How, Exactly, Do I Abide in Christ?

Then He said to them all: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.”
--Luke 9:23, 24

Abiding in Christ is something that every believer has experienced, and yet it seems most difficult to maintain. I have been asked, “What do you struggle with?” Like all teachers I struggle with the thing I most often teach, abiding! All of my other failures originate from this one. When Christ is my focus, nothing really bothers me, and when He is not, the smallest event can create a spiritual domino effect. So the question, “How, exactly, do I abide?” is a significant one.  

Let me share a few insights.

First, abiding is not something that we do but the awareness that we trust the Lord completely.Psalm 139:7, “Or where can I flee from Thy presence?”

Second, abiding is not dependent on us but on Christ, so it is a faith issue. He is the One keeping us in the abiding relationship, the branches in the Vine.

Third, if we do not know how to set our minds on things above, then we can at least discover what it is to set our minds on the flesh and refuse to do it! Examine Luke 9:23 to understand the flesh, and if we say no to every opportunity to set our minds on it, by default the mind must go to the spirit.

Fourth, abiding is the beginning point of an abundant spiritual life; therefore, all powers meet at this point. When forces would move you from your position in Him, do not succumb to the voice that whispers, “It does not work; it is not for you. You are exactly where you were years ago!” Once I was in a boat that capsized, and I was pulled under the water. I did not immediately begin to think, Well, I guess I will never have air again! Air sure does not last very long; it sure is not worth the effort of breathing! No, no, no! All I thought about was getting back to where there was air. We are not to let failure move us away. Rather, we can get back, start breathing again, and let our focus rest in Christ.