"I wish I were dead!"

Of course, “I wish I were dead” is a horrible thing we say to ourselves during times of hopeless despair! But the Bible says before we can live as overcomers, we need a revelation of our death with Christ—that we are dead to sin and Satan’s power. In other words, we don’t have to wish it; we are dead!

When we were born the first time, Paul says we were born “dead IN our sins” (Eph. 2:1). Paradoxically, when we were born “again,” we were born “dead TO sin” (Ro. 6:4, 11). It is ‘out of’ our death that we begin a new life. If we don’t know that, Satan will have an advantage.

A Spirit-infused revelation of this truth is essential! We cannot fight our "giants," or pull down strongholds unless we have a revelation of life “in Christ.” No matter what your emotions say, or how guilty or condemned you feel, you must know, without doubt, that Satan and sin have no power over you.

When we were born again, God didn’t change “us”—He put “us” to death. And He didn’t just give us a new identity. He gave us a new address. It’s like the FBI’s “witness protection program”—they give you a new identity and move you to a new city where your enemy cannot find you. For all practical purposes, the person you used to be is dead. Ray Stedman said: “It is a new self-image that delivers us. When we begin to think of ourselves as God thinks of us, we will find we have the power to say “No” to sin.