Living By Faith

BLUEBERRIES ON YOU AND IN YOU

At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. (John 14:20)

Anytime Satan tries to take a bite out of you, he hits a “blueberry.” Mark Hankins

When I order blueberry pancakes in a restaurant, I always ask this question: “Are the blueberries on the pancakes, or are the blueberries in the pancakes?” I don’t want just regular pancakes with a spoonful of blueberries on top from a can. I want the blueberries in the mix. I want the blueberries to be cooked in the pancakes, and then I want more blueberries on the pancakes. That means I can’t take a bite without hitting a blueberry!

As a born-again believer, you have the Spirit of God — the Holy Spirit — living on the inside of you. When the devil brings persecution or trouble to you, God says, “Life can’t take a bite out of you without hitting me.”

When the devil hits you, say, “Devil, what does it feel like to hit a blueberry?” The life of God is in you and upon you, so much so that if a mosquito bit you, it would fly off singing, “There’s power in the blood!”

Confession I have the life of God inside of me. I’ve got the Spirit of God living in me. Jesus lives in me. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me! (Romans 8:11)

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RENEWING YOUR MIND

That ye put off concerning the former conversation [He’s talking about your lifestyle] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. (Ephesians 4:22)

You won’t change the way you are living if you don’t change the way you are talking. Mark Hankins

The process of putting off the old man and putting on the new man takes place as you renew your mind and line your thinking up with the Word of God. We should always ask, “What does God say about me? What does God say about my circumstances?” We need to say what God says. We need to agree with God.

In Ephesians 4:22-24, Paul says to “put off the old man” and “put on the new man” by being “renewed in the spirit of your mind.” To put off is like taking off the old clothes, the old nature, and the old lifestyle. In other words, change the way you are living and talking.

The moment you are born again, you are a new creation, and you are created in righteousness and true holiness. You are not trying to make the new man righteous and holy. Since you have been made a partaker of the divine nature, you are to put on the new man, who is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Confession: Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth. (Psalm 141:3)

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THE WORKMANSHIP OF GOD

The old condition has passed away; a new condition has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17 Williams)

God would not make an unrighteous new creature because He already had an unrighteous old creature!
Mark Hankins

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Verse 18 begins, “And all things are of God,” which means this is the work of God.

The old condition from which you have been redeemed is the curse of the law, which includes poverty, sickness, confusion, fear, sin, and the devil’s domination of your life. When does the “old condition” pass away and the “new condition” come? It doesn’t happen over a process of ten or twenty years. It happens the moment you are born again because of the grace of God. The moment you are saved, you become a new creation in Christ.

God would never make an unrighteous new creature! The moment you were born again, you are in Christ, and you are a new creature. Old things are passed away and everything has become new.

Confession: I am the workmanship of God. My old condition is gone and a new condition has come. I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

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GOD’S WAY OF THINKING

But of him [of God] are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30)

To make wisdom effective in your life, you must acknowledge it. Mark Hankins

Wisdom is God’s way of thinking. God doesn’t necessarily think the way you do, and He doesn’t always see things the way you see them. If you want to see yourself the way God sees you, get the Word out and see what He says about you. Wisdom has to do with the revelation of all that God has done for you in the death burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Jesus is made unto you righteousness, which is right standing with God. Once you are born again, you have the same standing with God that Jesus has. Jesus is made unto you sanctification, which is separation from the world and dedication to God. What Jesus has begun in your life, He will bring to full completion. He is the author and the finisher of your faith. Hallelujah!

Confession: I thank God that I am in Christ Jesus and He is made unto me wisdom. I don’t have to go through life with my own thinking, my own plans, my own ways, or my own ideas. Jesus is made unto me wisdom. I have God’s thoughts, His ways, His plans, and His ideas!

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ACKNOWLEDGING EVERY GOOD THING THAT IS IN YOU IN CHRIST

That the communication of their faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. (Philemon 6)

Every believer needs to have a daily acknowledgment or confession of who he or she is in Christ. Mark Hankins

We often spend too much time focusing on our bad qualities and what is wrong with us. If you look at what is wrong with you long enough, it will get worse. Paul is saying that for our faith to become effective or effectual, we need to acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ. How do you acknowledge them? By confessing, speaking, or acting on the Word of God.

When you first get up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror you should take time to acknowledge some of the good things of who you are in Christ. When you are driving down the road, begin to confess who you are and what you have in Christ. It will change your prayer life because often you will quit asking God for things that the Word says already belong to you!

Confession: Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption are mine because I am in Christ!

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