Who I am in Christ

Do the feelings of fear, anxiety, inadequacy, or discouragement ever bombard your mind and take hold of you like a vice-grip?

One of my earlier blog posts was about how my German Shepherd deals with debilitating fear and anxiety due to fireworks and storms. (You can read about it here) I mention that my dog fails to understand his breed and his identity. This, in turn, causes him to be a fearful shepherd instead of a brave shepherd.

Oftentimes, we are the same way. Something happens in our lives which causes us to become fearful, anxious, or full of anger. Like a record player, we replay the scene over and over and over again until we lose sight of the truth. Our minds don’t recognize the difference between living the experience or ruminating about the experience. It reacts with strong emotions in either case. If we are not careful, the fear, anxiety, or anger can become so powerful that we begin to forget who we are in Christ. Our identity is lost because we are identifying with the pain. It has rewired our mind to perceive the worse case scenario.

I experienced this for many years when my husband pastored a church. The negative, hurtful words being thrown at me caused me to lose my identity and my peace. I began to experience anxiety and panic attacks like never before. I felt broken and lost. By believing the lies of others, I was forfeiting God’s plan and purpose for my life. I was rendered ineffective because I began to identify with the lies spoken over me which told me I was holding my husband back, I was a horrible pastor’s wife, and I was doing a horrible job. I needed to rediscover what God was saying about me and meditate on His Word to help me to stand firm in the truth again.

Who God Says I Am

There are a list of things God says about us in the Bible. He loves us so much and wants to see us victorious in every area of our lives. Below is a list of promises we need to lay ahold of.

God Says:

I am Forgiven. (1 John 1:9)

I am Accepted. (Romans 15:7)

I am made with a Purpose. (Jeremiah 1:5)

I am God’s Masterpiece. (Ephesians 2:10)

I am Precious to God. (Isaiah 43:4)

I am a Child of God. (John 1:12)

I am a Friend of God. (John 15:15)

I am no longer a Slave, but a Son/Daughter of God. (Galatians 4:7)

I am an Heir of God. (Galatians 4:5-7)

I am Saved by Grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

I have Peace with God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

I have been Bought with a Price. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

I am Established, Anointed, and Sealed by God. (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

I can Resist the devil and he will flee from me. (James 4:7)

I am Blessed with Every Spiritual Blessing in Heavenly Places. (Ephesians 1:3)

I am the righteousness of God-I have right standing with Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I am Free. (Galatians 4:7)

I am Protected by God. (1 Peter 1:5)

No Weapon formed against me can Prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)

I am Treasured by God. (Deuteronomy 14:2)

God has Given me Spiritual Weapons and Spiritual Armor that are Mighty through God. (Ephesians 6:12-18)

I am Strong in the Lord and the Power of His Might. (Ephesians 6:10)

I am Victorious through Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

I am More than a Conqueror. (Romans 8:37)

I am Delivered from Fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)

I am Chosen by God. (Colossians 3:12)

I am Healed. (Psalm 30:2)

I Have the Mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)

I am Greatly Loved by God. (John 3:16)

I am Led by the Spirit of God. (Romans 8:14)

I am Built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, with Jesus being the Chief Cornerstone. (Ephesians 2:20)

I have the help of the Holy Spirit in my infirmities. (Romans 8:26)

Declaring His Word

How different would your life be if you stopped believing the lies of satan and began to see yourself the way God sees you?

The more you declare and reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your thoughts will begin to align with what God says about you. Fear will be replaced with faith. Despair will be replaced with hope. Disappointment will be replaced with reappointment. Take your negative thoughts captive and replace it with God’s Word. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 AMP says:

“For though we walk in the flesh [as mortal men], we are not carrying on our [spiritual] warfare according to the flesh and using the weapons of man. The weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood]. Our weapons are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying sophisticated arguments and every exalted and proud thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought and purpose captive to the obedience of Christ,”

You are in a battle for your soul; which is your mind, your will and your emotions. The enemy wants you to believe the lies so you are unable to fulfill God’s will and plan for your life. The more you keep replaying the lie over and over again in your mind, the more you identify with it. Take notice and stop the cycle by changing what you are thinking about and meditate on the truths in God’s Word.

When you feel yourself tempted to doubt your worth, begin to picture Jesus holding you, and imploring you, “Are you not absolutely loved by Me? Have you forgotten who you are? The Lord has anointed and appointed you. You are called by Him and have a great future ahead of you.

A New Thing

When I was barraged with the onslaught of negative words, I couldn’t function in the calling God had planned for me. I kept holding onto the negative experiences of the past and couldn’t move forward. But God led me to the book of Isaiah and to Isaiah 43:18-19:

“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

God is wanting us to change our mindset and wants you to stop carrying the pain and baggage from yesterday. He can’t bring healing to the broken places of our lives if we can’t let go of yesterday. Listen, you are not what people say about you. Those words they spoke to stop you in your tracks are used by the enemy to stop you from fulfilling your God-given purpose in life. Stop allowing the opinions of others to become a stronghold in your life.

We are not defined by our past struggles, sicknesses, or mistakes. God is up to something good and He wants to do a new thing in you and me. All too often, we walk around wallowing in circumstances that may have caused us fear, depression, worry, anger, bitterness, guilt or shame. But God wants to set us free. We can not move forward carrying with us the battle wounds and lies from the past. God wants us to look ahead in faith and begin to perceive the new things He wants to do in our lives.

Conclusion

What God says about you will never stop being true. In a sea of negative, fearful thoughts, look for the ones that are true, noble and life-giving. Let go of yesterday. Watch how differently your life will become when you stop believing the lies of satan and begin to see yourself the way God sees you.

My German Shepherd doesn’t realize his bloodline and has become a fearful shepherd. Understand your bloodline. You are a child of the Lord God who was bought by the precious blood of Jesus. He loves you and wants you to experience everything He has for you. Begin declaring His Word over your life and forget about the past and watch what He does in and through your life.