Tag Archives: Christ

Are You Being Transformed In Christ?

Many people in the world claim to know Christ, yet they speak very little about Him. Although they may claim to have fellowship with a local body of believers, they tend to know more about what’s going on in the world rather than what their church believes. They are experts in every topic from politics to the latest news stories, but they are at a loss about what Christ is doing in their lives. Unfortunately, most are not being transformed in Christ but are being transformed by the world through a great flood of information. This information coming at the speed of light promises to address your every problem from mental health to physical health. It promises to answer every question about the proper foods we should eat, the medications we should take, and the exercise programs we should do. It promises to answer every question concerning the ecosystem and our place in the cosmos. Today, I would like to look beyond just following the Christian crowd and the influx of information coming from the world to understanding the miracle of our transformation in Christ. We will explore what we should expect from being transformed in Christ. Transformation is a lifelong journey. There are clear signs that we are truly on the path to transformation that will excite you beyond belief. We will learn how important it is to allow the Holy Spirit to do His job of making us into a new creation (II Corinthians 5:17).

However, before we continue it’s essential that you have humbled yourself before the risen Christ believing that He died on the Cross to forgive you of all of your sins, past, present, and future. Through the public confession of your sins and your agreement to turn from your sins and not repeat them, then you are ready to follow Christ in His resurrection from the grave to a new life in Christ. This confession will open a new door that will be the most remarkable journey that you could ever imagine. The transformation journey can only begin after your public confession and the reception of the Holy Spirit. Without the confession and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, transformation is impossible. You may learn all the doctrines of your church and mimic all the outward behavior of others that appear more righteous than yourself, but that by itself will not bring forth true transformation in Christ. You could memorize the entire Bible and follow all of its commandments, but that too will not bring forth true transformation in Christ. It will only bring forth carnal Christianity, which will leave you on the path to eternal damnation, and eternally separated from God.

To experience transformation in Christ we must be filled with the Holy Spirit sent by God to all who make the confession to follow Christ alone and not the teachings from the world controlled by Satan and the powers of darkness. It is the Spirit’s job to lead us into all truth (John 16:13). It is His job to write the commandments of God upon our hearts (Hebrews 10:16). This is so beautifully accomplished, because every time we read the Bible or hear His anointed Words spoken, then the Spirit will write those Words on our hearts. Sometimes the Words seem new, beyond anything we have heard, bringing forth great excitement to follow Christ in His teachings. Other times the Words may seem difficult because they are so opposed to the teachings of the present world order, so the Words are also accompanied with conviction from the Holy Spirit. If you have never felt the conviction from the Holy Spirit, then you are either ignoring Him or not listening. Or the Spirit of God may not be residing in you, because you have not welcomed Him into your heart. Dear children, after our public confession, then we must welcome the Holy Spirit by giving Him full reign in our lives.

To give the Holy Spirit full reign in our lives is an obligation to listen and follow all of His nudges, prompts, and the still small voice spoken in our hearts. The Holy Spirit will never lead you to violate one of God’s commandments but to obey all of His instructions in the Bible. God has given us everything we need to become a new person in Christ through transformation. This is very important because we can no longer rely on the world or the works of fallen humanity to give us what we need. If we do, then it will be counterproductive to the transformation process. The Bible says, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (II Peter 1:3). Yes, the Bible says, “everything!” God does not need our help in the transformation process. What God needs is our obedience. The Holy Spirit will never draw on the information in the world. If we fail to believe that He has all the answers to our problems, then we will never be transformed in Christ. To give the Spirit full reign in our lives, we simply cannot ask our Holy Resident to step into the other room while we participate in a questionable activity or seek advice from the world.

Unfortunately, many Christians grieve the Holy Spirit every time they fail to listen and follow the Spirits leading. Every time they ignore His presence in their lives, then they have grieved the Holy Spirit. Every time they participate in a questionable activity or violate one of God’s beautiful commandments, then they grieve the Holy Spirit. To continually grieve the Holy Spirit will stop the transformation process and may even put you on the path leading to a horrible life where nothing seems to work out right. Every bad or miscalculated decision without the Spirit’s help will cause you great difficulties from financial hardship to even causing you physical and mental health problems. To grieve the Holy Spirit can lead to a very confusing life, from being led astray by every worldly teaching and perversion to the acceptance of psychological counseling and a life of psychotropic drug addiction. To grieve the Holy Spirit can even put you on the path of confronting the horrors of unchecked lawlessness and even an early death. We must not grieve the Holy Spirit if we want to experience the wonders of the transformation in Christ. Transformation in Christ is wonders upon wonders as we learn how to put off the old life and put on the new life in Christ (Ephesians 4:17-32.

As we learn, step by step, how to put off the old life, we begin to realize just how captivating sin was in our lives. Yes, it will be difficult in the beginning. However, as we listen and follow the Holy Spirit, He gives us great power to say no to all manner of sins and the devil who is instigating them. We don’t need to yell at the devil or perform some religious ritual, we simply say no, in the Name of Jesus Christ. The key to success is that the Spirit gives us the opposite of the evil by showing us how to put on the righteous life intended for us in Christ. With every successful step of putting off the old life and putting on the new life in Christ, we begin to experience transformation. We are now a new person in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). The lies of Satan have convinced the modern church that they have been transformed simply by changing some of their outward behavior, however, they have failed to look at their heart within, so I greatly encourage you to read carefully my last article entitled, “Conquering the Evil From Within.” As we continue the transformation process, we soon discover all the little miracles that await us from the little miracles in our own lives to the amazing miracles that God chooses to do through us.

Seeing the hand of God working through us is the most amazing miracle that you will ever see this side of heaven. The Bible says, “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit” (2Co 3:18). What an amazing verse this is, that sheds light on the other verses in the Bible by tying them all together like a great tapestry, where the Bible interprets the Bible (See II Corinthians 3:18, 5:17, and II Peter 1:3). Only through the Holy Spirit and His process of transformation in us can we see the larger picture and understand the full counsel of God. As we come to the Gospel with an unveiled face, we reject all the transforming powers of the world, which allows the glory of the Lord to be reflected through us. The more we allow the glory of the Lord to be reflected through us, the more we are transformed into His image from one degree of glory to another. This is all wonderfully accomplished by the Spirit of the Lord. So, we must all ask ourselves a question, whose glory are we reflecting, the glory of the Lord (as we continually look upon His eternal truths), or are we reflecting the tarnished glory of the fallen world order?

Finally, the tarnished glory of the world is the influx of information seeking to transform the world into the image of the beast. This has been easily accomplished through their movies, videos, television, public education, and their social media platforms. They started in the fifties teaching morality in their movies and public education but very quickly they removed the moral authority of Jesus Christ. This in time allowed everyone’s opinions concerning morality to take precedence, which established their own authority. Step by step God has been removed from the public domain, which has allowed the powers of darkness to transform the world into the image of the beast, to reflect his tarnished glory. Now, all those who have been transformed by the world are now reflecting the tarnished glory of the Antichrist and his system already put into place to lead God’s children astray. Dear children, we must only allow God’s glory to shine through us, not the world’s transforming power, so that we can continue our transformation in Christ. Transformation in Christ opens the gates of heaven to experience an extraordinary connection with the Lord of glory. Transformation in Christ will allow us to participate in His amazingly powerful miracles performed through us to the glory of God. Transformation in Christ allows us to see His mighty hand working in our lives performing one little miracle after another. Now, imagine a world where every Christian is being transformed in Christ. It would turn the world upside down! Are you being transformed in Christ?

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This website and its content is copyright of He Reigns Christian Ministries – © Rev. Daniel W. Blair 2023. All rights reserved.

Building Face-to-Face Relationships

As we draw closer to the end of all things, it is essential to build strong face-to-face relationships. Strong relationships will give us an opportunity to minister to others by assessing their real needs by moving past the pleasantries and the initial greetings. Strong relationships will allow them to observe God’s love flowing unhindered through us. We are ambassadors for Christ (II Corinthians 5:20). Unfortunately, social media has greatly limited our ability to build real relationships in the flesh. They have raised up an entire generation that no longer understands the responsibility and dynamics of building strong relationships with people they come face to face with, in the real world. As God’s children, we have a responsibility to build strong relationships through agape love. First, however, let’s look at the dynamics of building a strong relationship, then we will return to agape love. The dynamics are multifaceted that can only be learned through practice and allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in both our conversation and actions (Romans 8:14). We can practice all we want, but without the Holy Spirit to guide us we will be highly ineffective. You may learn the art of selling yourself, but you will never arrive at what God desires in God-centered relationships. So, let’s look closely at the dynamics.

Every relationship must begin with seeking God’s direction and His help. It always starts with a little silent prayer, “God help me to build a God-centered relationship” with such and such person. We must enter every prospective relationship with sincerity. Smiling, pleasantries, words spoken, and our actions must be sincere with no hidden motives. Believe me, hidden motives and insincerity will be spotted ending any potential relationship before we ever get started. Whatever you do, do it with a sincere heart (II Corinthians 8:8). It always begins with sincere caring for the other person motivated by true agape or self-giving love. The next two dynamics are learning how to listen and how to make good eye contact. Listening is much more than just hearing words. Making eye contact is much more than just looking into their eyes. How a person talks and where they look with their eyes will tell you volumes about the person you are attempting to build a relationship with. How much we really care about building a relationship with someone will greatly help us to better observe their speech and eye movements. We must learn to interpret their body language. I hope you are beginning to see how difficult this would be on social media.

Now, for a word of caution, never judge the other person as you begin to discover things through close examination of their body language discovered in their words used and their eye movements (John 7:24). If they look down or away it could be a number of different things such as trust issues, lack of confidence, or attempting to explain a perceived personal injury. These should not negate our ability to connect if we demonstrate a sincere loving and caring attitude by listening intently before responding. On the other hand, their continued unwillingness to make eye contact may demonstrate their unwillingness to build a relationship at the moment, but that too should not diminish our kindness and willingness to depart amicably. If they have good eye contact, then chances are you have their undivided attention. So, be prepared to present yourself with clear and precise communication, getting to the point as quickly as possible, and being careful to allow them to speak by interjecting their comments and questions along the way (I Peter 3:15). In your communication, it is essential to smile when applicable and show deep-seated concern when necessary. Remember, it is essential to be sincere letting your facial expressions match your caring heart. Remember, we are not robots or artificial intelligence with canned speeches, who can only respond to prompts. We are living, breathing, human beings who know how to listen to both voices and body language.

Listening is perhaps one of the most important skills in building a relationship (James 1:19, Proverbs 18:13, ESV). When others are speaking this is not a time to be thinking about our response or what we plan on doing later. Listening is a full-time job that takes a great deal of concentration. It may even be necessary to decode or interpret their words. You may need to repeat back what they have said, without their heightened emotions and vulgarity, to ensure that you have heard them correctly. Speaking without listening first causes misunderstandings and arguments (Proverbs 18:2, 13, ESV). We must have a desire to truly hear what they are saying, or our response will have little meaning. Listening to what they are actually saying, along with their voice inflections, and their moments of pause, are very important to understand both their real needs and their felt needs. It may also be necessary to pause before answering so that you can think about what they said and present it before the Lord in a short, silent prayer. Also, remember that we have already hidden God’s word in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, not ever to be used as a blunt instrument, but only to be used in love and encouragement (Psalm 119:11, Ephesians 4:29). Also, remember everything we say back must fit the occasion or it does not need to be said (Proverbs 25:11).

We must allow God to speak through us by way of the indwelling Holy Spirit. I cannot over-emphasize this, for this alone will help us build strong relationships. Remember, God loves the entire world and seeks to love others through us, both in our conversations and in our actions (I John 4:7,12). When God reveals a need, then we must trust Him to provide. This can only happen if we get out of the way and allow God to do His work through us. His love must flow unhindered through us. If it’s an emotional or psychological problem, then God has the answers (II Peter 1:3). If it’s a physical need, then God can provide, either direct healing or teach them how to trust in His loving providence. If it’s a financial need, again God has the ability and resources to answer every need according to His divine will. Why should we limit God? If someone is struggling with demons or a Satanic attack, then God will always lead us to intervene according to His will. Again, all this needs practice only as God leads. He will not heal every person. He will not meet every financial need. He will not cast out every demon. Dear children, everything must be done according to God’s will to realize His great power on high. There is great amazement to realize His great power working through us to the glory of God.

There is also great amazement to recognize God’s abounding love flowing through us to others. True agape love recognizes the real need, not the felt need. This is very important because many want us to fulfill their felt needs while they hide their real needs. People’s greatest real need is learning how to overcome their old sin nature (Ephesians 4:17-32). Most with any kind of ethical upbringing struggle against it daily, some even hourly. Others struggle against the powers of darkness even if they cannot tell what it is that’s tearing their lives apart. Others just struggle against what they call bad luck or bad decisions. Unfortunately, none of these people recognize that they could be reaping the consequences of their own sins (Galatians 6:7-9). They have not learned how to put off the old life and put on the new life in Christ. Let me be very clear, it’s nearly impossible to help these people on social media. It’s nearly impossible to understand their true struggles just by reading their post on social media. We must confront them face-to-face to read their body language with a sincere and forgiving heart. We must allow God’s love to flow through us leading us to minister to them in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

Finally, the proof of a strong relationship is your willingness to stop whatever you are doing for yourself and immediately tend to the needs of others no matter how less important you feel it is. Strong relationships are developed by making their needs more important than your own needs. In God-centered relationships, we always live to serve others (I Peter 4:10). Can you imagine a world where this was as natural as taking your next breath? There would be no crime, there would be no lawlessness, just pure self-giving love. Although this is exactly how the new heavens and new earth will be, God’s children should still strive for this now in our present relationships. As we come closer to the end, we must build strong face-to-face relationships with others so that we can help them to be ready when Christ comes in judgment to judge the world. The Bible says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Galatians 5:13-14, ESV).” As we fast approach the end, let us imagine the whole world as our neighbors. Let us go forth building strong relationships to the glory of God. What’s coming on the horizon, we will all need strong God-centered relationships.

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This website and its content is copyright of He Reigns Christian Ministries – © Rev. Daniel W. Blair 2023. All rights reserved.

Having a Consensus Brings Us Out of Chaos

In the beginning, there was no chaos because there was unity in belief. There were no varied opinions until Satan interjected his lies into the matrix, the order of things established by God. This chaos grew as beliefs and opinions grew more divergent. In time accepted beliefs and opinions became increasingly dominant among certain people groups scattered throughout the world. Primarily conflicts and wars arose not because of beliefs but rather for the conquering of land and the pillaging of food stores. However, in time beliefs became the motive to not only conquer but to change the beliefs of the conquered inhabitants. Throughout the centuries chaos among different people groups remained rather calm with the majority accepting the same belief system in their locale. Chaos would only ensue when strong-minded people stepped outside the system of shared beliefs and opinions. Whole towns and communities could be led to accept certain beliefs or opinions that were different from the established beliefs at the time. But it rarely affected an entire country except during the Muslim invasions and the protestant reformation. Later on in France and the Americas, although they separated from the traditional rule, there was still a general consensus on shared beliefs. Even in the early democracies, disagreement between political parties never reached such a level of universal chaos among the general population as seen today. Continue reading Having a Consensus Brings Us Out of Chaos

To the Christians Living in America

This may be my last article. “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:7). It has been a beautiful journey watching Christ make me into a new creation one step at a time (II Corinthians 5:17). I would not trade this life for anything in the world. God is good all the time. I look forward to a new heaven and a new earth where I will be completely free from the old sin nature. I look forward to a time when Satan and the powers of darkness will no longer attack God’s precious children. I look forward to seeing all of my friends and family who have walked the path of righteousness and have followed Christ every moment of every day. What a glorious day that will be for all eternity. Continue reading To the Christians Living in America

Listen to God’s Prophetic Voice

There are many voices in the world speaking one thing, then another. To hear God’s still small voice all other voices must be shut out, including the voices in our own heads. The whole world, both East and West, is designed by Satan to keep you from hearing God’s still small voice. It is designed to keep you from hearing God’s prophetic voice. There is no accident that every country has social media platforms, news outlets, and thousands of popular websites to keep you from hearing God’s voice. There is no accident that every country has movies, internet games, and streaming videos to keep you so occupied that you cannot hear God’s still small voice. The world is being overcome and overwhelmed by the spirit of Antichrist and his false prophet. They are purposefully leading humanity to chase after every new conspiracy theory, half-truth, and outrageous lie, which keeps them from hearing God’s prophetic voice. Furthermore, they are leading humanity to draw forth their own conclusions based on what they have observed in the world. In a sense, nearly everyone has become their own prophet by completely ignoring God’s prophetic voice. We must listen to the still small voice of God (I Kings 19:11-12). Continue reading Listen to God’s Prophetic Voice