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Love Identity & Purpose, Part 6
The way we see ourselves determines a number of things in our lives, including the way we see and relate to God and to others. If we have a negative self-image or poor perception of ourselves, then we aren’t in agreement with the way God sees us. Not aligning with the truth of God’s word will affect our lives in negative ways.
Many believers fall into the trap of believing three specific lies of the enemy, which keep us bound and wondering if we are loved, who we are and what our purpose is:
· The lie we are rejected instead of accepted
· The lie that we need to perform to get God’s love and acceptance instead of simply receiving it
· The lie that our past determines who we are instead of the fact that we can live in the present because God loves us and has forgiven us
Romans 8:15-17 tells us, “For God did not give you a spirit of bondage unto fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by who we cry out, “Abba, Father.” If the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.” I like verse 16 in the Message translation, which reads, “God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who He is, and we know who we are.” This is the identity that we should be shaped by. Unfortunately, the enemy is constantly trying to discourage us with lies that go against the truth of God’s Word. Some people look for acceptance from other people, or they struggle with the fear of man, which leaves them feeling unloved or unwanted. Maybe our identity is shaped by our performance, how good we perform or how bad our actions have been. Sometimes we get our identity from the things we’ve heard people say about us. Until we can recognize what God says about us, we will continue living beneath everything that Christ paid for on the cross and His resurrection.
Through the forgiveness we’ve received through Jesus Christ, we are the righteousness of God in Christ. Not because of anything we’ve done, or not done, but because of the one thing He has done.
Ephesians 1:4-6 reminds us that God has determined your identity according to the good pleasure of His will. You are accepted into the ‘BE loved’ by adoption as sons, by Jesus Christ. The Message translation says it this way, “Long before He laid down earth’s foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love to be made whole and holy by His love.” Take a moment to let that sink in.
Through the forgiveness we’ve received through Jesus Christ, we are the righteousness of God in Christ. Not because of anything we’ve done, or not done, but because of the one thing He has done.
Take a few moments to read Ephesians 1:3-13 and list what our identity entitles us to, as we are in Christ.
