Where Do You Live?

You might be thinking that I'm asking about your street address; the place where your mail is delivered. No, not quite. I'm actually asking about the place where your heart resides.

What do you value most? What are your hopes and affections set on? This is the most important question you will ever ask yourself. Why? Because whatever you set your heart on becomes your focus and that will lead you down the path of either your success or your failure. Don't kid yourself; whatever your heart is set on drives your values, goals and path in life.

Because of His great love for you, God wants you to find your home in Him – to abide in Jesus Christ. Many people say they know God; have accepted Him as Lord and Savior. That's truly great! But, do they abide in Jesus? To abide in God means to remain (no matter what), to not depart, to endure, to wait for, to remain as one.

Why is abiding so important? Because, abiding is the difference between merely touching Jesus and actually becoming one with Him. When you abide with Christ, you are so interwoven and fused with Him, and He with you, that the two become one. His presence and anointing will find a home in your life because they are welcomed. He will fill you and move through you because there is nothing in you to hinder Him.

Jesus used the example of a vine when talking about abiding in the Book of John chapter 15 verses 1-11*. This is a very rich and appropriate way to describe the principle of abiding. He makes it clear in verse 5 that if we remain (abide) in Him, like the branches, we will bear much fruit. This is because the branches that are strongly connected to the vine receive continuous and increasing strength from the nourishing sap. It is God's desire that every branch be strongly connected to His life-flow.

Why is it that many Christians live such weak lives? Because they haven’t learned to abide in Jesus. The more you abide in Christ, the more you receive the very life-flow of God in your life. This is the secret to having a strong/vibrant life with purpose, passion, and destiny. By abiding in Christ, everything in your life is radically transformed. You go from weakness to strength, fear to faith, sickness to healing, confusion to clarity, depression to joy, despair to victory, etc.

Look at how King David abided. He said: "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set me free" (Ps. 119:32), "for I delight in your commandments, because I love them" (Ps. 119:47), "I have sought your face with all my heart" (Ps. 119:58), "As the deer pants for the streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God" (Ps. 42:1), "Because you words are better than life, my lips with glorify you" (Ps. 63:3), "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope" (Ps. 130:5).

Because King David knew how to abide in God, he was wiser than his teachers, more blessed than other around him, and was called "friend" by God (there is no greater honor than that).

So, where is your home? Where do you abide? If not in God, you are being robbed. However, if you are abiding in Him, everything that He is will transform you, cause you to triumph, and you will have EVERY spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Isn't God great?!

*John 15: 1-10 says - (1)"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2)He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. (3)You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (4)Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

(5)"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (6)If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (7)If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. (8)This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

(9)"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. (10)If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. (11)I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.