Seven Truths To Empower Our Lives

Read the Text: 1 John 5

Memorize the Text:  

All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

(1 John 1:3, CSB)

Consider the Text: 1 John 5:18-20

Believers live defeated far too often instead of living empowered because of a relationship with Christ, reconciliation with the Father, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. God desires that his children live an empowered life because they receive freedom from the debt of sin and can accomplish the will of the Lord in their lives. As a follower of Christ, we know the Lord intimately. This knowledge expands beyond cognitive knowledge and includes experience, assurance, and intimacy. The apostle John provided seven truths we know based on this relationship with the Lord that empower believers' lives.

WE KNOW WE MUST STRIVE FOR JESUS

As followers of Christ, we must strive to become more like Christ. We should desire to live a life that illuminates him and his Word. Thus, we must pursue to grow in Christ and live a life that reveals victory over sin. The pursuit of growing in Christ occurs as we seek to develop our relationship with Christ through engaging the Word. This growth promotes the ability to live victoriously over sin because we have access to the needed power for victory. This victory does not mean we become perfect or sinless but indicates that we seek to continually grow in becoming more like Christ. Thus, the first truth is to strive for Jesus.

WE KNOW WE RECEIVE PROTECTION FROM THE LORD

The second truth of empowerment comes from knowing that the Lord is our protector. He is the Great Shepherd, and believers are his sheep. As the Shepherd, the Lord snatches us from danger and stands to protect us from the danger ahead. He protects by leading to the needed places of nourishment and standing between the sheep and the enemy. Thus, we become empowered when we recognize that our Great Shepherd stands watch over us in protection and provision. Thus, the second truth is remembering the protection of the Lord.

WE KNOW WE FIND OUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

We seek to find our place in this world. We desire to find our purpose and identity somewhere. The believer finds these things in Christ. He becomes the believer's identity and provides the purpose for the believer’s life. The identity of an individual reveals what and who controls the heart. When one identifies with the world, their heart is turned away from the Lord. When believers identify with Christ, they live out the expectations, will, and ways of the Lord, and people see Christ in them. Thus, the third truth is to find identity in Christ alone.

WE KNOW OF CHRIST’S SACRIFICIAL WORK

We must rest in the knowledge of the significance and nature of the sacrificial work of Christ. Christ came at a particular moment that aligned with the plan of the Father. At his exact moment, Christ sacrificed the glory of heaven and took on the form of humanity so that the separation between God and man could be bridged. Finally, Jesus came to give his life as the eternal sacrifice needed to offer reconciliation with the Father. The love of God drove this work and should empower our lives because Jesus provided everything for us. Thus, the fourth truth is remembering the sacrificial work of Christ and knowing that he died for us, and as a result, we will live for him.  

WE KNOW GOD REVEALED SALVATION

We must know that the Lord did not hide salvation from us. God revealed salvation in a general sense through the created order. The creation design shows a Creator who cares and desires to engage with creation. Because of the general revelation, the Bible declares that no one is exempt from knowing the Lord because he has revealed himself in creation (Romans 1:20). At the same time, the Lord provided a specific revelation in His Word. The Bible tells the story of redemption and declares what the Lord has done to offer reconciliation. On a personal level, this becomes revealed as the Holy Spirit works in our lives. Thus, the fifth truth we must remember is how God revealed salvation so we could know and receive it.  

WE KNOW OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS

Our relationship with Christ changes our citizenship. We no longer identify with countries of this world or with the ways of this world, but now we become citizens of God’s kingdom. Believers legally belong to God’s kingdom and gain the rights and protections that accompany that kingdom. Heaven’s citizenship is eternal, driven by love, and comes with hope. As a citizen of God’s Kingdom, we must adopt the culture and practices of God’s Kingdom and abandon the ways and practices of the world. Thus, the sixth truth to remember is that our citizenship now rests in God’s Kingdom.  

WE KNOW THE EXCLUSIVE NATURE OF CHRIST

The believer knows and declares the exclusive nature of Christ. Salvation comes through faith in Christ alone; no other avenue or belief redeems. We hold to the exclusive nature of Christ in an inclusive mindset. We believe that everyone receives an invitation to respond to the exclusive nature of Christ. Some respond in belief, while others refuse and reject. The world declares that many roads lead to a common destination, but the truth states that Jesus is the only way to salvation. Thus, the seventh truth to remember is that Christ alone is the Savior.

This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.