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Faith in Jesus without a life filled with Jesus’ attitude and behavior is no life of faith at all. There are no excuses because a reborn life is not done in our own strength but in His. There will always be resistance. Our default operating mode is to behave according to our flesh and that is not easily broken. In fact, the power to break it was displayed by Jesus’ death on the cross. It’s a serious and sobering reality that this is what it cost to bring redemption for our wayward choices.
No matter how righteous you think you are, to live apart from God is unrighteousness. This is why God reminds us that He is far above how we believe things should operate in our lives.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:8-9 NASB
The question then becomes, how can we really operate in these higher thoughts and ways? How can we resist our own attitude and behavior in order to receive wisdom from His kingdom? Just like the heavens are so high and unseen by us here on Earth, so are His ways unseen without faith in Jesus.
The good news is, Jesus death was not accomplished so that we would adhere to a strict set of boundaries and guidelines for our life. The Word is living and active. The Holy Spirit is a person. Jesus came as a man. Through these living and active relationships, we are empowered to live righteous lives according to God’s thoughts and ways! We must understand the difference between rules and relationships.
When the sacrifice of Jesus’ sets in, and we connect personally with the Holy Spirit, we transcend above our own thoughts and ways into God’s Holy Will. This is what causes real life change, which, in the end, satisfies (and exceeds) the law of God that was set from the beginning.