The pressure to bear fruits is on God

The pressure to bear fruits is on God

Repeat after me "The pressure is not on me"

After I did the what it means to be born again post, I received messages from people trying to connect being born again in their spirit with their actions. Some asked me how come we still sin even though we are no longer slaves to sin and death. Today's post will be attempting to answer these questions.

Let me clear up something because you sin, it does not mean you are a sinner. You have to understand that although your spirit is born again, your mind is not born again. Spiritually you are not a sinner, you are a saint. You have a new identity in Christ. For your mind to match your spirit you need to experience a transformation that is birthed by the Holy Spirit through the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2 (NKJV) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

When you gave your life to Christ you were justified which we refer to as the past tense of salvation (it has happened), the current phase is sanctification. Our sanctification is an ongoing process that will continue till we leave this world. In our sanctification, we undergo a process of becoming everything God has already called us. The good news here is the pressure is not on you to experience transformation. It is God that does the work in you, all that you have to do is be willing and yield to the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 2:12-13 (NKJV) 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

You really have to be willing to transform for the Holy Spirit to do his work. Quick story, I had a friend in university that loved Marijuana, she put it in her food (noodles, rice, burgers) you name it. Putting marijuana in food was popular in the university I attended. I always talked to her about quitting the use of marijuana but she had no desire to stop. She would repeatedly tell me that she has no desire to stop therefore there was nothing much I can say to help her stop. 

This story is telling us that unless we are willing, there is so little the Holy Spirit can do for your mind to be born again. You have to desire to stop or start certain habits and ask him to help you. These decisions can be the desire to go to church more or to start praying more or to stop stealing or to stop fornicating. All you need to do is desire and submit to the Holy Spirit to help you. You will be amazed at the results.

Here is my testimony:

I remember a time where my daily 5 minutes prayer was all I did along with my devotional, a good friend told me that there is more to God and it can be found in an intimate relationship with him. It got me thinking, to have a better relationship with him I need to spend more time with him. I told the Holy Spirit to help me spend more time in communing with God. Before I knew it, I started waking up around 4am every morning. Even if I tried to sleep I won’t be able to unless I prayed. I don't set my alarm and I know for a fact that it is not my decision that is sustaining me. It is only by the Holy Spirit. 

It’s 5:12am and I’m writing as the words are being poured into my heart. I don’t know if there is someone out there that needs to hear this words but real transformation is possible! Perfection is attainable! It may seem like you are forcing it as first until it becomes your very own nature.

I’ve talked about what it means to the born again, we all know it’s a super spiritual thing. It’s not determined by the clothes we wear or the things we do. But it’s the past! Now in the present, we have to continually renew our minds so the new spirit we have received will be made manifest in our thoughts, words and actions. Never in our Christian walk has the pressure been on us to please God. The pressure is 100% on God! Everything you need to please him is inside of you. The Holy Spirit lives in you.

John‬ ‭14:16‬ ‭(AMPC‬‬) “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever–”
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The Holy Spirit is readily available to help you think and act like Jesus. Is there something you want to stop doing? Are there things you want to start doing to help you draw closer to God? All you need to do is ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He is on your inside to help you becomes a better Christian.

If you study the life Jesus lived carefully, you will see how he did a lot for the kingdom of God effortlessly. It was the spirit of God in him that enabled him live that perfect life. This is the goal for believers, to please God with all they are through the enablement of the Holy Spirit. See, the pressure is not on you at all.

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) “Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.”

Stop putting the pressure on yourself. When you get to an "I can’t do this by myself" place,  that is when the power of God will flow through you beyond your imaginations. Many have tried to do things that please God by their might but have come to realise that the results are the least they can ever achieve for God's kingdom. When you start to let grace work, your mind will be blown away with what Christ is able to do through you.

There is no "I’m done sanctifying myself"! There are so many many levels to unlock. And it continues to blow your mind. There are some things you think are part of you and you never want to stop because “it’s part of you”. You can ask the Holy Spirit to take it away.  Sis/Bro, desire to drop it and let the Holy Spirit take it away. You may even feel like an imposter at first because you will keep saying but this is not me, but yes, this is the real you now. Own it!

To recap, under the new covenant, the pressure is not on you to please God. It is God that gives you the grace to do all things that are pleasing and acceptable to him. All you need to do is be willing and watch the Holy Spirit do his work.

Thank you so much for reading my blog this week, you are amazing and God loves you.

 “Transformation isn’t a future event. It’s a present day activity.”- Jillian Michaels

With love,

Bibi

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