Thoughts
on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength (Vol. 1) - #
349
Michael’s book is
available through:
ABIDING LIFE MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Littleton, Colorado
(303) 972-0859 www.abidinglife.com
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BLOG, called Living Life With a Capital “C”. Why a
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One thing about Michael, he never shied away from
tackling something God said that others would not tackle. And we can all
appreciate his willingness to say, “If (you) differ with my definitions and
descriptions…”
Well, amen.
As you read today’s writing, keep in mind where
you are in your walk with the Lord, how much you know about the Abiding Life,
what your definitions and descriptions are of the things embraced Michael’s
writing.
DAY 143
The Crucified “I”
I have been
crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the {life} which I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up
for me. -- Galatians 2:20
What is the “I” that was crucified with Christ, and
exactly how did that “I” get crucified? I am always making a
feeble attempt to give definition to phrases that have for so long been used by
believers that few stop to think about and grasp their meaning. Think of how
the phrase, “How are you today?” got so overused that saying it today just
means, “Hello.” Rarely does someone care to hear a prolonged assessment of the
state of another’s health and disposition. The world and the enemy have plotted to overuse words to
reduce their significance, words like Jesus or love. “I have been crucified with
Christ” has been thrown around, quoted, and memorized to the point that its
meaning and importance have been diminished. My motive in discussing
what it could mean is that believers might increasingly understand it and
incorporate it into their being. If the reader differs with my definitions and
descriptions, I urge you to search for a definition that you can satisfactorily
accept, that it might encourage you in your walk with Christ.
Imagine a team of
physicians converging on a live man lying on an operating table; they were
charged with the task of finding the “I” in the man. Would they be able to find
it? No! It is because the “I” of Galatians 2:20 is not a material thing but an
attitude; the “I” has wrapped itself, like the roots of a great tree, around
every visible fiber of the man. Try to cut it out of the mind and next find it
in the will; remove it from the will and discover it has grown back into the mind.
“I” is the attitude of glory, pride, righteousness, and strength; in short, it
is the attitude of wanting to be God. Being made in His image is not enough,
for “I” wants to be worshipped and occupy the center of the universe that
belongs to God. The body cooperates, for since it was made from the dust, it is
not drawn to the spirit and therefore enjoys the indwelling “I” that allows the
flesh to follow flesh.
A wet sponge placed
on a dry one will become dry itself, because its water will flow to the other
in transference. The day one believes on Jesus, God takes his body and nails it
together with Christ on the cross, nailing, as it were, the two sponges
together, the believer’s dripping with proud “I” and Christ’s empty “I” of
humility. What happens next is transference; the believer loses all of his “I”
attitude and life as it soaks into Him. When it is all over, the believer is
nothing but a dry sponge, no anti-God attitudes and no life. The believer’s “I”
coming into Jesus to do battle for supremacy is no different than the other
battles He had already won; He kills the believer’s “I” attitude or life
center. It may not be hard to imagine one sponge soaked with “I” being nailed
to the One void of “I,” but what of the billions of people, and all at one time?
There was so much anti-God “I” in Jesus on the cross that the Father had to cut
the umbilical cord. The great I AM, Jesus, the Word, had always been in
unbroken fellowship with God, Who was Jesus’ “I” attitude and life. The break
killed His body. II Corinthians
5:21, “He made Him who knew no sin {to be} sin on our behalf, that we might
become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point Green
– IT, Incredible Truth
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches Pink
– PV, Priceless Victory
Ok. What are your thoughts, definitions, and
descriptions? What translation are you reading God’s Word from?
Let me give you two thoughts to ponder: as
you read Galatians 2:20, try and put a person, or Person, to each pronoun used
in this verse. I have personally found that gives me more identification and recognition
of what Holy Spirit was telling me through the Apostle Paul.
Secondly, have you come to believe and
receive that your old man was indeed
crucified, and the new you in Christ IS the righteousness of
God?
To access ALL past weekly
blogs, go to Living Life With a Capital
“C” by logging onto www .leemccm.blogspot.com
NOTICE: another blog on
Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the
Wilderness. You can access by logging onto
www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com
Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
(email) leemccm@gmail.com
P.O. Box 633244 Nacogdoches,
TX 75963 936-559-5696
