HANDBOOK TO HAPPINESS - by Dr. Charles R. Solomon

HANDBOOK TO HAPPINESSCHAPTER ONEDr. Charles R. Solomon’s personaltestimony involved emotional problemsthat hampered living. After exhaustingall the church offered and finding onlytemporary solace, unable to surviveany longer, the Holy Spirit interveneddirectly in Dr. Solomon’s heart and life,through Galatians 2:20: “I am crucifiedwith Christ.” Giving him radical victory,it was the message he was to teach,now 50 years ago. Understandingpeople and helping them to understandthemselves involved the themes ofrejection and identity, two intertwinedconcepts which, when unraveled, giveself understanding. This accomplished,the truth of identification with Christ in Page 1

HANDBOOK TO HAPPINESSHis death and resurrection helps peopleto find true freedom in Christ.People face problems impossible toresolve in human strength. To findanswers, it is vital to understand theconcepts of rejection and identity. Wehave access to the infallible Word ofGod and the Counselor, the Holy Spiritwho transforms our lives by renewingour minds (Romans 12:2). After being“filled with the Spirit,” we must “walk inthe Spirit” to allow the Holy Spirit tocontrol our lives. To experience thecross, we must embrace it, with itsbrokenness and suffering like theMaster. To have victory in life, we mustfollow the way of the cross. Life comesout of death and victory out of defeat.It is a paradoxical principle. Through Page 2

HANDBOOK TO HAPPINESSthe exchanged life and the experiencedcross, we become in experience whatwe already are in Christ by position.A common thread running throughpeoples’ lives is rejection, with itseffects, after-effects andcounter-effects. Rejection is the lack ofmeaningful, fulfilling and edifying love,resulting in the impaired ability to giveand receive love. Rejection might be sosubtle and unintentional that it isunrecognized and unavoidable. Theanswer to rejection is acceptance.Unfortunately, human acceptance willnot heal the damaged emotions,although it does help and might be theonly help available. Being accepted inChrist is the only true, time-tested,proven cure in the world. Page 3

HANDBOOK TO HAPPINESSUnderstanding the importance ofidentity and the ways it affects ourexistence is vital because what aperson sees as his identity willdetermine where he looks foracceptance. “Our fleshly identity iswhat we are as a result of humanresources. Our spiritual identity is whatwe are through the Holy Spirit’s power.The cure for an unacceptable fleshlyidentity is a true spiritual identity,which only a proper relationship toChrist can give us.” Our identity is whowe are in Christ. We are being“transformed by the renewing of ourminds” (Romans 12:2). We exchange ourfleshly identity, based on personalhistory and indwelling sin, for ourperfect identity in Christ. It takes a Page 4

HANDBOOK TO HAPPINESSmiracle of the Holy Spirit to accomplishthis. The Holy Spirit gives us our trueidentity as redeemed children of theKing of kings (Ephesians 1:17-20;Romans 5:10). “Our identity, based onwho we are in Christ, is claimed byfaith. We exchange our fleshly identityfor the Christ-life, by exchanging a lifeof defeat for a life of victory.” (Luke9:23). We must define our identity tounderstand what we must lose, in orderto live out our true identity in Christ asdearly loved children of God. We haveto deny our old identity to exchange itfor our new identity in Christ. “He wholoses his life for my sake shall find it” –(Matthew 16:25).© Dr. Charles R. Solomon Page 5