does this happen and what is the process?
Does the Bible teach us to grow in our relationship with Jesus or to be made into his likeness? And how can we grow into his likeness without healing? And what about the deep wounds? How can those areas come under his dominion without his personal intervention?
Is Jesus gently knocking on your door? More to come.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblical, Inc.™
(1) James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew Chaldee and Greek Dictionaries, Riverside Book and Bible House, Iowa Falls, Iowa
