January 26: Accept Your Authority in Christ.

By Bassey Ekong

Many believers do not advance God’s Kingdom on earth often because they do not recognize or accept the calling and authority they receive in Christ. They do not know their rights based on the new covenant: “Not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not for the letter of the Spirit; for the letter kills but the Spirit gives live” (2 Cor. 3:5-6). I believe our fear of being proud or presumptuous, along with our failure to accept our worth in Christ, have robbed us of the reality of His finished work on our behalf. How slow we are to act on what we are in Christ! For years the church has not understood the true nature of humility. We have been taught about our weaknesses and unworthiness in such a way that we scarcely dare to affirm what God says we are: “a new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17).

“Yet, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old one has gone, the new has come!” All this is from God (vv. 17-18). This is not something we made up. It is from God. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”Who are we in Christ? We are the redeemed!

The second Adam redeemed mankind. Therefore, not only are we new creations, we also have redemption that is literal and absolute. Note: What does Christ’s redemption mean to you today? I pray it means to you what it means to me. If it doesn’t, we need to pray for understanding of the scriptures and the promises of God for our lives, in Jesus’ name.

Let’s pray: father God, I am a new creation in Christ, how amazing are those words! Please Lord, enable me to live as the new creation that you have made me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Today’s reading: Exodus 14-15; Matthew 17.

We're the Redeemed in Christ Jesus.