Falling away

My original plan today was to post some thoughts on the nature of fear in our walk with God and some of the lies Satan throws at us. I then checked my email and found the following in a weekly newsletter I receive from Pres Gillham of Lifetime Guarantee Ministries. I'll share my original thoughts in a later post... but for now, enjoy these words of wisdom from our brother Pres:

What is truly amazing is that the life of grace actively engaged thrills and fulfills the heart of God.

Considering the scope of the Scriptures, as hard as it is to understand and rationally accept, God desires an intimate friendship with us. As a matter of fact, He wants this so deeply that in Christ Jesus He made every provision for us to have open access to all that He is, not only His riches, but also His life, and His eternal dimension.

Why?

Solely in hopes that we will engage Him at that level—the heart/grace/person-of-Christ/identity-in-Christ level—and bond with Him, heart-to-heart. If this occurs, we are, and progressively become more aware and convinced, that we truly are people of grace.

On the other hand, people who attempt to understand more and more about repentance fail to grasp that they are forgiven.

People who fail to understand that they are forgiven fail to understand the magnitude of Christ's accomplishment at Calvary.

People who fail to understand the completed work of Christ, fail to appreciate who He is and who He has made them to be.

People who fail to understand this new covenant initiated by Christ, fail to grasp that Christ's work at Calvary was finished there and behave in ways that in essence ask Christ to try again instead of rushing headlong into His waiting heart as new creations.

People who fail to understand their true identity in Christ continually attempt to create acceptability for themselves with God on their own terms and fail to grasp that they are accepted, now, fully, completely because of Christ and in Him.

Those who do not realize they are accepted behave insecurely and attempt to define themselves by what they do rather than by who they are in Christ.

People who fail to understand their security are highly prone to live according to the flesh and the law instead of the Spirit and the invitation of grace by God, their Father. In other words, they have fallen from grace after having tasted it and have opted instead for the milk of the Word.

Step back and take a whiff. What do you smell? The sweet aroma of Christ, or is there the smell of smoke?