Wait, before you begin jumping to any sort of conclusions by the title of this post. No, I have not fallen, hit my head and ended up with a severe case of amnesia! Thank God!
I am fully aware of who I am!
I know my name and some of the titles which I hold! Such as, wife, Mom, Grammy, Mom-in-law, daughter (when my parents were still living), aunt, friend, daughter-in-law, sister, sister-in-law, “the card lady!”, and most importantly, "a daughter of The King!"
Recently I came across this image on facebook.
Those words couldn’t be more true
"Don't let
your struggle
become
your identity"
Unfortunately, way too often I do the complete opposite.
I DO let myself fall into the snare of allowing my struggles to become my identity.
All I can see in the mirror reflecting back to me is the lady with a rare chronic illness which has completely turned her world upside down in more ways than one!
Much too often it’s very difficult to see my identity as being anything past the four walls of my home.
I allow myself to be identified by all those things that I’m missing out on in life, instead of focusing on all the blessings and unique opportunities that have been entrusted to me in which to serve the Lord and to serve others.
When my focus is on me and my struggles, of course I’m going to be stumbling over living out my TRUE identity.
So what is this TRUE identity which I just mentioned?
It’s not found in me or in anything I do or in any title I hold and certainly not in my struggles.
My identity as a child of God is found solely in the Lord Jesus Christ!
And if you know Christ as your personal Saviour, that's exactly where your identity is found as well!
Pretty simple, isn’t it?
As I was pondering this amazing truth, the Lord began to show me some specific ways in which my identity is found in Jesus Christ, and the many privileges which are granted to me because of having Jesus as my identity.
If you know Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, you can rejoice in these truths as well!
- I am a child of God
"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."
John 1:12
- I am no longer condemned
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
Romans 8:1
- I am a new person
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
II Corinthians 5:17
- I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."
II Peter 2:9
- I am God’s workmanship
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:10
- I am more than a conqueror
"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."
Romans 8:37
- I am loved
"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
I John 4:10
- I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
II Corinthians 5:21
- I am a friend of Jesus
"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."
John 15:15
- I have been born again
"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
I Peter 1:23
- I am complete in Christ
"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power."
Colossians 2:10
- I have the mind of Christ
"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ."
I Corinthians 2:16
- I have peace with God
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
Romans 5:1
- I can do all things through Christ
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Philippians 4:13
- I am a joint-heir with Christ
"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ."
Romans 8:17
- I am an ambassador for Christ
"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us."
II Corinthians 5:20
- I am sealed with The Holy Spirit
"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
Ephesians 1:13
- I have Jesus with me at ALL times
"For he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Hebrews 13:5
- I am a fellow citizen with the entire family of God
"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God."
Ephesians 2:19
- I am the temple of the Holy Spirit
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
1 Corinthians 6:19
- I have been delivered from the power of darkness and placed into God’s kingdom
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son."
Colossians 1:13
- I am victorious through Jesus Christ
"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
I Corinthians 15:57
- I have redemption and the forgiveness of sins
"In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."
Ephesians 1:7
- I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ."
Ephesians 1:3
- I am promised eternal life
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
John 6:47
My friends, those are just twenty-five ways in which we find our identity in Christ! There are so many more examples which could be added to this list!
Amazing!
Overwhelming!
Beyond Words!
The next time I begin giving my ear to that subtle hushed voice which is attempting to defeat me, discourage me, and tell me that I'm a "nobody" or useless for the cause of Christ, I'll just refer back to this list and remind myself
WHO
I AM
IN CHRIST!
Thank You, Jesus, for being my Wonderful, Merciful, Savior, and SO MUCH MORE!
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May God Bless You,
Barb
Cindyann
September 14, 2016 at 11:05 amVery thorough and thoughtful. I am convinced that God wants to use our biggest struggle to be among our greatest blessings. Salvation reigns first always. Have a great day Barb!
Barb
September 14, 2016 at 12:33 pmCindyann, I couldn't agree more about our biggest struggle being our greatest blessing which the Lord can use for our good and for His glory, especially since I have witnessed it first hand in my own life!
So good to hear from you.
Praying for you and your beloved
Love ya my dear friend, Barb
Linda
September 14, 2016 at 9:14 pmDear Barb, you are a light on a hill! By that I mean you, through this site and posts like this one, shine forth to all who read of your love of God and your declarations of your identity. Your words resonate with those with a chronic illness and those who those who do not. You may at times feel limited physically by your 4 walls, but spiritually you "fly free" as you write the words the Father prompts to you - in your blog, in your cards as well as the words you use in prayer.
You are such a treasure, a precious daughter of the King, loved without reservation by Him. And you are a treasure to your family and friends - and that includes me! I am sooo thankful that we have connected! It's an absolute joy to know you and pray alongside you. Love you ❤️
Barb
September 17, 2016 at 7:36 pmLinda, once again your words are a huge encouragement to me! And they truly help me to keep on doing what the Lord has called me to do especially on the hard days like today. I absolutely loved when you said that I fly free! Those two words made me smile BIG and cry tears of joy! You are an AMAZING friend to me and I thank the Lord for bringing you into my life and for standing by me and WITH me. I love and appreciate you more than you can know!!
Will Henning
September 19, 2016 at 10:30 amAnother great post. Thanks.
We're tracking together again as you'll see when I post this week.
Be blessed my friend.
Barb
September 20, 2016 at 3:45 pmI'm truly flattered, Will, especially since they say that great minds think alike!!!
Looking forward to reading your post and seeing what you came up with after roaming around in my mind! Well since I know there's not too much left in there, it will definitely be all your own words!!!
God bless my friend!!!