Thursday, January 18, 2024
Do you know your identity in Christ?
This week we continued our series, The Power to Change, giving us some insight about who we are in Christ—his masterpiece (Ephesians 4:10). The bottom line, your identity shapes your destiny, is brought to light with the identity-reminding process found in the following verses.
Ephesians 4:21-23
21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes (emphasis added).
The apostle Paul penned these verses to the Ephesians around 62 AD while he was in prison. He wrote this to introduce the concept of the new life offered in Jesus.
Let’s unpack these verses further:
- Verse 21 – Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He is the Good News, and what he says about us surpasses the negative things from our past. Since we have learned the truth about who he is and who we are in him, we no longer identify with our old, sinful nature. We are called to embrace our new identity.
- Verse 22 – Tell yourself, “The old me is no longer who I am!” Throw off your old identity when you have negative thoughts like, “I’m a loser” or “I’m not worthy” or “God will never love someone like me.” This can be a slow process, but as we remember how Jesus views us and the truth about him, it shapes who we are.
- Verse 23 – Because God’s spirit works in us and through us, we can renew our thoughts about God, us, and our purpose. God always intended for us to live in relationship with him. He wants us to know him and see ourselves the way that he sees us.
Philippians 4:13 NKJV
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
This verse is the declaration of truth that I memorized at an early age because of what Christ has done for me and continues to do in me. I challenge you to renew your thoughts by memorizing it and repeating it back to yourself when you need a reminder to embrace your new identity and throw off your old.
Questions:
Do you see yourself the way that God sees you? If not, why?
Who has God called you to be? Do you know?
Next Steps:
Check out “You Say” by Lauren Daigle. Listen to how she sings about her identity in Christ, and reflect on your own.
Repeat Philippians 4:13 anytime you need a reminder of what you can do through Christ.
21 Days of Prayer - Day 11—Freedom
Today’s Prayer Focus: To Live in Freedom (Galatians 5:1)
Prayer:
Thank you, God, for freeing me! You have freed me from sin and from shame. You have freed me from the law and from striving to earn salvation. You have freed me from death itself! For all those things and more, I praise you. Help me to live as someone who is free. Don’t let me fall back into the posture of a slave, to revert to serving the things that used to control me. May you be the only one I serve, for you bought my freedom and loyalty at a high price on the cross. In gratitude I ask, may your will be done in my life. Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
2 Peter 1:3
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
This post was written by Jenn Macke, a regular contributor of the Living it Out.