LET JESUS LEAD YOU ON THE PATH TO A LIFE OF VICTORY

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Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6 –

Life is a preparation for heaven. As believers, our past is left on earth… our future is in heaven. God’s desire for us in this life is that we learn and grow in the knowledge of His will through the Spirit’s wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9). His paramount goal is to make us like His Son. Is there anything holding you back from becoming your true, God-designed self?

Christians travel a spiritual journey in life… from salvation to sanctification to glorification. Salvation begins when we give our lives to Christ and accept His complete forgiveness. We are no longer our own… we were bought at a price… the ultimate price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It cost Jesus His very life. His perfect sacrifice saved us and gave us eternal life.

Once saved, we set out on our road of sanctification… a spiritual walk that leads us to become like Jesus. To be sanctified is to be chosen and set apart by Christ for His service. We learn to trust and obey Him… to live a life that pleases Him. The Holy Spirit works in us and moves us toward perfection. One day, when Jesus returns, we will become glorified… a perfect reflection of Him.

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. – Matthew 26:41

Sanctification is not a race to the finish. It is a lifelong process of learning to walk in the Spirit. We do not at once become like Christ. Ours is a daily trek as we grow ever closer to His holiness. Yet we wonder why we still struggle with sin once we have been saved.

Although now guided by the Holy Spirit, we are not perfect. Every day, we must battle our sinful, carnal selves. This inner conflict between our old and new natures will continue throughout our journey. We can expect to stumble along the path… to be tempted… to be waylaid by obstacles. Yet our progress is ever onward, one step at a time, toward our destined goal of sanctification.

Each day, we give to our Lord our sins, our failings, our waywardness… the ways we have tried to be Christlike by our own efforts instead of relying on the Holy Spirit. He is not surprised… for only He has never sinned. That is why His forgiveness reaches back to our past and forward to our future. He has forgiven all our transgressions… once for all time.

We can only grow spiritually by the power of Christ living within us. Only He can lead us along to spiritual maturity. When we stumble, our compassionate Savior gently picks us up and moves us in the right direction…. if we don’t give up. He is there to guide us every step of the journey. Our hope, our strength, our very life is in Him.

Along our road of sanctification, we allow Jesus to remove, little by little, all remnants of our old natures. He captures our hearts and fills us with His Spirit. He replaces our old ways of thinking and acting with His ways. He shepherds us along the path toward Christlikeness. Our defeated life becomes the victorious life He promised.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. – Matthew 11:29-30

Our Savior leads us along the road to sanctification… making us into the children of God we were created to be. Every day, we take up our cross and follow Him. We seek to rid ourselves of all that is not of Him. We submit to His work of aligning our values, goals and purposes with His. We aspire to glorify Him with our lives, looking to His guidance and direction all our days.

Let Jesus share the yoke you carry. Let Him daily bear your burdens, your struggles, your sins. For He is our gentle, kindhearted Savior who loves us beyond measure. Allow Him to take control of your life. Let the Shepherd of your soul guide you on your path to Christlikeness. Move from a life of defeat to a life of victory in Christ.

†   Eternal Takeaway – The road of sanctification leads us to become ever more like Jesus   †