Everyone has a desire to identify with someone or some thing. This desire has to do with finding our identity and describing who we are in terms that we can understand.
With some, it is their family and the past generations and traditions. With others it is their job, their club, their hobby, etc. People have a desire to gain their identity from something bigger than themselves. God, I believe, put this desire, there so that mankind would seek to identify with Him and His family. God wants you to know the truth. Only God your creator can really tell you who you are. If you do not believe Him, you will be a slave.
Satan has come along with the world's system and given us a multitude of things with which to identify. They all lead to failure and frustration even the best of them. The answer is, we need to get a renewed mind.
Romans 12:1-2 says, "I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is that good and pleasing and perfect will of God."
Scientists have discovered some amazing things about behavior.
Our brain waves can be trained to act a certain way. It does not matter if circumstances even change, we will still react the same way.
A baby elephant is trained by tying a small rope to a small stake, which is tied to the elephant's leg. As a baby it cannot get loose, so it walks in a circle. When the baby grows up, it could easily pull the stake out of the ground, but it does not. It feels the gentle tug of the rope and its brain tells it that it is still a captive.
Fish were put into a fish tank with their favorite prey, some smaller fish. However, the smaller fish were put into a plastic bag that the larger fish could not penetrate. Finally, the larger fish gave up. Then, things changed. The smaller fish were let out of the bag and became prey, once more swimming among the large fish. The large fish starved to death, being convinced that they could not eat the smaller ones.
Tigers were put into a cage. One end of it was charged with electrical shocks on the floor. So they learned to stay at one end of the cage, preferring their comfort. Then the electricity current was turned off and raw meat was put on the floor. The tigers would not go after their meat.
Humans are the same way. Our brain waves tell us we are slaves, losers, under the power of Satan and circumstances. We feel tossed around by life, beat up with sin and having a sin trained mind. Suddenly, Jesus gives us the new birth; we are born again and become new creations in Christ. Our old nature is dead we now have the nature of the resurrected Christ in us.
When Jesus was raised from the dead, He was the firstborn of a new race of beings that did not previously exist. It is called the New Creation.
Too many Christians think about their sins being "forgiven" as if they had taken a bath. God did not give you a bath, He allowed you to die and be born into a new race of being over which sin and Satan has no more dominion. Don't get confused with the Old Testament saints who indeed were "washed" from their sins once a year at the Day of Atonement. They were not changed. You were changed! You died and were raised into a new race.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 says, "So that if any one is in Christ, that one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; whereas God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and putting the word of reconciliation in us. Then we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as God exhorting through us, we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Yet we are so trained to be defeated, that Satan can keep us defeated if we allow him. Then God comes along and tells us to renew our minds.
Before we died with Him and were raised with Him, we were slaves to sin.
"Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered Him, 'We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?' Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed'" (John 8:31-36).
Here are the steps.
1. Continue in His Word. Determine to believe the Word of God!
2. Commit to be His disciple.
3. The result is that you will know the truth, and that truth will make you free.
God does not have to do something new in you, you just need to know what He has already done!
You have died with Christ
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God" (Romans 6:5-10).
If you look at your body and this world with only your five senses it will not give you the evidence that you have in reality been crucified with Christ. When I first began to meditate upon this fact, I told God that I kind of believed it, but it was not real to me. He instructed me to meditate upon and to memorize Romans chapter 6. After several months of speaking it out loud, one day it really dawned on me, "I have been crucified with Christ!!"
If this is not true, then you and I are all condemned. It is one of the most important faith facts in Scripture. We are delivered from our old self and are resurrected into a New Creation. How can we be born again if we have not died?
You might say, "But Jesus was crucified 2,000 years ago, I was not there." The Scripture says that Jesus was crucified before the foundation of the world. Also, Jesus is timeless. When we "see" Him and we are converted, then in the timeless eternal realm we realize that we already have been crucified with Him.
The Bible says that He bore the sin of all men; therefore it must be that all men were in Him when He was crucified. The problem is only that all men do not believe and receive that fact, so unfortunately many have to have their names erased from the Lamb's Book of Life.
I was "in" my father when he almost went down with the Titanic.
God spared him, taking him off the ship before it sailed its last voyage. Had my dad perished on the Titanic, I would have also perished.
You were "in" Christ in much the same way. You went to the Cross in Him, you were resurrected in Him, and you now exist in Him. However, He is also in you, just as my dad in some way is also in my even thought he has gone to be with the Lord. His DNA and my mom's is alive and well in me. Just look at the way I live, you will see Peter and Christine Chkoreff in me. It should be the same with you and me with Christ. He should be living His life in us!
You were buried with Christ
Romans 6:4, "We were buried therefore with Him through Baptism into death"; and Colossians 2:12, "Hav?ing been buried with him in baptism."
You were raised with Christ from the dead.
Ephesians 2:6, "And raised us up with Him."
You were made alive with Christ. Colossians 2:13 says, "And you being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you did He make alive together with Him"; and Ephesians 2:5, "Even when we were dead through our trespasses made us alive together with Christ."
When God raised Christ from the dead, He said, "Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee" (He?brews 1:5 and Acts 13:33).
"He was the firstborn from the dead. He was the first man to be born out of spiritual death into Eternal Life.
You were born a second time.
Titus 3:5 says, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." You were regenerated therefore you have a new inheritance.
God the Father is now the progenitor of a new race, a resurrected race.
What does "Father" really mean? W.E. Vine Bible Dictionary defines the Greek word "Father" as "Pater," from a root signifying a nourisher, protector, upholder, the nearest ancestor, the progenitor of the race of people; the originator of a family or company of persons animated by the same spirit as himself. Regeneration is from two words: "palin" means again, and "genesis" means birth. Palingenis or regeneration, is actually changing who your Father is.
W.E. Vine Bible Dictionary also defines the word "Abba" as an Aramaic word used by infants to call their daddy. It betokens unreasoning trust, while "Father" or "Pater" expresses an intelligent apprehension of the relationship. The two together express the love and intelligent confidence of the child.
When the new birth happened in your life, your progenitor changed from Adam to God. Therefore you inherit all things from Him. That is grace!
Jesus is alive! So are you!
"Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him" (Romans 6:4-9).
He was the first man over whom the dominion of death was broken.
Romans 6:9-10, "Death no more hath dominion over Him, for the death that He died, He died unto sin once." When He was identified with us on the Cross, Death had dominion over Him, but when He paid our penalty, the dominion was broken. He was released.
You were seated with Christ.
"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 2:6, KJV.
After Christ's spirit had been freed from Hell, He entered His body, raising it to immortality.
Acts 2:31, "He foreseeing this spake of the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was He left in Hell nor did His flesh see corruption." Before His Ascension to sit down at the Father's right hand, He appeared to His disciples, telling them that all authority in Heaven and earth had been given unto Him. Matthew 28:18 says, "All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth."
As a man, He possessed authority over the world rulers of this spiritual darkness. With that authority, He sat down at the Father's right hand. It was for us.
It's all about identity, it's all about knowing who you are.
People behave and think the way they do because they believe that is who they are. It may not be a cognitive issue, perhaps it is more sub-conscious. But ultimately you will behave like who you, deep down inside, believe that you are. That is why it is so important to really know who you are in Christ. Meditating on the co-death with Christ and your co-resurrection with Him will give you the truth of who He made you to be. You will no longer be a slave to sin.
If you have struggled with trying to live out the Christian life, if you have struggled with addictions, hidden sins and overwhelming temptations, if you have struggled with shame, guilt, fear, depression, failure and other tormenting issues, then you will be set free by the truth of who you really are. Who is that? You are really dead and resurrected. Your old sinful nature is in the grave, and when it raises its head, tell it to get back into the grave. That is just your old thought patterns tormenting you. However, the new you is alive, and that is Christ in you the hope of Glory.
Next time you are tempted just speak out Galatians 2:20 and tell yourself that Christ in you cannot sin, cannot hate, cannot hold unforgiveness, cannot be depressed. Stand on the Word that says who you are for sure. This is who you really are. The promise is a fact. The Bible cannot lie!
How can you know for sure that all of this is true? You can trust the Word!
Reckon.
Romans 6:11 says that we can "reckon" ourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. The word "reckon" is a word used in math and accounting. Accounting and math is the one thing in this world that can be done with accuracy. One can only paint a landscape with an impression, record a map with the best of one's ability and approximations, but math and accounting can be done with absoluteness. So it is with our co-death and resurrection with Jesus. Can God's reckoning be less than absolute and accurate? Could He conceivable ask me to put something down in my accounting book that is false? No! You have been crucified and raised with Him. Now, write that down in your book and on your brain and in your heart!
"We become holy by feeding upon the right spiritual food.
In an experiment it was found that worms which usually live in the darkness could be conditioned to leave this habitat and to prefer the light. As often as they would withdraw into darkness, they would get electric shocks, whereas if they came out in the light, they found abundant food. With time, these beings "put on a new worm," to use the biblical expression. Contrary to the habits of their species, from that time on they preferred the light to darkness. Then these worms were cut into small pieces and added in the food given to other worms: and, lo, these worms also changed their habits. They had increased, with the addition of the flesh of the new breed of worms, their fibonuclear acid, the depository of memory. They would shun darkness and prefer light just as the beings upon which they had fed. Similar experiments have also been made with other animals.
If you wish to put on the new man, a man of righteousness and holiness feed upon Christ. He has become flesh in order that He might become your daily food