ABIDING IN CHRIST

ABIDING in CHRIST

The most important factor in our walk with Jesus Christ is to abide in him. The more we abide in Christ, the more we will have peace, victory over sin, and be walking in His steps.. What does it mean to abide in Christ? Let's first look at the definition for the word abide. John 15:4 says---Jesus speaking---“Abide in me, just as I am abiding in you” So what does “abide” mean:

ABIDE:
to wait for
to endure without yielding
to bear patiently
to accept without objection
to remain stable or fixed in a state
to continue in a place
Synonyms: Stay, continue, bear

ABIDING: enduring, continuing---- abide has to do with the concept of 'being' instead of 'doing'. Doing in relation to the Christian walk is: reading your Bible, going to church, praying, witnessing, doing good works, fleeing sin, etc. These are all good things to do as a Christian. These are things we should be doing. If we are not doing these things our walk with God and others will suffer. However,  if we are doing these things just because we are suppose to, or we are doing them in our own strength, we will not have victory or peace and miss out in having an intimate relationship with Christ. If we are not careful, we can become works oriented instead of Christ oriented.

To Abide in Christ is to be in the 'being' mode. We still are doing the things that God has called us to, but we are doing it in His strength. Abiding in Christ is about having an intimate relationship with Him. The relationship is more important than the things we do or don't do. The more we are abiding in Him, the more we will be faithful. We will hear His voice clearer, not be works oriented, and have more peace in our life. To abide is to experience His presence.
Let's drill down on the definition of abide:

To wait for-We as Christians need to spend much more time waiting on God. By this we mean spending time with God, seeking His will, not jumping ahead of Him

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To endure without yielding-To be determined to experience God's presence.

To bear patiently-To abide in Christ when we don't feel like it. To be patient---waiting for God to reveal His will and Himself.

 
To continue in a place-We need to spend more time, staying in His presence

If we are abiding in Christ, we can be assured that we will walk IN HIS STEPS.
Abiding in Christ is a process. We don't get there over night. So don't get discouraged if it seems hard to just 'rest in Him'. Begin to look for God’s presence in all aspects of your world. Enjoy the forests, the lakes, the blue skies (even the thunder and lightning), the green pastures and a starry night . As you enjoy God's creation, you will begin to sense His presence. Abiding will come. Stop and 'smell the roses'---practice the presence of Jesus

There is a song by Watermark that is excellent about experiencing God's presence. It is called "Take Me There"

(Chorus) Take me there to the place where you are Take me there, take me there, I just wanna be where You are Hide me in Your shelter Hide me here, hide me here I just wanna be where you are (Repeat Chorus) (Verse) You have buried my sin in the depths, my Lord And You've covered me from the furious storm And You've kept me in the cleft of Your rock And You've loved me there right from the start (Chorus) (Verse) You are here and I can feel You I just love to be where You are Hide me in this shelter I just love to be where You are (Chorus)