Identity

Taken from a quote in a message:
"Jesus was intent about His disciples knowing who He was and who they are in Christ because there's a real devil and a real Jesus and they're both playing for keeps, we just forget it many times."

Woah! You know when somebody just says something that hits you in a way, as if you've never heard it before?! I mean, what does that mean.."Jesus was intent about His disciples knowing who He was"? Wasn't that the whole point!! The whole time Jesus was among the disciples they were trying to figure out who he was. I think of the disciples words in Mt. 8: "who is this man? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" And Peter's confession of Christ later on when Jesus asked about who people were saying He was and who the disciples believed him to be: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" Peter answered.

And who were they in Christ? Jesus was trying to teach them. Take the instance in Mark 9: the streets are crowded as people are surrounding Jesus-a man comes up to him and says: my son "is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech..I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not" (vv.14-18). Later the disciples asked Jesus: "why couldn't we drive it out?" He replied, "this kind can come out only by prayer".

In other words, if you had been living a life of prayer like I've been showing you day in and day out you would have been able to do as I do. But why should it matter to them to do as He did? Because, "Jesus wants to reproduce Himself in His followers"-quote from the message.

But WHY is it so important that we become who we are in CHRIST? Why is it so important that I do as Christ did? Because (quote above) "there's a real devil and a real Jesus and they're both playing for keeps..." If we don't understand who we are in CHRIST, the devil will come in and take what is his.

Examples:
The demon couldn't be cast out cuz the disciples hadn't prayed.
You can't talk to a friend about Christ cuz you don't walk in the boldness of the Spirit.
The woman in your church can't be healed from arthritis cuz you don't believe Jesus' words that He'd use YOU.
You won't prophecy or speak in tongues in church because you're afraid, or you think you aren't qualified enough.
You won't go where He's asked you to go, cuz the worries and fears hold you back, even though God has told you you can do it.
You don't believe what God said in His word about not forsaking you, so you doubt He is there.
You doubt your confidence in prayer, therefore you don't receive what you ask for, according to His will.
(The devil would love to rob you of your inheritance as a son or daughter).

Apart from Christ I may be nothing, and I wouldn't be greater than the devil, but in CHRIST "the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in [me]"Rom. 8:11..."Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world"-I Jn. 4:4. But see, if I don't know that, the devil has room to come in and mess with me.

KNOW WHO GOD IS, KNOW WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST,
LIVE FOR JESUS...FOR KEEPS!