Christ Living Through You

I was witnessing to a young lady yesterday while at the register in a store, and she was telling me that she also is a Christian, but then she said, “It’s so hard to be a Christian.” And I replied, “Why is that?” And she said, “Well, I’m always battled by the devil.”

So, I explained to her that it is when we’re sitting on the fence that it’s hard; actually quite uncomfortable. But when we put our full weight into the Kingdom of God, we walk with so much more confidence, peace, faith, and there is an authority that we carry, when used correctly, that the devil is afraid of.

I said, “the way it works is quite simple. When you become a Christian, you are a totally new creature, you are no longer yourself because your old self was crucified with Christ and it is now Christ Who lives in you. You’ve made Him your Lord. Your old man is out of the way. Your emotions, your old way of thinking, are no longer. You are taking on God’s passionate love for the lost and your whole approach to things is renewed by the Word of God.” (Rom 12:2)

That’s why Christ came; to bring the Kingdom of God on earth. We live in the kingdom of light, no longer in the kingdom of darkness. So, once you fully take on that new identity and fully walk in the authority that God has given you to destroy the works of the devil, you are walking in a very powerful authoritative attitude. You’re faith-full, trust-full, assured, and confident because He is trust-worthy. You’re not on the defensive. You are enforcing a victory–His victory.

The part that is hard on the flesh is when you get rejected by the world, or by family and friends. Your family could become your foes…it’s a promise by Jesus, “A man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” (Mt 10:36). Tribulation is actually promised: “In the world, you shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33). And Jesus also said, “Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Mat 5:12). Yes, it can be hard on the flesh in the carnal emotions. But remember your old man is no longer, it’s dead. You are hidden in Christ (Col.3:3). All the devil sees is Jesus. Your new man is filled with Christ.

There is a spiritual warfare, but you must fight it through your new identity. Remember how David fought Goliath; he didn’t go in his own self-assurance, but assured the giant of his defeat first, for coming against God with defiance.

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.“ (1Sam.17:45-47).

The devil doesn’t really have any power over you for as long as you operate in the authority that has been invested in you. You have power over fear. You have a “power of attorney”, the name of Jesus, the name above all names (Phil 2:9), that allows you to enforce the will of God on earth. That’s the whole point and purpose of Christ restoring the Kingdom of God on earth. You are given, through the Holy Spirit which Christ sent us, the same gift, the same authority, and identity in which Jesus operated when on the earth. You have found something worth living for, and you’re willing to die for it.

I can understand why it would be hard to be a Christian if we do not walk in the new identity God gives us; if we know these things and don’t do them, then our conscience condemns us. And we end up not really being who we claim to be. There’s a double identity inside of us: the one who knows the truth and the one who disobeys.

But when we realize that Christ lives in us, and that we are fully possessed by His Spirit of love, our old identity is no longer, we are renewed by the truth of God’s Word and our life is filled with joy insurmountable, with peace that passes all understanding, with love that casts out fear, with light that casts out darkness, with truth that refutes lies and with a serenity that reflects eternal rest–the Sabbath rest– and we have so much to give. We become the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Truly, it becomes effortless.

We’re not constantly battling the old man, he’s dead. That’s the point and purpose of renewing our mind (Rom12:1,2). We don’t just put on an air, we put on Christ; that’s what the “new man” is. You’re simply a new person, a new creature possessed with the light, the love and the truth of God. It really does change everything.