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The secret to happiness, power, joy
and victory as a Christian believer is Jesus Christ Himself. By
the Holy Spirit of God, the Lord Jesus lives with and within every true
believer. This is not the result of a religious ceremony, joining
a religious group or accepting a set of ideas or teachings. The
Presence and power of God in Jesus Christ that becomes a part of every
genuine Christian's life is an act of God's grace. When we believe
God (not just a set of facts about God) then we will know His power and
joy.
God speaks today just as He spoke in ancient times. When He spoke
to Abram (who later became Abraham) in Genesis chapter 15, He made
promises that must have seemed impossible to a man of advanced age, as
Abram was. But the Holy Scripture says that Abram, "believed the
LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:6,
NRSV)
Paul has much to say about this in the New Testament (see, for example,
the opening verses of Romans, chapter 4). The Bible is teaching us
from the very first book of Scripture that God Himself is the power that
truly transforms human lives.
Religion may reform us, changing some of our habits and ideas.
Philosophies may inform us, altering the way we perceive the universe
and life itself. But only the Spirit of Almighty God can truly
transform us from within, making us brand new creations of God.
And this transformation occurs when we embrace and believe the Word of
God regarding His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As Paul says in Romans 1:16 & 17 (NKJV), "I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who
believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the
righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written,
'The just shall live by faith.'"
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