Jesus wasn't the first person ever to be crucified. That form of torture was being used by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Carthaginians, Persians, and others long before He was ever born. But of the multitudes who've suffered and died on the cross, something very unique happened when Christ was crucified. Something the Church as a whole rarely acknowledges.

We know about the two thieves who were crucified with Jesus in AD 33. We forget there was a FOURTH person crucified there, too.

It was YOU!

And me.

Literally crucified with Christ? Yes! Read Romans 6:2-13 and Galatians 2:20 and notice all the PAST-TENSE VERBS. God sees you as if you had been literally crucified with Christ. This isn't a figurative, symbolic, poetic statement, nor can it be explained away by theologians as "positional truth." Either you were crucified on that hill with Jesus or God's a liar (Numbers 23:19;Romans 3:4).

If this statement is treated as anything other than 100% Gospel truth, then we must all wait till we die to receive any benefit from being a Christian. Folks, we won't need these benefits in the sweet by 'n by; we need them in the here 'n now. Don't live for the promises of Heaven after death, or rapture, when Jesus said He came to bring us abundant life here, while we are inhabiting planet Earth (Jn 10:10).

Well, how's the abundant life coming along so far? Life IS a bed of roses... but roses consist mostly of THORNS! The abundant life of an overcomer is a life where troubles roll off us like water off a duck. Grace under fire, that's what onlookers will see manifesting in your trials! Though we cry, though we hurt, God's grace empowers us to do the job we've been placed here to do, i.e., the making of disciples. Though you won't be all that comfortable down here (why should you? You're not FROM around here; you're a citizen of Heaven), you WILL find unspeakable joy and a peace that passes all understanding ONLY as you do what you were created to do: make disciples.

Most Christians never realize Jesus is all we really need until Jesus is all we got left. Every so often, we find ourselves with nothing, our focus off all the previously important stuff, so that nothing obscures our line of sight from Him, the Author and Finisher of our faith. Then we can finally hear that still small voice of the Spirit, "May I have your attention, PLEASE?!" As we regain our focus on Jesus, peace is restored in the midst of life's storms.

There's a popular poem called "Footprints in the Sand" in which a Christian looks back at his life, sees the footprints of Christ alongside his own, and notices that sometimes there are only one set of tracks. Jesus informs him that those are the times He carried him. It's warm and fuzzy, but it's really BAD theology, implying that the better we live INDEPENDENTLY of Christ, the less we'll rely on Him for help moment to moment. "Just be there to get me to Heaven and get me an occasional good parking spot, Lord. I'll take care of the rest. Call ya if I need ya!" We even joke about calling 911 when we need help from God. Folks, independence is not a virtue, it's a sin.

Go ask Adam.

"They will be held guilty, they whose strength is their god"(Hab 1:11).

Satan and God have this in common: they're both trying to kill us. Like I always say, the only good Christian is a DEAD Christian! However, God wants to re-create us with an overcoming, obedient lifethe life of Christ. His #1 goal for us is to conform us to the image of His son. He's more concerned with Christlike character than creature comforts. When trouble comes, embrace it; the Refiner's fire may have just been turned up to burn away our imperfections and kill some more carnality. This is in order to manifest Christ within us by the Spirit. We must decrease so that He might increase (Jn 3:30).

Two days ago, I became a grandfather for the third time. Consider the example of that baby in my daughter's womb: the child, Alora, was IN my daughter, Devin, but Devin was the source of life IN baby Alora by way of the umbilical cord; Alora was an expression of Devin (see Acts 17:28).

My wife is downstairs blow drying her hair...even a blow dryer has no life outside of its source, the electrical outlet. Likewise, when we allow Jesus to live THROUGH us, we experience our true identity. Furthermore, we'll never experience any REAL joy UNTIL we do so.

Yep, God sees Christ when He looks at you because you ARE the Righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor 5:21).

A declaration of independence is a manifestation of a false identity. A British friend who loves America once said that about his American cousins. A Christian who does this spends his life posing as someone he is not.

There was once a large, loud, overbearing Christian bodybuilder I knew. This brute was pitiful and without a clue. His bulky bod was the most ornate, attention-getting costume at the masquerade... I mean, in the congregation, as he hid behind those rippling muscles and his macho persona.

There are many such Christians hiding behind all kinds of "masks"... musical instruments, choir robes, pulpits, ministry, bibles, careers, wealth, tough exteriors, hurt, guilt, shame, and even spiritual auras. None of us is immune. This Christian identity crisis is rampant in the Church.

Do you believe that 2000 years ago Jesus became sin for your sake and you became righteous (2 Cor 5:17,21)? Even though you wouldn't commit a single sin for centuries to come, they were washed away at the cross. If so, then you must believe that, as a Christian, you were crucified with Him, your old Adamic identity destroyed, and you were reborn with a new life, the life of Christ. You were buried and, since only one life emerged from the tomb, you were reborn WITH Him (Rom 6:4), even ascending to Heaven in Christ (Eph 2:6). Receive this truth by faith, just as you received your forgiveness, once for all times.

You did do that, didn't you?

The problem? These earthsuits, these human bodies that are dying a little more every day. They come across as the center of the universe. They loom so large and are so self-absorbed, it's nearly impossible to see ourselves as brand new spirit-beings equipped with the life of Christ.

But we ARE brand new! We are holy and acceptable to God which means we're wholly accepted by the One who matters MOST in the entire universe! Through Jesus Christ, the separation has forever been bridged between Creator and created. Praise-allujah!

At the cross, God had to kill every unholy thing about us that He could not tolerate in His holy presence. He re-created us, sweeping out our filthy selves so that He could cohabit in our spirit WITH us once we became His holy people ("saints,' the Bible calls us) upon rebirth. Refusing to accept this is to allow Satan to deceive us. We must cease to live in our Adamic selves, understanding that the "old man" has been obliterated. Otherwise, we'd all have an evil twin, two spirit natures. We'd be spiritual Schizo's, houses divided against ourselves (Matt 12:25). Such two-headed freaks can be found all over the Church today, perpetuated by many well-intentioned leaders.

Abundant living? We feel pretty tough as we sing and dance and shout in our congregations, punching holes in the demonic principalities over our churches and cities. But like a finger in a bowl of soup, once that finger is removed, the hole disappears. We get picked off by demonic snipers before we even reach our cars after Sunday services. Friends, we can BELIEVE this Bible stuff (head knowledge) or we can WALK in it by FAITH (heart knowledge), becoming dead to the sinful agendas of the past, even when we don't FEEL like it. The Christian life is not about feelings, with our thoughts being the controlling factors in our lives. It's about faith, believing the facts about ourselves as declared BY God in Scripture. It's His inspired Word (2 Tim 3:16), not some spiritual thought for the day.

Thoughts! Church, our battle is on three fronts: the world, our flesh and the devil, each one battling for control of our minds! Just as Christ was crucified at Golgotha (the "Place of the Skull), so we must crucify those thoughts that enter our minds that cannot be supported by God's Word (2 Cor 10:5).

We who call ourselves "practicing Christians" must never miss a practice. For us to develop a moment-to-moment dependence upon Christ is a learned behavior. Cast your cares on the world's only overcomer. Let Him care FOR you(1 Peter 5:7)!

His Name is Jesus, the One who knows firsthand that life can be tough as nails. He alone has made the way for us to emerge victorious on a daily basis.