True repentance (part seven)

7.       From a spirit of fear, to the Spirit of power, love, and sound mind

Here again is another literal conversion that takes place in the life of one who is truly converted, for we have been given the assurance saying; “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

With a truly converted individual, it is no longer the individual who exercises the power, but the Holy Spirit who dwells in him/her. Like the apostle Paul wrote saying; “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

He also said; “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain” (Philippians 2:13-16).

Those walking and living in the Spirit has the consolation saying; “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us: By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:1-6).

But the multi-trillion question is, how do we confess and manifest the belief that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? Is it simply a thought! This is definitely more profound than being merely a thought or belief, because one of the many reasons why Christ came in the flesh is to set us an example of how to live; “For to this we were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:

"Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth"; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness --- by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:21-24).

More of this topic in future articles: stay tuned.

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph