the watchman's call

the most blessed way to live..

The most blessed way to live..

If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.

(I John 4:12 NKJV)

It is in the abiding in us that His love becomes perfected. God’s love can’t be perfected without US! Even more powerful, is this thought: The Creator of the universe set it up like that on purpose because He loves us so much. His love for us is so profound that His greatest desire is to be in us and to have us in Him. He wants us to know the mind of Christ and live in the knowledge that He loves us beyond measure. We become complete through grace and we become perfected by His love in us.

“And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.'” (Luke 13:32 NASB)

This verse is referring to the time that the Pharisees came to Jesus, telling Him that Herod wanted to kill Him. This was Jesus’ response to them. Of course, we know that Jesus means that the goal on the third day is His resurrection. What is interesting is that the Greek word is the same in these two verses. In 1 John, His love is perfected. In Luke, He reaches His goal (or is perfected). It is the same word. The root word in the Greek is teleioó: to bring to an end, to complete, perfect.¹ How amazing to think that these two verses are linked together by this same word. Even greater is that once we delve a little deeper into these verses, we see that they definitely are linked together!

Luke 13:32 is the first part of the fulfillment of God’s will for us in His New Covenant plan. As we see, there was a 3-part plan over three days:

I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.

The first two “days”, Jesus took care of the people’s earthly needs, He cast out demons on the first day and healed them on the second day. On the third day Jesus reached His goal. Another word that is used is perfected. On the third day, Jesus was perfected. This took care of all of our earthly needs.

In the second example, from 1 John 4, the New Covenant plan is to perfect our spiritual needs. This verse is in the very same format as in Luke 13. There is a 3-part plan, only this time it is to meet our spiritual needs.

“..If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.”

First, we love one another. That can’t be accomplished without the help of the Holy Spirit, which is definitely a spiritual component. Then God dwells in us. Then once those things happen, the love of Jesus is perfected in us. We are made complete and we have the Trinity at work in us spiritually.

When we live in love, allowing the Spirit to work through us, God is dwelling in us. Love is perfected and we are made complete. It is the most beautiful plan and the most blessed way to live!

~Anne Schickowski

the watchman’s call

 

¹ 5048. Strong’s Concordance

© Copyright Anne Schickowski, 2015

About the copyright: please feel free to share, repost or print a copy for yourself or friends as long as you retain and attribute it to the above copyright info and link back to either http://www.facebook.com/thewatchmanscall or http://thewatchmanscall.com

 

© Copyright Anne Schickowski, 2015

About the copyright: please feel free to share, repost or print a copy for yourself or friends as long as you retain and attribute it to the above copyright info and link back to either http://www.facebook.com/thewatchmanscall or http://thewatchmanscall.com

The world won't win..

I keep hearing reports that the events this June did more damage to the American Christian church than at no other time in history. Many are writing that we are losing our rights and there has been a lot of hand-wringing going on. I even read one article that sounded more like a college-level sociology class than a commentary on Biblical Christianity.

Here is my response to what has happened lately in America and also worldwide:

First of all, no man-made ruling, edict, law, or decree can affect anyone. Jesus proved that when He went to the cross and burst through every man-made and spiritual barrier that was imposed on Him. The world (and certainly the devil) didn't win.

No one can touch our souls. (“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God‭, who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew‬ ‭10‬:‭28‬ NLT) They cannot get to that innermost place where we really live and prosper. Corrie ten Boom proved that in the concentration camp. No one could steal her inner love or joy, no matter what was happening on the outside. Jesus gave us life in all its fullness. No one can touch that or confiscate it because it is inside of us, living and available to us at all times because that is where the Holy Spirit lives.

Also, no man or devil in hell can stop the will and purpose of God. If we FEEL like this has happened, it's because we've listened too much to the dissenting voices. We've given the world too much power in our own minds. ("I’ve said these things to you so that you will have peace in me. In the world you have distress. But be encouraged! I have conquered the world." ‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭33‬ CEB)

This is how the true Christian church has traditionally approached anything that has ever happened to it:

1. We give no platform to the devil and his worldly kingdom.
2. The prevailing voices that we respond to come from above through much prayer and from the Word.
3. We hold onto real spiritual truth, not the illusion of man-made truth
4. We continue to spread the gospel, because our time is short. Always.

As we do all of these things, remembering them and holding onto them, we will operate in the simple knowledge that God is too powerful, too loving and too gracious to allow anything to happen to His beloved children. There is a plan. Nothing has deviated from that plan and NOTHING and NO ONE is greater than our God. His purpose will continue to stand and it will continue to grow.

May God bless you and your family. May you operate in His power and His favor like never before. May you live in His complete protection and peace. He has GREAT plans for YOU. Continue to walk in them.

~Anne Schickowski

 

ask Anne..

Question:

I heard you say before that Jesus ALREADY wiped out our sins (Past, Present, Future) if we believe HE is the LORD and our personal SAVIOR? Where in the Bible is it stated that?

Answer:

1 Peter 3:18

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit"

When Jesus died on the cross He died for all people, "the just for the unjust". That means that He exchanged His perfection for our every defect - His eternal life for our certain death. Jesus did this over 2,000 years ago when EVERY one of our sins had yet to be committed - past, present and future. This verse tells us that Jesus destroyed all sins one time for ALL of us. 

The moment that we accept Jesus as our Savior, we repent (turn away from), ask for forgiveness and receive pardon from EVERY sin - past, present and future. They are wiped clean from us and wiped clean from the Father's memory. What's even better is that now that we're living under grace, we don't want to sin. We're dead to it.

That is why the gospel is called the good news!

~Anne Schickowski

the watchman's call

a Kingdom that is opposite..

Whatever the devil can get us camped on, stewing over, stuck on or exhausted over is going to be the most worldly, human, emotional thing possible. As believers it is important to recognize this as it happens. Then we can remind ourselves that what God has planned for us is the exact OPPOSITE of where the devil might have us in that moment of weakness. It's the opposite of how we might feel.

God's plan is *always* higher. It is always more powerful and much greater than anything of the world. Look UP. That is where OUR plan is. It's too big to be constrained by this world!

~Anne Schickowski

the watchman's call