Day Two, January 13th – Christ Lives in Me

Fasting Encouragement Day 2 - Christ Lives IN Me

Happy second day of the fast everyone! And it really is happy because though you might be hungry, or tired, or in the middle of a hard season, or enjoying breakthrough and blessing, the truth of all truths is still true—You are in Christ, and Christ is in you! Wherever you might find yourself today is a secondary reality to the truth, that “your life is hidden in Christ with God” (Col 3:3). 

There are two things I want to encourage you with today..

#1 - Feast on the finished work! Because Jesus’ work of bringing us into Union with Himself is done, every spiritual practice is now pure joy and bliss! We’re not fasting to make something true or keep up our side of the contract, we’re fasting to feast on the truth! We’re not putting on our serious faces and plodding along in exhaustion trying to earn something from God, we’re making space and time to plum the depths of what we’ve been freely given in Christ! It’s not earning, it’s exploring and enjoying. And it takes time to feast on that much goodness! 

Remember Romans 14:17, “the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and JOY in the Holy Ghost”! This kingdom is about JOY! Don’t let yourself get too serious that you forget fasting is about JOY! Ephesians 1 says that you’ve been “blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”, let your fast be about exploring those blessings like a giddy child on Christmas morning! 

#2 - Christ is REALLY in you! If this sounds too good to be true, then you’re beginning to get it! There is a reason it’s called “good news”. At the same time, I also have first hand experience of how religion, shame, guilt, fear or just plain feeling worthless, can keep us from enjoying the “too good to be true”. The enemy can’t change the truth that you’re in Christ, so the best he can do is try to distract you from it or feed the lie that it’s not true. So this is what we’re going to do today, we’re going to start our day by locating ourselves in Christ, and Christ in us. If this reality it true, then it changes EVERYTHING, and we can live FROM that awareness. Let’s read some verses together and then pray..  

John 14:20 - “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”

John 16:13 - “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

John 17:26 - “I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them and I in them.” 

Galatians 2:20 - “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.”

Now that we have heard the word of the truth, lets ask Jesus himself! Take your time on this, in a quiet and open posture.. Let’s pray this together.. 

“Holy Spirit, thank you that you are the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, and that you are my advocate and guide to lead me into all truth. I’m asking you to help me hear clearly right now, and reveal Jesus to me.”

“Jesus, are you in me? Jesus, am I in you?”.. Wait for his reply. 

Did you hear His word? Did you hear the truth? What did He say? 

In Colossians 1:27 Paul says “To them God chose to make known how great among the gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Christ in you is not simply a hope of future glory, but the enjoyment of glory NOW, in the present tense! And the fruit this GLORY produces inside you is HOPE! You are made to experience the glory Jesus is sharing with you, there is glory INSIDE YOU TODAY! ENJOY! Amen. 

PS. Join us TONIGHT for prayer and worship at the church at 7pm and lets enjoy the GLORY TOGETHER!