"Abide in Me, and I in you says the
Lord. For only as you abide in Me, and let Me abide
in you can you fulfill that which I require. And
what does it mean to abide in Me? It means to remain
in that position in which I have placed you; for it
is a place and a position of rest from your own
striving, and a place of security from all the
devices of the enemy. For I would not have you
strive in your own strength, neither would I have
you fight your own battles; for I have made
provision for you, if you wilt trust
in Me and abide in Me. For if you will abide or rest
in Me, I will protect you and strengthen
you, says the
Lord.
To abide means to trust. Are you not willing
to believe that I have made provision for all that
you need to live a victorious and overcoming
Christian life? Have I not made known My love to
you in that I have given My life for
you? If then I have provided for your
salvation, am I not able to preserve you and
keep you and protect you as you
do abide and trust in Me? For I am
your protection and your
covering. You have been provided
a home, a resting place in Me, and as one lies down
in rest and security in his physical home so do I
want My people to abide, to rest, and rely on Me.
For I am your dwelling place. I have made
provision for all of your needs, if
you wilt put your trust in Me, and let
Me cover you, and protect
you.
And if you abide in Me, will I not also abide
in you? I will take up My abode in
you, and through My Word and My Sprit I will
remain in you, and will perfect Myself in
you. For I am your life and
your strength, but only as I abide in
you can I do that which I purpose in
you life. Therefore study My Word, and seek
My face daily, spending much time in praise and
adoration. For only as you seek Me diligently can I
fully abide in you to do My
perfecting.
And now you can see why I say abide in Me,
and let Me abide in you; for this is the secret of
the effective and victorious Christian life. For I
have made a home for you in Me, and this is
your protection and security; and I have made
My home in you, and this is your
strength and vitality. Therefore, see and
understand: by faith and trust you abide in Me, and
by My Word and Spirit I abide in you; both
are necessary. For only as you abide in Me can I
have free reign to abide in you. Abiding in
Me comes first, and then I can abide in you;
for the initiative is with
you.
I am able to work in you only to the
degree that you submit to, and trust, and rest in
Me. I have made a home for you in Me, but if you do
not abide there how can I bring to pass that which I
purpose? For when you worry and strive and try to
work out everything yourself, and when you try to
fight your own battles, you are in effect separating
yourself from Me, and going outside of that
protection and security which I have provided for
you. You are exposing yourself to the enemy's
attacks, and you are unable to overcome because you
are not taking advantage of that which I have
provided. When you accepted Me, and were born of My
Spirit, I placed you in a position of absolute
protection from all of the wiles of the enemy; I
placed you in Me. And do you think that the enemy
can get through Me? I say not! But when you fail to
abide and rest in Me in complete confidence and
trust, you in effect go outside of Me and expose
yourself to all of the attacks of the enemy. I am
not able to protect you because I must
have your cooperation. If you refuse to stay where I
have placed you, how can I defend you? If you take
things into your own hands, and try to fight the
enemy yourself, then I am powerless to come to
your aid. It is only as you look to Me with complete
confidence and faith that I am able to act on your
behalf. Therefore, trust Me, My people, and abide in
that perfect resting place which I have provided.
For in Me there is complete deliverance and
protection from all that the enemy would send
against you.
And now consider further, to abide in Me is
necessary for your protection, but to finish
and complete that work which I have begun in
you it is necessary for Me to abide in
you. Now I am perfectly willing to do this,
but again I am limited by your willingness to
let Me abide in you. I can abide only insofar as
there is a complete yielding to Me, and a
continual seeking of My will for you. Only as you
study My Word and meditate upon its precepts; only
as you spend much time thinking of My ways and
praising Me with your whole heart, desiring to
commune with Me at all times, can I truly abide in
you as I desire, and perfect My work in you. For if
you will truly seek Me and commit your ways
to Me, I will be faithful to abide in
you, and perfect My work in you. You
will find that as I am able to abide in you,
I am also able to perfect in you all that I
am. For I abide in you to impart to
you that which is of My own nature; for I
would bring into your inner-most-being My love. My
joy, and My peace. I would impart to you that
meekness and gentleness which is a part of My being.
I would infuse into you My holiness,
and My righteousness, that you might be fully
clothed and ready for the wedding which will take
place when I gather My own to
Myself.
So My people will you not learn that
which I am seeking to teach you? Abide, do not
strive. Trust, do not doubt. Surrender, do not be
unyielding. Put your full confidence in Me,
and find that perfect resting place, and that place
of complete protection which I have provided for
you. And then let Me fully abide in you, and
possess your every thought and desire. For
surely you will find that I am the fullness of
your joy, and the fullness of your
peace, imparting to you the fullness
of all that I am, and making you into the
perfection of My
being."