What defines you?
Think about it, you meet a stranger, and they ask you to introduce yourself; what is the composition of your introduction? Many people base their identity on what they do, others on what they studied in school, and others on their mistakes. Some even identify with their profession. People will say things like, ‘I am a lawyer or a ‘salesman.’ But our profession is not our identity. There is also a group of others who identify with the diseases attacking their bodies. You will hear people attaching their identity to the disease, ‘I am diabetic’ or ‘I am bipolar.’
The dictionary definition of identity is ‘the condition or character of a person and that distinguishes the person or thing.’ People that identify with their lifestyle and professions significantly limit their lives. Brethren, God’s intention is for all people to find their identity in Christ. In the same way that a builder must build a house on a solid foundation to last through storms, we must similarly have the chief cornerstone – Jesus Christ-as our identity foundation.
A believer’s identity encompasses the abundance of being a beloved child of God. It is only after we understand God’s love for us that we can confess that in Him we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37). Think about it, what happens to the “lawyer,” “salesman,” “athlete” when they experience failure? Many whose identity is rooted on unstable foundations have very shaky lives. If your identity is rooted in Christ, no circumstances can change your identity.
Here is a list of things that God calls you. And how He identifies you. Use this as a reminder that Jesus loves and that you can establish your identity in Him.
- You Are A Child Of God.
Apostle Paul wanted the congregation in Rome to know that their identity was based on their adoption into God’s family (Romans 8:15). They no longer needed to be slaves to things that didn’t matter because they had been born of the Spirit (v. 14). Instead, they were “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” because of the Spirit’s gift (v. 17).
What difference does this make to people who follow Christ? Simply, everything! Our identity as God’s offspring serves as a foundation for how we understand ourselves and the world around us. Knowing that we are part of God’s family allows us to move beyond our comfort zones, and the world no longer has the power to define us. We are also free of the need for others’ approval. We are all one in Christ; there is no Jew or Greek, white or black, slave or free (Galatians 3:27).
2. You Are Blessed
The bible is full of verses that illuminate the path to the blessing we have in Christ. To take hold of them, we must hold on to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith. You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need through His riches in Christ. When we limit a blessing only to material gain, we miss out on the bigness of what God has in store for us. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has been lavished upon us as a love gift through Jesus (Ephesians 1:2). It is in Christ that we find out who we are and everything we are living for. In him, we have become a free people, and through union with Christ, we also have been claimed by God as his own inheritance. Therefore, brethren, we must rejoice that we are highly favored and blessed
3. You Are Forgiven.
Jesus paid the price that God’s justice demanded our sin and took the punishment for us upon Himself; we are forgiven for all our sins. Whether in the past, present, and future, there is no more condemnation (Romans 8:1). We can thank Jesus for His forgiveness by obeying His command to forgive others that have harmed us and seek forgiveness from those we have wronged.
The distance from sunrise to sunset is how far God has separated us from our sins. He will never treat us as our sins deserve. He does not keep a record of our transgressions (Psalm 103: 11-12). Jesus paid the highest price so that we would receive justification. Therefore let us be kind and compassionate to one another just as God is towards us.
4. You are Victorious.
Have you struggled with low self-esteem? I know I did. Have you felt that some things are too grand for you? There are seasons in a believer’s life when they do not identify with being a conqueror. Thank God our feelings have no place in our identity, for we are what the word of God says about us.
1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” God has no intention of allowing us to lose in the battles of life. This victory is not something we earn, but rather it is God’s gift to us. Against all enemies and every hardship, the Lord has made us more than conquerors. Brethren, you too are a triumphant overcomer.
5. You are Free
In the olden days, during slavery, it was bizarre for a slave who had not bought their freedom to declare themselves free. When you are still locked in prison, people would think you are mad if you were found saying that you are a free man. Well, today, I am here to let you know that you can rise and shine because our Lord Jesus has already made provision for your freedom. He came to declare liberty to the captives, and you too can redeem the promise of liberty (Luke 4:18).
Sometimes due to existential circumstances, we become predisposed to think that there is no hope for us. Some of us have been bound captive by fear, sin, hopelessness, or even disease. There is good news for you: peace, forgiveness, and liberation replace fear, concern, and guilt in Christ. When Jesus is invited into any situation, freedom is made available. Jesus, in His first sermon, said, “I came to bring good news.”
He said, “I’ve come to set people free.” and in John 8:36, He said, “If the Son will set you free, you will be free indeed.” Therefore, take your stand and never let anyone put a harness of bondage over you. Trusting that what Jesus did for us on the cross was enough is the only thing we need to be free and remain free.
6. You are Complete in Christ
In Christ, we have everything we can ever need. God has never expected us to carry out His purpose on our strength. As we obey Him and walk with Him, He will empower us through the Holy Spirit. God fills us with His nature and His power. Paul wrote Colossians 2:10 that “So you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power.”
The next time you are faced with insurmountable challenges, and there are many substitutes outside God to “do it better than Him,” Be true to yourself and realize that there is nothing that can take place unless God allows it.
7. You are God’s Workmanship
God’s most incredible creation is not the beautiful sunsets or the alps or the privilege of seeing them. It is you and I. We read in Ephesians 2:10 that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Scripture testifies of God’s grand plan for our lives long before we were even conceived in our mother’s womb (Psalms 139:13). God is the source of our worth. If we were man-made or created by accident, then we are worthless. God loved us so much that He demonstrated his love towards us by having Jesus die in the hands of filthy men for the sake of our sins. We were created by a Master Artist and paid for with the Master Artist’s life. My friend, you are a priceless work of art.
8. You are a friend of God.
John 15:15 “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”
Before Jesus came on earth, only two individuals enjoyed the term friend in their relationship with God; Moses and Abraham. But in John 15:15, Jesus calls all those that belong to him His friends. And his friendship is so deep that He gave up His life for the sake of these friends. As the companion of our life, Jesus walks with us every single day of our lives. There is no time where we should feel lonely and forgotten. He listens to our heartaches, our desires, and our prayers. You are God’s friend.