The Holy Spirit spoke to me in behalf of Jesus with this prophetic word that I want to pass on to you, for your comfort, encouragement and exhortation. The Spirit of the Redeemer, Jesus, wants us to be reminded of what He did for us and what we have access to, as well as to be aware of who we are because of whose we are!
He said, "As you were, so I became, and as I am, so you've become! I became united with you and identified with your sin, failure, rebellion, curse, disease, sickness, oppression, and defeat. I did this through the ordeals of Calvary, so that upon my resurrection and in your new-birth, you've been united with Me and are fully identified with My nature, life, Spirit, righteousness, and perfection! I became sin to make you righteous. I took your unholiness upon myself to give you my holiness. I was cursed as I hung upon the cross and you have been delivered from all curses! I was rejected by God as I became the scapegoat and the lamb of God, so that you'll never be rejected from Him, His kingdom, or His presence! And I will never leave you nor forsake you! I became poor and impoverished as I hung upon the tree at Golgotha, in order to set you free from poverty and to cause you to flourish in life! I became united with the diseases and sicknesses of the spirit, soul, and body of fallen mankind, so that I could impart life, health, healing, and wholeness to all that call upon Me. I also swallowed spiritual death, as it swallowed my life at death, so that spiritual death, hell, and condemnation would have no power over you ever again! In the great exchange of redemption, I became oppressed in your behalf, with your afflictions, so that you can be exalted in My victory over all affliction and that you may abide in My salvation of you forever! So, I have become your righteousness, holiness, justification, glorification, and your salvation! In Me you live, move, and have your being, your total being, and your eternal being. I am your life, your victory, your righteousness, your redemption, and your success in life. I abide in you, you abide in Me, and together, forever, we are more than conquerers! So celebrate life, celebrate redemption, celebrate eternity, and celebrate Me, for I surely do celebrate you!"
Bible references and notations on spiritual identification: Acts 17:28 for In him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are indeed his offspring.'
Colossians 2:9,10 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
Colossians 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
1 John 4:17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
Everything we have as Christians, is from the Father, by Jesus, through the Holy Spirit!
Our total spiritual identity is in Jesus!
We have nothing separate from Father, Son, and Spirit in our sonship and servanthood!
In the great exchange of redemption, He identified fully with the spiritual condition of fallen mankind, and we are fully and eternally identified with Him and His perfection!
At Calvary, Jesus became totally united and identified with sinful man so that in our New-birth, we became totally united & identified with Him and His glory!
As our substitute at Golgotha, the Lamb of God received, absorbed, and carried off all of God's anger, punishment, and chastisement that was due to fallen man.
Once Jesus became identified as the carrier and bearer of our sin before God, it was put away from before God: We can never again be identified with sin by God: We have been permanently identified as being His righteousness, in union with Jesus!
Neither sin, condemnation, nor satanic forces have dominion over you or authority against you! As you were, Jesus became, and as He is, you forever are, and you lord over the powers of darkness!
Christopher Longgrear (D.Min., Ph.D.) of Fresh Fire Ministries International is senior pastor of Fresh Fire Church in Marietta, Parkersburg and Athens. Thoughts of Faith is a weekly column written by various ministers and lay people. To participate call 376-5446.
