Earlier this year, my senior pastor, Lloyd Rindels, prophesied that 2013 would be a “year of breakthrough.” I thought I knew what “breakthrough” meant, until I looked it up & found there are two different definitions for the word:
“BREAKTHROUGH” 1. an act or instance of breaking through an obstacle. 2. a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery or development. Whoa, that second one really struck me!
One of the greatest “breakthroughs” you can have in your life is to allow God to change how you view everything about yourself and your life–from YOUR perspective to HIS perspective.
Because doing that–living from His Perspective–will forever, change the way you think about yourself, the way you think about God and the way you think about life in general. Discovering what the Father knows to be true about you, as Paul says in 1 Cor. 13:12, “TO KNOW, AS I AM KNOWN.”
“God has always known us; now in Christ He invites us to know ourselves even as we are known!” (Francois du Toit, author of the Mirror Bible)
God is excited about your life! God’s desire is for YOU to know what He knows about YOU. He wants you & I to see our life the way He does, which is seeing yourself “in Christ,” not having a life of your own. In Phil 3:9, Paul talks about being “found” in Christ, discovering yourself in Christ. Turning from your own ways and your own way of seeing things and seeing this Glorious One who has become your life.
Everything God has in His mind about YOU is “in Christ.” If you see what the Father sees.
When you look at yourself in a mirror, what do you see? Do you see an average (or perhaps a less than average) man or woman? Or do you see “the righteousness of God in Christ?” More than likely you have no trouble seeing yourself as insecure, inadequate, or lacking. But you have trouble seeing yourself as righteous, holy & blameless.
God sees all things according to the truth. Jesus came to destroy every lie so that we can know the truth. The truth of sonship. The truth of new life, a joined life in Christ (1 Cor 6:17).
Joy comes when WE see what the Father sees.
Isn’t it wonderful knowing that life in Christ is not trying to imitate Jesus?
You talk about “having a sudden, dramatic, and important discovery.” It’s when you discover, salvation is a union with the Son of God! Not just a salvation from our sins or from hell. But a salvation from everything that is not Christ.
Let me repeat, everything that God has in His mind about you, today, and how’s He’s always thought about you is: “in Christ”. You & I think we know ourselves; but we really don’t really know ourselves, until we know ourselves “in Him”.
In Jn 14:20 Jesus said, “On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.”
God has placed you in Christ and Christ in you!
Without seeing yourself defined by your union with Jesus, you’re going to relate to God, to yourself and other people, with a totally inferior–what the Bible calls ”unrenewed” mind-set.
If you feel frustrated about your life as a Christian, it is a result of not seeing yourself defined by your union with Jesus.
Do you wonder why you still waiver with unbelief and doubt and condemnation? You’re not seeing yourself defined by your union with Jesus. You’re not seeing yourself as the Father sees you–in Christ. JESUS IS NOW YOUR LIFE. Paul says in Phil. 1:21, “for me to live is Christ.” Have you read Romans 6 & Galatians 2:20? You don’t have a life anymore!
Christianity is Jesus living His life through you, not you living your life for Him.
Amen? You may say “amen,” but let me ask you something that might really push your paradigm…
Is Sinless Perfection Possible in this life? “NO WAY” you say. “Not in MY LIFE.” Exactly!! But we’re not talking about YOUR life. Did Jesus say to the woman caught in adultery, “go and sin less?” He told her, “go and sin no more.” In John 5:14- Jesus said the same thing to the man at the pool of Bethesda! Jesus knew something about the life of our design that we don’t have sight of yet. It’s all about understanding that the life the Father revealed in Jesus is the life the Holy Spirit now conducts in you & me! We must stop seeing ourselves & living as one’s separate; and be seeing & living as one’s JOINED!
At the Cross separation with God was replaced with oneness. Oneness is not the result of our diligence to get closer to God, but because of His initiative in reconciling humanity to Himself.
Until we see and understand that everything of the Christian life– righteousness, holiness, sanctification, love, joy, peace, etc. is defined by this Person who is now our life, in whom we are joined, we’ll think we need to go out and DO righteousness, DO sanctification, DO holiness. And on & on.
Our carnal, un-renewed mind reads Scripture as things we need to do or shouldn’t do.
But righteousness is not something you DO. Righteousness is Christ in you! RIGHTEOUSNESS IS A PERSON.
EVERYTHING of your life & your identity is now IS DEFINED BY HIM!
We see ourselves apart from Christ when God sees us defined by Him, IN UNION with Jesus.
Paul says in Eph. 5 It’s just like marriage–two separate people now merged into one new identity.
I pray today, you begin to see yourself as the Father sees you! Joined to Christ. One with Him!
The Cross of Christ redefines your life!
Dave & Cheryl Doria 
Dave, you are such a blessing to us! We enjoy all of your knowledge and revelation, and hope to continuing growing in who we are in Christ!
Tim and Tammy
Such a perfect “cliff notes” version of your message. And such a powerful read…. plan to read this through every day this week!
Loved “Christianity is Jesus living His life through you, not you living your life for Him.” and ….. “If you feel frustrated about your life as a Christian, it is a result of not seeing yourself defined by your union with Jesus.”
Well said Daddy-o! Can’t wait for MORE breakthrough!
I like where you’re driving!
Reblogged this on Kilen's Spot.
This is indeed a year of breakthrough. While my life has been upside down and inside out for 15 months, I see that I am being found and my wrong views and mindsets of me here and God over there are being extinquised. I have always been a person of great faith and there has never been anything too difficult for my God! But I let that thinking slip in, that there is God and then there is little ole me and I put the dividing line between us and I have desperately missed what I cherished the most,,,,me and Jesus hand in hand loving and living!! Thank you so much for this beautiful post!!