"Yielding to the Christ Within"

By Jay Pearson

Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. (Romans 6:13)

All mankind tends to have their own agenda in mind as they begin their day. Maybe their agenda for the day is to do nothing. They tend to yield to their own desires and understandings in accomplishing that agenda. As Christians, our primary agenda should be to be obedient to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. That is yielding to the Christ within. The Lord is faithful and has created in us a guide to follow and shown us the path to this obedience. We need to yield to that guide. That guide is the Holy Spirit. Our obedience is accomplished by walking in the Spirit’s will. If there is a key to walking in the Spirit, I believe it is awareness. Being aware of who God has made you to be and the Spirit’s abilities that he has placed within you to accomplish his will.

Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Trusting the Lord to handle your situation or request, you need to cast your care upon him. You need to let it go. When I go bass-fishing I cast out a lure and then start reeling it back in. Too often I do the same when I cast my care upon the Lord. I then try to figure out a solution on my own, as if he needs my help. Trust the Lord, let it go and lean not to your own understanding. Lean not to your own fixing. When you let it go you are trusting God and yielding to the Christ within.

Proverbs 3:6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

You acknowledge the Lord thru communication. To start walking with the Lord’s direction, communication is vital. Communing with the Lord is essential, else you will lean to your own understanding. Then you find yourself in hot water so to speak and finally decide it’s time to pray. Pray first, listen second, and do third. This is the proper sequence to obedience and yielding to the Christ within.

John 15:5
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Life and living would be more enjoyable and profitable if we would pray first, listen second, and do third EARLY.

Proverbs 8:17
I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

The more you pray, listen, and are willing to do, the more direction you will receive. Praying is seeking. Does your GPS on your phone or in your car start barking out directions before you ask? No, you have to initiate the communication. Granted if you are out in left field, God will encourage you to return to him without your request. Ask and listen and God will direct your path as you yield to his guidance.

Romans 6:19
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Yielding to the Christ within us is being obedient to his direction and love. It is putting our agenda aside and yielding to his will. We didn’t deserve his love, mercy, or grace, but we were chosen by him to receive it.

John 15:16
Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

How important is obedience? Can one man make that much difference being obedient to the Lord?

Romans 5:19
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

We have been made righteous by the blood of our savior, Jesus Christ the righteous. He died for my sin, he died for your sins, he died for the world’s sins, and he died who knew no sin of his own. 

2 Corinthians 5:20-21
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

An ambassador is required to yield in obedience to the one who has commissioned him to be an ambassador representing him in his stead. We are ambassadors for Christ. What a privilege and responsibility. Being an ambassador, that’s our commission. That’s our calling that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Amen

Yielding to the Christ within is our reasonable service and a loving response to his gift of righteousness unto holiness.

Romans 12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Romans 12:12
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

May the Spirit of truth strengthen our obedience and give us guidance from within to seek the joy set before us. May we pray first, listen second, and do third yielding to the Christ within.

John 16:13
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Praise God we don’t have to wait for the Spirit of Truth to come as the disciples had to wait. The Spirit of Truth has already come and is dwelling within and guiding our walk in the Lord, today. Amen 

Romans 6:19
I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.

Yielding to the Christ within is walking in the Spirit’s will. God has given you and me this ability, may we use it. May we walk toward the light as God cast our shadows behind in 2020 and yield to the Christ within.

 

 

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Presented January 5, 2020 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana