You are an heir of God! In fact, the Bible says in Romans 8:17 that if you are born again, you are a joint-heir with Christ. So you need to ask yourself the question, Am I living like an heir?
Well, what is an heir? First of all, an heir is one who succeeds another in the possession of property, title, office, wealth, fortune, or resources. You are not an heir until someone has left you something.
If you understand the New Covenant, you know that Jesus Christ has left you a glorious inheritance! Ephesians 1:18 says that God has given you the riches of His glory in Christ as your inheritance. Think about that!
What does this mean to you personally? It means that you have certain rights and privileges in Christ, and you need to find out what they are. In fact, to a great extent the success of your Christian life is measured by understanding who you are in Christ, what you possess in Him - and then by taking advantage of what belongs to you!
How do you find out what belongs to you? An inheritance is usually stated in a will. The Word of God - the promises of God - contains God's will and testament, telling you what you have inherited. All the promises of God tell you what your rights and privileges are in Christ. They have already been given to you through Jesus. But now it is up to you to receive the promises of God so you can live your life in the fullness of your inheritance.
No one is going to force you to receive your inheritance in Christ, not even God Himself. Of course, He wants you to receive what belongs to you, but He won't come down and force you to receive the riches of His glory in Christ.
You could become an heir today and inherit a million dollars, but unless you take advantage of what belongs to you, you could live on the street, homeless, without a penny in your pocket. You could actually live in dire poverty, even though you have in your possession the title deed to a mansion and a savings account totaling a
fortune!
Yet this is what we do all the time when it comes to the things that belong to us in God. We may even pull the Bible out, look at all the promises of God, and say, "I am an heir! The Lord promised me this in His Word," yet never actually receive any of those promises in our lives.
You may have a deed to your home or a rental agreement of some kind. If someone tried to move into your home or apartment, you wouldn't just tell your family, "It looks like we are going to have to move out!" No, if you have legal documents proving your right to be there, you are going to stay and tell the intruder to leave!
You can do that because you know what belongs to you, and you know what your rights are. Yet what do you do when the devil walks in and starts taking advantage of you by bringing his sickness, lack, poverty, and trouble? Do you just let him have his way, or do you stand against him with the Word?
You must take your stand on the Word for what belongs to you! You need to tell Satan, "devil, I am an heir! This belongs to me! In the Name of Jesus, leave now!"
It is up to you whether or not you ever receive the promises of God in your life. It is up to you whether or not you live in the freedom that belongs to you as an heir of God! You can allow the devil to take advantage of you, or you can rebuke him and put him in his place.
Then stand your ground and begin claiming all the wonderful promises of God that already belong to you as an heir in Christ.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications