We
are the spitting image of our Father; we were created in His image. In Genesis
1:26 – 27 God said: "26… Let us make human beings
(man) in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea,
the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the
small animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.
27 So God created human beings (man) in His own image. In the image
of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Bible
Gateway.com – NLT).
We are created in the
likeness of God; we were created to have dominion over the things on earth, not
for them to have dominion over us. Although we lost the fellowship with God
after Adam sinned, when we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior we are
restored back to God; we are re-created into new creatures. Our spirits came
alive with the new birth; we must renew our minds with the Word of God. Since
we have been separated from God so long, we must retrain ourselves (our mind –
soul) to respond in a different way – the correct way. Now that we are a new
creation in Christ, old (former) things have been done away with, all things are
new, we have the mind of Christ – we now live in the image of God we were made
in. Take a few minutes to pause and think about that; you are made in the image
(likeness) of the Almighty God so you have the mind of Christ. Wow! We are made
in the image (likeness) of God – He is our Daddy – and we have the mind of
Christ – not the old man’s mind; we don’t think like we used to, so we don’t
behave like we used to. On top of that, God has put His Spirit inside of us,
the Holy Spirit to help us with our infirmities (help us when we get weak to
and from temptations), and much, much more! The Trinity (God the Father, God
the Son, and God the Holy Spirit lives inside of us – we are made in Their
image. Again, in Genesis 1:26, God
said “Let us make man in our
image…”!
Let us stop here a moment to make
this declaration to encourage ourselves (declared this daily):
“I
am made in the image of God and I have dominion over all the creatures of the
earth; all things are under my feet!”
Important
point: We must know who God
is because that is what builds our self-image!
When we become born again, new
creatures in Christ, it’s the beginning of a new life in Him; it’s not
just saying a “saying a sinner’s prayer” and go about with your “business as
usual” – no, you have embarked on a journey of a lifetime with God – a journey
of learning how to live your new life daily. The Holy Spirit is there to fill
you, to give you the power to endure temptations and the trials and
tribulations that we must go through to make us mature in God (James
1:2 – 18).
Just as in the natural when you
go into the military they put you through rigorous training to see if you “make
the cut,” to instill character and integrity in you so you can become mature,
so it is spiritually. Your faith in God, the One you pledged your life to – the
One you said, “For God I live, for God I die” to – the One you said, “I will
trust you until I die” to; all of these statements will be tried – let’s see
just how much you REALLY trust God; let’s
see just how much your faith REALLY
is in God. When we are going through, we say anything to God – promise Him
anything – but in the end, after He brings us out, we don’t keep our promise
all the time. I know, I have done it over and over and over again but I thank
God for Jesus dying on the cross and ushering in the dispensation of Grace –
otherwise, I would have been dead long time ago.
I want to let you in on a little
secret – God knew you and I would not keep our word when we promised Him that
we would; God knows everything. Remember, He looks at our hearts, not at what
comes out of our mouth. Because your mouth can say one thing but your heart
says another. So, let’s get real with God, confess to Him our shortcomings
(these things that are holding us in bondage in our hearts) and allow Him to
deliver us, so we can stop living beneath our privileges. God already knows our
shortcomings but He wants us to give them to Him and allow Him to take control
and deliver us. Once we stop living beneath our privileges, we can really exercise
the authority Jesus gave us in Luke
10:19 where He said He gave us the authority (power) to tread on
serpents and scorpions and over all the powers of the enemy and nothing shall
by any means harm us. We are greater than anything that can ever come against
us because the Greater One is living on the inside of us (1John
4:4)
We are not defeated but more than
conquerors through Christ (Romans
8:37); we have the mind of Christ (1
Corinthians 2:14-16). We must get rid of the old mindset for God to
fully have reign in our lives; we cannot allow the old man to have dominion
over us! We get rid of the old mindset by renewing our minds with the word of
God – becoming transformed by the Word of God! Although the old mindset is
there, the Word of God will drive the old mindset out – we will be led by the
Spirit of God.
When we try to operate out of two
mindsets (two ways of thinking – old man and new man), we become double minded which
makes us unstable in all our ways (James
1:8). Again, when we become born again, new creatures, we are to allow
the mind of Christ to operate in us, not the old mind. In other words, you must
dethrone your soul and put God on the throne; you must allow the Holy Spirit to
lead you not your old nature (soul)! Remember, your soul (old nature – mind,
will, and emotions) has been in control a long time therefore you must seek the
things above, seek out God’s way of doing things and allow Him to deliver your
soul. Your soul is not born again when you accept Jesus as your personal Lord
and Savior; only your spirit. It is up to you to allow God to take full control
of your life; to allow the Holy Spirit to do His perfect work inside of you –
your spirit and soul.
Let us began today to really seek
after God for all that He has for us – every spiritual blessing. The more we
seek after God, the closer He will come to us and the clearer the image of who
we really are in Him will become. What we go through distorts that image – we
cannot see clearly who we are and these distortions make us forget who we are.
God doesn’t put stuff on us (James
1:13-18), let me make this clear, but no matter what happens God uses
those things for our good because we love Him and are called according to His
purpose. In other words, God takes the bad that life dishes out and turns it
around for our good – it is worked into His purpose that He has for us NOTHING takes God by surprise!!!
In closing, please remember these
things:
·
We are created in God’s image
·
We have the mind of Christ
·
The Holy Spirit lives in us to help us
·
We are born again from the inside out
·
We are not what we go through; that is just a
process to get us to the place God has called us to be – however, God does not
put stuff on us (James
1:13-18)
·
What we go through does not define us nor does it
define who God is
·
Get focus on God; take your eyes off of the
situation and circumstance – it is only to distract you from what God has
planned for you
·
Trust God because He knows what He is doing; do it
His way
·
Don’t go by feelings; faith is not a
feeling
·
Believing is done with your heart, not will your
head
·
Have a grateful heart; thank God for answering your
prayers – even before He does – the key is believing before you see it. And if
things does not work out as you thought they would/should, thank God anyway – He
knows what’s best for you – no good thing will He withhold from you
·
Because the Lord is your shepherd you have
everything you need; there is no lack in your life
Love you all in Christ! Be
encouraged – everything is alright because God is in total control of your life!
Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks
NOTE: These materials are copyright protected
therefore you must request permission to reproduce any part of this material.
To request permission, please contact Dr. Dorothy E. Hooks: dehooks@abusedwoman.org.
