WHO ARE YOU IN CHRIST?

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

When we were saved and became a part of the Body of Christ, we turned ourselves over to a power great enough to forgive our sins and transform our lives. But many of us still identify with who we were before we came to Christ. The drunk, the thief, the liar, the adulterer, the gossip, even the murderer…all are identities that the world would not soon forget. And often we continue to let the world identify us by our past. It is a trick of the enemy to remind us of who we were and what we have done.

But thank God for Jesus! For we have been redeemed and forgiven of all our sins (see Colossians 1:13-14). We are born of God and evil cannot touch us (see 1 John 5:18). As a reborn child of God we are blessed with an anointing that redefines who we are. All of our efforts, deeds, prayer, praise and repentance draw us nearer to God, and helps to make us more like Christ. As we grow in our faith and knowledge of the word of God, we are equipped to have victory over our past. We are also free to move forward and embrace the calling that He has placed on our lives.

Each of us has been blessed with gifts of the spirit that serve a purpose in His kingdom. Our sins once served a purpose in the world, now it is time to nurture the gifts that are our spiritual anointing in the Body of Christ. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit distributes the gifts and not all are the same. Some of us have the gift of wisdom, some are called to heal, others have the gift of discernment, but whatever gift God has blessed us with, it is for the common good and at His discretion (see 1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

We are new creatures in Christ, despite whatever has happened in our lives yesterday! Whatever labels the world tries to stamp on us- know that in Christ we are more than conquerors! We must be confident that God will complete the good work that He started in us because we are His children; and nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for delivering us from the burdens of our past. We praise you for your forgiveness and the loving sacrifice of Christ Jesus. Help us to fully embrace who we are in Christ as we shed the layers of our worldly identities. Renew our minds with the wisdom of your word so that we can fight against the enemy who seeks to destroy us. Fill us with the Holy Spirit that we may be a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Read Romans 12 as a guide to your new identity in the Body of Christ.