Living By Faith

ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ…wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. (Ephesians 1:3,6)

You must take your place in Christ and hold yourself there! Mark Hankins

You have been accepted in the beloved, so you do not need to live with a sense of rejection all the time, feeling like you do not quite measure up. You have been accepted in the beloved, and you are in Christ. God accepts you, and He loves you.

All the promises of God in Him are yes and amen to the glory of God by us! What God has done in your life will bring glory to God. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. People will say, “Who do you think you are? You think you can act like Christ?” You say, “Exactly. He lives in me, and I am putting Him on.”

It does not happen overnight. It is a process that matures daily. You put Him on, and it begins to affect every area of your life. What you used to be just disappears!

Confession: The person I used to be does not exist anymore. I am a brand-new person. Christ lives in me!

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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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ABUNDANT BLESSINGS IN CHRIST

And I pray that as you share your faith with others it will grip their lives too, as they see the wealth of good things in you that come from Christ Jesus. (Philemon 6 TLB)

You are absolutely wealthy in Christ! Mark Hankins

There is a wealth of good things that are yours because you are in Christ. Would you like to understand the abundance of your blessings in Christ? You must learn to recognize, appreciate, and understand your identification in Christ.

The Laubach translation of Philemon six says, “I pray that everyone who meets you may catch your faith and learn from you how wonderful it is to live in Christ.” In other words, your faith becomes contagious as you walk in the light of your redemption in Christ. It is wonderful to live in Christ! It is miserable to try to live any other way but in Him. Your life becomes a great testimony to others as they see the wonderful benefits that belong to the believer. In Him victory is yours, blessing is yours, peace is yours, joy is yours, prosperity is yours, healing is yours, wisdom is yours, and the list goes on and on. You will never really get to the end of what God has done for you in Christ Jesus.

Confession: In Him victory is mine, blessing is mine, peace is mine, joy is mine, prosperity is mine, healing is mine, and wisdom is mine!

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YOUR INWARD MAN

But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:17)

Feeling is the voice of your body; reason is the voice of your mind; conscience is the voice of your spirit. Mark Hankins

You are a triune being — spirit, soul, and body — even as God is a triune being — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Your spirit is the part of you that is joined to Christ. It is the part of you that is most like God. Paul called your spirit your “inward” man. Your spirit is the hidden man, the unseen person — the real you!

Paul said to walk in the Spirit, live in the Spirit, and pray in the Spirit. What does “in the Spirit” mean? Paul was talking about an entirely different dimension or realm. Feeling is the voice of your body; reason is the voice of your mind, and conscience is the voice of your spirit.

The first step to walking in the Spirit is to pray in the Spirit. When you spend time praying in the Spirit, it helps you to walk and live in the Spirit. You also have to put on the new man. You are a new creature in Christ — but you must put on the new man by renewing your mind to the Word of God!

Confession: I am born again and my spirit is joined to Christ. I am walking in the Spirit, living in the Spirit, and praying in the Spirit!

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MASTER YOUR BODY

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (1 Corinthians 9:27)

You are a spirit; you have a soul, and you are living in a body. Mark Hankins

The Bible says your spirit pulls against your flesh, and your flesh pulls against your spirit. There are things your body wants to do that your spirit knows are not right. The Bible calls that “the lust of the flesh” in Galatians 5:6. Throughout the fifth chapter of Galatians, Paul lists the works of the flesh. Your spirit desires to seek after God, to walk with God, and to know God.

Your body will dominate you if it gets a chance. Sometimes your body does not want to go to church. Your body might be saying, “Let’s stay home. I am tired. I don’t feel good.” You have to say, “No, body, you are going to church. Get up right now!” You need to get your body moving! Paul said, “I keep under my body and I bring it under subjection.” In other words, he said, “I master my body. I control it.”

Confession: I keep my body under and bring it into subjection. I am going to church, I am going to read my Bible, and I am going to pray!

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