John 10:10 (Amplified) says that, "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."
As Christians, we have mostly never understood the significance of what Jesus meant when He made this statement. We've mostly thought He was talking about being saved, forgiven and heaven bound after death. All of this is true, but it goes much deeper than that. At the new birth, we would receive the very nature, the very Spirit and the very life of God Himself. Everything in the Spirit realm would now be ours as well as the return of the dominion that was man's in the very beginning (see the Blog "Law of the Kinsman Redeemer"). We weren't only forgiven of our sin, but we were reinstated as God's Own children.
We have allowed the enemy to use tradition and religion to keep us under the bondage of the old man. The Law could help men in their behavior modification of the flesh, but couldn't change the nature (spirit) of man. The blood of bulls and goats could give man an artificial life, but not the true life. The sacrifice kept getting bigger and more abundant in order to keep this artificial life going, in the old covenant people. It's like when someone in a hospital is declared clinically dead, then we could put them on a life support system, but that person remains lifeless. The body would function, the heart would pump blood, the lungs would carry oxygen to the blood, but for all intents and purposes, the person is still dead.
The blood of bulls and goats could extend the function of the body in the old covenant. But, the
spirit was still dead because of the sin nature that came down from Adam. God could use the blood of goats and bulls to cover the sin, but not to remove it. The Law could show us how to modify the behavior, but couldn't change the sin nature of man. Under the old covenant, it could show you God was the Almighty, all powerful, Creator of heaven and earth. but, it couldn't show the people Who God was.
It could reveal Him as God, but couldn't reveal Him as Father. It could reveal God as One Who demanded holiness, but they couldn't become holy. God demanded love, but they couldn't love like He commanded. The Law demanded righteousness, but they couldn't do enough of their own works to make themselves righteous.
The life that they were living under the old covenant,was at best, just the natural, carnal life of the flesh. The only life the spirit of man could hope for was the life in the blood of their sacrifice. When Jesus said that He came that they could have and enjoy life to the full, the people had no idea what He was talking about.
Today, we still don't understand the full significance of His statement. When we received "Life" through Jesus, it is the very life of Almighty God. This life isn't for when we die and go to heaven, but all the Life of God Himself is for here on earth. This Life was to flow from our new creation spirit, into our flesh and blood body. The supernatural life of our Father,was the life He breathed into Adam and Jesus, the Last Adam. This life wouldn't modify the behavior of the flesh, but would control it from within our new, God made spirit.
We haven't allowed this life Spirit be made manifest in the flesh and blood bodies we live in. We still set it for the future when we die and go to heaven. We have mostly used the Law to modify our behavior, but we've failed to allow the new life to control our behavior. Galatians 5:16 (Amplified) says, "But I say, walk and live (habitually) in the (Holy) Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit); then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of the human nature without God)."
I remember when I was young and went to the circus. I saw lions in a big cage that jumped through hoops of fire, sit on stools and stand on their hind legs. They had trained the lions by modifying their behavior patterns, but if you turned your back to them, then they'd eat you. All the modification in the world couldn't change the nature of the lions.
The Law could help modify man's behavior, but couldn't change his nature. As Christians, we still try using the Law to change our behavior, instead of allowing the "Life" of the Holy Spirit to change our nature into His nature. You have been made new, by the sacrifice of Jesus, into the very Image and likeness of the Father.
God intended us to use this "Life" to bring life to others. We're supposed to use this abundant life, along with its inherited power, to set the world free from death. Healing for ourselves and healing for others, is in this "Life" that Jesus came to give us. The very same life that He has, is the very same life that we have. There is so much life inside us, that we can dismiss sickness from other people by laying our hands on them. This "Life" is the very presence of God Himself now living inside of us. No wonder Jesus said that, "It's not Me, but the Father in Me Who does the work."
I'm not sure why it's been so difficult for us to learn how to live. We keep trying to live the God kind of life by the same standards we had before we were created anew. Sickness and disease are simply a partial death and something that slows down the flow of life in our body. If we are made new in His likeness, then doesn't this mean we are to be like He is? Jesus said that we were to be one with God as He is One with God. John 17:20 (Amplified) says, "I have given to them the glory and honor which you have given Me, that they may be one (even) as We are One."
This Life is the very presence of God in our life and is our life. What He is, we are. You are not God, but you have received His very nature, ability and power. We are to use this gift of life on behalf of others, meeting theirs needs like Jesus did. This is the Life that Jesus came to give us. It's abundant life. It's more life than we can ever use up.
We are to share this Life with anyone who has a need. Everything that man could ever need is found in this Life. We have more life than the devil has death and we have more healing than satan has sickness. "Greater is He Who is in us than he who is in the world."
We are being brought into the knowledge of how to actually live in the Spirit and to flow from the Spirit and to allow the Spirit to flow through us. What flows out from our spirit to others is actually God Himself. God flows from our spirit and not our flesh. As we lay hands on people, God flows through our contact into the person having hands laid on them (just like it was Jesus laying His hands on them). The power flowed out of Jesus' hands into the woman with the issue of blood, healing her. Jesus felt the power go out of Him. The same is true for us, too,as God flows out of our spirit that's made new and in His likeness. We are now learning how to actually, truly live.
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