Your true identity in Christ
Imagine waking up one day and realizing your identity has been stolen. Credit cards have been opened in your name and are being charged, and your bank account is drained. That would be a scary experience. Well, your identity in Christ can also be stolen; Satan strives to erase your true identity. He knows by doing so, he will hinder you from becoming who God intended for you to be.
How we identify ourselves determines how we approach life. If you think identity is your achievement, you’ll always try to achieve more to feel good, validated, or valued. If you care about people's opinions, you’ll always try to please them to obtain their acceptance instead of finding it in God. But if you believe what God says about you and find your identity in Him, you’ll freely live out God’s purpose for your life.
Satan uses many tools to achieve his goal: the opinion of others, hurt, pain, shame, condemnation, and so much more. I dealt with childhood trauma abuse, neglect, rejection, and abandonment; I've had negative and discouraging words spoken directly to me over my life by the most influential people in my life. These words, without me realizing it, had molded me into an image that God did not intend for me to be. I was told repeatedly that I would never amount to anything. I was unworthy, worthless, constantly ridiculed, sidelined, misunderstood, and judged. I was labeled a bad child. AND I BELIEVED THEM… Satan had me right where he wanted me. I was deceived. My true Identity was disguised. My mind was controlled by the negative thoughts and the lies he had implanted. I was lost, did not know who I was, was broken, and would aimlessly look for counterfeit comforts. I was turning to harmful and unhealthy relationships. I wanted to find value and feel special, worthy, loved, and accepted. I wanted to know what true love was, but I searched in all the wrong places, as they can only be found in my heavenly father. I went through a cycle of hurt by creating unhealthy attachments to men. I had a void in my heart; I turned to men for comfort, which can only be found in God.
I was obsessed with the idea of finding my husband. I thought my identity was in it, but I was actually in bondage. Thankfully, God’s plan for me was good; he intentionally pursued me. He has freed me from that destructive mindset through my walk with Christ. I learned to honor God with my body and to wait and trust God’s perfect timing concerning my Godly future spouse. I’ve learned that marriage is a ministry and should have a purpose for God’s glory. Modeling the relationship of Christ and the church. Part of the reason why I would turn to other things for comfort is that I was not in a relationship with God; I was in church. I was serving in ministry, checking all the boxes of Christianity, but my relationship with him was still surface-level. It wasn’t until I deepened my relationship, learned to trust God, get in the word, go before him in prayer, and believe what his word says about me that I started to see my life transformed.
God restored my stolen identity. I went from being a broken orphan to a redeemed child of the most high God. A loving father adopted me.
God calls me by name.
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. Isaiah 43:1
He says I'm a new creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
I am a brand-new creation in Christ, entirely accepted no matter what I do. God loves me. He calls me his child, his masterpiece, Wise and restored; he says I’m chosen, holy, and blameless. I am precious. That is my true identity.
So when Satan comes with the attacks, saying I am worthless, no one cares about me, no one loves me, I boldly say, “That's a lie!” I am loved unconditionally and eternally and back it up with God’s word.
I still struggle, and the Lord is still working through me. I am a work in progress, but I'm competent and equipped for whatever life throws at me (Philippians 4:13). The truth has set me free and changed my life; I've taken back my true identity and filled my mind with truth, not lies. I'm aware of Satan's devices, and I fight back with the word of God daily.
