Prophet Bushiri’s Bible Up-close: Dying to live
In learning to live for Christ we must walk away from the mundane and worldly things of this temporary world. We must transcend the fleshly things and engage all gears to take up a life worthy of God’s children.
Christ Himself laid down His life in order that He might take it up again. He made a cognized choice to die. He was not taken by surprise or overcome by circumstances or events. Jesus knew the pain of Calvary but He focused on the joy of reconciling us to God. He led our way setting an example that we ought to carry the cross (death to self) and follow Him.
The truth that the devil has hidden from us is that in walking into death with Christ we become partakers in His resurrection glory and we become joint heirs with Him. This is the robbery that the devil uses against the children of God. He pledges poverty, boredom and misery as the traits of the Christian life. As a Prophet of this and any other day, it is imperative to shed light on the truth that is in Christ, for surely He alone is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
When we teach prosperity we merely offer the package that is kingdom living. Prosperity is enriched by righteousness and truth and its purpose is to further the Kingdom. It is when our carnal nature is completely dead that we can fully receive the intended purpose of success.
By taking up the word, we are made free by freeing ourselves of the yoke of this world and taking up the yoke of Christ. The irony of being a prisoner of Christ is that it is in fact a declaration of total freedom! John 10 verse 17 says: Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that 30I might take it again.”
Imagine losing hardship to gain eternal life! We are told as we free ourselves from the yoke of death we are made free indeed. Living the life of flesh is like insisting that you use an ox-drawn cart where we are racing along modern highways and cars are zooming at neck-breaking speeds.
Jesus declares in Matthew 11:30: “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Therefore brethren, give up this petty life and go for God.
It is easier to give up this mediocre life and walk into the world that God has prepared for His elect. Many Christians believe that being in Christ is adequate but God requires more than a comatose state of our former life. He demands renewal of spirit so that we are no longer slaves to sin! Once you renew your spirit in comformity with the life sought by our heavenly Father, stay focused to avoid backsliding and/or derailing. Be resolute in the life of faith.
Try to picture a dead friend or relation occasionally showing up for meals, meetings or gatherings! Wouldn’t that be both shocking and frightening? Envision the worms and the decomposing limbs and bones, picture the stench and the gory decay – eaten face insisting on being considered as a participant! Your old life is gone, bury it and walk away the devil!
There is a reason why we bury the dead and walk away. It is important to exit every thing in our past. It is imperative to wrench ourselves from the dead decaying old man. and leave the past safe and firmly in the grave. The grave is the place of rottenness, of stench, of every past hurt and pain. Every abuse and pre – Jesus mistreatment belongs with its orchestrator- the devil. The grave is the place where hope dies, where there is no continuation and life on earth as we know it is finished.
For Christ to be made manifest in us we need to be completely dead to ourselves. Romans 8:10 explains that if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. Life is in the spirit – when the flesh is dethroned there is every opportunity for the spirit to take its rightful place, and made manifest.
Putting the flesh under spiritual submission enables the spirit to control it. It is then that the flesh comes under control and is made subject to the authority of the Spirit. This is why fasting is paramount in this walk with Christ. It becomes easier and easier to accept death and as time goes on, we forget the qualms of the old life, even the things we used to love – things that are incongruent to the word of God.
In this dimension we die to debt, to sickness and disease. We feel nothing even faced with failure, strongholds and shortcomings. In this era we happily die and embrace the new life in Christ Choose to die today, the benefits will yield life!
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