Monday, June 6, 2011

Dead Man Walking

Gal 2:20 declares that I am crucified with Christ. That means if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are born again and that the old you and me is dead, and the person that is now living in my body is Jesus. I want you to understand this important fact, that unless your old man (your flesh, the old you) is crucified and hanging on the cross, you will be unable to do what God has commanded His Children to do and that is, "the just SHALL live by faith" (Heb 10:38). If you are struggling with living by faith, there is one reason for it. The old man has come down off that cross and chooses to reign and rule in your life instead of allowing Jesus to. To walk in faith, the old man must be crucified. Unless you understand this, you will struggle with faith. Faith is not only believing in something, but it's doing what you believe. And you'll never be able to live by faith in God's Word unless you are dead and hanging on the cross, and Jesus is living through you. Meditate on Gal 2:20 until God teaches you this Truth.

My faith in Him (Jesus) empowers me to live by the faith of Him. You will only see this Truth revealed in the King James version of Gal 2:20. I believe the original writers interrupted this verse more accurately than all the later versions. "I live by the faith of the Son of God" rather than "live by faith in the Son of God". There is a huge difference between the two. The first one leads to action, the second one doesn't.

To believe "in Him" leads me to "act just like Him". To many of God's people stop at believing "in Him", and don't take the next step of "living like Him." Believing "in Him" will change my heart and mind. "Living like Him" will change my circumstances. Believing "in Him" (only) won't calm the wind and the seas (the storms of life), but "living like Him" (living by faith) will.

I not only live by faith "in" the Son of God, I live "by" the faith of the Son of God. The Church has always focused on the "believing in" the Son of God, but it is rare to find the one who believes "in Him" enough to "act like Him" by living his life by the faith of the Son of God.

The devil has no problem with the one who believes "in Him", it's the one who lives by the faith of the Son of God (the one who lives just like Jesus lived--by faith) that is dangerous to him (satan and his kingdom).

Believe "in Him", so that you can act "just like Him". This is God's purpose for man and the kind of man that God desires to fellowship with and spend eternity with. Go beyond believing "in Him" to acting just "like Him" and be what the Church was always intended to be--God's presence on the Earth, reigning and ruling over all of God's creation.

Are you ready for that next step? Then you must be crucified with Christ and allow Jesus to live through you. It's the most exciting way a man could ever live, "Just like Jesus".

Be Blessed!!!