BECAUSE JESUS IS, I AM

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Compiled by Roger Himes
THE GOSPEL COACH

 

 

Gospel profession of faith is totally biblical (Heb 10:23).
Postive confession most often is not.

Positive confession is saying what we say,
CLAIMING it to be true.

Gospel profession is saying what God says,
KNOWING it to be true.

 

 

 

A big problems we have in Christianity is we don’t know OUR IDENTITY: who we are in Christ.

 

Psychology tells us that one of the biggest problems in humanity is low self esteem, and a low self worth. This leads to family and relational problems, problems on the job, and problems just about everywhere else.

 

What follows is a series of short affirmations of truth. They are all biblical, and the scripture references are given.

The very first command of Jesus, just after his temptation in the wilderness with Satan was, “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). This means (1) REPENT of all other beliefs, and believe the gospel. But to believe gospel truth, and live in it, we must first KNOW what that truth is, especially as it deals with us, our identity, and who we are in Christ. If we begin here, MANY of our problems, discouragements, offenses, frustrations, fears, guilt, doubts and uncertainties will vanish.

Notice I did not say ALL of them would vanish. This is not an absolute cure-all for every issue we face. But 95% of all Christians never get to this point. If we do get to this point, and do begin here, then our issues, problems, fears, offenses, and other things take on new perspective. They become smaller, because they are confronted in the power and presence of God. In fact, Jesus says we are one with HIM, and one with the FATHER. This being true, our problems are actually confronted by God himself. Paul says, “I no longer live, but Christ lives through me.”

Jesus says, (1) REPENT of everything that is not a gospel belief, and (2) BELIEVE gospel truth. John says, “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” We must learn to live in the truth of what Paul calls the gospel of grace.

 

 

 

Here Are Your Instructions

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(1) Recite these affirmations twice a day.
(A) Recite them as early in the morning as possible, after rising, and
(B) Recite them as late in the day as possible, before going to sleep.

(2) Only recite them 7 minutes each time. 7 minutes is not a long period of time. Every single one of us, no matter how busy, can spare 7 minutes twice a day. There are more affirmations that follow than most people can do in 14 minutes, — but again, only do this for 7 minutes at a time. Do not do it for more than 7 minutes to begin with, over the first 30 days. Then, next time, take up where you ended off. When you finish them all, start over.

(3) Recite them verbally, out loud, and with emotion — feeling — determination.

(4) Last, do this for at least 30 consecutive days. 30 days is a a very short period of time when you are talking about living in the truth, power and grace of God the rest of your life.

(5) Be sure to pray, asking God’s power on your affirmations.

(6) Print tIn other words, recite them like you BELIEVE them, an are trying to convince someone else you believe them.

 

 

 

Here Is the Prognosis

 

If you follow these directions faithfully, I can PROMISE you that you will experience a higher level of belief, and lack of doubt about your Christianity. You will also experience greater power, authority, and confidence. We are told, “God’s word does not return void.” It accomplishes the purposes for which it is intended.

I don’t care what your problem is! Jesus promised us we would have problems in this world (John 16:33). He also promised us we would be offended by other people (Luke 17:1). Gospel Christianity is not what we lawyers call ‘an escape clause’ from experiencing problems and offenses. Jesus promised us: we WILL have problems and offenses! You will have both problems and offenses until the day you die.

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I AM

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I am! I am! I am! . . . Because of Jesus!

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I AM the same as Jesus in this world.
“As Jesus is, so am I in this world.”
I John 4:14

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A special note on this first one: This is a good passage to
repeat 9 times: each time emphasize a different word.

 

 

I AM a joint, equal heir with Jesus himself.
Romans 8:17

 

 

 

 

I AM able to do nothing without Jesus,
but I AM able to do anything with him.
John 15:5, Philippians 4:13

I AM able to know him more personally,
because of the truth of the gospel.
I AM able to know the power of his resurrection.
I AM able to know his sufferings for me.
I AM made conformable to his death, and his life.
Philippians 3:10

I AM able to have my mind transformed
to the truth of his gospel, and thus I AM
keeping myself separated to his gospel truth.
Romans 1:1, 12:1

 

I AM consumed with trusting God
and knowing WHOM I believe,
which is more important than what I believe.
II Timothy 1:12

 

 

 

I AM blessed with every spiritual blessing,
thus I am becoming a blessing to everyone.
Ephesians 1:3-4, I Peter 3:9

 

I AM predestined by the love of God
to be his adopted child through Christ,
which is the pleasure of his will for me.
Ephesians 1:5

 

I AM blessed, because of gospel truth,
with knowing the mystery of God’s will,
and his good pleaseure, by the revelation of Christ.
The more I seek to know, the more I will know.
Ephesians 1:9

 

I AM chosen by God.
I AM part of his predestined plan.
It is he who performs in me the good work
that he has begun in me.
Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 1:11

 

I AM seated with Christ in heavenly places,
at least in the spiritual dimension.
The entire spirit world sees me this way
– both angelic and demonic.
This gives me all spiritual authority.
Satan is no match for me.
The angels are my ministers.
Ephesians 3:6, Luke 10:19, Hebrews 1:14

 

I AM the recipient of the Spirit of wisdom
and the revelation of God.
I AM learning the hope to which I am called,
the riches of my glorious inheritance,
and God’s great power in me.
Ephesians 1:17-19

 

I AM becoming a father of the gospel.
I will present the gospel to others,
thus fulfilling the word of God in people’ lives.
I Corinthians 4:15, Colossians 1:25

 

I AM buried with Christ in baptism
and have been raised with him through faith.
I was dead in my sins, but now I AM alive in Christ
because of his forgiveness of my sins.
My life is now hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 2:12-13, 3:3

 

I AM allowing the peace of God
to continually flood my heart.
I AM thankful IN everything,
even though I am not thankful FOR everything.
I AM constantly giving thanks to God the Father,
in the name of Jesus, in everything I do.
Colossians 3:15-17

 

I AM devoted to connecting with God,
and experiencing his presence.
I AM allowing my words to be full of grace,
seasoned with salt, so that
I may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4:2, 6

 

I AM a person who thinks thoughts of love,
and things that are true, noble, right,
pure, lovely, and admirable.
I think of all things as being good in God.
I Corinthians 1:3, Philippians 4:8-9

 

I AM one who rejoices in the Lord always,
making sure my gentleness is evident to all.
I AM not anxious about anything, and relate
to everything through thanksgiving to God.
This guards my hear and mind in Christ.
Philippians 4:4-7

 

I AM a person through whom God works
the manifold wisdom of his gospel,
and I make it known to all of Satan’s forces,
according to the eternal purposes
God has accomplished through Christ.
Ephesians 3:10-11

 

I AM rooted and grounded in God’s love.
I have been given power to understand the width,
length, height and depth of his love for me.
I AM filled with the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:17-19

 

I AM so loved by God, and because his love
is so full in me, his love abounds over from me
to everyone else with whom I come in contact.
I Thessalonians 3:12

 

I AM a person in whom God is able to do
immeasurable more than I can ask or think,
according to his power working in me.
Ephesians 3:20

 

I AM not given to anger,
and I do not let the day end when I’m angry,
so the devil can’t get a foothold in my life.
Ephesians 4:26-27

 

I AM a person who knows the gospel is
the full armor of God that I keep on always
keeping me safe from all of Satan’s schemes.
Ephesians 6:11-12

 

I AM a person who does nothing
out of selfish ambitin or vain conceit,
but in humility I consider others better than me.

I have a genuine interest in others,
and look out for their interests.
This begins at home with the people I live with.
Philippians 2:3, 20

 

I AM working uot my own salvation,
but I know it is God who works in me to will
and to do according to his good pleasure in me.
Philippians 2:12-13

 

I AM blessed of God, and he counts me worthy
of his calling, and by his power he fulfills every
good purpose of mine, and every act prompted
by my faith, because the first thing I seek
is the full bounty of his Kingdom in me.
II Thessalonians 1:11, Matthew 6:33

 

I AM making my faith effectual and powerful
by communicating these scripture passages:
all the good things that are in me in Christ Jesus.
Philemon 6

 

I AM a dedicated Christian, and I fan the flames
of the gifts and blessings of God in me.
In God, I am not timid,
but I have the spirit of power, of love,
of a sound mind, and ofself discipline.
II Timothy 1:6-7

 

I AM not ashamed of the gospel
because I know it is the power of God in my life.
It is his righteousness revealed in me
that is by faith that gives me his power.
I AM made righteous by the sovereign act of God
because of the obedience of Christ,
and all grace abunds to me in righteousness.
Romans 1:16-17, 5:17-19, 21, II Corinthians 5:21

 

I AM blessed because my sins and transgressions
are forgiven and purged, and because
the Lord does not count my sin against me.
Just like David, who said this, God also sees me
as a person after his heart, and one with him.
Romans 4:7-8, Acts 13:22, Jhn 17:21

 

I AM a person who bears good fruit unto God
because Christ was raised up,
and because his gospel is planted in me,
which causes good fruit to come from me.
No good root produces bad fruit.
Romans 7:4, Colossians 1:5-6, Matthew 7:18

 

I AM in no way condemned,
because I am in Christ Jesus.
In him, the law of the Spirit of life sets me free
from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1-2

 

I AM predestined by God
to be conformed to the image of his Son.
It is him doing it in me, not me myself doing it.
He has called me, justified me, and has
glorified me as his child and his total heir.

Romans 8:29-30

 

I AM convinced that nothing can separate me
from God’s love, because of Christ Jesus.
He loves me as much as he loves his Son Jesus.
Romans 8:38-39, John 17:23

 

I AM in receipt of all the benefits, privileges,
favor and blessings in the Kingdom of God,
because I am a joint, equal heir with Jesus.
Luke 12;32, I Corinthians 3:21-22, II Cor 1:20

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Now, I want you to think with me WHY verbal, expressive profession of faith is so important. Understanding WHY promotes HOW you do it.

Did you know that Jesus, Paul, and others never prayed, or read the Bible silently, like we so often do today? Why was this? This was because of facts that I read about in college, when I was studying psychology and speech, but it had absolutely no meaning for me then. It wasn’t until about 10 years later, after I became a Christian, that it became meaningful.

Here’s the fact: silent reading (which includes praying), was not invented until sometime around 500 A.D. This means that people in the first century church, including Jesus and Paul, didn’t know HOW to read or pray silently. It wasn’t ‘invented’ until 500 years later.

Think briefly about Eli and Hannah in the Old Testament (I Samuel 1). We are told Hannah was praying, but no words were coming out of her mouth, and so the priest, Eli, thought she was DRUNK! Why did he think she was drunk? It’s because this isn’t the way people prayed. They prayed verbally. We are not told WHY Hannah didn’t speak her prayer. Who knows. Perhaps she was hoarse and had lost her voice. We don’t know.

Think briefly about Philip being transported into the desert to witness to the Ethiopian in his chariot (Acts 8). We’re told the Ethiopian was riding along ALL ALONE in his chariot, reading from the book of Isaiah. How did Philip know he was reading from Isaiah? Could he read his thoughts? NO! It was because the man was reading OUT LOUD. Who was he reading to — his horse? He was reading aloud because he couldn’t read silently. It hadn’t been invented yet. He didn’t know how to read silently.

These are just two stories that show us how people read, and prayed aloud, not silently. We know that the disciples both saw and heard Jesus praying, and asked him to teach them to pray. We know that Jesus chastised the Pharisees for their long, loud, vocal prayers in public, just to get attention. He didn’t chastise them just for praying out loud — like himself, that was all they knew to do. He chastised them for trying to get attention and for being loud and long-winded.

Forceful, expressive praying does so much to inspire us! We should pray, and recite the scripture boldly, and with feeling and gusto. It is stimulating. Sitting still, silent, and without expression is boring.

Ephesians 3:10 is a beautiful picture of what we call spiritual warfare: “Unto the principalities and powers (Satan and his bunch) in heavenly places, the church makes the manifold wisdom of God known to them.”

I can’t imagine Jesus, Paul, or one of the disciples doing this without a great degree of emotion, manifested belief, and in a confrontive manner. They didn’t just sit idle saying, “Now Satan, I wish you’d listen to me…” NO! They confronted demonic spirits in force. I can picture James and John — the sons of thunder — taking Satan to task.

We see the picture of a demon beating Christians up, and sending them off bleeding and running (Acts 19). The demon yells after them, “I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who do you think YOU are?” I’ll share more about Paul later — he was the new kid on the block, still wet behind his ears. Yet, he was the only disciple entrusted with gospel revelation from God, and he knew who he was in Christ. Sadly, the others didn’t, at least until later. What they knew about the gospel they learned from Paul. Because Paul knew who Paul was, the demon knew who Paul was.

Let this sink in. We’ve lost so much in silent prayer and Bible reading.

I’m not saying we should ALWAYS pray and read out loud. Sometimes it is simply not appropriate. After all, we don’t want folks to think we Christians are any more weird than they already think we are. But there are many times when we should — and would be much better off if we did. Jesus did. Paul did.

The next time you sit down to pray, and close your eyes, and pray with your mind only, think about this. If it’s appropiate, stand to your feet, — move your body in power, — speak expressively and in authority, — and let the entire spirit world, both demonic and angelic, know that YOU know who you are in Jesus Christ because of gospel revelation.

And recite the above passages in the same way. Let them become powerful and real in your life. After all, remember that positive professions is two fold: (1) SAYING what God says — (2) KNOWING it is true simply because he says it. God’s thoughts and ways are far above ours (Isa 55:8-9). But if we approach his truth the way he says to, we start thinking his thoughts.

Selah.

Roger Himes, The Gospel Coach
RogerTheGospelCoach@gmail.com