Living By Faith

PURSUING YOUR POSITION IN CHRIST

For He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

A breakthrough in revelation enables us to see what God sees.
Mark Hankins

Once you have seen the scenery from your seat next to Jesus at the right hand of God, you won’t ever want to go back to life as it used to be. Other people may listen to a sermon on their identity in Christ and say, “Praise the Lord. That was a good point,” but you will be thinking, “That wasn’t just a good point, that’s the way I live! I am who Jesus says I am! I have what He says I have! He lives in me, and I ALWAYS triumph in Him!”

Believers must have a deep revelation of their position in Christ. Even in the worst situations in life, you can laugh at the devil. Your mind may be going crazy with stress and pressure as you try to think about what you are going to do. You need to stop and begin to meditate on what God’s Word says about who you are in Christ. You need to see things from God’s perspective. God sees you seated with Christ in heavenly places.

Confession: I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! By the blood of Jesus, I overcome all the works of the devil! (2 Corinthians 5:21, Revelation 12:11)

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YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT

According to your faith be it unto you. (Matthew 9:29)

We need to acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ! Mark Hankins

The devil is good at pointing out your flaws. When you are confronted with your imperfections, don’t allow yourself to doubt your authenticity in Christ!

I recently talked with a jeweler who said that all diamonds have a flaw somewhere that can be seen by the trained eye using a magnifying glass. However, the fake diamonds, cubic zirconium, are flawless. They are man-made. They look like diamonds but they are much cheaper; they have only a fraction of the value of a real diamond.

You are valuable to God. You are a real diamond, not a cubic zirconium! God sees you in Christ. He will keep working with you if you keep a spirit of faith and seek Him with all of your heart. You don’t have to be perfect to have a spirit of faith.

Confession: I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! It is God who works in me both to will and to do of His good pleasure! I am valuable to God! (II Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:13)

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RADICAL REVELATION OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.
ROMANS 10:9, 10 (KJV)

What are you going to believe and speak?  You are going to believe and say you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ!  You quit struggling and trying.  You put your trust in God and you receive this free gift.  You believe with your heart that God loves you, God accepts you, and He has made you as righteous as Jesus.

Believing you have been made righteous and receiving the gift of righteousness is a radical, revolutionary revelation and can be difficult for some people to comprehend.  Sometimes people will not receive it because they think they’ve got to work for it.  Sometimes people get proud and think “I don’t want a handout.  You don’t have to give me that.”  But when it comes to this righteousness, you had better take it!

I once ate at a restaurant where some of the waiters worked who attended the church where I was preaching. I gave each one of them a hundred-dollar bill. Do you know only one worker took it?  The other three said, “No, that’s too much.  You don’t have to do that.”  It seems there is something about human nature that questions when God wants to give a gift, saying, “Are you sure about that?  That’s too much.  I don’t really think that’s necessary.”  What Jesus did for you is entirely too much, but you must receive it!

Confession: I believe in my heart that God raised Jesus from the dead and I openly confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord. Salvation is mine; righteousness is mine.

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UNDERSTANDING RIGHTEOUSNESS

I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. Romans 1:16-17

Understanding you have God’s divine approval on your life sets you free from the sense of rejection, inadequacy or inferiority.  You are confident you have God’s approval.  You are free to receive God’s best blessings and to follow His plan for your life.  This confidence in God sets you free from constantly seeking approval from others.
One of the most misunderstood subjects in the Bible is righteousness. The Gospel of Christ is a revelation of the righteousness of God. The center of the Gospel reveals the righteousness of God.  I call righteousness a radical revelation, a revolutionary revelation. It is a reality that is produced for us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Confession: The Gospel is the good news.  It is a weapon of might that begins with faith and produces faith.  God has made me righteous as He is. I am right with God!  I am whole and set free!

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REASON TO SHOUT

Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them. (Numbers 23:20-21)

Once you know your covenant and who you are in Christ, there will be the shout of a king! Mark Hankins

If the Israelites were shouting under the Old Covenant, we have even more of a reason to shout under the New Covenant. You are in an even better position in Christ than the Israelites were in the Old Covenant. What does this mean to you? If you have been made the righteousness of God in Christ, God sees no iniquity in you. You have a reason to shout!

It’s time to get the Bible out and say, “Devil, if you can’t read, let me read it to you!” The communication of your faith will become effectual as you acknowledge every good thing that is in you in Christ! Hallelujah!

Confession: I have a reason to shout! I have been made the righteousness of God in Christ and God sees no iniquity in me! Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place! (2 Corinthians 2:14)

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