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Maturity in Christ

Philippians 3:12-13
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” 
We will never reach perfection but we must strive to become more like Jesus everyday. In that, we must accept that we are not our own, laying down our life to live out His. We are oftentimes forgetful of what Christ has sacrificed for us and that in His sacrifice there is nothing too mighty for Him to overcome. Once we truly understand this, we are able to surrender our struggles to Him and allow Him to fight for us. Thus, the more we are able to surrender thoughts, feelings, emotions, circumstances, and situations to the Lord, the more we become like Paul who says in Acts 20:24, “But none of these things move me.” Maturity in Christ arises when certain aspects of our lives that used to cause us grief no longer have any effect on us. Anger has kept me in bondage for nearly all of my adult years as it is my initial response when situations become awry. I have always assumed that it was because I was miserable with my career in the health field that I was angry, but after working at MudMan this past week, the Lord has revealed to me that misery follows a negative attitude and an angry heart regardless of where I may be. Though I pray constantly for the Lord to rid me of my anger, more often than not, I refuse to surrender and therefore cannot have victory. It is not until I completely surrender to the Lord what I believe to be my right in acting out angrily that He can truly release me from the bond that has kept me captive for far too long. 

Application
Today, I will keep my mind focused on Christ by fasting.

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