God's Plan of Salvation
Ever since the rebellion in The Garden of Eden and mankind's loss of intimate fellowship with his creator, God's plan has been to regain control of the world Satan has hijacked and restore his eternal kingdom-rule in earth and heaven. To do this he has chosen individuals and nations to reveal his love and desire to have a love relationship with them.
Throughout history God has chosen to make a covenant with his chosen people to bless those who keep his commandments by satisfying three crucial needs with which he created us. These are for:
• SECURITY in the form of unconditional LOVE
• SELF-WORTH in terms of a feeling of JOY at being valued for who I am
• SIGNIFICANCE in knowing my life has meaning and a sense of PEACE at knowing this
Man's Problem
Our problem, ever since Adam and Eve were seduced into disobeying God's instructions by Satan, has been the natural desire to go our own way and be God. The results have been disastrous and have resulted in the opposite emotions from those God intended, namely:
• ANXIETY/FEAR because I have shut myself off from God's love
• GUILT/SHAME because my conscience convicts me of my sin of rebellion against God's will
• ANGER/BITTERNESS because of the pain that has resulted from my going my own way
The Solution
The answer to the problem is confession, repentance and renunciaton of my sin of rebellion and to resist the enemy's attempts to get me to rebel in Body, Soul and Spirit by:
• CRUCIFYING THE FLESH
Romans 6:11-14 It is impossible for a corpse to sin, Paul says, so the answer is:
Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
• BEING TRANSFORMED IN MY MIND by the Holy Spirit and Scripture
Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Social media and the internet have gained an ungodly hold on people's ways of thinking and we need instead to be filled with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.
• BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT continually each day
Ephesians 5:18-20 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.