Identity (2)
Thursday 20th September 2018
'You are mine.' Isaiah 43:1 NIV
If knowing our identity helps us avoid becoming trapped in the cycle of people-pleasing, then it's crucial for us to work out exactly what our identity is, and see if there are any areas of our identity that we're getting from sources other than God. Satan wants us to identify with who people say we are, rather than who God says we are. And unless we know who we are in God's eyes, we'll be left struggling with feelings of condemnation and unworthiness.
Our identity is not in things like our reputation, our job or our finances. Our self-worth can only be truly found in what God says about us. He says: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine' (Isaiah 43:1 NIV). We are his. That's our identity. We are children of God, fully loved and accepted by him. The Bible says: 'What great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are' (1 John 3:1 NIV)! Once we accept that truth, we can stop feeling like we're not good enough. Knowing who we are in Christ gives us confidence to hold our head high in a society which seems preoccupied with popularity and success.
So, let's be people who know their true identity and can live counter-culturally without worrying what people think.
So what now? Listen to No Longer Slaves by Jonathan David Helser and Melissa Helser. Declare the line 'I am a child of God' over yourself.
Thursday 20th September 2018
'You are mine.' Isaiah 43:1 NIV
If knowing our identity helps us avoid becoming trapped in the cycle of people-pleasing, then it's crucial for us to work out exactly what our identity is, and see if there are any areas of our identity that we're getting from sources other than God. Satan wants us to identify with who people say we are, rather than who God says we are. And unless we know who we are in God's eyes, we'll be left struggling with feelings of condemnation and unworthiness.
Our identity is not in things like our reputation, our job or our finances. Our self-worth can only be truly found in what God says about us. He says: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine' (Isaiah 43:1 NIV). We are his. That's our identity. We are children of God, fully loved and accepted by him. The Bible says: 'What great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are' (1 John 3:1 NIV)! Once we accept that truth, we can stop feeling like we're not good enough. Knowing who we are in Christ gives us confidence to hold our head high in a society which seems preoccupied with popularity and success.
So, let's be people who know their true identity and can live counter-culturally without worrying what people think.
So what now? Listen to No Longer Slaves by Jonathan David Helser and Melissa Helser. Declare the line 'I am a child of God' over yourself.
