In Accordance With His Purpose
Once again, today, let’s talk about the Holy Spirit and God’s plan for our lives. God does everything with purpose; He has designed all things with a purpose. In the Amplified Bible, in Ephesians 1:11 we read this: “In him (referring to Christ) we also were made [God’s] heritage (portion) and we obtained an inheritance; for we had been foreordained (chosen and appointed beforehand) in accordance with His purpose, Who works out everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His [own] will,”
In this one verse we see that God planned everything ahead of time. He had it all in place before He created the world. He chose us in His love before the foundation of the world that we might be without fault before Him in Christ Jesus. He planned our inheritance. He planned the way we would obtain our inheritance. He had a will, and He works everything out in accordance with His own counsel and design and purpose. Oh, if we would only learn that we can totally entrust ourselves to the Lord, how much easier our lives would flow. Stress would no longer be a problem. Worry would be gone. You see, stress and worry are the result of thinking and saying: “How am I going to make it? What am I going to do? What about this? What about that? What if?“
When we start to have the “what if’s,” we need to stop and pray in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit will take charge. In fact, look at Ephesians 1:12-14: “So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory! In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the first-fruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.”
What are these verses telling us?
Along with those who first hoped in Christ, Who is the Anointed One, with the anointing, we can have confidence in Him; we are destined to live as God’s display of His glory. We are His reason to praise, to boast and say: “Look at these, my children. I am so thankful to have them. They are mine. They are my very own.”
In Him, we have heard His Word, and His Word is Truth for us. It is the Truth of our salvation or deliverance and health and prosperity and safety. We have believed in Him. We cling to Him. We rely on Him. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. We are marked with God.
The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance in God. He is the down payment of our heritage. We have a rich heritage in the Lord, and we have only seen a very small portion of it on this earth. Yet, on this earth, He tells us that we have access to all His riches in glory through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). He has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He has given us exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:3,4).
My, my, what we must have waiting for us. I think of it in terms of what my husband said to me today. We were talking about the fact that cats don’t see in color. They see in black and white. His response to me was: “That is what heaven is going to be, compared to this earth. The earth with its colors will seem as black and white, compared to the brilliance of heaven’s colors.”
The Holy Spirit is here to get us used to walking in the abundance of our inheritance while we are here on this earth. It is training for heaven. He is preparing us to think it is normal to have abundance. We must get used to God lavishly flooding us with His love and His gifts. He enjoys giving to us. God’s plan is a good plan, and we have only had a foretaste of it on this earth. His purpose is to bring us into the fullness of what He has for us.
In this one verse we see that God planned everything ahead of time. He had it all in place before He created the world. He chose us in His love before the foundation of the world that we might be without fault before Him in Christ Jesus. He planned our inheritance. He planned the way we would obtain our inheritance. He had a will, and He works everything out in accordance with His own counsel and design and purpose. Oh, if we would only learn that we can totally entrust ourselves to the Lord, how much easier our lives would flow. Stress would no longer be a problem. Worry would be gone. You see, stress and worry are the result of thinking and saying: “How am I going to make it? What am I going to do? What about this? What about that? What if?“
When we start to have the “what if’s,” we need to stop and pray in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit will take charge. In fact, look at Ephesians 1:12-14: “So that we who first hoped in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him have been destined and appointed to] live for the praise of His glory! In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the first-fruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.”
What are these verses telling us?
Along with those who first hoped in Christ, Who is the Anointed One, with the anointing, we can have confidence in Him; we are destined to live as God’s display of His glory. We are His reason to praise, to boast and say: “Look at these, my children. I am so thankful to have them. They are mine. They are my very own.”
In Him, we have heard His Word, and His Word is Truth for us. It is the Truth of our salvation or deliverance and health and prosperity and safety. We have believed in Him. We cling to Him. We rely on Him. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit. We are marked with God.
The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our inheritance in God. He is the down payment of our heritage. We have a rich heritage in the Lord, and we have only seen a very small portion of it on this earth. Yet, on this earth, He tells us that we have access to all His riches in glory through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). We have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). He has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness. He has given us exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:3,4).
My, my, what we must have waiting for us. I think of it in terms of what my husband said to me today. We were talking about the fact that cats don’t see in color. They see in black and white. His response to me was: “That is what heaven is going to be, compared to this earth. The earth with its colors will seem as black and white, compared to the brilliance of heaven’s colors.”
The Holy Spirit is here to get us used to walking in the abundance of our inheritance while we are here on this earth. It is training for heaven. He is preparing us to think it is normal to have abundance. We must get used to God lavishly flooding us with His love and His gifts. He enjoys giving to us. God’s plan is a good plan, and we have only had a foretaste of it on this earth. His purpose is to bring us into the fullness of what He has for us.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 6:02 PM
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