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When you believe in Christ, Christ works a miracle in you<\/strong>. You are permanently purified and empowered by God himself. The message of Jesus to the religious person is simple: It\u2019s not what you do. It\u2019s what I do. I have moved in. And in time you can say with Paul, \u201cI myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me<\/strong><\/em>\u201d (Galatians 2:20<\/span><\/strong>).<\/p>\n Why did you fall so often after your first birth? Did you exit the womb wearing cross-trainers? Did you do the two-step on the day of your delivery? Of course not. And when you started to walk, you fell more than you stood. Should we expect anything different from our spiritual walk?<\/p>\n But I fall so often, I question my salvation. Again, we return to your first birth. Didn\u2019t you stumble as you were learning to walk? And when you stumbled, did you question the validity of your physical birth? Did you, as a one-year-old fresh flopped on the floor, shake your head and think, I have fallen again. I must not be human?<\/p>\n Of course not. The stumbles of a toddler do not invalidate the act of birth. And the stumbles of a Christian do not annul his spiritual birth.<\/p>\n Do you understand what God has done?<\/strong> He has deposited a Christ seed in you. As it grows, you will change. It\u2019s not that sin has no more presence in your life, but rather that sin has no more power over your life. Temptation will pester you, but temptation will not master you. What hope this brings!<\/p>\n Think of it this way. Suppose you, for most of your life, have had a heart condition. Your frail pumper restricts your activities. Each morning at work when the healthy employees take the stairs, you wait for the elevator.<\/p>\n But then comes the transplant. A healthy heart is placed within you. After recovery, you return to work and encounter the flight of stairs\u2014the same flight of stairs you earlier avoided. By habit, you start for the elevator. But then you remember. You aren\u2019t the same person. You have a new heart. Within you dwells a new power.<\/p>\n Do you live like the old person or the new? Do you count yourself as having a new heart or old? You have a choice to make.<\/p>\n You might say, \u201cI can\u2019t climb stairs; I\u2019m too weak<\/em>.\u201d Does your choice negate the presence of a new heart? Dismiss the work of the surgeon? No. Choosing the elevator would suggest only one fact\u2014you haven\u2019t learned to trust your new power.<\/p>\n It takes time.<\/strong> But at some point you\u2019ve got to try those stairs. You\u2019ve got to test the new ticker. You\u2019ve got to experiment with the new you. For if you don\u2019t, you will run out of steam.<\/p>\n Religious rule keeping can sap your strength.<\/strong> It\u2019s endless. There is always another class to attend, Sabbath to obey, Ramadan to observe. No prison is as endless as the prison of perfection. Her inmates find work but never find peace. How could they? They never know when they are finished.<\/p>\n Christ, however, gifts you with a finished work. He fulfilled the law for you. Bid farewell to the burden of religion<\/strong>. Gone is the fear that having done everything, you might not have done enough. You climb the stairs, not by your strength, but his. God pledges to help those who stop trying to help themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cHe who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus\u201d<\/strong><\/em> (Philippians 1:6<\/strong><\/span>.)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n By Max Lucado Learn more about knowing Jesus at: https:\/\/thoughts-about-god.com\/four-laws\/<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\nIf I\u2019m born again, why do I fall so often?<\/span><\/h3>\n
Hear this. It\u2019s not up to you! Within you abides a budding power. Trust him!<\/span><\/h3>\n
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God will change you from the inside out.<\/span><\/h3>\n
<\/strong>used by permission.\u00a0 From: Next Door Savior
<\/strong>To learn more about Max Lucado visit his website at:
<\/strong>http:\/\/www.maxlucado.com\/info\/view\/about_max_lucado\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\nFURTHER READING<\/span><\/h4>\n