Abundant Life Through the Vine

Living the priorities of GOD will drive you to the body of Christ. I say this because through living, I have found the body of believers in Christ very essential to my wellbeing. Only they seem to understand and support the things I seek and battle for in this life. Not everyone seeks to live by principles of love and righteousness. I am not saying that I execute perfectly on this every moment of each day, but I can say it is my earnest intent to.  The thing is you don’t know what you don’t know, and you can’t do well in areas where you haven’t received instruction. If you are not connected to a body of people with experience in the objectives you are living to achieve, I guarantee you are not having the success you could be having which means you are not living as well as you could be. This is why I endeavor to stay connected to the body of Christ. I am not talking about going to a church building. I am talking about intimate fellowship with those who are born not of the will of man, nor of the will of the flesh, but of the will of GOD. Those who take up their cross daily to ensure that GOD’s will is expressed through them as obedient children, as demonstrated through the life of Christ. Christ promised that those who believed on Him would receive power to become an obedient offspring of the Father just as He was. It is more than just a label or status. It is a new way of being. The Church is a fellowship of people who believe this testimony of Christ and look for Him to perform it in them through the baptism by fire that He baptizes with, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that comes into our heart causing us to cry Abba, or Father to GOD. This fellowship can be in a church building but often it is not. Church services are often monologues and life happens through an exchange, which is through ongoing dialogue in spirit and truth.

For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety. (Proverbs 24:6 NKJV)

Counsel is defined as recommendations that come as a result of thinking about and carefully discussing the actions to follow.  There are many battles being fought in this hour and the Lord has called us to be soldiers, but He has called us to a specific war, not just any skirmish we choose. The wise counsel we need, to war in the particular battle we have been called to, is facilitated through the body of Christ, where Christ is the head. If you are fighting for specifically America’s interest or the specific interest of any other sovereignty in this world, then you will not value the body of Christ. If you are fighting specifically for the interest of one political party, then you will not value the body of Christ. If you are specifically fighting for the interest of one race or nationality, then you will not value the body of Christ.  The fellowship of Christian soldiers, also called the Church, battle to manifest the will of GOD, which is the Kingdom of GOD. Those who have been enlightened by the Spirit of Truth understand that all nations and all people are only blessed when they surrender to the Kingdom of GOD. Due to the history of many imperialist nations carrying out violence under facades of righteousness, this line of speech can sound oppressive, but the Kingdom of Christ is not like the kingdoms of this world. Remember, Christ the King gave His life that you might live abundantly. The imperialist regimes of this world come destroying the life of others that their own lives may be enriched. There is a stark difference here.

Christ taught that we should seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness then all other needed things for life would follow. Make the spiritual things of GOD your focal point and you will find that the physical things of this life have to give way to the will of GOD. When GOD’s will is being manifest in your life then you are living abundantly.

 ¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

¹³ The Lord looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men.
¹⁴ From the place of His dwelling He looks
On all the inhabitants of the earth;
¹⁵ He fashions their hearts individually;
He considers all their works.

¹⁶ No king is saved by the multitude of an army;
A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for safety;
Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
¹⁹ To deliver their soul from death,
And to keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
²¹ For our heart shall rejoice in Him,
Because we have trusted in His holy name.
²² Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
Just as we hope in You.

(Psalm 33:11-22)