Hidden With Jesus, Standing Free
Turning the key you already have, living from the ground of Jesus within
Devotional Credit, Abide Above by Miles J. Stanford, “GROUNDWORK”
Photo Credit, Unsplash
We spend a lot of early energy trying to fix ourselves. Miles Stanford invites us to begin on different ground. Scripture says we have died, and our life is hidden with Jesus in God. That is not a call to look inside for death or improvement. It is a call to look to the risen Lord and to live from where the Father has placed us, in His Son.
From that ground, the contrast becomes clear. When I rely on the old patterns, I harvest the works of the flesh. When I abide in the risen Lord Jesus, the Spirit bears His fruit in ordinary days. The point is not to make the old self behave better. The point is that the Father has done everything in His Son, and as I remain in Him, what is true of Jesus begins to show up in me.
Stanford thanks the Lord for this finished place. We were crucified with Jesus, raised with Him, blessed in Him, complete in Him. The death to sin happened in Him, and because we were in Him, it is counted as ours. That is why Romans 6 talks about reckoning. We are not trying to make something true. We are learning to trust what God has already done and to present ourselves to Him on that basis.
This is liberty. Galatians calls it standing fast in the freedom Jesus has given. Not freedom to drift, but freedom to live unto God. When I choose the ground of who I am in myself, I repeat the same weary cycle. When I stand on the ground of who I am in Jesus, the Spirit expresses His life, and I grow. Thank you, Miles Stanford, for pointing our feet to this solid place.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I set you with My Son in heavenly places, and I hide your life with Him in Me. You died to sin in Him, and you live to Me in Him. Reckon this as true. Present yourself to Me, and I will express the life of Jesus in your mortal body. I have blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the Anointed One. You are complete in Him. I work in you to will and to do My good pleasure, so your obedience flows from union, not from fear.
Do not search within to confirm your death. Look to the cross where My Son died to sin once for all. Look to the resurrection where He lives unto Me. Abide in Him, and you will bear much fruit. When the pull of the old patterns rises, stand fast in the liberty for which Jesus made you free. Set your mind on things above where He is seated. As you behold Him, I transform you from glory to glory.
I am forming a people who share His life together. You are My workmanship in the Messiah Jesus, created for the works I prepared. Walk in them as you rely on Me. There is no condemnation for you in the Anointed One. The law of the Spirit of life in the Messiah Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. Keep your place. Keep your gaze. I complete what I begin.
Real-Life Analogy
Picture a house key that fits your front door. You can stand on the porch and jiggle the handle for a long time. Nothing changes. The door was designed to open when the right key is turned in the lock. Abiding is like using the key you already have. The Spirit of Jesus lives in you. The lock is not impressed by your effort at the handle. The door opens when you turn the key you were given.
A real moment, before a difficult meeting, instead of scripting my image or forcing calm, I turn to the Lord who indwells me and say, Lord, I entrust this conversation to You, express Your clarity and kindness through me as I listen and respond. Then I step in. Words come that I could not have prepared, and patience shows up that I did not produce. That is His life working in real time.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that I have died with Jesus and my life is hidden with Him in You. Thank You that You have blessed me in the Messiah with every spiritual blessing. Thank You that I am complete in Him. Today I stand on this ground. I count myself dead to sin and alive to You in Jesus. I present myself to You, trusting Your Spirit to express His fruit through my words, my reactions, and my work. I rejoice in the liberty that Your Son has given, and I walk it out with You.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Colossians 3:1-4, Romans 6:6-13, 2 Corinthians 4:10-11, Ephesians 1:3, Colossians 2:9-10, Philippians 2:13, Romans 6:10-11, John 15:4-5, Galatians 5:1, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Ephesians 2:6, Ephesians 2:10, Romans 8:1-4