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Eva Conner | Transformation From the Inside Out

You are in me, and I am in you. John 14:20

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It Just Takes One

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It just takes one

It just takes one.

Abraham.

Paul.

Recently, as I was praying for the Body of Christ (the Church), God showed me people – many, many people. They were lined up in military fashion marching forward line after line. They were marching quickly going nowhere and they all were faceless. I knew these people are living in darkness. God desires for the Church to set these people free.  But many in the Church cannot get to these lost people because they themselves are in bondage and trappings of the enemy.

Let me clarify one thing. When I say that people in the Church are in bondage of the enemy, I’m not implying that these people are not saved. Once a person believes that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior, that He was crucified, dead and buried, that He rose from the grave and ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, that person is saved forever.  BUT, that person can remain in bondage here on earth with things like insecurities, lack, fear, jealousies, worry, stress, anxiety. It can also be family issues, marital issues, financial issues.

It can be anything that takes and KEEPS your eyes off of Jesus.

28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.  So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.  31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

Matthew 14:28-31

In the Scripture above, we see the amazing storm that hit the disciples when they were at sea.  Jesus comes walking to them on top of the water. At first they were frightened but Jesus calmed their fears. Peter asks Jesus if it is really Him to let him also walk on water. Peter gets out of the boat, eyes on Jesus and walks on water! But then… Peter takes his eyes off Jesus, sees the storm, gets fearful and sinks.  Friends, this is what happens to us as well.

When we take our eyes off Jesus, for one minute, we sink.

If we don’t refocus our eyes pretty quickly, we can easily fall into the enemy’s snare. When our focus is off Jesus, we are unable to look around us at those in need. We’re unable to see those in darkness with no hope. This is not the life that God desires for His children. The life He desires for us is to walk free and to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ to all who have ears.  He desires for us to be the vessels that He works through here on earth. He desires for us to be His ambassadors to this world.

I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.

Ephesians 6:20

Paul knew full well what his mission was. Even in chains in prison, Paul was still preaching the good news to anyone who would hear. He was setting people free all around him, including the Roman soldiers who were chained to him!  This is the power of God at work in Paul.

We have that same power in us.  The precious and powerful Holy Spirit.

Getting back to the vision that the Lord gave me in prayer, I saw this massive body of people marching aimlessly and advancing quickly to nowhere. Then the Lord showed me one person. He used me as an example but it is a word for all of us. He positioned me in front of the people facing them.  He lifted my arms and I heard myself speak “Stop.”  And the people stopped.

He told me it just takes one.

In the Old Testament, let’s look at Abram (later named Abraham).  Abram was a pagan and an idol worshiper along with all of his family. God spoke to Abram and called him out of his family, his home, his land. Abram went. Abram believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, not because of anything Abram did but because of his faith. Faith alone is what God is looking for in all of us. Faith in the unseen.  Abram obeyed God and left his family, his home and his land. He became the father of the nation of Israel as well as the father of the Gentiles and God renamed him Abraham.  Abraham had a new life, a new name and a new purpose!

One man obeyed God and now, centuries later, we are heirs to the promises given to him.

29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

Galatians 3:29

Let’s talk about another man – Saul of Tarsus (later named Paul). Saul was passionate about his mission which was to stop those who were following after Jesus Christ. He uttered threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers (Acts 9:1). That is what I call passionate!

But God.

Then God came along with His beautiful wrecking ball and wrecked Saul’s life.  Let’s look at it in the Word:

3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.

And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! 6 Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8 Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. 9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink.

Acts 9:3-9

There is so much good in these six verses. I love how God will come in like a lion to change a person’s life. Saul was one man. He received the Word that we still live by today, centuries later. That Word is Grace! He was given the message to take to the gentiles – us!  Paul had a new life, a new name and a new purpose!

You.

Me.

We could be the one to make a difference. God wants to use each of us to advance His kingdom. He wants to use us to set the captives free. Ask Him today to place you where He wants you. He will take you out of your comfort zone but He will make it comfortable as He’s doing it. His ways are amazing!

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

Romans 8:26-34 – God is for us – all the time!!

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God is for us.God is for us!  Keep this tucked away in your heart.

26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Romans 8:26-34

We have an Intercessor in us and in Heaven!

These verses give us hope and are so inspirational.  Who dares accuse us? No one!  Who will condemn us? No one!  Let’s go line by line and take an indepth look at these verses.

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.

Romans 8:26

The weightiness of the Holy Spirit dwelling in each of us can overwhelm me at times  – in a good way.  The God of the Universe. The God who created everything out of nothing. This God lives inside of us! And then take it one step further and not only does He live in us, but we live in Him. It is one of those things that can never be explained fully yet it is truth.

The Holy Spirit knows our weaknesses and helps us.

He intercedes on our behalf with groanings that cannot be expressed in words, in a beautiful Heavenly language. When we don’t know how to pray, when we are in so much turmoil and agony, the Holy Spirit prays through us straight to the Father before His throne. We never have to worry about being unable to pray because there are prayers going through us. The Father’s great love for us is reflected in all that He does.

And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.

Romans 8:27

Our Father knows ALL hearts.

He knows what the Spirit is saying. They are in perfect synchronization at all times. The Spirit pleads for us in harmony with God’s own will.  He supports us and lifts us to the Father at all times. We are His and He is ours.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

Romans 8:28

This is such a favorite verse of many. God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the good of those who love Him. Everything means just want it says. It includes death, illness, divorce, injustices. Our faith in God and in His Word gives us the ability to trudge through the valley. In Psalm 23:4, focus on the word through because it is such a lifeline to us when we are in despair.

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close behind me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

Psalm 23:4 (emphasis mine)

He never wants us to STAY in the valley.

We are to go through the valley knowing He is with us every step. It’s when we allow Him to be with us through these dark times that we can find peace and joy in our mourning.  Whatever the darkness may be, God promises that He will work it for our good. And His promises are always yes and amen!

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

Romans 8:29-30

God chose us to become like His Son.

The next time you think you are not worthy enough, remember this verse. God sees His Son when He looks at you. So if you say you are not worthy, you are saying that His Son is not worthy. Jesus is the firstborn of the new race of people. When we become a Christian, we become a new creation (see 2 Corinthians 5:17). We are no longer of Adam’s lineage. That lineage was severed at the Cross for those of us who believe in Jesus Christ.  We are declared righteous as if we never sinned. He also gave us His glory. He is so amazing.

31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? 32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? 33 Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. 34 Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

Romans 8:31-34

Our Father desires wonderful things for us.

He is our advocate, our supporter and our biggest fan. He loves to see His children succeed and do well. And He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for US ALL.  If He did that, what else will He do for us? Everything! We need to help one another turn our thinking around. He wants us to walk in victory as His prized possessions. He will not allow anyone to condemn us because that would be condemning His Son. So we need to stop condemning ourselves.

Christ Jesus died for us. He was raised to life for us. And He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

If you’d like to learn more about the Holy Spirit, get my e-book all about Him. It is available for free when you sign up to receive emails from my blog by visiting http://evaconner.com/free-ebook-holy-spirit/ and entering your email address in the subscription form at the left of the page. You’ll receive an email asking you to verify that you are not a robot. After you do that, you will receive an email with a link to the free PDF e-book.

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

 

Romans 8:18-25 – Waiting in Eager Expectation

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Hope in Jesus with eager expectationWe wait in eager expectation that what is said will be done.

18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Romans 8:18-25

To share in God’s glory, we must also share in His suffering.

Jesus never promised us life without turmoil. He did promise us that He would be with us always.  We see in verse 18 above that our suffering is nothing compared to the glory He has in store for us.  And Paul does not say this lightly.  He knew suffering probably more than most. Hopefully more than you and I will ever know. In 2 Corinthians 11, Paul shares with us some of the suffering he faced (verses 24-27).

All of creation (everything that was created including man, nature, animals ,etc.) is awaiting with eager hope.  I want to define that word hope because our world has done a pretty good of job of twisting hope to have a different meaning.  God defines hope as desiring the expectation of obtainment. The thing that is hoped for is expected to manifest.  The world has twisted the word to mean “wish.” Wish means to feel or express a strong desire or hope for something that is not easily attainable.  Do you see the difference?  Wishing is sometimes just to daydream whereas hope is solid and has a foundation in Christ. We hope for His return. we KNOW it is going to happen.  We look forward with expectation to it happening.  We don’t wish for His return, not knowing if it will ever happen.  There’s a difference.

Hope also does not lead to disappointment.

5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Romans 5:5

All of creation is awaiting with eager hope to see all of God’s children revealed.

Paul goes on to say that we are all subjected to the curse, against our will.  We didn’t ask for it.  We were just born into the curse because we are descendants of Adam. While we are new creations today in Christ Jesus, one day our bodies will be new creations as well.  Right now, the part of us who are new creations is that unseen part.  The part that makes us who we are.  Our emotions, our personality, our will are all invisible. Just like God. We were made in His image:) One day the shells that we each have as bodies will be made new to never die again.

Verses 22 and 23 give us hope. While the whole world is groaning as in childbirth because of falling under the curse, we as believers have been given something truly special.  The Holy Spirit. Don’t underestimate His Presence and His Power in your life. He is fully God. Divine. Holy. Sacred. And He dwells in me and in you! In fact, it is the Holy Spirit who gives us hope of the glorious future.

When the world is dragging through life lost and in darkness, we have focus, purpose and light through the Holy Spirit’s guiding.

To conclude the lesson on these verses, let’s read verse 24 and 25 again.

24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Romans 8:24-25

We already have this hope. A few chapters back, Paul gives us a great verse that we should all commit to memory.

This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

Romans 4:17

We have a God who creates new things out of nothing.

He calls things into being that are nothing.  The KJV states the last part of that verse “and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.”  This one line covers the verses in Romans 8 above. This hope of Christ’s return is as good as done.  We can count on it.  And hope in Christ does not disappoint. This is what enables me to not fear tomorrow. It is encouraging good news that we need to share with others.

All believers make up the Body of Christ and it is our job to co-labor with God to save this lost world. Yesterday as I was praying for the Body of Christ, I saw a fishing net full of people who are in the Body. These people are caught in fear and pain and suffering. They are not able to shake free from that net.  In that net, they are of no use to the Body of Christ – which is exactly what Satan wants.

We need to help our fellow brothers and sisters shake free from these things that bind us up. Marital problems, financial problems, children issues, addictions, insecurity, offenses, jealousies, and the list goes on and on. Jesus came to give us hope and freedom. And hope does not disappoint. Let’s share that with all.

If you’d like to learn more about the Holy Spirit, read my ebook all about Him.

It is available for free when you sign up to receive emails from my blog by visiting www.evaconner.com and entering your email address in the orange bar at the top of the screen. You’ll receive an email asking you to verify that you are not a robot. After you do that, you will receive an email with a link to the free ebook which is a PDF.

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

Romans 8:10-17 – Children of God

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5 thiings Holy Spirit does for us - makes us children of God.

We are children of God.  This is Good News.

10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Romans 8:10-17

Christ lives in us.

The Holy Spirit gives us life because of our right standing with God.  Remember from our lesson in Romans 3, we are made right with God when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Our righteousness is imputed to us because we are grafted in to the Body of Christ when we believe in Him.

I’d like to point out a reference to the Trinity in verse 11 above. God the Father through the power of God the Holy Spirit raised God the Son from the dead. Do you see it?  The Trinity is one of those Heavenly secrets that man will never fully understand.  All three in the Trinity are fully God.  All are in each other. While they are all their own Person, they do not act independently of each other.

Because of this righteousness that comes from Christ, we no longer are slaves to the sinful nature that we received from Adam. We are new creations and, as such, sin has no hold over us any longer.  Paul makes it clear if we live by our sinful nature, we will die. If we live by the Spirit, we will live. And when we are led by the Spirit, we are children of God!

Does this happen overnight?

No, we do not immediately stop doing those sinful things. The Christian life takes discipline. We must train our minds to focus and go to the things of God that we find in Scripture. This is why it is so very important to study the Word and get it in our hearts and our heads. When we have the Word within us, it is easier to battle those sinful desires. The more we battle and win against those sinful desires, the more we are like Christ. This should be our goal.

The Holy Spirit makes us Christ-like when we allow Him to lead.

The Holy Spirit assures us that we are children of God. We are Abba’s children.  In Aramaic the word “Abba” is for Father and is an intimate term that we can relate to as “Papa” or “Daddy.”  God the Father is our Papa. He wants us to look to Him as our Father. The Holy Spirit makes this possible.  The Holy Spirit joins with our spirit to witness that we are the Father’s children.

We are heirs with Christ Jesus of God’s glory.

If you’d like to learn more about the Holy Spirit, read my ebook all about Him. It is available for free when you sign up to receive emails from my blog by visiting www.evaconner.com and entering your email address in the orange bar at the top of the screen. You’ll receive an email asking you to verify that you are not a robot. After you do that, you will receive an email with a link to the free ebook which is a PDF.

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva

Romans 8:1-9 – External Power Source to Bring Life

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We need an external power source.

We need an external power source to restore life where death once ruled.

1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

Romans 8:1-9

There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

This is good news for all of us. We need to shed the guilt once and for all.  Do you see the words in the first verse of chapter 8 above?  There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set us free.  We’ve been talking about the law in the past few lessons.  We know the law itself was not bad. In fact, the law was holy and pure because it came directly from God and anything that comes from God has to be holy and pure.

The problem is not with what we do – the problem is with who we are!

We are sons of Adam; therefore, we all have a sinful nature. No amount of works that we do on our own can change our inner nature.  The law shows us what is right and what is wrong. But our sinful nature cannot obey the law. We are not capable without help. I heard this analogy and connected with it so I’m sharing it with you:

Think of your inner self as a dead car battery.  On your own, you can do nothing to that car battery to restore life. Cleaning the outside with soap and water doesn’t change the inner, dead part of the batttery.  The only thing that can change the inner part of the battery is an external power source.  

Our inner self is the same as this dead car battery. Nothing we do externally will change our inner self.

We need an external power source to bring new life to our inner man.

That external power source is the Holy Spirit!  Paul confirms this in verse 2.  “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, He sends His Holy Spirit to dwell in us.  He is our Comforter and our Guide but it is not instantaneous. Let me clarify.  The very minute we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells in us – this is instantaneous.  What does not happen so quickly is learning to walk in the Spirit.

How do we do this?

Paul tells us in these verses above that we can either let the sinful nature control our minds or we can let the Holy Spirit control our minds.  One leads to death and the other to life and peace.  The battle is in our minds.  In Romans 12:2, Paul tells us:

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 12:2

So knowing that the battle is in our minds, we must let the Holy Spirit control our thinking. We need to turn from the ways of the world toward the ways of God. This raises another question.

How do we let God transform our thinking?

We let God in our minds and our thoughts by developing a close relationship with Him. We develop a close relationship with Him when we spend quiet time with Him and get in His Word. These are the two primary ways that we will know who God is and hear from Him.  His Word is His Voice.  When we get in the Word – studying, meditating, praying – we will draw closer to God. His Word is alive and breathing. It is Life. The Word is Jesus Christ.

The Word of God will bring about an amazing transformation of our minds, souls and spirits.

Stay in the Light and the Love Always,

Eva