Living By Faith

A WHOLE NEW IDENTITY

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)

Once you are lost in Christ, the devil can’t even find you!
Mark Hankins

I believe the moment you receive Christ you become a new creation in Him. It takes a while to feed on the Word before you say, “I’m not even the same person anymore. I have a whole new identity.”

If you witnessed a crime and the FBI got hold of you and wanted to give you a new identity to protect you, they would change your address, your Social Security number, and all records concerning every bill that you owe. They would totally wipe out your past to protect you.

God wiped out your old identity when you were born again. He wiped out your past. Every account, sin, or claim the devil had on you has been wiped out. Once you are lost in Christ, the devil can’t even find you! Hallelujah!

The devil can’t find you unless you stick your fleshly head up and say, “Hey, it’s me!” Slap your head and get it back down in there, man! You want to talk about my past, my feelings, and my failures? God says, “I don’t want to talk about that. You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in Me. You’ve got a new identity now.”

Confession: I am dead to sin and my past. My life is hid with Christ in God. I am lost in Christ!

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HOW GOD CHANGES PEOPLE’S IDENTITIES

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

God was working IN CHRIST, but He was working ON US! Mark Hankins

Paul had such an extreme identity change, he said, “It’s not even me living anymore.” That’s a pretty radical change! People are trying to get God to help them deal with their problems, yet He is saying, “As my child, since I am living on the inside of you, just let Me deal with your challenges through you.”

Paul was a Pharisee, a very religious man, and he received a strong revelation of Jesus Christ. When he was hit with the light of God, he went blind for three days. During that time, he fasted and prayed.

Someone said, “The power of God hit Saul of Tarsus so hard on the road to Damascus that it knocked the ‘S’ off the front of his name and replaced it with a ‘P’ and he became Paul.” His name changed, his identity changed, and his nature changed.

Confession: I am crucified with Christ. I have a new identity and a new nature in Christ. It’s not even me living anymore but Christ living in me!

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BECOMING LIKE CHRIST

Clothe yourselves with that new and better self, which has been created to resemble God in the righteousness and holiness which come from the truth. (Ephesians 4:24 Weymouth)

The greatest reward for obeying God is not what you get, it’s what you become!
Mark Hankins

Even though you are born again and a new creature in Christ, you must decide to allow the Holy Spirit to tell you the truth. Why? Because the truth will set you free; then you can be all that God wants you to be. Wrong attitudes, compromise, sin, and disobedience will stop the flow of the life of God so the image of Christ is not working in you and cannot be fully formed in you.

Other people may have never known what your true personality was like because of all the things that have happened and all the trash piled on top of you. Let the Holy Spirit begin to work in your spirit, lead you into all truth, and show you who you are in Christ.

It’s time for change — I’m not talking about moving to another house. I’m talking about a move on the inside of you! Once you find out who you are in Christ and let Him be formed in you, every gift, talent, calling, and purpose of God will begin to take shape in your life.

Confession: I am who God says I am. I have what God says I have. I can do what God says I can do. Christ has redeemed me!

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BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available, dynamic in its working. (James 5:16 Amplified)

You need to see how wonderful you are in God and how helpless you are in yourself.
Smith Wigglesworth

The blessings and benefits of righteousness are listed throughout the Old and New Testaments. The moment anyone receives Jesus, that man or woman is made the righteousness of God. Understanding righteousness has a mighty effect on every area of your life, including your prayer life. You must see yourself in Christ. Without Him, you could do nothing. You have tremendous power in prayer when you abide in Christ and His Words abide in you.

You are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ. (Romans 8:17) When you come on board in Christ, all heaven stands at attention. The blessings of heaven are yours in Him. The authority of heaven is yours in His name. God is your very own Father and you are His very own child!

Confession: For if by one man’s offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:17)

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SUBSTITUTION, IDENTIFICATION, UNION

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 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)

Your identification with Christ is activated by your identical confession of faith of who you are in Christ.
Mark Hankins

Everything Jesus did, He did for you; it is set to the credit of your account as though you did it. This is the progression from substitution to identification and union with Christ. When someone is born again, He is a new creature in Christ Jesus; old things are passed away and everything is new. (2 Corinthians 5:17) God would not make an unrighteous new creature. If you are saved, you must be righteous.

When Jesus was raised from the dead, you were justified or declared righteous. You could even say that Jesus was not raised from the dead until you were declared righteous. The penalty for sin was paid in full and God declared you righteous. This is the reason the Gospel is good news to every person!

Confession: The penalty for sin was paid in full and God has declared me righteous!

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