For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3
The thought of death is one that sends shivers down the spine of anyone. It’s not a comfortable conversation to have. No matter your race, age or status in society, death has a profound lasting effect on all. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered, broken lives, unfulfilled dreams, beautiful destinies cut short, lonely homes and sudden reality that things will never be the same again.
What if I told you that contrary to what you have heard about salvation, when you actually believed the LORD Jesus, you actually died! This is exactly what scripture tells us. I’ll explain to you why you had to die and why staying dead is the best thing that can happen to you as a believer.
The fall of man in the garden of Eden is perhaps the greatest act of treason against all of humanity. Gods initial plan was for man to rule and have dominion over the earth including all that God had created. Satan lies to man and leads him to sin against God by eating the fruit he was commanded not to eat. Two things happened at the garden, the first is the separation of man with God and the second was man came under captivity by Satan. The devil then took control over the world as we know it. It is written, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe.” 1 Corintians 4:4
The LORD Jesus Himself says this is Satan, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” John 14:30. And Satan while temping Jesus had this to say about himself, “ I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please.” Luke 4:6
God’s idea of saving you from the grip and captivity of Satan is to bring His own Son to take your place. Jesus goes on the cross not for you but He went on the cross as you. that’s important to note. It’s easy to say Jesus died for my sins on the cross yet the reality is that Jesus took the form of a man and went to that cross to die as you.
In His wisdom, God knows that man stands no chance against Satan and his wicked agenda. That’s why in sending Jesus to die as you, He takes away your life completely and gives you a new life, that of Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus, His life is instantly imputed into us. What we now have is a new man living inside of you. That man is Jesus Christ. It is written, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” 1 Corinthians 6:17 This means there are no two spirits in you but one. That of Christ. You died.
That’s why it is written that you “Died” now, why does God take us through the path of death in order that we may live? That’s because the wages of sin is death. Jesus takes your place on the cross, takes your place in death that you may live. For the life of Jesus Christ to be manifest in your natural life, one has to assume a position of death. In other words since you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God, God has but a simple requirement in order for His Son to live out His life in you, that you stay dead.
The other reason why God would rather you remain in a position of death is that when your life is hidden in Christ, Satan has no power over it because, it is written, “He has nothing in me” he can only exert pressure on the flesh because sin lives in you, that means in your flesh. When you sin it’s not you that does it but something else that lives in the flesh. It is written, “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me” Romans 7:17. As long as you are alive to the flesh, Satan has power over you and control over the affairs of the world you live in since he is the god of this world. However, once you are dead and hidden in Christ, He cannot touch you because under normal circumstances one can only inflict pain on the living or the dead have no life in them and can neither hear nor feel.
How then does one die? You already did when you accepted the LORD Jesus as your personal savior. What you don’t know is how to stay dead. I know your next question is how do I know when I am truly dead or truly alive. It’s really that simple. When we are dead, we are more responsive to the realm of the spirit. We are alert, conscious and fully aware of that realm, the word of the LORD is living and the Spirit of the Living God has complete control of our bodies for they are His temple.
On the contrary, when you are more responsive to the realm of the natural it also means you have chosen to come out of your place of death which is Christ. This puts your flesh completely in charge and again under the captivity of Satan. Since you are alive to the flesh, the fire of the Spirit of God within you starts to get deem, and the more the flesh has charge the more the fire will get even more deem until you get to the state were you are no longer responsive to the prompting and the leading of the Spirit. You become dead to the Holy Spirit because He can’t access you since you are fully wrapped in the flesh.
Now, here is why God would rather you stay dead. It is written, “When Christ, who is yourlifeappears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” Colossians 3:4
Christ is your life. Once He is given a chance to appear, you too will appear with Him inglory. This means should you chose to stay dead in Him, by allowing Him the liberty to live out His life in you, then you shall partake of the glory that comes with Him. That way Satan will never have anything on you or in you.
Note. Look out for my upcoming Book – SEEING GOD. I share a lot more on the process of death and why its important that a believer stays dead because just like electricity, the Holy Spirit can only flow through dead vessels.
Here is Your Prayer Path
Dear Father, teach me to die to the flesh. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Your friend
Mark Odeke
