As you awaken from you slumber this morning, it is my prayer that you also awaken to the reality of who you are in Christ Jesus. Too many disciples of Jesus are walking around as if they were defeated. They have defeated attitudes, defeated thoughts and defeated actions. Not everything in their life has measured up to their expectations so now they are disappointed, discouraged, downcast; none of which belongs to a true child of God. In the Old Testament we find that people considered it an honour and a privilege to have been born in the holy city of Jerusalem. The Psalmist writes:
The LORD will write in the register of the peoples:
“This one was born in Zion.” (Psalm 87:6)
But a greater thing is said of us: "This one was born of the Blood of the Lamb!" How can we who are born of the Spirit be lost, downcast or defeated? It is time to speak to your spirit as the psalmist had to:
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:11)
Speak to yourself this morning and remind yourself who you are in Jesus Christ. You have died to yourself and you are risen to life IN Jesus. Apart from him you are nothing and can do nothing. Apart from him there is only death. But you are made alive in him; ALIVE! I have to share this whole passage with you. Drink it in!
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
You were dead and now you are alive!
God loves us!
We received his great mercy!
We were made alive in Christ even when we were dead in sin!
We have been saved by the grace of God!
We are seated in the heavenly realms with Jesus!
We are receiving the expressed kindness of the Father through Jesus!
We are God's workmanship!
We have been created in Jesus!
We have purpose; to do good works!
God has prepared these good works for us to do!
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. (Psalm 42:11)
Oh my friend, my spirit is excited for us today. Today we have the opportunity to cast off this demonic spirit that oppresses so many in the Body, this demonic spirit that lies to us and tries to keep us low and defeated. But this is the day we will throw this spirit aside and soar with the eagles. We are the receiver of God's promises. Do you realize that? Over a thousand promises have been made to us and they are all "yes" and "amen":
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (2 Corinthians 1:20-22)
How can you be defeated today when the Father has anointed us? He has set his seal of ownership on us so that no one else can try to claim us. That is a lying spirit that is trying to oppress you this morning. Show him the door by showing him God's seal. We are possessed by God himself! Through the Holy Spirit he has put in us as a deposit, guaranteeing his promises to us. Wake up! Rise up! Realize who you are in Jesus Christ.
It is time to gather together, to shout the praises of our God. It is time to wake up from our slumber and claim the promises he holds out to us. It is time to wake up to the fact that we are co-heirs with Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith! So what if your life did not turn out the way you imagined it; when you have Jesus you have everything you could possibly need. It is time to gather together, to praise our God of promises and may it be a resounding "AMEN"! from his children today. What a tremendous privilege to be born by the Blood of the Lamb!
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