Do you have a nagging thought or feeling that you just can’t seem to shake? Perhaps an addiction, or sin that seems to persist despite your best efforts? Some camps within Christianity would claim that this is a sign of demon possession or that you need a spiritual intervention, usually in the form of a special deliverance or healing.
Such rhetoric can breed a lot of fear and uncertainty, leading to thinking that there’s something wrong with you, or that you’re not even saved.
Countless Christians have lost hope or given up entirely because of these ideas; so today we will explore how to truly break strongholds, through our union with Christ.
Understanding Your New Nature
I mentioned in last week’s video that we have a tendency to turn deliverance into a work, instead of the receiving of God’s grace. That’s actually a common thing. The typical response to a persistent sin is to try harder, grip tighter, and jump through all kinds of spiritual hoops in an attempt to conquer what they perceive as spiritual weakness. Therein lies the problem… any apparent failure means that there’s something wrong with your spiritual health. This thought often leads the person down a rabbit hole of trying different Christian methods to combat the sin. Fasting, prayer, more bible reading, and special deliverance conferences.
Now, there is nothing wrong with reading more scripture, prayer, even fasting as long as it’s done with a spirit-directed new covenant mindset… so please don’t hear what I’m not saying.
But when approached from the perspective of “fixing a problem” we miss the primary truth about our spiritual identity; our new nature in Christ.
The gospel truth for everyone who is reborn as a new creation in Christ is that sin has already been conquered, your flesh (old identity) is already dead. You died on the cross with Christ according to Romans 6:8, 2nd Timothy 2:11, Galatians 2:20, and others.
So the “sin problem” has already been dealt with through Christ. You are not called to conquer a defeated foe, or to fight a battle that’s already won— what the scripture does call us to do is fight the good fight of faith, and stand in the truth, specifically the truth of Christ, our new identity and nature in Him.
Living Your Reborn Identity
So what does the fight of faith look like? It begins (and ends) with the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. A lot of Christians have been inadequately taught that Jesus’ sacrifice only opened the way to go to heaven in the future. But Jesus is not only the way, He is also the truth and the life. The truth, is first and foremost the truth of your new covenant created identity in Him. Jesus expresses this fact clearly and powerfully in John chapter 17, when He says in verse 17 that we are sanctified (set apart, made holy) in the truth (remember, Jesus is the truth).
So what’s He saying? We are sanctified, made holy, in Christ! He’s speaking about our new identity, being reborn into Him; born again in Christ. He continues in verse 21 by saying we are in Christ, and He in us, and we are one, as He and the Father are one.
This is the foundation of your reality in Christ and true authentic deliverance; and those two things cannot be separated. You see, there really isn’t anything “wrong” with you anymore. Jesus finished the work, redeemed you from the curse, stamped out sin, and disarmed the enemy.
So what’s going on? As we have discussed previously, the enemy is doing the only thing he can do as a defeated and disarmed foe: lying to you. Satan is holding up a fun-house mirror with a distorted image, and trying to distract and deceive you into a position of unrest. As long as you think there is something wrong with you… as long as you’re afraid of losing your salvation, being possessed, or otherwise failing God in some way, then your heart will never be at peace, and you will be condemned in your mind, and you will sabotage your own communion with God. He will not move away, He’s still right where He’s at, but just like Adam and Eve in the Garden, He’ll be calling, but you’ll be running away. And before you even realize it, you’ll start to perceive your spiritual identity by the circumstances of life and your current performance level, rather than the truth of the Gospel and Christ’s finished work.
Living in union with God is only possible when you and Him are in agreement, and the primary subject of that agreement revolves around Jesus, and what He accomplished personally for you. The fact that you are righteous, holy, blameless, and above reproach. In short, Jesus has reconciled us to Himself and the Father. (Colossians 1:22)
So, as someone who is righteous by the blood of Jesus, redeemed completely, and made holy not of yourself but by the sacrifice of Christ, why are you identifying with circumstances and performance rather than what Jesus has made you?
When those unwanted thoughts, feelings, and circumstances come your way, you don’t own it as being you, and that there’s something wrong with you, but rather, you righteously and powerfully just walk right-passed it like a stranger in a crowd, because it’s not who you are anymore. You’ve been born again, and the devil’s illusions have no real power or voice in your life any longer.
We’re going to continue this more next week. And I look forward to thriving with you again as we see more of Jesus together.
Be blessed.