Living By Faith

CONNECTED WITH CHRIST

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)

The center of our redemption is what God did for us in Christ.
Mark Hankins

Our identification is revealed at the beginning of Galatians 2:20. The King James Version uses “I am” to connect the believer’s crucifixion directly to Christ’s crucifixion. Every other translation of Galatians 2:20 uses the past tense: “I was” or “I have been.”
I have been crucified with Christ…Noli
I have been crucified with Christ…Jerusalem Bible
I have been crucified with Christ…Barclay

According to Romans 6:6, the old man is crucified with Him so that we could be free from the dominion and control of sin. This is not a spiritual state we are attaining; it is something God did for us in Christ. It is an absolute fact that Galatians 2:20 applies to us right now, today. We don’t need to wait until we have thirty years of spiritual maturity before we can apply this scripture to our lives.

Confession: I have been crucified with Christ, and I live now not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20 Jerusalem Bible)

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FORMER NOBODIES

Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:10)

When you know who you are in Christ, you cannot have an inferiority complex.
Mark Hankins

Have you ever been around people that ignore you as if you are nobody? Because you are in Christ, you cannot be a “nobody.” When you are in Christ, you have access to the highest place in the universe. You can go right to the throne of God and say, “Abba Father. He is my Daddy. I get immediate recognition. I am well known in the realm of the Spirit.”

You are somebody in Christ. The reason people commit suicide is because they think, “Nobody cares about me. I walk by people, and they do not even look at me.” They have listened to the lies of the devil so long they believe what he has told them. In Christ, you cannot have an inferiority complex. You can have a calm assurance of what God has done for you in Christ and who you are in Him.

Confession: In times past I may have been a “nobody,” but in Christ I am now “somebody!” I have obtained mercy and have access directly to the throne of God!

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A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

A royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people… (1 Peter 2:9)

Everyone from the greatest to the least has equal access to the Father God.
Mark Hankins

Royal Priesthood: In the New Testament, because of what God has done for us in Christ, everyone has equal access to the Father. God is just as glad to see you, as He is to see any preacher, apostle, or prophet. You can go right into the presence of God. You are a royal priesthood.

A Holy Nation: Once you get in Christ that is your only nationality. You now have family all over the world. When you become a citizen of this nation, there are all kinds of benefits — all of the military of heaven will back you up!

A Peculiar People: What makes you so peculiar? While the worlds’ economy may be going down, yours is going up! When everyone else is depressed, you are rejoicing!

God wants the church to be blessed and strong, full of joy, peace, and victory. He wants to put you on display for the world to see: a new breed, a whole new nation, a whole new creation!

Confession: I am of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a peculiar people. I am a whole new creation. I came from the King!

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A CHOSEN GENERATION

But ye are a chosen generation…(1 Peter 2:9)

Your genetic makeup no longer comes from Adam or your past; it comes from Almighty God.
Mark Hankins

When you get born again, you get regenerated, and there is a champion in your genetic line. His name is Jesus. He passed on that champion, thoroughbred blood- line. If you have mule in your bloodline, you will never be a racehorse, but if you can trace your lineage back to the champion, you can say, “I am not a mule. I am a racehorse. I am a thoroughbred. I have been re-bred by God.”

Even though you are born again, the devil will do everything he can to keep you from walking in the light of who you are in Christ. The key is to declare continually who you are in Christ.

Do you have any natural influences? Your emotions, your soul, your past, your anger, your temper, your poverty, and your habits say, “Oh, that is just the way I am.” But when you know who you are in Christ, your spirit man rises up and says, “I have some new genes and I am going to wear my new genes!”

Confession: I am in Christ. I am redeemed. I am righteous. I am saved. I am triumphant. I am blessed. I am healed. I have a new champion bloodline! I have been born of God!

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GOD’S GENETIC ENGINEERING

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Your problem is in your genes. Mark Hankins

One of the things that determine what you are and your potential in life is genetic determinism. Genetic determinism simply means that your parents made you what you are. Your problem is in your genes.

However, if you have been born again, you have a whole new genetic structure. God has placed a new gene in you! Y ou have been regenerated. God connected your genetic structure to the Lord Jesus Christ. The same qualities He put in Christ, He put in you.

When you get born again, the devil has no evidence against you. He tries to bring his evidence before the throne of God and says, “I have this to prove that person did this and that.” God says, “Let’s check the DNA. No, that is not the same person. That person is dead and gone.” You are literally a brand-new creation in Christ Jesus!

Confession: I have been born again therefore I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. The old things in my life are passed away and everything has become new! The devil has no evidence against me. God has placed the same qualities in me as He placed in Christ!

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