A Deeper Christian Life

Southern Gospel Revival: Jamie Wilson -  “ I Can ’ t Even Walk” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X92JjsArJCE (As always, pardon the ads)

This blog will present, among a variety of content, certain devotional exercises from a paradigm that views the Psalms as the recorded prayers of Jesus Christ, a concept introduced to me by Frank Viola. In this context, then, pray Psalm 1 in the name of the Lord Jesus (which is to say, AS the Lord Jesus), as the Eternal Son, praying to His heavenly Father. One example follows. May God the Father and God the Son and the fellowship they have through God the Holy Spirit be revealed to you in a fresh, new way, through this exercise. “My Heavenly Father, blessed indeed is that man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. “But his delight in is your precious Word, and in You, and in your Word does he meditate, and in your Presence does he abide day and night, day and night, day and night. “This blessed one will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf als

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, all by Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning; the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. Because all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him, and to reconcile everything to Himself through Him by making peace through the blood of His cross -- whether things on earth or things in heaven.” (Colossians 1: 15-20, English Standard Version)

The simplest, easiest, most effective and reliable way for me to touch the Lord Jesus Christ in my spirit is to just call upon His name -- “Lord Jesus!” --  as quietly, as softly, as gently as I can. Remember, Jesus Christ lives inside you . You don’t have to be loud for Him to hear you. God is not in the loud display or the boisterous activity (see 1 Kings 19:11-13: The Lord appeared to Elijah in a gentle whisper, not the powerful wind, not the earthquake, not the fire). Call upon Him quietly, gently, softly, as peacefully as you possibly can. So, get in a quiet room, by yourself, close your eyes, quiet your heart and your mind, turn within, and then, collect your spirit, if you can, and with all the love you have for your Lord, softly speak His name “Lord Jesus!” And then wait upon Him to approach you in your regenerated human spirit.  When your mind wanders--and it will--simply turn again to Him and softly call His name. I find the following lyric from the Josh Groban classic song,

I was raised in the Lutheran church and was confirmed as a teenager, but did not establish a relationship with the risen Christ until the middle of my undergraduate collegiate career. This song is what the Holy Spirit of God used to harvest my soul unto Christ way back in the day back in 1980 (a few months after this album was released, actually). Praise God!   Jesus is Love! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sPNVVMwdlI&list=PL8QDVNheNZgs6nOiF-4WoT7iT61QkV1fo ( pardon the ads on YouTube)

I’m going to assume that you, the reader, are a Christian, someone who has repented of his or her sins and sinfulness and exercised saving faith in the resurrected and ascended Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of the guilt of sins and for the deliverance from the power of sin. This is really First Things First. If you have not, you must start there.  ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sPNVVMwdlI&list=PL8QDVNheNZgs6nOiF-4WoT7iT61QkV1fo ; please forgive the ads) Assuming you are therefore right with God and are enjoying the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus,  the first step toward a deeper relationship with Him is to learn how to find Him within your regenerated human spirit. I’ll start with some basics. If you have truly repented of your sin and turned to the Lord, and exercised saving faith in Him, you have been born again by His Holy Spirit, Who has regenerated your human spirit, which was born dead unto God as a result of the original sin of our human ancestors, Adam and Eve.

I believe it’s appropriate for my first blog post to be a confession.  Check out Josh Groban’s performance of the classic song, “My Confession.” Praise God for His infinite goodness, grace, and mercy through Christ Jesus the Lord! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VH6slAuq2o  (apologies for the ads)