“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)
"There’s a game I’ve watched women
play at retreats as an icebreaker activity. Each person has the name of a
famous or infamous person taped to her back. Then the women walk around giving
each other clues about ‘who they are.’
‘You always put off worrying until
tomorrow.’ ‘You had so many children you didn’t know what to do.’ ‘You were the
queen of soul.’
The
point of the game is to figure out your identity. Once you guess correctly, you
sit down.
One night, as I watched the ladies
play the game, I was struck with its similarity to real life. Many times we
determine our identity, by what others tell us about ourselves. You are so
smart. You are a loser. You are so pretty. You can do anything you set your
mind to. You are so ugly. You are so fat. After a while, those messages
determine how we see ourselves, whether true or false. It is only a mature
person who realizes that just because a person says that you are this or that,
doesn’t make it true.
One of the greatest blessings of
becoming a Christian is receiving a new identity. In the Bible, when God
touched and changed a person’s life, many times He changed his or her name. He
said, ‘You
will be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will bestow’
(Isaiah 62:2). Saul became Paul. Abram became Abraham. Sarai became Sarah.
Jacob became Israel. Simon became Peter.
Likewise, when you accepted Christ,
God gave you a new identity and a new name. If you want to know who you really
are, then you need to look in the Bible and see who God says you are. It may be
different from what you’ve heard others say about you, but which do you think
is more accurate? Who do you think has a better perception of who you are, your
Creator, or other creatures just like yourself? If you are a Christian today,
the following verses describe your new identity.
My Identity in Christ
Matthew
5:13 I am the salt of the earth.
Matthew
5:14 I
am the light of the world.
John 1:12 I
am a child of God.
John 15:15 I am part of the true vine, a channel (branch) of Christ's life.
John 15:15 I am Christ's friend.
John 15:16 I
am chosen and appointed by Christ to
bear His fruit.
Romans 8:14,15 I am a joint-heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him.
I Corinthians
3:16 I am a temple of God. His Spirit
dwells in me.
I Corinthians
12:27 I am a member (part) of Christ's body
2 Corinthians
5:17 I am a new creation.
2
Corinthians 5:18, 19 I am reconciled to God and am a minister
of reconciliation...
Ephesians 1:1
I am a saint.
Ephesians 1:3
I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places.
Ephesians 1:11 I am sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit who has been given as a
pledge of my inheritance.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God's workmanship created in Christ to do His work that He
planned beforehand that I should do.
Ephesians
4:24 I am righteous and holy.
That is a lot to put on a nametag,
but that is your new identity. Neil
Anderson, in his book Victory over
the Darkness notes, ‘The reason so many Christians are not enjoying the
maturity and freedom which is their inheritance in Christ is because they hold
wrong self-perceptions. They don’t see themselves as they really are in
Christ. They don’t understand the
dramatic change which occurred in them the moment they trusted in Him. They
don’t see themselves the way God sees them, and to that degree they suffer from
a poor self-image. They don’t grasp their true identity.’
In
that paragraph, Dr. Anderson described me perfectly. I had no idea who I was,
what I had, or where I was in Christ. As God opened my eyes to the truth, I
realized that how I saw myself and how God saw me were very different. I
decided to start believing God.
How about you? Are you ready to
start seeing yourself as God sees you today? After all, it is the truth!
Let’s
Pray
Dear God, I thank You that I am a
new creation in Christ. I admit that sometimes I feel just like the old me and
act like the old me, but I believe by faith that I am brand new. Thank You that my identity is based on my position
in Christ rather than my performance on earth.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.”
Sharon Jayne on Crosswalk.com (3/13/12)
(Special emphases
- Jean’s)
Tonight's post: TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH
Pastors, teachers, counselors, parents, and women contemplating marriage: check out my new book, SO YOU PLAN TO MARRY A MAN. It is filled with godly advice!
Tomorrow’s
post: TAKING HOLD TOGETHER AGAINST: Prayer Note # 42
