Don't Give GOD the Credit Until You know for Certain JESUS Truly Dwells in you!

This one was real hard for me to digest this morning. But there was a sense of urgency in my spirit to share with you.  So it is my prayer that you hear this as well. Do not take offense to what I am about say, because what I want you to hear is done out of complete love for you, your family and your soul. I preface this by first saying that while we know we all fall short of the glory of GOD… that is not an excuse for us not to press forward to make it to the mountain top. It is not an excuse for us to not try at all because we know we fall short of the glory. Here’s the deal, you understand the word of GOD (at least some of you do) to the point that you know what it says about HIS grace. You know the word of GOD especially when it says in Philippians “I can do all things through Christ which strengthen me.” You know the word when it says in Philippians… “Greater is HE that is in me than he who is in the world.” You know the word when it says “no weapons formed against me shall prosper.” You know the word when it says in Joshua “I choose to serve the LORD.” But at this moment… Do you know the word when JESUS says directly to you and me in Matthew 12:30-32 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven of every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven.  But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come?

So here’s a quick lesson for each of us.  Leading up to this passage in scripture JESUS went about performing miracles. HE healed the sick and cast out demons. People were amazed at what HE was doing, however the religious experts of that time saw what was going on and came up with their own self-righteous explanation for what was the force behind JESUS that allowed HIM to cast out demons. Even as their own scripture… the same scripture they were experts in... Had for-told of this.  So let me say this again. The religious experts, who were experts in the details of every scripture written before the coming of JESUS, knew the scripture and what it said was to come.  And when it came to pass, as written in the scripture they were EXPERTS in, they chose to do something else. They chose to rationalize using man’s thinking to discount what was taking place before them by crediting the work of the Holy Spirit (which comes from GOD) to the Devil. At that moment, JESUS wiped HIS hand and shook off the dust on HIS feet and pressed on to deliver the message to the Gentiles. The religious experts of that time were Jewish and up until that moment.... Jesus had been directing much of his conversation to them in hopes they would see the light. But when they chose to ignore what they already knew through the scripture they were experts in… He turned from teaching them and focused on the non-Jews (known as Gentiles * you and me*). He began to teach in parables where the Gentiles would understand but the Jews would not. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is something you and I do not ever want to do so I say this to both you and me. While we say Christ is within us and the things we do represent the Christ in us… Are you sure Christ is in you? Don’t give GOD the credit for your actions until you are honest about HIM living in you. Our morality (man’s goodness through man’s self-written standards) is not a barometer for determining whether Christ is in you. A person could have high moral standards, but still go to hell if Christ is not in them. So I say this and I pray that anyone who hears this is not offended. When you say Christ is in you… you’d better be sure HE really is. Until you are absolutely sure, do NOT give credit for your actions to GOD. Until you know with 100% certainty that Christ is at the center of your heart, do not allow your morality to take the place of JESUS being in you. Do not Blaspheme the Son of Man. Blasphemy is to know what is truth, but do something else even as you know what is truth (just like those religious experts of that time credited the work of JESUS to the devil).  You only know what is really at the center of your heart. Just as you know certain scriptures that you use to justify your actions. Many of us do this in the name of JESUS, but one’s life may not line up with the word of GOD. You and GOD only know the truth about you. So here’s what I do know beyond a shadow of a doubt and this is how you know if Christ is in you. YOU WILL BE CHANGED. YOU WILL NOT BE A BACKSLIDER; YOUR VIEW OF THE WORLD WILL CHANGE. THE THINGS YOU ONCE DESIRED WILL NO LONGER BE A DESIRE. YOU WILL HAVE COMPASSION FOR EVERYONE…EVEN YOUR ENEMIES. YOU WILL LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. YOU WILL BECOME WISER, STRONGER IN YOUR FAITH, AND YOU WILL UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS TO REPRESENT JESUS CHRIST IN YOUR DAILY ACTIONS (the operative word here is DAILY). YOU WILL CONSISTENTLY SELF-EXAM YOURSELF AS THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD FALLS ON YOU. YOUR INTERNAL SELF-EXAMINATION SYSTEM WILL BE FORTIFIED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WILL SOUND THE ALARM MORE FREQUENTLY AS YOU WALK IN HIS WILL FOR YOUR LIFE. This is all happening because your heart has TRULY been changed. HE is NOW at the center of your heart and you are transformed. This thing we call salvation is truly about a change of heart and a deliverance of the mind to release the limitations that were once placed on it.

So I say this again, don’t mistaken your morality for the Christ being in you. And that means don’t give GOD the credit for your good deeds until HE truly dwells in your heart. When you represent JESUS in the moment of your morality and you shout it out for all to hear and see, remember they will also see you when you are raising hell when you have allowed your morality to slip. Many of us call this falling short of the glory of GOD and we use scripture to justify the falling short part. You can’t use this part of scripture without using all other aspects of scripture. And JESUS clearly says in Matthew 5 that many will not make it in to heaven. Why you ask? Because they have not had a change of the heart. And that change will only come when Christ truly is at the center of your heart.