Psalms 91:1-31. He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.2. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.3. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
John 15:4,5
4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
We as Christians need to live in Jesus Christ. We need to abide in Him, not only to survive and thrive, but also to be fruitful for His Kingdom in these last days. To live in Christ is to be as close to Him as possible. You are inseparable. Like best friends, you are always together; you let Him in on everything that you do. He is part of every facet of your life. You let Him to have His say in everything that you do, and everywhere that you go. You do your best to do those things which please Him. He is our life. He is what we live for. Great promises are offered to those who live in Him, including answered prayer, protection and mercy in judgment, and the ability to bear much fruit for the Lord.
Those who abide in Christ will receive answers to prayer much more readily.
John 15:7.If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
1 John 3:22.And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
If you are struggling with unanswered prayer, are you abiding in Him to Whom you are praying? “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” (1 John 5:14).
We pray for help, and He hears our prayers. Abiding in Christ also gives us deliverance against the plagues and disasters of these last days. Psalms chapter 91 lists some of the protection given to these who “dwelleth in the secret place of the most High,” who make the Lord their refuge and habitation, and who set their love upon Him. When we abide in the Lord, making our habitation (or dwelling place) in Him, we are sheltered from plagues and pestilences killing thousands around us. The judgment does not touch us. “Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.” (Psalms 91:8). In addition to answered prayer and divine protection, abiding in Christ also allows us to bear much fruit for His sake:
John 15:1-51. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
The closer we are to Christ, the more we are able to do good for His Name’s sake. If we abide in Him, like a branch attached to a vine, we receive all the Spiritual nourishment we need through Him. We have all we need to bear much fruit. This does not mean that we do not always take advantage of this ability. But if we do not abide in Christ, we are like branches which have been cut off from the vine, which cannot bear fruit, but will only wither and die. Without Christ, we can do nothing. This is just an overview of the benefits of abiding in Christ. When we abide in Christ, our prayers are answered, our fruit is ripe, and our backs are covered. Jesus Christ repeatedly told us to abide in Him. The question then is, how do we live in Him?
To abide in Christ, there are a few requirements. God doesn’t ask too much of us, for His yoke is easy, and His burden is light (Matt 11:30). To abide in Christ, we must confess Christ, read and obey His Word, keep ourselves pure from sin, and receive the baptism of His Spirit.
First, we must confess that Jesus is the Lord and Christ. This is a basic concept, but worth repeating here. How can we be living in Christ, if we won’t confess His name and Lordship? We need to be willing to confess Jesus as Lord, and identify ourselves with Him.
1 John 4:2,152. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
However, Jesus asked His disciples “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Confessing Christ is simple enough; if someone asks you, you respond with the affirmative. But living for Christ requires determination and commitment. To abide in Christ, we must not just confess Him, we must walk in His ways.
We also dwell in Christ by reading and obeying His word. “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.” (1 John 2:24). Abiding with Christ is synonymous with His Word abiding in us. We must read it, but more. We must allow it to live in us, to mold us, to purify us, and to change us into Christ’s image. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…” (Col 3:6). “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7). How can we live in Christ, if His word is not living in us? How can we keep His commandments, if we will not read them? Therefore, to abide in Christ, we must abide in His word.
John 14:23-2423. Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.
John 15:10, 1410. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.14. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
1 John 2:3-5. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us. (1 John 3:24)
We know that we know Him, when we keep His commandments. One of these commands is to keep ourselves pure from sin.
1 John 3:3,6. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.6. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.
Psalms chapter 15 begins: “LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?” (Ps 15:1). Who shall abide in the tabernacle of the Lord, who shall live in the secret place, who shall dwell in the Lord? Those who keep themselves pure from sin, as described by the rest of this chapter:
Psalms 15:2-5 2. He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.4. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.5. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
We abide in Christ by obeying His command to abstain from sin. We need to seek to do only those things which are pleasing in His sight. We also abide in Christ by loving one another. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 15:12). The Scripture is plain, if we don’t love one another, we don’t know God.
1 John 4:7-8 7. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.8. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
We know that we are abiding in Jesus if we love fellow Christians, and if we love the unsaved, and reach out them. But if we don’t love, or if we love our own selfish interests more, we are not abiding in Him. “And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” (1 John 3:24.)We also abide in Christ by receiving the baptism of His Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives us witness, that we are the sons of God.
Therefore, we live in Christ by reading and obeying His Word, by loving others, by confessing Him, by keeping ourselves pure, and by the witness of the Holy Spirit. As we read His word daily, and become more like Him. We will become like-minded with Him. “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor 2:16). As we develop the mind of Christ, we will get closer to Him and farther away from sin. And we will bear much fruit, be given answer to prayer, and much protection. However, if you have yet to receive Christ as your Saviour for your sins, you cannot abide in Him. Only when you repent of your sins and accept Him, you will be able to live in Him.
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