“Pastor, if I was made in the image of God, why is my life so full of difficulties?”

I get that feeling, someone who was made in the image and expressions of God shouldn’t face difficulties. Afterall, there’s nothing too hard for God. And if there’s nothing too hard for God, then nothing should be too hard for you, right?

Unfortunately, a lot of things changed after the first man. Although Adam had the very image of God and was supposed to produce offsprings that had the image and expressions of God, but that possibility was impeded the moment sin came. So instead of his offsprings to possess the image and expression of God when they landed on earth, they had the image of sin and death. A nature that was once a reality with man now became a prophetic potential. And that became the order from Adam to Moses. Let’s read how the scripture puts it:

Romans 5:
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Did you see that? Death reigned from Adam to Moses, even upon those who didn’t really commit the sin with Adam. Adam was supposed to reproduce the image and expressions of God, instead, sin caused him to reproduce death until Moses.

Right now, the only person who successfully carried that image of God is Jesus, and God had to leverage on that to awaken that prophetic potential. Let me show you a few scriptures:

SCRIPTURE 1:

Colossians 1:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.

So we see the scripture acknowledging that Jesus is the very image of God. The same thing was repeated in 2 Corinthians:

2 Corinthians 4:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

SCRIPTURE 2:

Romans 8:
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

God has a foreknowledge of everyone who genuinely confesses Jesus as Lord and Saviour, so He gives them a destiny that conforms to the image of Jesus. Notice the word used, “conformed”.

To conform means:

– To act in accordance with expectations.
– To be in accordance with a set of specifications or regulations, or with a policy or guideline.
– To make similar in form or nature; to make suitable for a purpose; to adapt.

This means that if you live your life in accordance to The Word, whom is also Jesus, then you’d become similar in nature with Jesus or you’d become suitable of expressing God. Think about it, if Jesus is the image of God and you conform to Jesus’s image, then who’s image do you eventually have?

Like I said, carrying the nature of Jesus demands some level of spiritual discipline. Prayer, word study and practice, fasting, faith, and everything that Jesus taught and practice. If you want to be changed to the image of Christ, then you have to discipline yourself to commit to spiritual things. Let’s see how scripture puts it:

2 Corinthians 3:
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Did you see that? You’d gradually change into His image the more you commit yourself to spiritual things. Being carnally minded won’t help you become like Him, you have to be spiritually minded. To be carnally minded is death!

As I conclude, it’s now clear that carrying the image of God is not something you confess, it’s something you conform to. Confessing it won’t transform you, it is conforming that will.

I hope this has brought enlightenment to someone.

Remain ever blessed, in Jesus precious name!

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