BELIEF

Behind everything that we do on the outside, is the reasons/belief of who we are on the inside. 

Our belief, shapes our behaviour.

What we believe ourselves to be, will eventually shape how we respond to situations and conversations. If I believe the bad things that's been said about me, the outcome would be, me behaving in such an unworthy manner. Living my life feeling worthless and useless. Daily striving to make changes to my behaviour so that I won't look like I'm useless, timid, afraid, and/or a loser.

Our belief system carries so much weight in how we live our lives. I couldn't understand it until I made a conscious effort to lookout for reasons to "why do I do the things I do". It turns out that there is a certain part of me that believes that I am like 'this' which exhibit 'this' particular behaviour.

So then I ask myself a few questions like "how do I know who am I and what am I suppose to believe?"

Being a believer & a disciple of Jesus Christ, I can't help but to look for answers in the Word of God. So here's the deal:

Colossians 1:22,23 (NIV)

"But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant."

So Paul is saying, what Christ has done on the cross has reconciled us to God and now, we are presented holy, blameless and without a fault IF, we continue in our firm faith and hope in Jesus Christ. Now I know, beyond what I may think, but what the Word of God says of who I am. Not because of what I've done, but because of what He did for me, on the cross in the person of Jesus Christ.

Romans 7:25 - 8:17

"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

  Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

   So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering."

It's actually quite self-explanatory.

I want to point out a few parts which specifically spoken to me.

     "But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

     The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

     Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God."

Now then, what excuse do I have? Christ has showed me the way, the truth and the life. Can I believe this? If I truly believe what is said in Colossians and Romans, how then should I live my life? This has shaped my belief the past few weeks since I came back from Vietnam. I am still struggling with choosing to live up to my position of sonship through Christ or to yield to my sinful nature. I don't think I'll ever stop struggling with this until the day I meet with God face to face.

But for now, I would like to depend on the Holy Spirit to lead me and remind me of who God says I am, through Pauls message.