Who are you?
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!
When you have come to Jesus Christ for salvation – He saves you and you become
a new creation in Christ, and a child of God.
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 live in 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, y
ou 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.
These beautiful truths are yours when you are in Christ:
~ 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!