03/05/2016
Understanding New Birth - Part 12
2 Corinth 5:16 “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer”. NKJV
As new creations, we must learn how not to see man and the world from the outside. Man sees his fellow man from the flesh/outside. Recall the discussion God had with Samuel at Jesse’s house. Samuel saw Eliab and other sons of Jesse as potential kings. God told him that He doesn’t look at man that way. God looks at the inner man (the spirit and soul of man).
The reason is pretty simple. As the maker of all men, He knows that if He is to bring about any change in man, it must be from inside out. What matters to God is the condition of your spirit and soul.
The danger of seeing men and life from the outside is that you will make judgments based on what you see. For example, if a man does good works, you may be quick to conclude that he/she is a new creation, and vice versa. This has become the common practice in the body of Christ. We often make our judgments from what we see in the outside.
You may say how else do you want me to make my judgment? Shouldn’t I observe with my eyes? Of course you must of necessity observe attitudes and behaviours of men. But you must not make your conclusions by them alone. Trust the Holy Spirit to reveal the real person in the inside to you.
As a man in search of a spouse, as a manager of people, as a business man, as a leader etc, please learn to see the inner man and the hidden things of life. Satan knows how to transform into a messenger of light. But he cannot deceive all men. He will only deceive carnal and simple men.
There are genuine Christians in fake congregations i.e. churches not founded on Christ but seems to be on the outside. There are genuine Christians in the wrong marriage relationship. There are genuine and trustworthy business men who fall prey to fraudsters.
I know you are asking the question “how do I know the genuine ones”? You must depend solely on the Holy Spirit to lead you. Your experiences are valuable but don’t lean solely on them. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will direct you by leading you to make sound judgments based on past experiences. Some other times He will not. It is His prerogative on how to lead us.
I remember persuading my colleagues and house mates to pay for the rent of a house that was owing electricity bill to the tune of one year rent. When we inspected the house, PHCN had disconnected the building from power. We asked the Landlord when he will make payment and connect the house back to power, he answered that when the tenant pays him 2 years rent. Funny isn’t it? What guarantee did we have that he will clear the debt when we pay? Just his word. You know how risky it is to commit to such a thing especially when you know very little about the character of a person.
You see, from the moment we stepped into that house for inspection, I had the inner witness that this was the place we were going to stay. So when these unfavourable conditions came up, it didn’t discourage me because I still had peace. The testimony is that the three of us that took up that 3 bedroom apartment left our current job to bigger paying jobs in one year. We paid for two years rent but none of us stayed for up to a year. God told me that house was Rehoboth (a place of increase and enlargement) for us. It didn’t look like it but His word was fulfilled with time.
Not too long ago, a very close friend shared a business opportunity with me. I was willing to invest in it. From the outside, it looked good and profitable so I told my friend that I was in. I prayed about it and asked the Holy Spirit to guide me. It was right until my money was available that the Holy Spirit told me not to invest again. The Holy Spirit told me that the opportunity will not yield.
I didn’t know how to share this change of decision with my friend. I decided that I was lending him the money and not investing anymore. He agreed to pay back in due time. He paid this money back in piecemeal and over a protracted period. The money lost its value in my hands. The opportunity also never yielded result. The truth is that I had no business investing or lending my money to that project. I took a sentimental decision and was just lucky to get my money back though with less value.
You can always trust Him because He sees the tomorrow you can’t see. Please practice seeing man and opportunities from the inside. Don’t be quick to condemn a man because of his/her failings, neither should you be quick to exalt another because of their good works. As a child of God, you can function like your Father. Paul in our opening verse said he no longer saw Jesus in the flesh but in the spirit. We are the ones who see Jesus as the Saviour of the whole world and not a good and great man who lived and died. We believe He resurrected from the dead because we have witnesses to this truth. Just like Him, we will one day resurrect from the dead to reign with Him.
This series continues in part 13, thank you for your time and enjoy God’s blessings.
