Trust Him to live through you

"Kept" by Arlene Zimmerman

"The LORD bless you, And keep you; The LORD make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace."
(Numbers 6:24-26)


Dear Sisters who are precious in Him:
When I first became a believer I felt compelled to overcome sinful 'self'and become spiritual. I did not realize it required much time and failure before I was able to give up self-effort for my growth. The self-life is our most resilient foe. For me to serve God acceptably I had to learn His way of victory over this subtle enemy.
Need produces spiritual hunger. My flesh is irrevocably fallen and God has one plan for it: co-crucifixion. God does not want to improve it and scripture teaches I am dead with Christ, dead to sin and alive to Christ. Not "dying", but dead. (Romans 6:6-7) Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.

Our part is not production, but reception of our life n Christ. No believer ever fell into maturity, even though we are complete in Christ. I remember as a young Christian, out of love for Jesus I wanted to live for Him. Though well-meaning, as growing believers it is time we go beyond the 'love' motive to the 'life'motive."For me to live is Christ"(Phil 1:21a) Our walk will be a roller coaster if our response to Him is from any other motivation than the response of His life in us. Yielding to Him on any other basis will amount to our trying to live for Him in the self-life. Unacceptable. Only what the Lord does through us is accepted by the Father. Growth takes time and cannot be hurried and He keeps!

I am so thankful scripture teaches we are "kept" by His power. (Psalm 121, Daniel 9:4) There is such security in knowing we are His treasure and He delights to keep us. His love for us is immeasurable. Stop trying to live for Christ and trust Him to live through you (by faith) because the new nature, the Christ-life in you, is the only One God acknowledges. Christ is our life. This is our only ground on which to stand and from this platform we are to count ourselves dead to sin... and alive to God. (Romans 6) We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1) and until we have done this there is nothing else we can do.

There is a reason for this order : Crucifixion comes before consecration.

(thoughts gleaned from NBtHH)


OT Kept; Keep: Strongs
8104" to hedge about as with thorns, to protect, to
attend to."

NT Keep: Strongs 5083
"to guard from loss or injury by keeping an eye upon,
hold fast"

Watchman Nee:
"Our sins were dealt with by the blood, we ourselves
are dealt with by the cross.The blood procures our pardon, the cross
procures deliverance from what we are in Adam. The blood can wash
away my sins, but it cannot wash away my old man: I need the cross to
crucify me- the sinner"

Psalm 145:20
The LORD keeps all who love Him,

Psalm 66:8-9
Bless our God, O people, And sound His praise abroad,
Who keeps us in life and does not allow our feet to slip.

I Peter 1:5
We are born again to) an inheritance incorruptible, and
undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are
kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.