Are You Grafted?

If you've ever had a favorite plant that was diseased and you wanted to save it, you've probably grafted it with another plant of the same kind. One form of grafting is called bridge grafting. Bridge grafting is used to "bridge" a diseased or damaged area of a plant, usually at or near the base of the trunk. A portion of the plant is sliced, then inserted into the healthy plant. Over time, the two grow together and form one healthy plant. The disease is gone because the once former sick plant now takes on the characteristics of the better plant.

Someone mentioned this week to me they didn't understand what I meant by "identifying with Christ" or knowing who you are "in Christ". You and I better know who we are in Christ because I can assure you, Satan knows if you know your identity! Here's an example....

Acts 19 tells the story of the seven sons of Sceva. The Apostle Paul was preaching hard at Ephesus. The Bible says God was doing many miracles using Paul's hands. The people were amazed at what they were seeing and this group of men decided they could perform just as fancy miracles as Paul could. Verse 19 says, "Then a certain group of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, 'We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.' And the evil spirit answered and said, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?' And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."

These men didn't have a relationship with Jesus (which would have given them authority to use His name) and they tried to use the name of Jesus to cast out evil spirits. One of the evil spirits thought it was rather comical: "Jesus I know and Paul I know; but who are you?" Because they didn't know their identity in Christ, "they fled out of that house naked and wounded." Paul knew who he was in Christ and so did the evil spirit ("and Paul I know" verse 15). Because the men weren't "grafted" in Christ, the evil spirits knew it and had a field day with them!

When we become one in Christ, He will totally change the way you see yourself and the way you see your life. And even better, Satan will know who he can pick on and who he can't.

My hope is that evening morning when my feet hit the ground, the devil screams, "Oh no, she's awake!"