Knowing Who You Are In Christ

As Followers of Chris we need to know who we are in Christ and learn to always reject negative thoughts. The moment you discover yourself and your identity in Christ, your value comes back, your worth comes back, and no opinion of man can devalue it.

1 Peter 2:9 says “ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”

The greatest discovery that anyone could ever make in a life is to discover who they are. It is possible for a person to be born again, Spirit-filled, sanctified, be a Pastor, Evangelist, Bishop, priest or founder of a church without knowing who he/she is. My question is who are you and what is your identity in Christ?

The devil is an expert in using his tools to get people to be completely ignorant about their identity. He even tempted our Lord Jesus three times thinking he could convince Him to surrender. The devil said to Jesus “If you are the son of God, command these stones to become bread.” This was done to make Jesus doubt Him identity. It means if Jesus didn’t Who He was, He would have surrendered to the devil. The devil tried again by saying, “If thou be the son of God, cast yourself down; because it is written that the angels will bear you in their arms.” Again Jesus defeated him. -Matthew 4:1-11-

It is very important for us to know who we are in Christ. If not other people or our situation may tell us who we are not. The devil spoke through the people who mocked Jesus, telling Him to come down off the cross of He was the son of God. -Matthew 27:40-

Even though Jesus has the power and authority to come down, He refused to listen to the voice of the devil. The devil may speak to Christ’s followers that if they are going through any problem in life it means God is not with them and that they are not children of God.

As followers of Christ we need to know who we are in Christ and learn to always reject negative thoughts and evil voices. We need to constantly reassure ourselves of the love of Christ for us and the power He had given us to be called sons and daughters of God. -John 1-12- We can confess but we are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that we may declare the praises of Him called you out of darkness into His wonderful light as a declaration of our identity in God.

We need to know that whatever we are going through in life God is always with us and He is fully aware of the situation and will provide solutions in His own time. We need to let the life of Jesus, from His birth to His death on the cross be an example to us. Jesus was always talking about who and what He is, what His mission in life is. He said He is Living Water, the Bread of Life, the Son of God, the way, the Truth and the Life.

The soldiers that were sent to capture Elijah asked him to come down from the mountain and he said if he really was a man of God, Fire should come down and destroy them and it happened. -2 Kings 1:10-12- Elijah used the power and authority of God in him to call down fire to destroy the soldiers because he knew who he was in Christ.

Many people do not know who they are in Christ and when the devil comes they do not know which answer to give him and they are defeated. As followers of Christ we need to be well grounded in the word of God and be able to apply it to our situation.

Jesus asked Him disciples, who men says He is and who they themselves say He is. Peter said He is the Son of God and Savior of the world, shown in the flesh, Jesus reaffirmed that the Spirit of God was in Peter and that God was the one who revealed who He was to Peter and that God was the one that revealed who He is to Peter and that Peter answered correctly. This shows that Jesus Himself knew His identity that He is the Son of God.

The only one who knows who you are is God. If you do not know who you are ask Him and He will tell you who you are.

Why Do We Need To Know Who We Are?

1. To have a strong foundation to build our life on.

2. To have a great revelation of the power of God that is available to us.

3. To help live our life as God intended and fulfill our destiny.

4. To help us build a stronger faith in God.

5. To remove fear of the future.

Finding Faith In Uncertainty

Right now there is a huge amount of uncertainty in the world. There is a way to find courage in the face of uncertainty.

When life feels uncertain, it’s easy to doubt that God is really with us. But the same God who is with us during the good times is the same God who is with us during uncertain times. All throughout the Bible, the Lord has shown that He doesn’t abandon His children, you can be sure He won’t start now.

It’s an interesting time in the world right now, to say the least. The stores shelves are nearly empty, the school can’t decide whether they need to be open or not. The price of gas for our vehicles are skyrocketing. The control that we seek over our lives seems to be slipping away.

The Coronavirus and the thought about losing young American’s as Soldiers are killed while their fighting for freedom. Is the hardest part. How many people will die from either sickness or from the war on freedom.

The truth is, these kind of situations isn’t much different than the typical day to day situations, people will get sick and die everyday, and young Americans will always risk dying for our freedom. I don’t mean this profound impact on how your life should be lived. That would be ridiculous.

What I’m saying is that uncertainty is all about what is promised in God’s word.

If we’re going to talk about the reality of the danger and uncertainty of the world in which we live, we then must also declare the truth about the God, we follow is truly the world’s antithesis. Where our earthly future is fought with peril, our eternal future is safe and sound. Where our comforts of this life are fleeting and the routine we crave is fragile, the faithfulness and peace of our Lord is unyielding.

Isaiah 41:10 says “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God: I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 says “Be strong and courageous. Do not fears or be in dread… for it is the Lord you God who goes with you, I will not leave you or forsake you.”

Even Jesus’s final words to His disciples before ascending to Heaven were a promise: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:20-

So, why then, as children of God should these new challenges be any different? In a time when fear is so easily found, we as followers of Christ, have the greatest reason not to be afraid: the steadfastness and love of the one who conquered death itself.

All The Things God Is Doing When It Looks Like He’s Doing Nothing

I am a full-fledged member of the instant generation. I want what I want, and I want it right now! I want to watch television shows on demand. What do you mean I have to wait until next summer for new episodes? I want them now. When I send you a text I expect you to get back to me immediately. No one has time time to wait around for ten or fifteen minutes. I need you to respond Now! When I select the two day shipping on Amazon, I expect it to be one my door step in two days. I don’t want excuses about shipping plant fires, UPS worker strikes, or snakes on the plane. I want immediate results. If you have the guts to post a u-tube video, it better play right away without buffering. Other way I’m out. I’ve got other, really important videos to watch, like people putting Mentos into a bottle of Coke.

I’ve been trained, for good or for bad to expect immediate results.

The only problem is that God doesn’t usually do immediate. He doesn’t usually do fast. He doesn’t do overnight shipping. He works around His own timeline, not mine. And the wonderful reality is that God is usually doing a thousand things when it looks like He’s doing absolutely nothing.

When Joseph sat in prison, it appeared that God wasn’t doing anything. Joseph probably felt forgotten, abandoned, discarded. He probably felt useless. Meanwhile, God was doing a thousand things as Joseph sat idly in prison. God was preparing Joseph’s brother for reconciliation, Pharaoh to receive Joseph as from God, and the entire nation of Egypt to depend on Joseph as a wise steward of food

While David was a fugitive, on the run from Saul, it appeared that God wasn’t doing anything. David probably felt like his best years were being wasted. That his talent was going to waste. Meanwhile, God was doing a thousand things while David hid in caves and pretended to be insane. God was working on David himself, preparing David to be a man after His own heart. He was teaching David to trust in Him and to wait on Him. And he was preparing Israel to receive their divinely appointed king.

Just because we can’t see God working doesn’t mean He isn’t working. It may seem like our prayers for our children are pointless, because we can’t see anything happening. But our prayers aren’t useless. God is working, and someday we will see the fruit of those prayers. It may seem like our prayers for spiritual growth are futile, because we can’t see much spiritual growth. But our prayers aren’t futile. God is working, and someday we’ll see the fruit of our prayers. It may seem like our prayers for reconciliation with family and friends are wasted, because we can’t see anything happening. But our prayers aren’t wasted. God is working, and one day we’ll see the delightful fruit of our prayers.

Just because we can’t see Him working doesn’t mean God isn’t working. God is doing a thousand things when it seems like He’s doing nothing.

We look at life from the back side of the tapestry. And most of the time, what we see is loose threads, tangled knots and the like. But occasionally, God’s light shine through the tapestry, and we get a glimpse of the larger design with God weaving together the darks and lights of existence. I personally can not wait until we are able to see the tapestry from the front. What a amazing sight it will be when it’s finished.

Understanding Everything

Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand everything -Proverbs 28:5 –

The explosion of new technologies makes it possible to download vast libraries within seconds. Yet in the face of this overflow of information, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Grappling with our limitations, we can realize that some things are beyond our understanding. But the good news is that we serve the God who created all things and has all knowledge.

The Bible gives us this amazing promise: All limits are removed when we seek God and realize that He is ready and able to give us all thunder we need. The Bible tells us, “those who seek the Lord understand everything., Not because we are smarter, but because we depend on Him.

As we encounter situations we don’t understand, we can put this promise into operation. We need to seek God and ask for wisdom and und. We need to open our minds to His truth.

If you face problems that overwhelm you, use these opportunities to seek God. AskHum to show you what to do. Fill your mind with His Word. Put His principles into practice. Ask Him to direct your path.

If you feel inadequate or helpless, remember the words of Apostle Paul. To draw God’s strength when we are weak. When we depend on Him, we are strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:10 – Place your trust in God. Have confidence. Believe thatHe will provide what you need.

Discerning The Voices In Our Heads

There are three voices that we hear every day. Two are in our head and one in our soul, but only one is in our spirit.

The first voice is the voice of our flesh. This voice is full of the words from our story, and can both negative and positive. The voice of your flash might include positive messages from your parents, like “Just do you best; and leave the rest to God,” or “Always tell the truth, and we will be proud of you.” The voice of your flesh will also include negative messages like, “Admit nothing, especially never admit guilt” or “You will fail if you try, so don’t do it,” and “I really don’t deserve to be blessed by God so don’t expect it.”

The second voice that we could hear on the inside could be that of a demonic spirit. They are roaming about the earth seeking someone to devour. -1 Peter 5:8- If you are opening the door to their deception. Demons will us their voices to speak into your soul and you could be hearing those voices. They will enter your mind spoken person. “I am so stupid… I can’t do anything right; I’m so hurt, I’ll never forgive them; I’ll will never be successful like so-in-so; I can’t understand the Bible, so why try; Everyone a church is such a hypocrite… I’m not going anymore.”

Then there is a third voice, the right voice. This is the voice of God. He said “My sheep will hear my voice, and I know then, and they follow me.” -John 10:27- Through the In dwelling Holy Spirit, the Lord speaks to us. He always speaks that which is either the way of scripture. The Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth in John 14:17, and Jesus says, “ you know Him because He abides in you.” It should be understood that the Holy Spirit is in us to guide us, train us and speak to us truth. He tells us the truth.

Every day you will hear these voices of your life, and each voice will urge your obedience. Can you discern these three voices? Do you know the sound of each voice?

Here are some tips to help you recognize who is speaking to you:

Does the voice condemn you, criticize you, scold you or mock you? Then it is either the negative voice of your childhood, or it is the voice of the demonic.

Does the voice tell you to kill yourself, or that you could pick up that rope/ shot gun/ hammer/ knife and either hurt yourself or someone else? Then that is voice of the demonic, God would never tell you to do any of that. God only speaks good, true, positive to us. Not murder, death or suicide.

Does the voice tell you to defend yourself by attacking others; does the voice tell you that it is not your fault and that others are all to blame; does this voice keep rehearsing the perfect argument over and over, all day Saturday and Sunday, preparing you to give a sterling account of your goodness/ innocence/or correctness on Monday morning at the office… well, then that is the voice of your shame. (flesh)

If the voice tells you that you are loved, that’s the Lord’s voice. If the voice tells you to “meet me in my Word,” then that’s the Lord. If the voice tells you that you should offer/serve/ give up your own rights to seek good for someone else, then that is most likely the voice of God.

You will hear messages all day. If you head is full of confusion, noise and traffic, then that’s a sign that you are operating under the influence of the flesh and/ or demonic. If your head is full of peace, quiet, or a scripture verse,a worship song you just heard then you are hearing the voice of the Great Shepherd. He knows you. He knows the words to lead you with. Listen for Him. Get quiet and listen, and learn to hear His voice.

When God speaks to you, abides in you, and teaches you, then you will have His peace. -John 14: 25-27- Know His voice, know peace.

What To Do When Your Life Is A Living Hell.

“I Hate My Life”

When these words come out of our mouth, we have two real choices.

We can choose to believe these words and accept that our live are just miserable, and changing our lives are impossible.

Or…

We can choose to believe these words and use these emotions to empower ourselves to change our lives.

It is a choice. We are not powerless to control our own lives. That’s just the thing we tell ourselves when we’re not ready or willing to step into our own personal agency.

Personal agency exists when we recognize that we have control over our thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

We under that, while we cannot control the world around us or other people existing on the planet with us, we can certainly make choices that influence the outcomes of our own lives. To own our personal agency is to empower ourselves to make changes and begin to create the kind of lives we actually want to live.

There was a time I made my life a living hell, through the choices I made, my thoughts and how I treated other people. I chose not to empower myself. I just thought that was my life. A miserable existed.

External Locus Of Control

There tend to be people who look at the world with an external locus of control. This means that they see events as they are happening to them. Their focus is on how other people treat them, how outside events influence their lives, and how little control they have. This leads to feeling helpless, resentful, bitter, and frustrated.

Internal Locus Of Control

Then there are people with an internal locus of control who already have then sense of personal agency. They realize that they can only control themselves, but they also recognize the power in their personal choices. They realize that events can happen, but they chose how to respond to them. They understand that how they respond to that treatment is a choice. The internal locus of control helps people feel empowered, confident, and adaptable.

I’m sure you know individuals in each of these personal agencies. Or see it in yourself.

Owning our personal agency requires that internal locus to control. If we don’t have it, we have to learn how to develop it. While it may not be easy, the end result is a lot better than staying stuck in helplessness, envy, and bitterness that life did not turn out as we’d have liked.

When I look at the world I think most I individuals are in external locus of control in the world today. Whether it started during childhood or they were taught. or just took on the victim mentality.

We Must Recognize That We Have The Power Of Choice

Recognizing that we have choices is a powerful first step. Instead of blaming everyone else for the lives we’re living, we own that we are responsible for every choice that brought us to this point in our lives. If we don’t like where we are, we can make choices to change it.

When We Realize We Have Choices, We Stop Waiting Around For Someone Else To Fix Our Lives

That’s when we start growing.

We can choose how we react to the people and events that happen in our lives. We can decide whether or not we’re going to follow every thought train to it’s final destination or realize when it’s toxic and find a better way. We can recognize that we are responsible for our own emotions rather than blaming others for how we feel. When we struggle, we can choose whether or not we’re going to try and heal alone or we are going seek help, from God, friends, family, or professionals to help us through difficult times.

We Bring That Recognition Into How We Communicate

It’s not enough just to recognize that we have control over our actions. We can begin to bring that awareness into how we communicate. We learn healthier ways of communicating because we are no longer blaming other people for our circumstances. Instead of telling people that they made us feel a particular way, we begin to express how their behavior impacted us while taking responsibility for our own feelings. This means that we stop making our love and hate and everything in between someone else’s problem, too. We can talk about it without shifting the responsibility for choices and change over to someone else.

Take Responsibility For Your Actions. You only look like a fool when trying to blame other people for your behavior.

We have to get our priorities straight, or we will create our own he’ll on earth.