FOUNDATION FOR IMPACT: 1. IDENTITY

1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.  Nehemiah 1

This is a monologue from Nehemiah. He is disclosing in first person what transpired in his life and how God used him. He introduces himself as the son of Hacaliah. His identity was that he was the son of Hacaliah. What is your identity? Whose son are you? God has created you from your parents, 50% genes are from your father and 50% genes are from your mother. We should thank God for our parents and honor them. We are made from them. Let’s cherish them and take care of them.

Spiritually any born again believer is a Child of God. That is our true identity. We have to learn to see ourselves as God’s kid, living in God’s world. We must rest ourselves and be completely overwhelmed and gripped by this truth that we are in fact God’s Children and he cares for us. Without establishing ourselves in our God given identity we will not be able to serve God and accomplish his will in our lives. As we read the book of Nehemiah, it becomes evident that it is Nehemiah’s identity as an Israelite, the chosen people of God, who had a covenant relationship with God, which made him do what he did. Without having a strong sense of this identity that we are the people of God through the New Covenant in Christ, we will also not be able to accomplish God’s purpose for our lives. We will loose our way without rooting ourselves in our identity as the Children of God, citizen of the Kingdom of God, Holy People, Holy Nation, a people belonging to God , called to represent him as his family and witnesses.

Our identity as the Children of God will propel us to fulfill the mission of God on earth. It will help us to employ God’s resources to fulfill God’s mission for our life and our generation. Our identity will keep us from worldly ways and selfish ambitions. It controls and restrains us to identify temptations and overcome them. It helps us to relate to other believers from different backgrounds rightly and helps us to network with them so that we can work together to build God’s kingdom.

Identity in Christ has two sides as that of a coin. One side is the privileges associated with our identity in Christ and the other side is the obligations and responsibilities associated with our identity in Christ. As any member of a family has both privileges and responsibilities, so also a Child of God in the family of God has both privileges and responsibilities. It is also a very important factor for those seeking to be delivered from bondage to sin.

Neil Anderson wrote a book titled, “Who I am in Christ”. It deals with how to get a right view of our identity in Christ. It helps establish the reader in his God given identity so that we can live the life intends which is the abundant life that God has prepared for us.

Here is a list which is found in their website : http://www.ficm.org/handy-links/#!/who-i-am-in-christ

I am accepted…

John 1:12 I am God’s child.

John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

I am secure…

Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.

Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.

Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.

Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.

2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.

1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant…

John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.

John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.

1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God’s temple.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.

Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.

Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship.

Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Read, repeat, study and meditate on these identities and let it saturate your mind, renew your mind so that you can start viewing yourself as God sees you and start living as God intends you to.

Through the identity we have in Christ, we know we are accepted, so that when the world rejects you for living the Christ-life, you can still keep slogging at your work overcoming their rejection by resting in the acceptance found in Christ. If the creator of the universe has accepted you, it does not matter much if sinful men reject you.

Through the identity we have in Christ we know that we are secure. God gives us security and takes care of us. He keeps us safe during in the spiritual battle that we are in as result of entering into a relationship with God. He keeps us from falling and helps us up when we fall. He protects us from the worldly influences. But all these does not mean we have no responsibility. We have a responsibility to keep ourselves from slippery ground and grey areas. But it is God who leads us to avoid these also.

Through the identity we have in Christ, we know we have significance because God cared to die for us on the cross. We know that we have a purpose in our life which God wants to fulfill. We know that we are as a person significant and God will individually meet our needs, wants and desires which are in accordance with his will for us. Our thoughts, actions, attitudes, behaviours, goals and purpose have eternal significance because we are significant in God’s sight and we receive everything from God who makes everything significant and produces the impact which we least expect. Our significance lies in the fact that we are created in the image of God and are crowned with honour and glory in Christ. To be bear the image of God is glorious and significant. As human beings who have a relationship with God let us be aware of our true identity in Christ and let us be the people who God wills us to be.