Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

In The Zone

The secret of sanctification, the secret of walking in the spirit that we don't fulfill the lust of the flesh, is the force called reckoning. Reckon yourself dead indeed unto sin and alive unto Christ. Reckoning is faith's ability to call things that are not as though they were, to by faith see righteousness put to our account. Reckoning is the ability to see the finished work as God sees it. Reckoning our righteousness is faith's ability to not have to work because it is accomplished and finished. Though not yet appropriated, our righteousness has been declared; it is an eternal reality. It will culminate if I don't work at it, for the work is finished. The harder we try to be righteous, the weaker we are because we're trusting in our works. The sooner you can see yourself righteous, the works of faith and grace will manifest in a life of peace, obedience, and exemplary sanctification. That's what we're all looking for.

"[Knowing] the power of his resurrection, [embracing, identifying with and glorying in] the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Phil. 3:10). Conforming to the death of Christ is the conscious awareness of the lack of ambition. It's such a great time. I remember coming in for prayer, just spending that time when I first kneel in His presence to clear everything out, to clear the mechanism so that I can really focus on God--no other noise. A great baseball movie showed a pitcher when he was pitching "clear the mechanism" as he would say. Anyone that has performed in some type of event where concentration is needed knows what it is like to come into that "zone." It is nice to be there all the time, but you're not. There are certain times you come into the zone so you don't hear people screaming and everything. Everything becomes quiet and everything slows down. It's an amazing and unusual thing, but you're there in concentration.

There are times when you come into prayer and it's that way. Everything quiets down and you're right there at the throne of God. The old song becomes so real, "And the things of earth become strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace." You can instantly hear the voice of God and you sense the peace of God. The one thing so real at that time is the lack of all ambition. There is nothing I want. I don't have any plans. There is no agenda. I don't need anything or want anything. I am at peace, in the grace and the mercy of God. This is how I want to live every minute of my life. That's how Jesus did it. When the wind and waves were blowing and He was in the ship, He was in the zone. When they were screaming, "Crucify Him!" He was in the zone. When they nailed His hands to the cross, He was in the zone. He was at peace; He had no ambition. "For me to live is Christ."

How do we get there? We do it consciously. "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14). What is your ambition? It is either going to be secular (which is death), or you can have an ambition to have no ambition. My ambition is to no longer exist, to count everything loss that used to be gain that I might know Him. My ambition is to come to the excellent knowledge of Christ, that I might know Him in the power of His resurrection, to taste the fellowship of His sufferings, and to know the excellency of His resurrection.

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