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LIFE AS GOD HAS IT

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

A man in Christ is a man with the life of God. Mark Hankins

The Greek word in the New Testament that is translated life or eternal life is zoe. I like W.E. Vine’s definition of the word zoe(eternal life, everlasting life, or life):

“It is life as a principle…life in the absolute sense, as God has it, that which the Father has in Himself and which He gave to the incarnate Son to have in Himself.(John 5: 26) Eternal life is the present actual possession of the believer because of his relationship with Christ.”

God has given us a new quality of life in Christ. He has given us His own life — the very same life that raised Jesus from the dead. (Ephesians 2:4-6) God wants us to know that we have eternal life now. We are not trying to get it or some day in the sweet by-and-by going to get it. The gift of God is eternal life. (Romans 6:23)What a great gift God has given us in Christ!

Confession: Eternal life is my present actual possession because of my relationship with Christ!

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THE GOD-KIND OF LIFE

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:38)

Eternal life is not simply life that goes on forever; it is the coming into human life something of the life of God. William Barclay

I like how James Stewart said that the life that flows from God to man was “a sudden emergence of an entirely new and original element.” We become partakers of the life of God–suddenly! Through simple faith in Jesus Christ, the miracle of the new birth takes place in the spirit of the believer. Eternal life is a spiritual substance from heaven that is imparted in the spirit of a man.

This life flows in heaven from the throne of God; it flows like a river. (John 7:37-39) God is overflowing with this life. You and I can have more and more of this life flowing in us. We can have this life in ever-increasing measures as we are filled with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. We can walk in the light of this life and in the consciousness of what we have in Christ as we learn more and more of the “words of this life.” (Acts 5:20)

Confession: I am a partaker of the life of God. I have eternal life. I have the life of God flowing in me. I am walking in the consciousness of what I have in Christ as I learn more and more of the words of this life!

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PRESS ON

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14)

There are some good things that are in you that you need to acknowledge! Mark Hankins

In tennis, baseball, or basketball, a good coach will always tell the player who missed a shot, “You do not have time to think about the last shot you missed. This game is too short, and if you keep thinking about the last shot you missed, you will get down on yourself. That will affect the rest of your game and the whole team. It will cause you to lose.” So the coach will say, “Shake it off fast! Forget about it.”

Press on to those things that are ahead. Do you know some things are just ahead for you? You must take your place in Christ and hold yourself in that place. Paul said, “Acknowledging every good thing that is in you in Christ.”  There are some good things that are in you that you need to acknowledge. Confess them. Your faith becomes effective when you acknowledge those things. “Acknowledge” means you have to say it.

Confession: I am the righteousness of God in Christ. I have been made right with God. In Christ Jesus, I am righteous. I am a new creation in Him. It is so good to be in Christ!

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STAND IN YOUR FAITH

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

The devil can not destroy you anytime he wants–he needs your cooperation. Mark Hankins

Many times people self-destruct. I do not believe the devil can kill you anytime he wants. If so, you would already be dead because he does not like you, and he would like to destroy you. 1 Peter 5:8 says the devil goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. That means he cannot devour everyone. The next verse says, “Whom resist steadfast in the faith.” Another translation says, “Stand rock-like, immovable in your faith.”

Stand in your faith in what God has done for you in Christ, in who you are, and in what you have in Christ. You resist the devil. The devil cannot destroy you anytime he wants — he needs your cooperation.

You have to get up each morning acknowledging every good thing that is in you in Christ! Resist the devil! Stand strong in your faith by recognizing who you are in Christ!

Confession: In Him I am strong! In Him I am blessed! In Him I have boldness and access to the presence of God!

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MAKING YOUR FAITH EFFECTIVE

…the acknowledging of every good thing… (Philemon 6)

God likes people to brag about who they are in Him. Mark Hankins

There are good things in you in Christ.  The apostle Paul said to “acknowledge every good thing” For your faith to become effective, you need to continually acknowledge who you are in Christ. This is not something you have acknowledged; it is something you are acknowledging. It is a continual process. Acknowledging is essential if you want your faith to work properly.

To acknowledge means to recognize, to think about, and to be conscious of.   Acknowledging means to daily declare who you are in Christ and what you have in Christ. It also means to walk and live in the light of who you are in Christ.

God likes people to brag about who they are in Him. Paul boasted in the cross because of what God had done for him in Christ. This is not boasting in yourself, but in what God has done for you and can do through you because of your union with Christ!

Confession: I was crucified with Christ. I died with Him. I was buried with Him. But on the third day, I was made righteous, made alive with him, raised with Him, seated with Him, and made triumphant with Him!

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