“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NIV)
This is what one of the archangel did saying I, my, myself and became the Devil and lost all his beauty and authority and ended up in hell. “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit.” Isaiah 14:12-15 (NIV)
I, My and Myself:
“So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” Romans 7:21-25 (NIV)
Apostle Paul struggled with good and evil battling within himself and explained how he overcame. See this sentence, “I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.” A dozen(12) times the mention of I, my, myself has come in this passage. Result of this Apostle Paul exclaimed, “What a wretched man I am”! He felt miserable!
How can we come out of Self- Conscious?
By becoming Jesus-Conscious. For Romans 7: 25 as the anti-dot mentioned is in the continuation of this contest is in the next chapter Romans 8: 1-4. Apostle Paul also to this again exclaimed saying, “Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord who delivers me from myself!!” Take your attention from ‘Self’ and put it on the finished work of Jesus Christ who fulfilled God’s Law for our behalf. Depend totally on ‘Jesus’ as your identity and then your perception to your life will be set right.
Life Through the Spirit:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)
How to be Jesus-conscious?
Feel free and full of life. It is all about Jesus and our life should revolve around Jesus who took our place and gave His life for us to celebrate and enjoy. We should concentrate on Jesus and live for Him. Only then we will be powerful. Jesus lived a human life like us yet was without sin.
He did not use His godly power when He was here on earth. Jesus took 1) Water baptism 2) Baptised by the Holy Spirit like us and set an example to show how we too can be like Him; that is why He said in (Refer John 14: 12) we can do miracles like Him and greater work also, because He went to heaven and praying for us to God and to give a firm back up.
Imitating Christ’s Humility:
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:1-5 (NIV)
In the last days another set of people are also mentioned in Acts 2: 17- 21 quoted from the prophecy in Joel 2:28-32(NKJV) and let us be like them who walk by the unctions of the Holy Spirit filled by the anointing and bring souls to the Kingdom of God.
““ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Acts 2:17-21 (NIV)
LAST DAYS —
- God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh and our sons and daughters prophesy.
- By the anointing of the Holy Spirit our young men see visions.
- And our old men dream dreams given from the Holy Spirit.
- Men servants of God who do the work by the power of the Holy Spirit’s gifts.
- Women servants of God who do the work by the power of Holy Spirit’s gifts.
- Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord is saved filled with Holy Spirit’s fruit. Amen!
The first group who are self-conscious will cry, “Alas”! Revelation 6:12-17(NKJV) Whereas the second group who are Jesus-conscious will cry, “Alleluia!” Revelation 19:1-5(NKJV)