A New Identity

It's true, you are not the person that you were. If you have been "born again" by the Spirit of God, through the person and work of Jesus. This is a God fact, witnessed in us by the Spirit. Everyone who is God's knows this, and those without the life do not understand the things of God. So what is now our Identity?

Let's start with our beginning of this "new life" in the death of Jesus. This is our roots. We were in Him (Jesus) in the cross. Just as we were "in Adam", in his loins. For by Adam we all have obtained our natural life as mankind.

Even so we were in Jesus, in "the loins of the Spirit", and now have recieved His life. We were placed there by God. Who calls things that are not as though they were. As Paul said; "I am crucified with Christ". This crucifixion has already taken place in the cross of Jesus. We have been crucified, it's over. This is the start of our "new life". "Except a grain of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it die, it brings forth much fruit." This grain is Jesus, and we are the fruit.

So we have died to the old man, the natural man. And are now the "sons of God" through Christ resurrection. For just as we died with Him, so now we live by Him in His resurrection life. All things are new and all things are of God.

What does this Identity look like? Well, for starters let's re-read Isiah 53:5. And place our name in the word, this is right, for God Himself placed us in Christ.

"He was wounded for Pete's transgressions. He was bruised for Pete's iniquity, and with His stripes Pete was healed."

This is truth. The whole testimony of the Word of God is to be applied personally to our life. We are now the "children of God". Our Identity is not what we think it is; It is what God said it is according to His word.

God has declared that He changes not. And of Jesus; the same yesterday, today, and forever. This means that the word of God is the same in our day. The word is eternal it has neither beginning or end, as God has no beginning or end. The word is a stone that crushes all opposing ideas. The mind of God has declared His certainty, and it shall stand. When-ever we set our mind on an idea that is not God's, we are in error. And life only comes from God's word. The result of false teaching is weakness confusion, sickness, and every evil thing. But in Christ we have been given His victory. And if we will be taught and corrected we will see the truth, and the truth will set you free. If you want to know if you are following truth, see if you are free. A tree is known by it's fruit.

These are strong words, but we have a vicious enemy that is trying to steal, kill, and destroy. I am confident that the strong-holds in our minds will be torn down if we will recieve "the word with meekness", for we all are missing it in a measure. This is why Paul prayed that the inner man be strenghtened with might, and that the eyes of our understanding (mind) be enlightened. Then we will walk in victory, and share that with the "body of Christ" to which we are all joined.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free, let's walk in all that He purchased.

It is Finished

The cry of the Spirit. It is finished. The work is all done. All that remains is for you to believe and recieve. God has sent His Word (Jesus) and healed them. He has removed all obstacles. He has conquered all foes. There is nothing left to be done. The way is open, and the way is faith. Just believe the report, and you will recieve.

Jesus took every sin, every sickeness and disease, and all the hordes of hell upon His own body, so that in His death He would bring liberty to life, by the resurrection from the grave. You that are saved. You died with Jesus in his death, that the powers of sin and the consequences of that such as oppression or sickness are robbed of any hold on you. You are dead, just as surely as Jesus died. And you are now alive in a new life, the resurrection life of Jesus. All old things are passed away. The things pertaining to the old man of Adam. Now all things to you are new and are of God.

Life, liberty, freedom, joy, power, mercy, and grace. God has no sickness, no confusion, no evil, no lack. Complete victory. Do you realize this? You are healed, you are free, you are a son of God, you have the victory. This is a God fact shown forth in the new testament of the blood of Jesus. We enter into this "good land" by faith. By simply believing the report. It's finished, recieve the good new and be healed. Spiritually, physically, and in the redeeming of the soul.For Jesus obtained victory for us. Nothing is with-held from you, it is all yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's. All His answers are Yes! Yes! Yes!, and Amen.

Don't wait until you get to heaven to enjoy and partake of the Lord's victory. It is for now as well as for-ever. You are saved, you are healed, you are free from the efforts of the devil. You are to reign in life by Christ. Don't be bull-headed, believe in the work and power of God to produce his word in you, and go free.

Set of the Mind

In the past before coming to Christ we had only the natural life of a man. The life of a natural man consists of the things that he hopes will bring him joy and peace and a good life. In all of his efforts there is the dream that he will find the satisfaction of life. To an extent, depending on his labor and persistence to the goal, he gains a degree of fulfillment. He has learned how to cope with the set-backs and trials and misfortunes of his existence. This could be sumed up with; "I did the best I could with what I had". And men say, bravo!

This shows a dream, a vision, an inward knowing that life is supposed to be grand and fulfilling. This is the spirit of man crying out for freedom, and expression, and purpose. All men have this for God has "placed eternity in the heart". So all men are in a dilemma, they can see what is good, but how to obtain it is not in them. So men go on striving, and working, and laboring. Redoubling their efforts and altering the plans, and trying new ways. All of this is in the past experiences of those who have now come to Christ.

This becomes the "set of the mind". The experiences of life form our out-look on the things that have not yet happened, by what has already happened. Example; going for a job interview. If in the past you have been turned down for a similiar job, you will not have much hope or enthusiasm for this interview, this will show in the upcoming dialog and you will again be rejected. Why? Because of a preconcieved "set of your mind".

So in Christ we have to break the previous "set of the mind" to see the truth of God. Is this so? Yes, those who in the past were prone to sickness will easily accept the suffering of Job, the affilictions of the Hall of Faith, and so forth. Because in their minds they can idenify with this. In other words, they are reading "their mind" into the scripture. And so they say, Amen.

Like-wise a person who was healed by the touch of the virtue of the Lord will relate to the woman with the issue of blood, or one of the many others healed that are recorded in scripture. The point is to see the truth clearly; we have to drop all of our preconceived ideas. Whether or not we can relate to truth, does not change that it is the truth. This is always the challenge. To come to the Lord with an open spirit of the mind. To consider that we need to look at old things (things we think we understand) in new ways.

This is not possible with out the help of the Spirit. To give up our thoughts is to become vulnerable. We become subject to change, and open to blame. The fact is we have all missed it in many areas. There is error taught to us from the time we are born. We now hold these errors as the gospel truth. If a lie is told often enough it is reinforced in our minds, until we think that it's truth. Then we will defend it as though our very existence depended on the error.

In the world we learned failure, defeat, and weakness. These are not found in the "new creature" that is in Christ. God knows no defeat, no lack, no weakness, no limit, no failure, no flustration. There is no deficiency, in thought, in strength, or in deed. No defect, no shortage, no end. This is the "set of the mind" that we are to have. "The mind set on the spirit is life and peace". Let us learn our lesson well.