Explosion Ahead! Are We 'Dwelling' or 'Living In Fullness'

Philippians 4:19 “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 2:6-10 “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”

The question is: Why do we choose to live like we do when God so clearly says that we have all the ‘fullness’ of Christ in us if we are His?

We LOVE the ‘explosion’ moments in this life and would rather choose them that the abundance of God. What a painful thing for Jesus to watch us play out every day when He is our advocate before the Father begging for mercy on our behalf! We really can’t imagine the pain that must cause Him.

Explosions happen in our lives whether we are making wrong choices or right choices. It is what we do with this ‘fullness of Christ’ in these situations that makes the difference!

Those who teach and lead in the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ – long for those who don’t know the closeness of Christ – to come close! To really see the love of God that is waiting. To taste the Power of the Lord in a way that becomes a life changer! What develops in the teacher is a love for the ones that are being taught!

That is my desire - To teach you how to grow into a deeper life of Faith in the Lord. I long to see you have fresh encounters with the Holy Spirit and to have a deep sense of belief that NOTHING can sway you in this life…not even an explosion!

Paul felt the same way! His instruction in the Bible is to the believer – because he sees the ‘Explosions that can happen’ to us. His hope and prayers are that we will look past them to what is beyond; to what can hold us up in the midst of the explosions.

Obedience to the Lord and His Word is a challenge. We look around and we see destruction and pain all around. We think we might as well ‘dwell’ instead of ‘overcome in the fullness’ of Christ!

God says the opposite in His Word!

I Thessalonians 5:16-24 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat the prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”

Explosions peal the layers back of our life and expose us even more to God in a way that either calls us closer or drives us further away. The theme of the Bible is ‘explosions’ and an avenue in God to escape them!

Where are you at in your life? When the ‘explosions’ happen to you are you prepared in the ‘fullness of Christ Jesus’ or are you giving in to ‘dwelling’ in the fallout?

Here are some places that we ‘dwell’ instead of living in the ‘fullness of Christ’:

Bitterness ~ Do we hold on to those things that make us mad? Is there a part of your heart that is holding on to something someone did to you in the past?

Relationships/friendships that lead nowhere ~ Are we keeping ourselves wrapped up in relationships that are hurting our walk with Christ? Are we willing to ‘dwell’ with these relationships or ask for courage to overcome them with the Power of Christ?

Envious thoughts ~ Do we have thoughts and actions built on envy? Do we wish we had or did ____________? If we are always looking at what we don’t have – we can’t see what we DO have in the ‘fullness of Christ’ if we are always looking elsewhere.

Worry ~ Do we find ourselves always worrying over what we can’t control? Do we spend a lot of time thinking of ways to defeat worry and yet we don’t do any of them? Are we ‘dwelling’ in that worry instead of overcoming it in the ‘fullness of Christ’ using His POWER to overcome what we can’t control and letting God control it?

Angry thoughts, actions and deeds ~ Do we let ourselves become consumed with anger on different levels? If we think it – more than likely we can carry it out! Are we willing to ‘dwell’ with these angry thoughts or are we willing to move past them and be consumed with Holy Spirit Fire instead!

These are just a few of the ‘Explosions’ of life that cause us to stay off track in the Lord. Often we choose to dwell in these places when God’s Promise and Love are so fulfilling -  if we only seek it more than these things listed!

The VICTORY is in the choosing! Life is built on choices and the stronger we become in the Lord the more sure our choices become. We find ourselves looking past the ‘explosions’ toward how God can use them to strengthen us! Only God can do this in us! Humanity does not give us the ability to look past the explosions.

In I Thessalonians 5:16-24 we read that God is asking us to not put out the Spirit’s fire! The fire is the Holy Spirit that dwells in us! The way that we walk through the explosions of this life is by the Holy Spirit’s Power and Fire; believing that God is who He says He is!

The REALLY AMAZING thing is that usually when we are willing to look right past our ‘explosions’ – God will use these circumstances to His Glory! We will have the chance to share these things with other believers and encourage someone else who might very well be struggling with these same things! ONLY God can do that!

God desires that each one of us be an overcomer in this life. Have you ever wondered what that means?

What it means is that we are overcoming ‘explosions’ to give Him glory and to let God shine in our lives so that others will see and believe! It is the way that God chooses to work in this life – through us!

It is my prayer that you are finding that it is so much more meaningful in this life to live for Jesus than it is to be a ‘dweller’! There is such hope and promise for those who do!

Paul says it best in the Word of God – which is my prayer for you!

Ephesians 1:16 “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”