Friday, February 24, 2012

Possessed

"Not that i have now attained (this ideal), or have already been made perfect, but I press on to lay hold of (grasp) and make my own, that for which Christ Jesus (the Messiah) has laid hold of me and made me His own." Philippians 3:12

When I immediately think of the word possessed, it brings up all sorts of negative connotations.  I am reminded of images from horror movies where heads spin backwards or of ex-boyfriends who are possessive and mean or being in possession of something you are not suppose to have.  So when God brought this verse to me today and decided to turn all of this upside down, I was bewildered.  In the NLT (New Living Translation) it says we are possessed by Christ. Now we have heard we are Christ Treasured POSSESSION, but this possessed thing, made me think of something different that I couldn't quiet put my finger on. So I do what always helps me, I went to my dictionary app and looked up the word posses to better wrap my brain around thinking of that word in a different light.  Here's what I found:  to have as belonging to one; (POSSESSION, got that one) to maintain control over; to occupy or hold.  
Interesting!! Of course being a treasured possession wholly owned by the One who has sealed me with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption is marvelous and gives me the warm fuzzies.  But there in that occupy, to hold, to maintain control definition, hmmmm, no thank you.  But God, said wait a second, that's the world definition, I can take what looks like a negative and turn it into a positive.  I never like thinking that someone could control or have a hold over me. But we are talking about someone we are talking about THE SOME ONE! JESUS, YES! PLEASE keep hold of me, occupy me, my thoughts, my ways, my actions, my attitudes.  And maintain control of this pesky flesh that seems to always be causing problems when I am controlled by it.  So we are POSSESSED!!  Gloriously possessed by the One True Living God of Love.  And why is He possessing me?  To perfect me!  To make sure I am fully developed and lacking nothing (James 1:4)!  So don't wallow in your imperfections.  Or allow the enemy to make you believe those mistakes are evidence that God is NOT at work.  Hold fast to these verses that say, when he first lay hold of us, he had a plan and that plan was that we would be made perfect for His use, His plan and His Glory. Reach today for the Author and PERFECTOR of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).  I think a lot of times I get confused and when I make a mistake and mess up or make the wrong choice that God is so disappointed in my imperfection or surprised by it but He isn't. And He is at work, constantly teaching me, changing me, equipping me, and making me look more and more like Jesus.  It isn't an easy road but oh how worth it it is! He says just keep reaching beloved.  It's in the reaching for righteousness I'm well pleased, because that means you're reaching for me.  I have no righteousness of my own. NONE, ZERO, ZILCH!  And I fool myself if I think I do.  It is when I live out in that possessed state, under the control, command, and will of The Spirit, that all sorts of remarkable things take place. Of myself I am NOTHING, but possessed by My Jesus, I'm being made perfect, being conformed into His imagine so one day in Him, I will lack nothing.  So lets walk around possessed today shall we!  Possessed by Our One True Love, Jesus Christ!

Lord, possess us today, all of us.  Every thought, every attitude, every word, every action, every dream so that we may bring you glory and help us to submit to the process of being perfected, so we will lack nothing.  We love you Lord so much and we pray in Jesus Name.  Amen.