Supernatural Living in Christ
Hey everyone, Conrad here from ConradRocks.Net! Welcome back! If you're like me, you've probably wrestled with that nagging feeling of being too focused on yourself. It's a struggle, right? It’s something I’ve battled with for a long time. This self-centered thinking can really derail us from the call and commission God has for our lives. Today, I want to share some of the Kingdom keys that the Lord has given me to overcome this, to move away from a fleshly, self-focused life and step into the amazing, supernatural life Jesus has for us. So grab your coffee, and let’s dive in!
The Trap of Self-Centered Thinking
I used to be trapped in a cycle of self-accusation. It was like the devil had a permanent lease on my thoughts, constantly reminding me of my past sins. And you know what? I used to agree with him! It led me down a dark path, isolating myself, shutting out the world for days on end. This was all fueled by self-centeredness. And I've come to realize this is a big trap. It's a tactic of the enemy, whose nature is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He loves to get into our minds, making us doubt God's word, disbelieve His promises, and operate from a place of fear. This fear leads to so much self-absorption, where we focus on our own problems, our own needs, our own storm. It's a constant barrage that skews how we read the Bible, making us lean on our own understanding rather than God's. We even tend to quote people like psychologists who don’t base their knowledge on the Word of God!
The Fuel of Selfishness
Recently, during prayer, I had a vision of people offering meat on a fire to the Lord, and it struck me – how many of us are fueled by self-centered things? Bitterness, resentment, pornography, hatred, self-justification – these become our daily “meat,” these self-centered things keep us going, driven by the flesh. It’s hard to let these go without a Kingdom key and a heart change, without intentionally giving these to God, allowing Him to transform these negative things into the goodness God intended for us.
Instead of fixating on the flesh, we need to look towards Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith! We need to give those painful moments, those times we were wronged, to Jesus. You know, it's funny, we see this in our ministry on the streets. People have built cages around themselves, using their own selfish ideologies – resentments, pride, stubborn vows – and it's often what holds them back. It's not enough to just offer handouts. We need to offer the Kingdom keys that can transform their lives. We are called to sow the word of God and watch it come alive, to make the word real, to make it effective through the quickening of the Holy Spirit.
The Kingdom Keys: From Self to Surrender
You know, Jesus' life was the polar opposite of self-centeredness. Satan's mindset is all about, "I will, I will, I will" (Isaiah 14), focusing solely on his own will. But Jesus, when faced with the cross, prayed "not my will, but thy will be done". This powerful statement highlighted the depth of the sacrifice He made for us. This reminds me how even the church can fall into self-centeredness. We need to ask ourselves are we seeing the fruit that Jesus talked about: Greater works, miraculous signs accompanying those that believe? It’s not enough to just feel good at the altar, or to have an emotional experience. God's power is not just for a feel good time. It's meant to transform us and empower us to transform the world around us and minister the Word to others. If we keep it to ourselves, it’s a sin, a sin to keep these keys to ourselves.
So many of us are focused on our problems, just as I used to be. Consumed by sin, shortcomings, and selfish desires. We pray for selfish things – "change me now, Lord!" – but the devil wants us to believe we’ll never accomplish God’s will. I used to crave being seen by other men, being lifted up, this hunger to be in the spotlight. I was a heavy metal rocker who loved the attention. But then I realized, the rush, that feeling…it was like the devil's “I wills” from Isaiah chapter 14 all over again. The devil likes to present sin in a deceptive light. He doesn’t show the hangover, he shows the good times, but the end result is always tragedy. I had this experience of the "good of evil," chasing after money, status, worldly things thinking I would find fulfillment there. It always left me feeling empty, boxed into depression and void of happiness and joy.
Encountering God and Renewing My Mind
Thankfully, that wasn’t the end of the story. I remember my dad leading me in prayers, and I heard God’s voice which was truly fulfilling. Then, in 1995, I had a life-changing encounter with God. I realized I had let the world invade my thinking and poison me into selfishness. Now, this is an important point, that in the Bible it's noted that tribulation can drive us to God. It’s through these things, these difficulties that the Lord allows us to go through, that we're chastened as sons, not as bastards. These are ways that the Lord allows to catapult us into our destiny with Him. God can lift us out of the pit and place our feet on the Rock, and Jesus is that Rock at the bottom! We don't have to stay stuck in our selfish, destructive thoughts.
The Power of Kingdom Keys
As I mentioned previously, I was severely depressed, even as a Christian! I would pray, "Lord, get me out of this!" while taking pills. It was then a sweet Colombian lady grabbed my hands, sensing my self-destruction. Through tears of love, she spoke a Kingdom key, a rhema word that quickened the word of Philippians 3:13 in my life, "Forget what is behind you, reach forward to what is ahead". This became my life verse and here's why it was so impactful:
Philippians 3:13-15: "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you."
I could unpack this scripture for days! This single piece of scripture transformed my life. Paul wrote this after killing Christians using the Word. He could've let the devil accuse him constantly of his past failures but he didn’t. He learned to forget his failures, his past sins and all the things that had been holding him back. He focused on reaching forward to what God had set before him – his high calling. This should be our mindset too. We are also called to take our focus off ourselves and press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus.
Looking Unto Jesus
This leads me to Hebrews 12:1-2: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
We are surrounded by witnesses – people, angels - and every idle word is heard. We're in a race for a crown, and the devil wants to keep us from fulfilling our calling. Jesus died not just so we'd have life, but abundant life. Faith means believing what He says and then employing that belief. As I started walking towards Jesus, I started walking on water – living a supernatural lifestyle! When Peter looked at his problems, his personal storm, he began to sink. However, as long as he kept walking toward Jesus, he stayed on top of the water. I’ve learned that even when we look at our problems, Jesus calms our storms with his peace that surpasses understanding. And Peter knew this fail-safe key: whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Even when we feel we are failing, and we feel like we are sinking, we can call out to Jesus.
The Key to Success
Crush your insecurities with the Word. Matthew 6:33-34 says, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” We should be about our Father’s business, not worrying about the future. When we worry about tomorrow, that's the opposite of faith, and so much of what we worry about never even happens!
Remember, forget what is behind and keep reaching forward to the upper call that Jesus has for you. You are a co-laborer with Christ on a great mission. As you crush your insecurities and walk towards Him, you'll walk on water. But if you stumble and are sinking, you have the fail-safe key: whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved! Step out in faith! Just do it!
I know this has been a bit of a long one but, I truly hope this has touched you today. Take your focus off of yourself, focus on Jesus and the call and commission He has placed in front of you.
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Until we meet again, dig deeper and go higher! God bless!
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