Who am I in Christ?

Many Christians live their lives far below their potential: they never reach that level of life promised by our Lord, who came to give us an abundant life. 

Why do so many live sub-standard lives? Simply because they do not know who they are “in Christ”; we may be well aware of how secular society expects us to behave as Christians, but never discover how Christ expects us to live.

Humanity’s “identity crisis” began in the Garden of Eden. As the result of Adam and Eve’s sin fear, anger and depression entered our world. "And he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked, and I hid myself. Genesis 3:10

He did not have respect to Cain and to his offering. And Cain glowed with anger, and his face (or countenance) fell.  Genesis 4:5 

Along with these negative emotions, human will or the power to choose wisely and righteously was forever affected. In the Garden our ancestors could only make one wrong choice… but what a choice! “And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden, but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”. Genesis 2:16-17 

God given authority was replaced with weakness and helplessness: we need strength and self-control.  Meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:23 MKJV 

Since the fall, Satan has continually attempted to try and convince God’s people that we are unworthy, unacceptable, sin-sick individuals who will never amount to anything in our Creator’s eyes. 

God says to us: We don’t serve Him in order to gain His acceptance, we ARE accepted, so we serve God… we don’t follow God to be loved… we are loved…so we follow Him.

It was Eleanor Roosevelt who said…. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent”.

If we feel good about ourselves, we are much more likely to feel good about others.

---God sees what others and we ourselves can’t see… about ourselves, our destiny, and

our eternal future!  

---God designed and predetermined us to be a success story, conformed to the image of His Son, our Savior.

Psalm 139 tells us that we are not mistakes.

O Jehovah, You have searched me and have known me.

You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off.

You search my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.

For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Jehovah, You know it altogether.

You have closed me in behind and in front, and laid Your hand on me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot go up to it.

Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?

If I go up into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.

If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the furthest parts of the sea; even there shall Your hand lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light around me.

Yea, the darkness does not hide from You; but the night shines as the day; as is the darkness, so is the light to You.

For You have possessed my inward parts; You have covered me in my mother's womb.

I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are marvelous and my soul knows it very well.

My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully formed in the lowest parts of the earth.

Your eyes saw my embryo; and in Your book all my members were written, the days they were formed, and not one was among them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

If I should count them, they are more than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.

You are more important to God than the manner of your conception….

If your parents have ever said that they wished you had never been born….

If you came into this world as the result of fornication, adultery, rape, or even if you were hated from conception; however you “arrived” God allowed you to be conceived!

If you have always occupied a lowly position in your family hierarchy, or you were the least favored of you parents children….

In God’s eyes you are more important that the womb that knit you together!

King David does not mention his mother by name in Psalm 139, nor does he say what she was like at all… in fact the Bible does not even record her name!

No matter the circumstances of our lives…God designed the time and place of our birth. 

My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret and skillfully formed in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my embryo; and in Your book all my members were written, the days they were formed, and not one was among them. Psalm 139:15-16  

The fact that we are here is what matters to God.

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, forever. Ephesians 3:20-21

Throughout the Bible God tells us to make great His name in the earth. Praise and thanks are due His name, which is Great and Awesome. God created us to bring glory to His name. His predestined plan for your life is to bring him glory—His plan for your life is part of His creative work!

Jesus said that we would do even greater things than He did while on this earth! If we abandon ourselves to Christ’s cause, and are willing to lose our lives for it, everything is possible.

Are you a follower, a dreamer, visionary or missionary?

            Many people never get beyond the idea stage—they are usually followers.

           

            Then there are those who talk, and talk, but with little action… the dreamers.

Take the idea and put it on paper—become a visionary. Visionaries see great things in their minds… sadly many are in the graveyard. Their visions failed to become missions.

What makes a missionary? When the visionary becomes the missionary, you have a man or woman who is going to change their world… and impact yours!

Many of us plan our meals for a week… we shop to a plan, we plan our holidays… but do we have a plan for our lives? Have you discovered God’s plan for your life? Do you know who you are in Christ?

Key Points:

A.    You are worth feeling good about-Because God planed your birth!

B.     God has a detailed plan for your life

C.     The first step in living god’s plan is accepting Jesus Christ as savior and Lord.

D.    God created you with a part of His potential-so you could expose and share in His glory

E.     God’s glory is the excess of His potential-He has many plans that wait to be revealed!

F.      Develop a plan for your life that fulfills some, if not all of the possibilities God placed within you before you were born—then believe and work them into existence. 

All Scripture quoted, unless otherwise stated, is NKJV

These studies are non-denominational, and as far as possible do not reflect a particular doctrine or theological viewpoint. The material in these e-Bible studies is drawn from a wide variety of sources, and may be used for any reasonable purpose.