“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3).
I wonder what your perspective is on Eternal life?
A lot of times what people believe about “Eternal Life” is that it is a heavenly life. The life a good person gets to experience in heaven after death. Even many so-called “Christians”, including myself for a long time, believed the same until I started reading the Bible for myself.
A Christian is a person seated and reigning with Jesus Christ at the right hand of God. The Bible describes this position in Ephesians as “…far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:21).
As such the Eternal Life of Christ in a believer is bigger than sickness, disease, obstacle, even death and all the forces of hell cannot defeat a person in this union with Christ. Through the presence of the Holy Spirit living in a born again Christian God has deposited His ever increasing power and glory to overcome our human frailness to live-out our lives in the identity of Christ.
Many Christians do not know their worth and potential in this world because they do not understand the weight of the fullness of Christ life living in them. As a Christian everything that Christ is, you are in this present world (1 John 4:17) and everything Christ did you can do and even greater (John 14:12). In Christ we are made complete. God wants you to know who you are and live the fullness of Christ Life now in this world and throughout eternity.
I suppose the Big question to ask yourself as a Christian is, “What does Eternal Life mean to me and how can I live in this experience?”
For a start I will encourage you to commit to a regular daily Bible reading and prayer. In your quiet time with God, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give you understanding of the Scriptures. You are who God says YOU are and it is vitally important to meditate on the Word to see yourself as God sees you. I believe these four areas are very important if you want to develop confidence and get your identity in line with who God says you are:
1) Change How You Think About Yourself
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 nkjv)
What you think is who you are. The bible in Proverbs 23:7 says, “…as he thinks in his heart, so is he…” What people believe about themselves on the inside is what will manifest in their lives. Change starts on the inside before it can ever be seen on the outside. Therefore if you want to change what you believe about yourself you must change how you think.
The moment you are born again, you belong to Christ. It doesn’t matter how inadequate you feel about yourself, what matters is what the Word of God says about you. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” In Christ all our sins and guilt were laid on Jesus on the cross. Before God you have a clean slate and a new nature in the image of Jesus Christ. God sees you in Christ righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21).
You are no longer a carnal person who is a slave to sin, no longer a person controlled by the physical senses. If you want to know the will of God for your life and receive from God you must disconnect from the carnal mind of this world and connect with the Spiritual Mind of Christ
That is why the Bible tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2). The Word of God is a mirror reflection of how a Christian looks in the spirit. (James 1:22-23). The true identity of a believer is in the Word.
2) Change How You Speak About Yourself
“Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. (Mark 11:23)
In Genesis 17:4-5, Abraham was already 99 years old, Sarah his wife was 89 years and had never conceived. Yet God reaffirmed his promise to bless them with a son. In spite of old age God didn’t see them childless because God already promised that through Abraham’s seed all the nations on earth will be blessed.
But Abraham needed to change his image of himself in his mind. And so, God told Abraham to start calling himself the father of nations when there was no proof in the natural. And so Abraham changed what he was saying about himself and started to declare himself as the “father of nations”.
His Faith looked foolish in the natural because there was no physical evidence to support his confession. But Abraham believed God is a God who is able to bring dead things to life by the power of spoken word.
Sarah became pregnant and Isaac the promised child was born (Genesis 21:1-3). God is faithful to keep His promise! Without faith it is impossible to receive from God. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”.(Hebrews 11:1). Without faith we cannot receive the promises of God.
Faith comes from hearing the Word of God. Speaking the word renews the mind and strengthens us to stand firm to receive from God. Don’t focus on why it is not possible because God is able to move that mountain! Hold firm to your confession in faith.
3) Don’t Just Believe – Be A Doer Of The Word
“…But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:25).
The courage of the woman with the issue of blood in the Gospel in Mark 5:25-34 is outstanding. Her story is a good illustration that shows that it is not enough to believe but it is the demonstration faith that opens the door to the blessings of God.
This woman was subjected to excessive blood flow for 12 years. She had suffered a great deal and spent all her money trying to get cured but nothing worked. When she heard about Jesus, her faith came alive to believe for a miracle!
She believed and made the right confession. In Mark 5:28, She said to herself, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” But she didn’t get healed based on the fact that she believed and made faith confession. She did not get healed until she acted on her faith. She got her healing because she took corresponding action of faith.
Under the Jewish law in the day of Jesus, she was considered unclean and was not allowed to participate in public events because anyone who touches her becomes ceremonially unclean as well. She was weak, isolated, and subjected to being cut off as a punishment for breaking the law.
But this woman was desperate to receive her healing from God. She declined to give attention to people’s opinion about her. She pressed through the crowd to touch the cloth of Jesus. And the instant she did the blood flow stopped!
If she was not determined to make a demand to receive by pressing in to act on her faith, Jesus would have gone on without her receiving her miracle! God will work wonders in your situation when you believe and yield to walk in obedience to the Word of God. That is when you will be blessed. It is not enough to believe the word but we must also be a doer of the Word.
4) Hold Your Ground – Take Authority in Jesus Name!
“I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” (Luke 10:19).
On the Cross Jesus won the war but the battle is ongoing because the conflict with evil is not over. Satan is the head of the rebellious fallen angels who seek to undermine God’s plan for humanity. For this you must learn to take spiritual warfare seriously!
In Christ you have been made victorious over the works of the devil. But you must stay vigilant in the Spirit to hold your ground because the enemy wants to pull you down from your position of power and authority in Christ so as to defeat the purpose of God for your life.
But God has given you the power to resist and defeat the devil. James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Jesus has given you the authority to resist the devil in His Name. It is your responsibility to learn to hold your place of power. Exercising your spiritual right by taking authority over the enemy!
Conclusion
As a Christian God has given you a full and rewarding life in this world and for eternity through His Spirit living in you. When you face an impossible circumstance in life, don’t give up! Instead learn to speak the promises of God. Never allow what you see in the natural to control your decision. Instead, walk in the Spirit. Pray and meditate on the Word. Speaking the Word of God when you are in doubt will help you to stand bold, having confidence in God to overcome challenges of life. Faith in God triumphs over the world. Let God be your first priority and His Word the final authority on which you settle all issues in life.
God bless you.