23/01/2012 - RE-EXAMINE YOUR ATTITUDES

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But you have not so learned Christ.

Ephesians 4:20

The best thing that could have ever happened to us was the opportunity given by the Lord for us to learn His Word; after all, with the understanding gained through it, we become members of the Body of Christ and partakers of the divine nature and, as a result, we become victorious over the powers of hell. This should not be just a mental assent, but a real experience.

Has the devil failed every time he attacks your life or are you now paying the price for having heeded his lies? Note that to learn the Word is to learn Christ – and those who have learned of Him are like Him. Do not try other means to acquire that knowledge because they are not valid. Praying is good, it helps us and strengthens us, but for us to have full understanding of the Lord it is not enough.

When we pray appropriately we get to obtain the answer to our petitions from the Father, the solution to our weaknesses and needs as well as strength to take the proper stand in the face of problems. Praying is talking to the Father about what He has revealed in the Scriptures. However, if we want to know Jesus, we must pay attention to what we understand through the reading and preaching of the Word.

Without this knowledge we will talk about Him based only on hearsay. But learning of Christ is wonderful because thus we begin to discern what the intentions of those who approach us are. They may seem to be powerful in prayer but even without knowing how these “enlightened” people conduct their lives, what they do or what they believe, we will be able to recognize if they are really God-sent. Those who know Christ and are known by Him never hesitate in the face of Satan\’s cunning lies. 

What we learn is meant for us to enjoy Christ’s blessings and pass them on to the many in need because there is a great number of people who do not know the Son of God and who lead a life of strife. People like them are easily attracted by opportunities of making money and spend their time, energy and money on what they consider a golden chance – which actually will come to nothing. Well, we must have control not only over our words but also over our acts! Those who truly know the Lord Jesus have plenty of reasons to lead a good life and to teach those who stumble in faith.

To know Jesus is to discover the excellence of divine love – and he who does so starts to live life to the fullest. For them, there is no better place than being with the Lord and the difficulties will not push them away from where God has sent them. Also, when they draw near the Father they will always be a role model for everyone, even those whose hearts are hardened.

In fact, the testimony of those who learned Christ is like a diploma, which shows they are disciples of the Master and therefore they are not afraid of anything that might happen to them.

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares