WARRIOR, THIS STEP IS VITAL THROUGHOUT YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE STARTING FROM SALVATION & NEVER ENDING UNTIL YOUR GLORIFICATION. AT WHICH TIME, IDENTIFICATION WILL NOT BE A PROBLEM, BECAUSE YOU SHALL BE LIKE YOUR SWEET, LOVING, JESUS. IN THE MEANTIME, IDENTIFICATION IS A PROBLEM. WE LIVE IN A WORLD FILLED WITH THOSE WHO ARE DEAD SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF AN MAJOR IDENTITY CRISIS. WOMAN OF GOD, DO NOT THINK FOR ONE SECOND, THAT GOD’S WARRIORS HAVE SOMEHOW AVOIDED THIS IDENTITY CRISIS. IN FACT, GOD’S PEOPLE EVERYWHERE FAIL ON A DAILY BASIS TO IDENTIFY WITH THEIR SWEET, LOVING, JESUS, FALLING INTO THE SNARES OF SATAN, WHO WANTS US TO IDENTIFY WITH THIS WORLD, WANTS US TO IDENTIFY WITH THE FLESH, & ULTIMATELY WANTS US TO IDENTIFY WITH HIM. HE IS THE GREAT IMITATOR, HE WANTS TO BE JUST LIKE GOD, SO HE WANTS TO CREATE US IN THE IMAGE OF HIM, JUST LIKE GOD CREATED US IN HIS IMAGE. LOOK AROUND, WARRIOR, IT IS EVIDENTLY CLEAR WHO IS GETTING WHO TO LOOK LIKE WHO. IN THIS SECTION, WE WILL GIVE YOU SIMPLE STEPS TO TAKE TO HELP YOU AVOID THIS BECOMING A CRISIS IN YOUR LIFE.
STEP #1: IDENTIFY YOUR OLD IMAGE! WARRIOR, JAMES SAID TO NOT FORGET THE FORMER MAN “For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.” (JAMES 1:24) WARRIOR, YOU DO NOT NEED TO DWELL IN YOUR PAST BY NO MEANS, BUT YOU NEED NOT FORGET WHO YOU WERE AS TO ENSURE YOU DO NOT SLIP BACK INTO YOUR OLD SELF. THIS IS ABOUT IDENTIFYING THE WRONG IN YOUR LIFE THAT IS THE YOU IN YOUR LIFE & NOT ALLOWING THAT PERSON TO LIVE YOUR LIFE. THIS MEANS WE MUST CLEARLY IDENTIFY WHEN I AM OPERATING IN THE PERSON OF “ME” VERSUS OPERATING IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST, REMEMBERING THAT ME & MY SWEET LOVING JESUS ARE NOTHING ALIKE. THE SPIRIT OR CHRIST IN ME, THE HOPE OF GLORY, IS CONTRARY TO MY FLESH & WE MUST BE WEARY OF GIVING PLACE TO OUR OLD WOMAN. STEP #1, IDENTIFY YOUR OLD IMAGE!
STEP #2: MORTIFY YOUR OLD IMAGE! WARRIOR, THE BIBLE SAYS IN COLOSSIANS 3:5-8, “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (VS. 5) For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:” (VS. 6) “In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.” (VS. 7) “But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.” (COLOSSIANS 3:5-8) MORTIFY MEANS TO DESTROY THE ORGANIC TEXTURE & VITAL FUCTIONS OF SOME PART OF A LIVING ANIMAL. WARRIOR, THAT IS THE PART THAT IS THE OLD YOU. IT IS IDENTIFIED IN SCRIPTURE AS THE FLESH, AS THE OLD WOMAN, AS THE OUTER WOMAN. WE ARE TOLD TO BRING IT UNDER ALL SUBJECTION, TO SUBDUE, TO DEPRESS, TO DESTROY THE ACTIVE POWERS OR ESSENTIAL QUALITIES OF SAID ENTITY. WE REALIZE WE HAD SAID THESE WOULD BE SIMPLE STEPS, WE DID NOT SAY THAT DOING THIS WOULD BE SIMPLE. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO LEARN TO CRUCIFY THE FLESH, TO BURY THE OLD YOU, TO LEAVE THEM IN THE GRACE, & TO NEVER DIG THEM UP AGAIN AS MUCH AS LIETH WITHIN YOU. WE MUST PRAY DAILY THAT OUR FATHER WOULD HELP US TO BE CRUCIFIED, TO BE DEAD TO SELF, ALIVE UNTO HIM. THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS TO MORITFY OUR OLD IMAGE. WE OUGHT TO DO EVERYTHING IN GOD’S POWER TO DO AWAY WITH OUR OLD IMAGE. STEP #2, MORTIFY YOUR OLD IMAGE!
STEP #3: EXEMPLIFY YOUR NEW IMAGE! WARRIOR, THE BIBLE SAYS, “PUT YE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.” IT SAYS THAT WE ARE TO HAVE OUR LIVES HID IN CHRIST & TO SHINE IN HIS IMAGE. THE WORD EXEMPLIFY MEANS TO SHOW OR ILLUSTRATE THE LIFE AND/OR CONVERSATION OF ANOTHER. IT IS FROM THE ROOT WORD, EXAMPLE. IT MEANS TO COPY, TO IMITATE, OR TO REFLECT & WE MUST DO ALL OF THE ABOVE CONCERNING OUR SWEET, LOVING, JESUS. THIS WILL REQUIRE US BEING ADORNED IN THE WORD-ROBE. WE AS LADIES LOVE FASHION, (& WE KNOW YOU GUYS DO TOO), THE LORD HAS GIVEN US A BIBLE FILLED WITH WHAT IS IN FASHION FOR THE BELIEVER OR EVERYTHING WE NEED TO LOOK JUST LIKE JESUS. JESUS IS THE WORD THAT WAS MADE FLESH & DWELT AMONG US, THEREFORE, WARRIOR, WE MUST BE THE FLESH THAT WAS MADE THE WORD BY DWELLING IN JESUS. WE ARE TO BE ADORNED IN THE BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. JESUS SAID, “NOW YOU ARE CLEAN THROUGH THE WORD WHICH I HAVE SPOKEN UNTO YOU.” EVERY VERSE THAT IS APPLIED TO OUR LIVES, IDENTIFIES US IN ONE MORE FASHION WITH OUR SWEET, LOVING JESUS. STEP #3, EXEMPLIFY YOUR NEW IMAGE!
STEP #4: TESTIFY! THIS IS ONE OF OUR BIGGEST DOWNFALLS IN MODERN DAY CHRISTIANITY. WE WILL MANY TIMES EMBRACE EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE, EXCEPT FOR THAT OF TESTIFYING OF OUR LORD & SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, BUT IF WE WANT TO EXCEL IN THE IDENTIFICATION PROCESS, WE MUST TAKE A LESSON FROM THE APOSTLE PAUL WHO WAS THE GREATEST HUMAN EXAMPLE WHEN IT COMES TO TURNING FROM THE OLD LIFE TO THE NEW LIFE. NEVER IN THE HISTORY OF MAN, HAS THERE EVER BEEN SUCH A DRASTIC, QUICK EMBRACING OF THE NEW LIFE IN CHRIST THAN THAT OF WHAT WE SEE IN THE APOSTLE PAUL, WHO ON THE ROAD OF DAMASCUS, DETERMINED TO PERSECUTE MORE CHRISTIANS, MET JESUS, & UPON CONVERSION, BEGAN TO PRODUCE MORE CHRISTIANS, LEAVING EVERYTHING BEHIND, PAUL IMMEDIATELY THE BIBLE SAYS BEGAN TO PREACH CHRIST. THIS IS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP OF EMBRACING YOUR NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST, FOR DEATH & LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE AND THEY THAT LOVE IT SHALL EAT THE FRUIT THEREOF. WARRIOR, MAY YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE FOR JESUS, & HE WILL FILL IT. IT IS OFTEN THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO PREACH & BOLDLY PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, WHO TEND TO MOST OFTEN IDENTIFY WITH HIM THE MOST. STEP #4, TESTIFY!
STEP #5: CRUCIFY! WARRIOR, WE REALIZE WE HAVE ALREADY DISCUSSED THE MORTIFICATION OF THE OLD MAN, THIS IS NOT DEALING WITH THE FLESH, BUT RATHER, THIS IS DEALING WITH THE WORLD. THE BIBLE SAYS IN GALATIANS 6:14-15, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (VS. 14) “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.” (GALATIANS 6:14-15) WE ARE TO BE CRUCIFIED TO THIS WORLD, & THE WORLD CRUCIFIED TO US. IF WE DO NOT SEE OURSELVES AS DEAD TO THIS WORLD, IF WE DO NOT TAKE UP OUR CROSS DAILY FOLLOWING OUR SWEET, LOVING, JESUS, IF WE DO NOT SET OUR AFFECTIONS ON THINGS ABOVE, LAYING UP FOR OURSELVES TREASURES IN HEAVEN, LEAVING THIS OLD WORLD BEHIND, LONG BEFORE WE EVER ACTUALLY LEAVE IT, WE WILL FAIL TO FULLY EMBRACE OUR TRUE NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST & BEGIN TO IDENTIFY WITH THIS WORLD. THIS IS THE FINAL STEP IN OUR WARRIOR IDENTIFICATION PROCESS, BUT PLEASE NOTE, THAT THESE STEPS MUST BE TAKEN ON A DAILY MOMENT BY MOMENT BASIS. STEP #5, CRUCIFY!
fiercekingdomwarrior.wordpress.com 