JUST LIKE JESUS

Do you know that you can be like Jesus? Of course you can. We can be just like he was when he was here in earth. We can be as compassionate, forgiving , loving, bold, humble and powerful as He was. I understand that it may seem impossible to act like him in some situations we face in life. But you know what? The bible says we can, and we can do it through the help of His Holy Spirit. Do you realize that when you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that you have become one with God in Spirit? Well, whether you know it our not, yes, you have.
1 Corinthians 6:17 says, "But he that is joined unto the lord is one spirit". Do you know what that means? It means, an ability to be like Him. So, when somebody did you wrong or when you are tempted to hate your enemies, before you do something foolish, think of how Jesus would act on your situation. Then, think about your ability in the spirit to do the same. That's when you'll know, that you can overcome. Galatians 5:22 gives us a good picture of God's character that we can pattern our lives with. It says, "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control". And if you can develop these traits in you, I believe that doing Matthew 5:44 will be of no problem to you. You'll be able to do as the verse says: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you".

Do you know that as you have received some physical traits from your biological father, you also have received some spiritual traits from your Spiritual father? It's just that these spiritual traits has not been developed yet in you. The only way you can develop this, is by spending time with him: by studying his word, prayer and obedience. The problem is, we sometimes spend most of our time with the wrong guy-the devil: the father of this world and the father of all lies. This may not be new to you, but have you come across some supposed mature and godly people and later on realized that their lifestyle totally contradicts the word of God? The bible says that by their fruits, ye shall know them. So keep watch on these kinds of people. Lift them up on your prayers, but if they choose to continue in their ways, stay away from them. Don't allow the devil to rub off his traits on you. Protect the anointing of God in your life. Spend more time with the Spirit of God, then next thing you know, you're acting just like Jesus.

Declare:
"I am a child of God and I have his character. I will develop the fruit of the spirit of God in my life. I am full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I will not settle for anything less. I will not compromise with the devil's character. I am just like Jesus."

(Originally published on VIF, Nathan Negosa's personal goodnewsletter, 1996)