Addendum to Chapter 3 – Blood of The Everlasting Covenant
Grace Inherited
One major motivation for God giving you grace is that He wants to have close fellowship with you.
He wants His love and your love to find expression with one another. This is an "ache" in the heart of our Father God. Without grace God could not express His love for you nor could you express your love for Him.
Love Satisfied!
Ephesians 2:4-10 (Amplified Bible) expresses it well:
4 But God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us,
5 Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved ([delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).
6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us [joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
7 He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God;
9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]
10 For we are God's [own] handiwork (His workmanship), (recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Now, you need to respond to the blood covenant by pursuing a relationship with Jesus. That personal living touch with Jesus is the only way you will prevail in warfare and experience the inheritance.
God is not asking you, by your own will, to overcome the challenges in life, but He is inviting you to discipline your life to relate to Him and get to know Him. His power will work if you do. That is grace! However you must receive the grace by exercising relationship disciplines with God. You are already connected with Him. Legally you already have your inheritance, but experientially you must realize them through being in vital and authentic contact with God. Exercising your relationship with Him will bring the actual realization of your inheritance to you.
Relationship Disciplines and Skills.
God is inviting you to discipline your life to relate to Him and get to know Him. This is how the blood covenant blessings flow into your life:
1. Make a firm decision to pursue the relationship. Offer yourself completely to God (Romans 12:1-2). This is our blood covenant response to a mighty blood covenant offered to us by God.
2. Take time to listen. You must take in His Word. Words are blood covenant containers. You must always be in a disciplined Bible study of some kind. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you.
3. Take time to talk: Speak your words. Some people write down their thoughts and feelings in a journal, which can be very valuable. Be gut level honest. Honesty with your blood covenant partner Jesus will cause your sin to go on Him. You cannot and will not overcome any bondage without this gut level honesty.
4. Take time to talk. Speak His Words. Read Psalms and Proverbs by the day. One discipline is to read aloud five Psalms every morning. Use the system of the calendar. As an example, on the 24th of the month read Psalms 24, 54, 84, 114 and 144. Also read Proverb 24. In this system the student will read all Psalms and Proverbs every month. Using this system renews the mind, speaks the Word to Satan, and allows the suffering believer to relate his/her emotions to the Psalmist's. Provisions can be made for months with 31 days, and for Psalm 119. God may lead you to other Scriptures to read out loud as you progress, but this is a good start, and can be a continued blessing for the rest of your life.
5. Obey God. Ask God to give you something simple, something small every day that you may obey. It may be just encouraging another. It may be not driving down the same street that fed your addiction. It may be confessing your sin to Him.
This is a big thing!
John 14:21-23 says that when we obey His Word that He will reveal more and more of Himself to us. Once you have "seen" Jesus, your relationship with Him will no longer be a discipline, but it will be a passionate pursuit. The apostle Paul had this passion when he said in Philippians 3:10, "[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]."
6. Communion. Take communion on a regular basis. Many people take it daily.
7. Stay in fellowship. It is important to be in fellowship with strong Bible believing, Spirit filled believers, for refreshing and encouragement.