"Thanks for this great reminder of who I really am in Christ! I love to make a quick read through this book whenever I need a healthy dose of encouragement..."
Who are you?
This is one of the most important questions we all wrestle with in life. Just who are we? What is our identity? Who has God created us to be?
At different seasons in life, we probably struggle with this question more than others. When we're young, we tend to adopt an identity based on our abilities or our reputation among our peers. As we grow older, we may try to base our sense of identity on our background, occupation, ethnicity or even the disabilities we suffer from or the trauma we have experienced. In our senior years, our identity can sometimes be centered around what we feel we accomplished in life or the kind of family we raised and how our children and grandchildren turned out.
Let me say that these are all faulty sources of identity and none of them answer the question of who we really are. Every one of these examples are circumstantial and while they may have been somewhat true of us for a time, they will not remain eternally accurate descriptions of us in Heaven. Our sense of identity should never be based on something that can change. Our sense of identity should never be based on something that we've done. What we've done and who we are are very different questions. By God's design, the answer to the question, "Who am I?", runs much deeper than many people realize.
The moment we trust in Jesus and receive His free gift of salvation, we are included into His family, given His name and blessed with a brand new identity. Scripture tells us that we become a "new creation" in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).
Yet even though we have a new identity in Him, we often find ourselves living as if our identity is rooted in our flesh and in the things of this world. Even Christians can find themselves basing their sense of identity and worth on their background, education, accomplishments, family of origin, ethnic heritage and possessions. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking leads to discouragement and disillusionment and it shrinks the power of the Gospel and the reality of Christ's presence in our lives.
Christ wants more for His people than that.
Throughout God's Word, we are given many examples that powerfully remind us of our true identity in Christ. This is the lens we are to see ourselves through. This is who we need to remind ourselves that we truly are.
We aren't who we once were. Our value isn't based on worldly standards. Jesus has made us brand new people and our worth, sense of purpose and understanding of who we truly are and truly will be for all eternity is anchored solely in Him.
But we can be forgetful at times. We need to be reminded of the truth of our identity in Christ because it slips our mind. If we aren't feeding our minds a steady diet of biblical truth, we end up gravitating toward the lies this world has been peddling for millennia.
I put this book together to serve as a reminder of the truth of Christ's Gospel. Whenever you're tempted to start wrapping your identity around ungodly things, I want you took look through these pages and experience a stimulation of your mind toward the truth.
You are not who this world says you are.
You are not who you have often told yourself you are.
You are not defined by your mistakes.
You are not defined by your experiences.
You are not defined by your accomplishments.
You are not defined by your behaviors.
You are not defined by your talents.
You are not defined by your earthly treasures.
The moment you trusted in Jesus, you were made brand new. Your real identity can only be found in Christ.
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In the following pages, I will identify 100 powerful truths that Scripture reveals about your identity in Christ. I have also included biblical references for meditation and study.
