God's ultimate goal for all his children is abundant life. He never intended for us to go through life focused on our sins and failures. The good news is that we serve a God of absolute love and mercy who desires to bring his children into a place high above all turmoil. However, we cannot take our place with Christ in the heavenlies until we are fully identified with his death and resurrection.
There can be no breakthrough into ascension life without experiencing death at the cross. The Holy Spirit has put within us a knowledge that we can never truly live until we truly die. We seem to know we have a date with death, a destiny relating to the cross of Christ.
Take a good look at where we are with all our fears, emptiness, loneliness, failures and compromise with sin. Consider how little of the Lord's promised peace we really possess. We have fallen far short of what we know an overcoming Christian should be, yet we know God's Word speaks clearly of victory, peace and freedom from sin's dominion. We have seen some who have broken through to that beautiful life of assurance. We would like to ask, “How did you arrive at such victory? How can I break through?”
The Holy Spirit must bring us to the cross and make us face the reality of dying to the world and sin. The moment we begin to seek the Lord diligently with a desire to be under his lordship in all things, we will be irresistibly drawn by the Spirit. We will be brought to the end of ourselves, stripped, weakened and without confidence in our flesh.
I am convinced the Holy Spirit is bringing his church back to the glorious truths of identification with Christ in death, resurrection and ascension life.
Death can be frightening, especially if you cannot see the glory on the other side of it. The Lord assures us, though, of his everlasting love in spite of our failures, and gives us peace and the joy and hope of his resurrection life.