Blessed Assurance: Part Four- Filled with His goodness

Filled with His goodness 
As I was contemplating this line today, I realized that if we want be filled with His goodness, we have to empty ourselves of other things.  If we are filled with something that does not mesh with Christ, then we are not going to fully experience the peace and joy that comes with His goodness. There are two major things that inhibit us from this. (Notice I say inhibit us, not inhibit Christ.)  One is sin, specifically habitual sin, and then guilt from that.  The second is anxiety, which is also a sin, but one so consuming that I have given it it's own category.  Both of these things prevent us from being as near to Him as we need and as He desires. Before we go on though, we must understand that Christ died for us, nailing our sins to the cross, and then He rose again defeating sin and death (Colossians 2:13-15). When we accept Him, we are eternally secure, and no sin will keep us from heaven (Ephesians 1:13-14).  But, sin can get in the way of our fellowship with Him on this earth (1 John 1:5-7).
And now, here is how we empty ourselves of the bad, in order to receive the good.

1) Concerning habitual sin: Tell someone trustworthy who will keep you accountable. And then run. Get out of there. 1 Corinthians 10:13
2) Confession: Tell the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. He is faithful to forgive. 1 John 1:9; Hebrews 4:14-16
3) Cast your cares on the Lord: If we do not remember to consistently cast all of our cares upon the Lord, we end up bogged down by 83,449 different weights. Our minds will be so filled with our worries, we will have no room left for Christ. Philippians 4:6-8; 1 Peter 5:6-7

OKAY, well now that we are past the gross stuff, we can move on to the good stuff. Specifically, being filled with His goodness.

Here is how we are very literally always filled with His goodness. (No matter what!).  The Holy Spirit of God who is complete in goodness, lives in us and helps us all the time!

"If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." Romans 8:11

"Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:26-28

Now, in another sense, how do we experience His goodness?  The answer is through praise.  When we praise God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do, we are delighting in His character and His goodness.  It will fill our hearts and minds, directing them towards Him.  When our thoughts are centered around the goodness of Christ, then our affections will be too.  And I promise you, there is no one more deserving of our affections than Jesus Christ.

Who He is:

• "Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God,compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and truth; who keeps steadfast love for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished..." Exodus 34:6-7a
• "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8
• "And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."' Isaiah 6:3
• "O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8
• "You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 16:11

What He has done:

• "Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Genesis 2:7
• "For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16
• "He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him." Psalm 103:10-13
• "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried ; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities ; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed." Isaiah 53:4-5

What He will do: 

• "[T]he day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." 1 Thessalonians 5:2
• "...in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Romans 8:20b-21
• "and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes ; and there will no longer be any death ; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain ; the first things have passed away." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." Then He said to me, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son." Revelation 21:4-7