1.
to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.
2.
to have one's abode; dwell; reside
3.
to continue in a particular condition, attitude, relationship, etc.; last.
To abide in Christ or with Christ means to remain in Him or with Him. It simply means to stay with Him, to dwell with Him, to be in a relationship with Him. This is the KEY to Christian life. This is how everything happens... through abiding. So many times we get jazzed up about signs and wonders (which are amazing!!!) but we don't ever get too jazzed up about reading our Bibles, praying in the secret place, and yielding to conviction.
I see this a lot in people's lives throughout ministry too. They feel empty all the time and can't wait for the next service or worship night (which again... are amazing). But here is a secret. You can feel that way all the time! You can be filled and consistent and full of joy all the time. His Word brings so much stability, so much joy, so much peace, and so much faith. If we daily chose Him we will daily release Him.
This is super practical. It means waking up early and reading your Bible! It means waking up early and spending time with Him. Some people say "I am a night person so I will read my Bible then." And I personally just don't find that Biblical or effective. When you wake up, you must seek Him first. If you want to release Him, you must seek Him. Why wait until night time to fill yourself afresh with His promises and presence... then you are just gonna go to sleep! Do it in the morning. Read, pray, drink coffee, eat breakfast. Focus your mind on Him in the morning, it will set the tone for the day. Enjoy His grace and extend His glory.
The next thing I see help people when it comes to abiding is that it fills them! The Word of God is literally the bread of life! When you try and cut any type of sin out of your life (example: alcohol, sex, anger, jealousy, etc.) and you don't fill it with the Word of God, you are going to starve yourself and be weak and probably fall back into it. When you take something out of your diet, you must add something better, something healthier. When you take sin out of your diet, you must put God's Word in place of it. I see people just starving themselves and they wonder why they still feel empty even though they aren't sinning.
He didn't die so you could stop sinning. He died because He knew you could never stop sinning. He died so He could have a relationship with you. He cares more about you abiding than you sinning. Naturally, when you abide, you sin less though. Because you are focused on Him and you are spending time with Him and the more you spend time with Him the more you are like Him. The more you look to Him, the more you see Him. The more you listen to Him, the more you hear Him. The more you trust Him, the more you will see Him move. He doesn't want converts, He wants believers.
So that is my challenge to us. Let's be people who want to see revival in the secret place. Let's be a generation that rises early and seeks His face so that when people see our face, they can tell we have been with Jesus. May we be a generation that is disciplined and more concerned with committing our days to prayer and our minds to scripture than just trying to look and act more Christian. Don't try and change yourself, just fall more in love with Jesus. Seek Him. Don't seek self help, don't seek 12 steps, seek His face. Seek His face in the Bible, seek His face in prayer, seek His face in fellowship. Do life with Him. Invite Him in, give Him free reign in your life. That's all He wants. He wants us to love Him in return. He wants us to chose Him in return. He wants us to believe Him and His promises.
What are you trying to cut out right now? Are you filling it with God's Word? Are you daily eating the bread of Life? Are you daily drinking the living Water? If not... then you will starve. You won't last long. Seek Him. He can change all the stuff you want to change, He can do all the stuff you want done... may not be how you expect it or want it. But He can do it. It will last for all eternity when He does it too. When you try, it is short and fleeting. Just fall more in love with Jesus. Abide in Him. That's how we produce the fruit. That's how people come to know Him... by seeing Him on display in my life, by seeing Him on display in your life. Let Him come and get His glory in you.
Thanks so much for reading. I pray that each one of us will chose Jesus. That we will want to live in a daily relationship with Him. For that is why He died Beloved's. He died for you, He died for me... just to have that relationship with us, His Beloved Child.
Some good scriptures on "Abiding"
John 15
John 6:35
John 4:14
Psalm 16:2
1 Chronicles 16:11
Psalm 16:11
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