1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship[c] through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
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This is a great summary, the description of who we are in Christ. We have been redeemed(!) by the one who has everything placed at his feet, placed there by his Father, the creator. Our spirits have been swept up into perfection, sitting along side Christ in Heaven right now! But we must wait on him to bring his physical Kingdom in it's entirety here to this earth.
Until then, we are taken care of by the Holy Spirit, our comforter and strong tower. By him living in us through Christ, we are able to receive a wholly versatile power that is called "incomparably great". With this blessing, there is no end to the wondrous things Christ can have us preform to bring his Kingdom closer to earth. We have a great responsibility in all of this, and I praise God for it!
That being said:
In order to step in to this light, I must continue to shed who I was before Christ was Lord of my life. There have been certain issues coming to light lately that I was not aware of before.
Some days I begin to think it is a curse to have been born in North America; a place with little concept of God's power existing in our reality. I have been raised (no fault to my parents) to strive for a degree and a career with benefits, rather than to long for the Lord and his plan for my life. This "curse" is something I desire to be rid of. I know in my heart that God is all powerful, that I can live a supernatural life, that Christ will provide true needs in any situation; but my head has been set behind my heart in all of these areas. My mind only timidly steps forward in these truths because of the lack of them I have seen growing up.
Lord, as I struggle in this, help me to shed any programmed lies existing in my mind, the ones that prevent me from completely stepping in to your will. You have saved me, and blessed me with infinity more than I can know.
Instead of being bound by false direction, please help me walk in your light which is full of truth and life.
Instead of being bound by false direction, please help me walk in your light which is full of truth and life.
It is not a curse at all to have been born in Canada, on the contrary, it is such a wonderful privilege. I thank you for this nation and all of the useful blessings we have been given to give. We get to give! Thank the Lord! Amen!
P.S. I just truly contemplated the word "full" for the first time. That is a loaded word.
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