Essential Affirmations: BUILDING UP WHAT WAS TORN DOWN

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[Janet Easson Martin]

Essential Affirmation


AS I RELY ON GOD’s GOOD TIDINGS I EXPERIENCE REST, GRATITUDE AND JOY.

SINCE I HAVE BEEN JUSTIFIED THROUGH FAITH, I HAVE PEACE WITH GOD.

[Janet Easson Martin]

Over this Christmas season God has ever SO faithfully brought me back to the undeniable fact that my heart’s continual feast is always in the OUTLANDISH GRACE of God. His willingness to offer up his flesh to be torn and his blood to be poured out for me that I might miraculously enjoy a clear conscience and divine communion with a Holy God. It is the sacred wine of his blood he offers us to drink (receive) for eternal salvation; and the necessary regular reminder of it for continual overflowing joy, which seems the secret strength of the Christian life.

I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God!
For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation
and draped me in a robe of righteousness.

Isaiah 61:10   NLT

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!
For the Scriptures declare,
‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

John 7:38

[Janet Easson Martin]

Essential Affirmation


THE LORD IS GRACIOUS AND COMPASSIONATE TOWARD ME.

 

[Janet Easson Martin]

Your life can never be condemned. God makes you fit when you feel unfit. Really good!

No Condemnation Now - Louie Giglio

https://youtu.be/ZIHBMRCpkXQ?si=KdVLUTNWtjVYytAY

[Janet Easson Martin]

MORE FROM ANDREW MURRAY ON GOD’s PRESENCE

The start of this topic, “Essential Affirmations,” came out of truth uncovered in Andrew Murray’s Book, “The Practice of God’s Presence.” It seems the author of ‘Jesus Calling’ was also greatly encouraged and empowered by the truth explained there. I wanted to share some profound thoughts from Murray’s book below:


“…we have the mystery of grace, which teaches us that, as we lose ourselves in the overwhelming greatness of redeeming love, humility, becomes to us, the consummation of everlasting, blessedness, and adoration. …

It is the soul, led through its sinfulness to be occupied with God, in his wonderful glory as God, as Creator and Redeemer, that will truly take the lowest place before him.

… If humility is to be our joy— we must see that it is not just viewed as the mark of shame because of sin. It must also be understood apart from all sin, as a covering with the very beauty and blessedness of heaven, and of Jesus. …

Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is, from the very nature of things, the first duty and the highest virtue of man. It is the root of every virtue. …

Men’s chief care, his highest virtue, and his only happiness, now, and throughout eternity, is to present himself as an empty vessel, in which God can dwell and manifest his power and goodness.”



This adoring and dependent humilty upon Jesus for our hour-by-hour right standing with God and empowerment to carry out the good works we were both individually and corporately called to; were desperately missing from the discipleship of the believer and the growing of the church body in GCx Churches. Thus, a very malnourished and stunted “growth” resulted. They sickly bore very destructive fruit, because the tree of dependence was instead a false tree of “spiritual” pride, exultation, and sinful loyalty. Admiring mirrors of themselves rather than Jesus —produced very ungodly results!

[Janet Easson Martin]

We Cannot Really Do the Will of God Without the Power of God

I have found this statement of Andrew Murray’s so crucial to us as believers. “We cannot do the will of God, except by the power of God.” So many set out to do “godly things” apart from God's power. It can result in self-righteousness and sinful pride, or perhaps it was even motivated by such. “Christian” actions that disturbingly clang rather than fill the air with the sweet melody of Christ’s presence grate against us, and cause the name of Christ to suffer harm. Being pridefully full of oneself rather than humbly full of God sets aside the grace of God.

Here is an encouraging excerpt from “The Practice of God‘s Presence” by Andrew Murray under ‘The Keeping Power of God” (All bold emphasis mine)


“Oh, if you want to grow in grace, learn to begin here. In all your judges and meditations and thoughts and deeds and questions, and studies and prayers, learn to be kept by your Almighty God. What is the Almighty God not going to do for the child who trusts Him?

The Bible says He will do “above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). It is omnipotence you must learn to know and trust. Then you will live as a Christian ought to live. How little we have learned to study God, and to understand that a godly life is a life full of God. It is a life that loves God and waits on him, trusts him, and allows him to bless it! We cannot do the will of God, except by the power of God. …

[Janet Easson Martin]

My little children, I am writing THESE THINGS to you SO THAT you will not sin…

Personally, I have found the highest motivators and “enablers” to keeping from sinning against God are FELLOWSHIP and FORGIVENESS with Our Father through His Son. The comforting fact that God is always with me and will never forsake me —the unspeakable joy of fellowship with them through the Holy Spirit who now and forever dwells in me; and the assuring fact that JESUS cleanses, purifies and justly defends me with His Blood are what EMPOWER me most to walk in righteousness.

One of the definitions for the Greek word “in” used in 1st John Chapter 1, verse 8 is “pregnant with.” It seems to conclude we ARE either “pregnant” with the Holy Spirit or we ARE NOT. So THE TRUTH (Jesus) is either in us or he is not. The Holy Spirit “testifies” to us as believers of our sin. If we agree with God that we have sinned, he will faithfully and justly forgive us our sins and purify us totally! That AMAZING GRACE is what compels me to obey God. Anything less makes it a chore, even a heavy burden.

But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father
—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.

1 John 2:1

[Janet Easson Martin]

Hebrews has many affirmations about our identity in Christ. They are so encouraging! True affirmations based on God’s Word can penetrate our soul and enable us to live in Christ. They put our view about ourselves to rights. They shed ungodly shame, fear and condemnation. To drive lies out, God’s affirming truth must be sown into the soul through regular repetition, changing the pattern of our thinking.

The aftermath of spiritual abuse as we experienced in GCx Churches is that we can often think wrongly about ourselves and others without even realizing it. False ideas about our identity have been repetitively programmed into our “normal” thinking forming a deeply engraved pattern. We must form a new pattern in our brain by repetitively claiming the truth about ourselves and how God sees us. It takes intentional effort like new habits do. Speaking words full of grace and truth works wonders in our feelings and beliefs about ourselves and our acceptance in Christ. This may not happen immediately, but when it has become God’s truth that you own it actually changes your behavior from the inside. For me personally there is no stronger motivator to loving God than the truth about who I REALLY AM in Christ.

Here is an one from Hebrews:


Essential Affirmations


I WHO HAVE BELIEVED HAVE ENTERED GOD’s REST, AND REST FROM MY OWN WORK TO EARN GOD’s SALVATION.

[Janet Easson Martin]

Essential Affirmation

I CAN CONFIDENTLY DRAW NEAR TO GOD WITH A SINCERE HEART BELIEVING HIM BECAUSE MY HEART HAS BEEN SPRINKLED CLEAN FROM AN EVIL CONSCIENCE BY CHRIST’s BLOOD.




Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:19-22   ESV