If someone asked you that question, how would you answer? Even more importantly, what would be the answer if you asked yourself, “Where do I find my sense of worth, security, and value?”
This is an issue of identity. Identity essentially means: “who someone is” - where we find our value, or our sense of worth. Where we find our identity is so important because we behave in line with what we believe about who we are.
We live in a culture that tells us that our worth is found in how we look, what we do, how much we have, how popular we are. This only leads into insecurity, fear, unfulfillment, and never measuring up.
If you have trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you have an identity and worth in Christ that will transform you the more you understand and live in its reality!
Salvation takes place when you:
~ Come to God realizing that you are a sinner, that your sin separates you from God, and that you deserve to spend eternity in hell apart from God.
~ See that Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, came to earth, lived a perfect life, died on the Cross to pay the penalty for your sins, rose from the dead and stands ready to save you if you will confess your sins to God.
~ Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior and cleanse you from your sins, and put your total trust in His work for you on the Cross.
Then when God looks at you, He sees Jesus, His redeeming work in your life, and His righteousness.So, when you become a Christian – you are a new creation and you have a new identity. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
Your worth no longer lies in what you do, how you look, or what other people say you are.
Your worth lies in Jesus Christ, what He has done, and who you are in HIM!
Galatians 2:20 tells us, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now livein the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Your identity is no longer YOU, but HIM! A you-centered (or people, possession, position) identity will lead you to an identity crisis – those things will fail, disappoint you, and never fully fulfill! A Christ-centered identity will bring you all of the security, meaning, and purpose you long for – Jesus never fails you and can totally fulfill you.
Don’t turn to someone or something else to define you or tell you who you are! JESUS has already told you who you are – you just need to listen to Him (and not to yourself or voices of others). Understand that whoever you allow to define you and tell you who you are and clamor for their approval, you make your god. The only one who has the right to define you is the One who created you! Listen to JESUS - not the world, the devil, or yourself. Ask, “Jesus, who do You say that I am? What do you say about me?” He has told you amazing, life-changing things about who you are in Him! It is so important that you know and understand your true identity of who you are in Him – and then live in the reality of it!
Let’s look in His Word ~ Scripture ~ and see who He says you are in Him:
~ Redeemed - “He has delivered us from the
power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13-14
~ Accepted - “…to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:6
~ Beloved – “…you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13
~ Child of God – “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” John 1:12
~ Complete in Christ – “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Colossians 2:9-10
~ Nothing can separate you from His love – “ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39
~ Chosen/“Royal Priesthood” – “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
~ God’s Workmanship – “ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10
~ and so many more! I encourage you to look into the Bible more and see what the Lord says about who you are in Jesus!
Isn’t this breathtaking? This is who you are in Jesus!
As you see this, allow the Lord’s grace to bring these amazing truths from your head to your heart in a way that transforms the way you live your life! Because, if you really believe and walk in the reality of who you are in Christ, it will change your life! If you believe you are:
~ Accepted – you will not look to others for affirmation and acceptance (which can lead to so much trouble).
~ Beloved – you will not desperately look for love in other places.
~ Redeemed – you will not try to gain God’s approval through works.
~ Royal Priesthood and a Daughter of the King of Kings – you will want to be set apart and live for HIS kingdom vs. this world.
…. and so much more!
See how it changes you?
It is a life-long journey of growing in walking more fully in our identity in Christ. It is becoming in practice like we are already in position. It is knowing we are unchangeably accepted, and receiving God’s grace in growing to live like it.
We need to keep these truths of our identity in front of our eyes. I encourage you to write some of these verses and realities of who you are in Christ on cards and put them up on your mirror, above your bed, and other places where you will see them!
As you grow in living in your true identity in Christ you will find you are able to increasingly:
~ Live confidently in who you are in Him.
~ Not be emotionally up and down based on what people think of you – but able to rest in what HE has said about who you are.~ Be able to focus on HIM alone and what He thinks of you – vs. always worrying what others think of you.
These things will lead you into a deeper relationship with Him and will allow Him to more freely work through you!
I have found the power of this in my own life – as you receive the Lord’s grace to walk in the reality of who you are in Jesus, you are increasingly able to live day-to-day and walk into any setting and rest in who you are in Jesus. Whether people love you or hate you, or think you are wonderful or weird, you can be at peace knowing your position in Christ and what He thinks of you. You can walk into church, a social gathering, etc. and do not need to look around at everyone and hope they accept you – you can be confident of, and secure in, who you are in Christ and be able to shine His love!
Every day of my life, I need to walk in the reality of who I am in Jesus! Understanding who I am because of Jesus and what He has done continues to grow my gratitude for Jesus and be life-altering for me. When I am not living in the reality of my identity in Jesus, I find I become insecure, etc. and then the Lord faithfully directs my eyes back to my position and value because of Him and the security returns! I want to live more fully in my identity in Christ with each breath I take.
~ You are not defined by your worst day, what you have done, or what you do – but, by what Jesus has done for you.
~ You are not defined by how you look, but by what God sees when He looks at you – JESUS!
~ You are not defined by what you have accomplished, but by what Jesus has accomplished for you on the Cross!
~ You are not defined by what you know, or even the fact that you know God, but the fact that God knows you because of Jesus!
~ You are not defined by what people say about you, but by what God says about you!
~ You are not defined by who you are, but by Who He is in you!
Understanding and living in your identity in Jesus is life transforming. Jesus meant for you to know, believe, and live in this reality!
Keep looking to Jesus and His Word for a definition of your true identity, daily remind yourself of and live in the reality of these truths, and watch Him transform your life!
Go and live in your true identity in Christ!
No comments:
Post a Comment