This morning, my thoughts go to the very meaning of New Life, an overcomer. Jesus is saying that “if” we overcome “as He” overcame – “then” we will share His throne. But what did Jesus overcome? And how did Jesus overcome? Jesus overcame this old creation – ultimately through His death and resurrection. So that is what we must overcome – the old creation – through death to self, carnal desire.
We must continually die out daily of our own ambitions of this carnal life and be raised with Him spiritually with a new spirit, yes, a new life in Him.
In other words, we have to lose our lives to find His – in and through us. We must die out to self, daily; that of living a life of holiness and righteousness, which only comes with keeping Christ in us, through faith. God communicates to us through the Holy Spirit, His Word, and prayer. Again, this is never accomplished by confessing that you have authority. It is not accomplished by speaking the right words.
So, we see that instead of God giving us authority in a way that makes us something, a big shot…God first crucifies all the self out of us, and then we are able to be trusted with His authority. But even then, it is not an independent authority. We are seated IN CHRIST. Yes, we become as He is. Thus, because He is Lord over us, we operate within His will and His purpose through the working of the Holy Spirit. That is the sole means by which we are raised and seated with Christ in heavenly places – which is the seat of authority.
Let’s look at some scriptures that support this truth. When we are in Christ…1 John 4:1-2, 2, Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God (KJV). Here, we see he was referring to the work of the Holy Spirit. John wasn’t saying that everyone who says those words is anointed of God. Rather, John is stating that only the Holy Spirit can bring a person to a true confession of Jesus as their Lord, because only can the Holy Spirit bring the believer “under” Jesus as Lord in a real and practical way. This is nothing more than another way of stating that Christ is in us, and the impact of Christ in us is going to be Jesus is Lord in us. The Holy Spirit is going to be in the process of tearing down every part of us that is not under Jesus as Lord – and bringing all those dimensions of our being under His governing life.
Are you willing to STAY under the guidance of your new spirit? We must be willing to stay under the submission of our new spirit. This is where the “cross” is needed here. Then we will be operating, both inwardly and outwardly, according to God’s will, and as He originally intended man to live. In Him, we live, move, and have our being.
Can you see that unless we die out of self, daily and take up the Cross, daily, that the power of Christ cannot move through us? How can we think that the Holy Spirit has come simply to hand us a “thing” called the power of God?
At some point, these teachings emerge because the people teaching them have personally refused the Cross of Jesus Christ and that of dying out of all self. New Movements has many dimensions and relationships with other false doctrines. But all of them are the result of claiming the believer’s authority, all the while denying the “means” – the believer’s responsibility to pick up his Cross daily.
Do you see that it is all about Christ in us. “None of me” but “all of Him” …Christ in me…in you…in US
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