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For so long now man has had a "distorted image" of themselves. They look at themselves with their own critical eye and believe that God is against them because of their failures. They believe that God is some kind of ogre that lives under a bridge and is going to get them because they sinned. Their self-image of themselves has been brought on by condemnation of the devil (false teachings from the pulpit), causing them to think negatively, believe negatively, and to talk negatively, thus deceiving their heart.

John 8:32 says; "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free." It is knowledge of the truth that sets you free by breaking that crippling hold the enemy has had on our lives.

In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus quoting from Isaiah 61:1 when he said; "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised; to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." I believe that Jesus DID accomplish this. When He said "it is finished" on the cross, He completes His task. He preached that now is the year of the Lord, not off in the distant future. Now is the day to hear the Good News. Now is the time to apply all of this to our lives. And the Apostle Paul continued this in Ephesians 4:8 by saying; "When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive..." Captivity, as meaning an abstract for the body of captives. The captives are not "the redeemed," but the enemies of Christ's kingdom, Satan, Sin, and Death. The phrase "led captivity captive" is used in the Old Testament to signify a conquest over enemies, especially over such as formerly had led others; see Judges 5:12. Captivity is here put for captives, and signifies all out spiritual enemies, who brought us into captivity before. He conquered those who had conquered us; such as sin, the devil, and death. Indeed, He triumphed over these on the cross; but the triumph was completed at His ascension, when HE BECAME LORD OVER ALL, and had the keys of death and hell put into His hands.

Paul said in Colossians 2:15 (Amplified Bible); "(God) Disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us and made a bold display and public example of them, in triumphing over them in Him and in it (the cross)."

Unless the church can realize that we have all these in Christ NOW, they will be crippled for life, for it is the knowledge of truth that sets man free. And when the knowledge of truth is received, then they must be a doer of that truth. By doing what the Word says, and thinking as God thinks and seeing yourself as God sees you, you allow God's Word to build your self-image. Yes, this is how God actually sees you, because He believes in what Jesus completed on the cross. He does not see you any other way. If He did, He would not recognize the work that Jesus did. Now don't take me wrong, if you are a sinner, you are just that and that's how God sees you. Unless you receive Jesus as your savior, you are a sinner! Once you receive Jesus (Now)! Church, this is important! Too many of God's people are still waiting for a future event to walk in the full work of Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:8 says; "He that committeth sin is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." Brothers and Sisters, I believe that Jesus destroyed the works (sin and death, sickness, etc.) of the devil! I believe he done it on Calvary, He done it for now. People are waiting for this to happen in heaven. Don't they know that they won't need all this in heaven. They need to walk in it now! Hebrews 2:14-15 says; "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." I don't know how you understand this but to me it speaks great things. To me it says that Jesus identified Himself with us to destroy the power the devil had over us!

Hebrews 3:1 says; "Wherefore holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling..." Look how he addresses us as "holy brethren." How can we see ourselves any different if we are Christians? Maybe we cannot see ourselves this way because we don't believe that Jesus did what he did on the cross! And then he said "partakers of the heavenly calling." That tells me not to be carnal in my thinking but be spiritual (heavenly) in my thinking. Remember Jesus could not do any good work in his own country because of their unbelief! Verse 14 says that "we are made partakers of Christ." I think this means NOW.

I believe what Jesus did, He did for us now. James 1:22-25 says; "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." By getting into the Word of God, you can see yourself the way God sees you.

Are we like this man that sees who they are in the word, but does not speak his faith and never establishes that image within himself? Do we continuously talk negatively, think negatively, and believe negatively? It takes time to get the Word in you and if you don't take that time to get the truth in you the devil will come along and steal the word (seed) that was planted in you. It takes time to get established!

You cannot fulfill God's purpose for you in the Kingdom by not seeing yourself the way God sees you. The way that Jesus made for you. John 10:7 says; "Jesus said ...I am the door of the sheep." That tells me that there is only one way. Out denomination is not the way; our religion is not the way. Jesus is the way. Denomination and religion are man made. The dictionary defines religion as; "a way designed by man to get to God." And the denomination is just a numbering system used to number the ones just like them or to put a name to them. Actually they bring divisions to the body of Christ. It's a sad note but none the less true. Denominations can't get along with each other. Always warring against each other. The same with religions, all wars are started by religions and people of different ethnic backgrounds.

We must "cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." We must cast down that imagination that puts an image inside you that is contrary to what God's Word says. Quit trying to see yourself as a poor sinner saved by grace. You were a sinner and by God's grace you were saved, and 1 John 3:2 says; "Beloved, now are we the sons of God,.." And 2 Corinthians 5:17 says; "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." The old things are the old man or old lifestyle we used to be and the new man is the "begotten of God", the new creation in Christ Jesus or as the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:4-6; "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." This lets me know that God has no intentions in putting up with denominations and religions. If your god is your denomination which is teaching that you are the only one going to heaven....RUN! RUN away from that as fast as you can.

We must see ourselves as the son's of God (1John 3:2), as righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21), as holy (Hebrews 12:10), as kings (Revelation 1:6), as priests (Revelation 1:6), as walking in the spirit continually (Galatians 5:16), and children of light (Galatians 5:8). The list goes on and on about the truths of who we are in Christ. Remember, Jesus said it was completed (past tense). We have the Great One living inside us. Jesus said in John 17:23; "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in times past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) Ephesians 2; 1-2-4.

We were held under the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience (the spirit of anti-Christ), but Jesus made us alive with Him and caused us to sit together with Him. (Ephesians 2:5-6)

Ephesians 4:11-13 says; "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Sons of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." Notice, He didn't say the unity of the doctrine, he said faith. The Amplified Bible says, "that it might develop" until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God; that (we might arrive) at really mature manhood - the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ's own perfection - the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, and the completeness found in Him. This is how God sees us. Should we see or be any less?

Proverbs 6:2 says; "Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth." Words are the most powerful thing in the universe. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Hebrews 11:3) Let's speak faith filled words. "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony..." (Revelation 12:11)

Proverbs 18:21(Amplified Bible) says; "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge it shall eat the fruit of it (for death or life)."

 

David Peoples