How to walk in resurrection power
- Vijay Martis
‘I'm down on my knees
begging You to rescue me
please stop me
don't let me run
surround me... surround me...now’
- Scott Stapp ‘Surround Me’
Drunk. Reckless. And out of control. That’s Gwen Cummings in ‘28 Days’, a film about life in the
fast lane… and the long road back through rehab.
Playing the role of Gwen is Sandra Bullock, who after wrecking her sister’s wedding reception,
the limo, and what seems her last chance at a normal life is given a choice. Jail or 28 days at Serenity where
she joins others on their journey to recovery.
What follows is Hollywood yet a fair depiction of life in rehab. Here she must learn to live with a
colourful group of characters. Each an accident waiting to happen if left to their own devices. We watch her
rude awakening to group chants, group meetings and whole new set of rules.
We join her/ them through their troubles and triumphs. As some make it back to the land of the
living. And some don’t. ‘Statistically only three out of ten will,’ is the way one of the characters puts it.
We’re happy for Gwen in the end, and we get the feeling that she may just make it work.
I’ve read that the film’s regularly screened in health classes in public schools in the US, and while
it has its points, to me as a Christian, it still begs the question – Isn’t there a better way? A way far better
than what the world offers. A way better than pulling oneself by the bootstraps and sticking to a set of
rules.
Because face it, not everyone’s a Gwen and she’s just a character in a film. This is real life, and I
don’t know about you but I certainly can’t make it on my own. And so does a friend of mine, who as I write
this, has returned yet again from some expensive rehab.
While I’m all for the doctors who are treating him, the only One who can bring him, you, me, the
whole world real, lasting, life-changing freedom is Jesus (John 8:36).
Why the Good News is so good
Every once in a while I come across a Christian who’s defeated, depressed, all teary-eyed,
claiming they can’t go on. So it was a few months ago, when I was talking with a friend and her sister, that
her sister broke down saying her problems were just too hard to handle.
I heard her out for a few minutes, before telling her that that just wasn’t true. And that if she
wanted an out of her situation, she needed to laugh. Yes, actually laugh. Laugh out loud in her situation.
Laugh out loud at her problems. And laugh out loud at the devil.
And laugh because of who she was in Christ Jesus - the overcomer, not the overcome; the winner
not the vanquished. Because the Father has promised in His infallible Word, that with the all sufficient
grace of His Son, and His armour (Eph 6:10-18) she would reign (and by the way, that word also means
subjugate, vanquish, confound, take control of, occupy, capture and utterly dominate) EVERY situation
and every enemy in life (Rom. 5:17).
Maybe you too are going through a rough patch. Take heart, because the Good News is you will
never encounter more than you can handle. The Father will show you a way out (1 Cor. 10:13), He is
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mighty to deliver His faithful ones (2 Chr. 16:9). And He will do the impossible (Matt. 19:26). I’ve seen
Him do it over and over and over and know you can experience the same (Rom. 2:11)
Because you have the Greater One in you (1 John 4:4), you have received the same resurrection
power that raised Jesus from the dead (Eph 1:19-20), and your life will turn around as you learn to walk by
faith (2 Cor. 5:7) in the power of His might (Eph 6:10). And not in your own strength (John 15:4).
Because whose life is it anyway?
I was sharing the Word with a Christian family, when the father mentioned that all religions teach
the same thing – do good and shun evil. It really surprised him when I referred him to John 20:31 – ‘But
these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may
have life in His name.’ (see also John 10:10)
Christianity is not a set of rules. Neither is it a performance or another religion. Christianity is
about the Son of God who died for me and is now living His holy and perfect life in and through me. For it
is no longer I that live but Christ living in me (Gal. 2:20). And He is more than capable to keep me on the
straight and narrow (Eph. 5:26-27, Phil 1:6).
To equate Christianity to simply a moral standard is to miss the point entirely. And to also set
yourself up for a life of continued failure. James Stone, in his excellent ‘Salvation – The Biblical Model
For Christian Counseling’ defines the Christian’s essential struggle as not good versus evil, but good versus
good. He writes:
‘The standard of holiness is good, but resolving the question of who will attempt to produce the
standard is the dilemma facing the struggling Christian. Is holiness produced by man’s goodness in living
for Christ, or is holiness produced by Christ’s living in man? This dilemma is the good versus good issue.’
- page 145.
Make no mistake about it. God wants you to be holy (1 Pet. 1:16) and victorious (1 John 5:4, 1
Cor. 15:57) But the answer to sin, temptation, weakness, hopelessness, failures, addictions, satan, the
world, the flesh and impossible situations is not in trying a little harder the next time. It’s rather in
continually abiding in Jesus and learning to walk in His Resurrection Power.
Abiding – The Key to Resurrection Power
One of the first Words I got from the Lord as a new believer was ‘abide in Me.’ But it would be
years before I learnt how to work it out. I had instead developed a pattern wherein I would attend retreats,
experience the presence of God, feel invincible for a few days, and then lose it all when I came down the
mountain.
Some days I would wonder in frustration if I would ever break out of this failure-success-failure
cycle, if I would ever experience the victorious Christian life that others talked and wrote about, if I would
grow up from running incessantly to some man of God/ prayer service for answers, that only a daily
abiding in the Lord and His Word brings.
Both Brother Lawrence and Watchman Nee write about the abiding presence of God as the norm
and not the exception. I remember reading ‘Release of the Spirit’ then and coming to understand from
Brother Nee that, ‘Among those who possess the life of the Lord can be found two distinct conditions : one
includes those in whom life is confined, restricted, imprisoned and unable to come forth; the other includes
those in whom the Lord has forged a way and life is thus released from them. The question thus is not how
to obtain life, but rather how to allow this life to come forth.’
Yes the Lord expects us to carry the savour of His presence wherever we go (2 Cor. 2:14). And He
will do this, if we let Him have His Way in our lives. That is the key to abiding and His Resurrection
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Power. Here are three practical ways to go about it. Try them out for the next six months and just watch
how they completely revolutionise your faith walk.
a. Putting on the Mind of Christ. As a man thinketh in his heart so is he (Pro. 23:7) Which is
why the Lord wants you to take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5). That’s right. Every thought. Because
your mind and the thoughts that you allow to reside there decide whether you will be a success or a failure
as a Christian.
Now I know what you’re thinking – that it’s impossible to control every thought. True, from the
time you wake up, you may feel your mind beseiged by thoughts of worry and fear. And this continues
throughout the day. It seems as if there’s a dark cloud hovering above you all day long. But like Jesus in the
wilderness (Matt. 4), rise up! Take the offensive! Take the attack back to satan! Hack him down with the
Word of God (Eph. 6:17) ! Resist him (James 4:7) and watch that coward flee as you boldly make a faith
declaration of who you are in Christ, what the Father has done for you in Christ, and what the Father is
continually doing for you.
You can make faith declarations like - I am a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), a citizen of heaven (Phil.
3:20), the very righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21), secure in His grace (Ps. 27:10, 1 John 5:11), washed,
sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor. 6:11). The
Father has birthed me (1 John 4:4, John 1:12), has given me His nature (2 Pet. 1:4), and I am more than a
match for life’s problems because the Greater One resides in my spirit (1 Cor. 3:16, 1 John 4:4).
I have been delivered, yes COMPLETELY delivered from the kingdom of satan (Col. 1:13) and
am free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1). Sin has no dominion over me (Rom. 6:14), because in Christ I am
dead to sin (Rom. 6:2) and the temptations of this world (Gal. 6:14). Alleluia! I always triumph in Christ (2
Cor. 2:14), because I walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7) and have received the same resurrection power that raised
Jesus from the dead (Eph. 1:19-20).
I could fill whole pages with the riches you have in Christ, but you can find a comprehensive list
of faith declarations on my friends Tony and Lynette’s site www.ksim.org. You can also request for their
prayer promise CDs. I play them daily. They have completely transformed my faith life (Rom 12:2), as
they will yours (Josh. 1:8).
b. Putting on the garment of praise. Not too long ago, the Lord told me to put a stronger
emphasis on the anointing in my teaching. I was at the time focusing heavily on prayer, the different kinds
of prayer, and how to receive an answer from God. The Lord’s message was simple, ‘Just ask my people to
go after the anointing, because in the anointing is the answer they seek.’
Which is true because you can lose everything, your family, your home, your job, everything. But
if you have the anointing with you, you have the Lord with you, and if you have the Lord you have
EVERYTHING. The blessings, the answers, the miracle you’re seeking will come through the anointing
(Isa. 10:27). And nothing quite activates the anointing like praise and worship.
I would go so far as to say if you’re going through a tough time, start praising your way out of the
situation. Yes, praise him right now, not for the problems, but because He is the answer and there is nothing
too difficult for Him. After all, He is Jehovah-Shalom – the Lord our Peace(Judges 6:24), Jehovah-Rohi –
the Lord our Shepherd (Ps. 23:1), Jehovah-Jireh – the Lord our Provider (Gen. 22:14), Jehovah-Nissi –
the Lord our Banner (Ex. 17:15), Jehovah-Tsidkenu – the Lord our Righteousness (Jer. 23:6), Jehovah-
Rapha – the Lord our Healer (Ex. 15:26), Jehovah Sabaoth – The Lord of hosts (Isa. 44:6), Jehovah-
Shammah – the Lord with us (Ezek. 48:35), and Jehovah Mekeddeshem – The Lord who sanctifies (Lev.
20:7-8).
As you praise Him, you will soon move into His presence. From there it’s a short step to pure
communion and worship. And as you delight yourself in Him, He will give you the desires of your heart
(Ps. 37:4). Start spending glorious hours soaking under anointed Christian music. I totally recommend here
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the music of Matt Redman, Jason Upton, Freddy Hayler, Leonard Jones, Alberto & Kimberley Rivera,
Eoghan Heaslip, Don Potter, Todd Bentley & Kevin Prosch
And yes, as you’re enjoying praise, worship, and the presence on a daily basis, try throwing in a
day or two of fasting every week. I’m on the second day of a two day fast and all I can say is that the
presence of the Lord that is upon me as I write these words is mmmm…. so much better than even food.
Praise Him!
c. Putting on humility and a correctable spirit. One scene out of the film ‘I am Legend’ stands
out the most for me. The end. It’s where Will Smith’s yelling that he can help them and they don’t have to
be that way, they can be well… if they would only listen to what he has to say.
That scene sticks out because the Lord so very often wants to gather us like a hen gathers its
chicks (Matt. 23:37)… if we too will only listen. Too many Christians blame the devil for problems of their
own making. They then spend days, even years defending their anger, the rightness of their theology or
point of view, while the rest of the world and God’s best passes them by. I’ve spent six years in that
wilderness myself. It’s dark, it’s lonely and it’s painful, but praise God, you can get back to Him.
God can do anything. His power can turn anything and anyone around. A couple of years ago I
wanted to have nothing to do with Christian ministry or Christian writing, but here I am in His Grace doing
what He has called me to do. And there’s a power to my ministry that I only dreamed of before… because
now it’s all Him and none of me. God is looking to turn your life, your home and your ministry around too.
All He needs is a humble and contrite heart (Ps. 51:17). A heart that is after His own. Will you be that
heart?
If that’s a yes, then dear brother, dear sister, pray this from the heart ‘Father, I’m tired, so tired of
living life my way. Take it, it’s Yours. Totally Yours. My past, my present, my future. Everything Lord, let
it be You and You alone. Lord, You promised grace to the humble (James 4:6) so I humble myself before
You. Change me, correct me, mould me into the person You want me to be. Anoint me Lord with the
promised Holy Spirit (Lk, 24:49, Acts 2:17) so that I may live for You alone from this day forth. In Jesus’
Name. Amen
May the Lord bless you and keep you; May He make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to
you; May He lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace." – Numbers 6:24-26
(Vijay Martis is a non-denominational charismatic Pastor/ Teacher, media professional, and co-author of ‘Burnt Alive:
The Staines and the God they loved’… he’s also someone totally, completely, absolutely and unashamedly in love with
Jesus.)
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