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Weak to be Strong

Paul said, "I die daily," to the Corinthians, a people that didn't know a whole lot about dying. Those people were into living, partying, and the self life. If you are a new creature, then there has to be a relationship to Jesus in His death to the self life. Romans 6 makes it very clear that if we were crucified with Him, then we will be raised with Him--the identification with the resurrection power of Christ. We need to understand that there is no good thing in us. Without Him I can do nothing, but I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (John 15:5; Phil. 4:13). Only when I'm weak can His strength be perfected in me.

If we want to know the power of God, we must be emptied of all of our own power and strength. We need to walk in that resurrection power by disassociating ourselves with all things that are natural. As Paul said, "I count all things loss, dung, refuse. Everything that I used to have confidence in is waste--it's worthless to me--that I might win Christ" (Phil. 3:8). Is that our testimony today, or is there still a tendency to trust and boast in anything in the natural? So many of us trust in possessions and positions. Why would you trust in that? You didn't earn it. Everything you have God gave you. Do you know that everything you possess--every breath you take, every ounce of your strength--is a gift of God? Our boast then has to be in Him alone.

"For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is [was and is] crucified with him, [as long as you're still identifying with Christ, as long as you are dying daily]...the body of sin [then is] destroyed, [and you are no longer the servant of] sin" (Rom. 6:5-6). Whenever sin begins to dominate you again, it's because you are not crucified; you are not remaining in that position of dependency and humility. You are not reckoning yourself dead to sin and alive to Jesus Christ. You're beginning to trust in your own strength.

"For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death..." As long as we can identify with His death, then we shall know the likeness of the glory and the power of His resurrection! Many of us want to experience the resurrection power, but we don't want to identify with the humility of the death, the emptying of ourselves. God's power is not available to you until you're powerless. Are you ready to become absolutely vulnerable today? "I've got to protect myself. There's a devil out there. People out there are trying to take advantage of me. If I don't take care of myself, then nobody else will." What an insult to your heavenly Father who has given us everything that pertains to life and godliness!

Our lifestyles are such that our doctrine is becoming of no effect. We teach our kids one thing, but live a life that far out-speaks our doctrine--of independence, of dependence upon stuff, of love of material things--anything but the cross! As parents, we use every ounce of our strength every day to keep our children from going to the cross, the very place they need to be. Our decisions are made to keep them from the cross--from pain, death to self, humiliation, the fear of lack! Beloved, we need to point them to the cross so that they can become a generation that has dug their own wells, has fought their own battles, has tasted and said, "God is good!"

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