The key to living the life God wants each of us to live is found in having our identity rooted in Christ. Learn more in this week’s blog written by guest minister, Tonya McKinley.
What does treasure hunting have to do with Identity?
2 Corinthians 4:7 says, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”
Seems like the hunt is over, it is in earthen vessels. But what are these earthen vessels? They are our bodies, you and I are earthen vessels. We were created from the dust of the earth, from dirt and then filled with God’s Spirit and this is what the treasure is, God’s Glory/His Spirit. When we were reborn in the Spirit, we became the light of the Lord in our inner man.
Have you ever wondered how you are supposed to live a life walking in the Spirit? How do I control my body and my emotions? How do I tell myself not to sin because it leads to death, but it looks so good or so fun?
We don’t do it alone. Just like the scripture says above, “that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” The word for excellence is translated from a Greek word that means far more, exceeding, beyond measure. This means that the power within us, the treasure, is superior to what we can imagine. It is far more than we will ever need. The power is the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead and it lives in us, ready for us to use it. And it is from God and it has nothing to do with us. We don’t have to do anything in our own power, it is only the Spirit within us.
I was studying Romans 8 the other day, and I was reading it from the perspective of my Spirit man. Let’s take a look:
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body, like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body, God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit- if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. (NLT)
I bolded a few things I wanted to point out. First of all, the life-giving Spirit lives in us and has freed us from the power of sin. It no longer has a hold over us. Through Jesus, God declared an END to sin’s control over us! We are free to follow the Spirit man inside of us. When we allow the spirit to control us, we have a life of peace, and we have no obligation to do what our “flesh” wants us to do! Amen!!!
We are free, my sisters! But how do we live by the Spirit? We keep our minds and eyes on Jesus. We renew our minds daily with the Word of God. We remind ourselves what the Word says about us and who we are in Christ Jesus.
Remember when Jesus was walking on the water and Peter saw him and said “If that is you Jesus, bid me come.” And Jesus said to come on out. Peter did just that, he stepped out on the water and was walking toward Jesus. But as soon as he got his eyes off of Jesus and started looking at the waves he became afraid and began to sink. Of course, Jesus and his grace was there to take his hand and pull him up. (Matthew 14:28-31). But then Jesus asked Peter a question, “Why did you doubt?”
I ask myself that a lot, wondering why my faith is so small and it fails me. But then I realize that I am letting my mind and emotions control me and I begin to doubt God’s Word. I start looking around at my circumstances and I start listening to my symptoms or all the naysayers around me and I immediately sink.
Sisters, it is time to start living by our Spirit and casting down our body. It is time to bring our emotions under control and not allow them to tell us how we are feeling. Smith Wigglesworth said, “I don’t ask my body how it feels. I TELL my body how it feels.” We need to speak to the outside what is on the inside of us. Dig out the treasure that is in you.
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Luke 6:45. You cannot speak the Word too much. Quote the Word of God when in doubt, it will help you focus on His power that is within you.
Remember to not tell God how big your storm is, tell the storm how big your God is!!
