Living By Faith

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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A MAN IN CHRIST IS A NEW CREATURE

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (John 5:11-12)

A man in Christ is a new kind of man—a new breed or species that
never existed before!
Mark Hankins

The Greek word translated “new” means “unheard of before.” It means new in quality or kind. A man in Christ is a new kind of man, a new breed, or species that never existed before. You are not just a forgiven sinner; you are a new creation with a new kind of life. A man in Christ is a partaker of the life and nature of God.

James Stewart put it this way, “This life which flows from God into man is something totally different from anything experienced on the natural plane. It is supernatural life. It makes man a new creation. It is not the intensification of powers already possessed, but the sudden emergence of an entirely new and original element.”

Confession: God has given me eternal life. I am not just a forgiven sinner, but a new creation with a new kind of life!

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A MAN IN CHRIST

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)

What Jesus did in His death, burial, and resurrection changed all of heaven and earth—seen and unseen!
Mark Hankins

Jesus did not go through the agony of the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection just to help us a little bit. What Jesus did in His death, burial and resurrection, changed all of heaven and earth — seen and unseen!
The world is constantly fantasizing about Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Hercules, the Bionic Woman, the Six Million Dollar Man, Jedi Knights, and the Incredible Hulk. Each of these individuals is an amazing specimen among us. Many stories have been told, but God has produced the real thing — the most amazing specimen of all. He has created a man in Christ. This is no man- made fantasy. God has made a new creature that is a sign and a wonder in this world!

As we feed on the Word, we partake of the same power that fueled these world-changing events two thousand years ago. A man in Christ is a world-changing man!

Confession: I am a world-changing man. I am a man in Christ. Jesus is Lord in my life!

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NEW IDENTITY

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:10)

Put off the old man, with his old ways of thinking, old actions,
and old attitudes.
Mark Hankins

Paul used these “in Christ” scriptures in Ephesians and Colossians to tell you what God has done for you in Christ. Begin to acknowledge these scriptures where Paul talked about who you are and what you have in Christ.

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 1:7)
And you hath he quickened. (Ephesians 2:1)
And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:6)
In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him. (Colossians 2:9-10)
For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Confession: I have a new identity. In Christ, I have redemption through His blood. In Christ I am complete!

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ACKNOWLEDGING EVERY GOOD THING IN CHRIST

My prayer is that your fellowship with us in our common faith may deepen the understanding of all the blessings that our union with Christ brings us.
(Philemon 6 New English Bible)

We cannot do anything without Him, but in Him, we can do anything!
Mark Hankins

What you are acknowledging must center around four main areas:

  1. What God has done for you in Christ Jesus in the plan of
    redemption.
  2. Who you are now and what you have now in Christ.
  3. What God can do through you by the Word and the Holy
    Spirit.
  4. What Jesus is doing for you now at the right hand of God.

Confession: I am putting off the old man, and I am putting on the new man with new clothes and new righteousness. In Him, I am redeemed. In Him, I am holy. In Him, I am strong. In Him, I am righteous now. The anointing is in me. I am putting on the new man with new behavior. I am walking in Christ. I live in Christ. I make no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. I put on the Lord Jesus Christ!

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