WE NEED TO ACKNOWLEDGE
Philemon 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
I like the King James Version on this verse very much. I want to look at the word “acknowledge.” It means to recognize, admit, or accept the existence, truth, or validity of something. I also like that it means to confirm the receipt of something. This scripture, in general, is talking about our faith walk that we live every day, which is, “The just shall live by faith.” Today’s scripture also has to do with you sharing your faith in Jesus Christ with others. The Amplified version says it this way, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.” When we acknowledge every good thing in us, and know for sure what is ours in Christ, it will give us a boldness to share about Him with others.
It seems to me that the more you acknowledge something that is yours, the more confident you become about it. Sometimes, what we have in Christ is only on the pages of the Bible. It is not until we acknowledge it as ours that it truly becomes ours. When I acknowledge that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, then I can begin to walk in that truth. It is more than just a confession; I am telling myself and you that this is the truth about me in Christ Jesus. I am confirming the receipt of my righteousness. I have it, and I acknowledge that I do. One of the things Jesus did when He got up and read out of the book of Isaiah, which was recorded for us in Luke 4:18-19, He said, or He acknowledged that, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me.” He was telling the people, “I recognize and accept the truth that the Holy Spirit is the one on me, and the one anointing me.” It seems it was necessary for Him to do that in order for some things to happen.
It reminds me of something my spiritual father shared. He said that when the Lord appeared to him, Jesus put his finger on his hands and talked to him about the healing anointing. Then the Lord basically said, “Before you minister to people, you need to rehearse this.” What was the Lord saying? “You need to acknowledge this event happened, and as you do that, then the anointing that I am giving you will work.” What do you need to acknowledge? What God says about you, who you are, and what you can do? Are you acknowledging it?