The Resurrected Life

Jul. 4, 2018 | By Creflo Dollar

When we decided to make Jesus the Lord of our lives and became born again, none of us had any idea just how radically our lives were about to change. Wonderful surprises were in store for us. We realized that, in a heartbeat, we became completely new individuals. Our old lives were gone, and we were given the same kind of resurrected life that Jesus Christ has.

To resurrect means to renew, resuscitate, or bring something back to life. We may have thought we were alive before we were born again, but now our lives are renewed and infused with the power of God. New Christians may have a rudimentary head-knowledge of the benefits of being believers, but the specifics of what’s in store for us all are yet to be revealed. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Receiving Jesus and developing a relationship with Him gives us more than we could ever imagine in our wildest dreams.

In our old lives, we may have rooted our identities in who the world said we were. We were judged by what we did, who our parents were, or some other external factor. We now have new identities as children of God. “This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike ‘What’s next, Papa?’ God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” (Romans 8:15-17, MSG). As Christ’s brothers and sisters, we can expect the same type of rejection He experienced from the world, but also the same eternal life.

This powerful, abundant life we inherit is no ordinary life, and we don’t have to wait to get to heaven to experience it. Our new lives start right now. “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Satan doesn’t want us to receive what God has in store for us, but Satan no longer has authority over us. Jesus’ resurrection was His ultimate triumph over the enemy; because He lives, we can now live life to the fullest.

We don’t have to settle for second-rate lives any more. The things that previously defeated us and held us back from success are now non-issues. With God as our ally, we have victory over everything with which we used to struggle. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13, NKJV).

From now on, whatever ups and downs we experience on the physical level take a back seat to the resurrected life we have received on the spiritual level. Not even death could hold Jesus down; therefore, nothing can hold us down anymore when we trust in Him. In Christ, we’re completely victorious on every level.