The things of God work by recognition. You have to realize it's not just what you have or what God has given to you that works; it is what you know that works for you. If you don't know that you have it, it will not work. You can't get the benefit of what you don't know. Just as the Bible says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). You must know it to access it. In 1st John chapter 5, the Bible tells us, "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life" (1 John 5:11-12). Eternal life is the very life of God. It is not something we are going to receive in the future-it is yours right now if you are born again. The life in you is greater than human life. It is not the life of your body; it is the very life of God in your spirit.
The Bible confirms, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life" (John 6:47). Notice it does not say "shall have" but "hath." The moment you believe in Jesus, you receive eternal life. It is present in your spirit. God wants you to know you have it, because awareness activates its power.
The Bible tells us, "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life..." (1 John 5:13). It is possible to have eternal life and not know it. If you do not realize it, it will not operate in your life. If you are unaware, you will walk, live, and even die like an ordinary man. You will be sick like any other person or face the same limitations ordinary men face. Yet the life of God is in your spirit, ready to protect and empower you. If you don't know you have it, it cannot work for you. Your awareness of God's life in you determines how it works in your life.
It is the knowledge of these things that activates their power. It must be present in your consciousness. The Bible says, "...that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13 NIV). You have eternal life; don't live like someone who doesn't have it. The life of God is in your spirit. Know it, declare it, and live in it every day.