Bearing God’s Image, all that Christ is, I am: Masentle Mofoka

God? Bearing His image? In this season of my life? What in the world could that ever mean? This was me when I was posed with this question as I navigated through my thoughts. So, I request that you allow me to be honest in saying that I struggled to express the meaning of this principle in my season as it required me to pause and reflect on the occurrences of my life, however drafting the piece bit by bit helped me with understanding.

On a general pivot, the Son is the image of the invisible God and we’re instructed to be like Him, meaning all that Christ was, fully Man is our portion, and that speaks directly to bearing God’s image. From a personal point of view, bearing God’s image in this season and to the end of my salvation requires being a spirit being because God is Spirit meaning that His image is derived from the spiritual realm and reflected in the terrestrial. For me, it consists of constantly sitting at the Father’s feet and being reminded of who He is and reflecting that, daily. Getting in tune with His heart and reflecting it in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity as stated in 1 Timothy 4:12. The Holy Spirit then stops being a farfetched concept but much rather a Friend who sticks closer than a brother.

Bearing God’s image in this season has called me to lose myself completely, to surrender totally unto Him forever. When Paul said “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” it is quite evident that it was not based on wishful thinking or empty words, but he meant every word, and that is the mandate over our lives. To let go of ourselves, our wills, ideas, visions, and plans and adopt all that which is of God. As I delve deeper into my experience, there’s a hint of illusion or hypothesis that forms in some or every aspect of our relationship with God, which then results in entering a season where God denounces and calls to reality that or those unrealistic parts. That has been my season of bearing God’s image. There were parts of my faith, fellowship, trust, and salvation holistically that were solely running on illusion and guesswork, but God said it was time to fix that.

Let me make a faith-based example, Before I graduated, I believed in God with every fiber of my being for space in the corporate world, my friend and I would religiously pray and fast for employment even before graduating. That is how I had structured God’s provision for me and ran with it and so God utilized the same faith to demonstrate His provision, in a manner that would open me up to the knowledge of who He is and the meaning of provision that I needed. Today I now know that I do need other people in the Kingdom to reveal God’s provision in my life, I know that there are times that call for me to be vocal about my needs and see God use others to provide for me. I know that being humble before the Lord and others draws His provision over my life. I know that I can converse with the Holy Spirit concerning any issue in my life and receive an immediate solution or help.

Something else that has been magnified about bearing God’s image in my season is that; the celestial (spiritual) and terrestrial(natural) can appear divergent in the sense that one who views my life with the naked eye can draw a completely contrasting conclusion compared to the one who views it with the spiritual eye. What do I mean by this? I mean that God has withheld and refused numerous materialistic requests that would deem me “successful” and be a “true reflection” of His image, however granting and accepting every spiritual-based prayer. So physically I don’t appear as the spiritual victor I am, there’s no evidence of the manifestation yet, and bearing His image calls for unconditional worship and unwavering faith even in such a time. We don’t choose when to walk worthy of the calling, bearing His image is not circumstantial and that’s where the knowledge of who He is comes in handy because there comes a time when only being ‘of God’ runs insufficient. You cannot bear the image of a God unknown to you, knowledge of who He is minus everything else is of paramount importance because you get to bear His image in a worthy and acceptable manner.

In 2 Samuel 12:16-22 God said no to David in the form of allowing his son to die and David’s response to that is very pivotal. It is evident that David knew the God he served, he knew that His thoughts are higher than his, he knew that God only entertains pity parties for a short span of time and then He requires obedience to His Word because He has given us everything, we need to live a holy and godly life as 2 Peter 1:3 suggests. David bore the image of God before his servants, and it yielded much greater results and that is our portion as children of God.

As I conclude, I always refer to Abraham, my favorite person in the Bible, because his story for me is the perfect depiction/template of Salvation. Abraham understood that his mandate was to worship the Lord purely based on who He is but one thing that always strikes me is the fact that he was called God’s friend and so in any season/circumstance of your Salvation, bearing God’s image, ensure that you are His friend.

Masi is a born-again daughter of God, she is a friend, a sister, and a destiny helper. I love to say when I think of her, she is a spiritual midwife, she enables others to birth what God has planted in their wombs. She is Holy Spirit-led and serves the Local church willingly.

Thank You Masentle for such a powerful word.

Prayer

Father, thank you for knowing that you delight in weakness, for then your power is made perfect. It is a privilege to see your power at work in me, I ask to have greater understanding and awareness. When I don’t understand the purpose of my season, I ask that your spirit brood over me and enable the eyes of my heart to be enlightened. In every season I pray that the Image of Christ is forged in me. You said in your words you have given us everything we need pertaining to life and godliness. I pray that when I deviate from this truth you will help me remember and see your divine provision. In Jesus’ Name Amen