“I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.” (Philippians 3:12 NLT)
“Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8 NLT)
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3 BSB)
While praying in preparation for writing this, the Spirit brought to mind a third word – “Possession.” He is showing me that between “Recognition” and “Identification” there needs to be a point in which I take “Possession” in my mind and body of that which in Christ I already possess in my spirit.
Remember that “Recognition” has to do with the ability to see clearly the difference between what is going on around me in the “natural,” realm through my senses (sensory perception), and what is taking place in the “supernatural,” or “spiritual,” realm (spiritual perception). “Identification” is dealing with making a choice of which realm I will focus on (identify with).
The “natural” is rooted in “facts” which are experienced by my senses. The “spiritual” is rooted in “truth” which is experienced by my spirit. “Facts” are based on my current perception of sensory evidence and are continually changing as new evidence comes to light. Truth is based in eternal reality which never changes regardless of my current perception or understanding.
My identity is expressed through “I am” statements (I am healed, I am saved, etc.). Today the Spirit revealed to me that in order to move from “Recognition” to “Identification” I must first realize what I have “Possession” of. What I possess will determine who “I am” (I possess healing therefore I am healed, I possess peace therefore I am peaceful, etc.). I am not trying to get something, rather I am working to experience what I already possess.
I will draw this to a close with a simple illustration. Let’s say that I get up in the morning and my wife says to me, “Better wear a coat today, after all you know it is “Cold and Flu Season.” When I get to work a co-worker looks at me and says, “Boy Eric, you don’t look so good. I bet you’re catching a cold.” A little later I feel some aches in my body and think to myself, “I think I’m coming down with something.” When I get home I greet my wife and say, “You better stay away from me honey, I think I’m getting sick.” All day long I have been faced with a choice. I could choose to go with the “facts” that were being recognized, or I could have stopped at any point and recognized the “truth” of what I possess in Christ and started to fight the “facts” with the “truth” of the healing that I possess. One path will result in identifying with the sickness and end in me saying, “I am sick.” The other path will result in identifying with healing and saying, “I am healed.” The path that I choose will have a huge impact on the end results. The choice is mine.
Whenever the “facts” of this sin filled, fallen world knock on the door of my life I need to make a choice. I can either choose to go with the “facts,” or I can choose to overcome the “facts” with the “truth” of what I “possess” and who “I am” in Christ.
Let’s give serious consideration to…
…Eric’s Life Lesson #90: “The lesson of ‘Recognition’ versus ‘Identification’ (knowing the difference is critical to my life).” Part 4