What is the initial key application of our Identity in Christ? Want to know the answer right up front? If I tell you will you continue reading the blog article? Want me to quit jerking your chain? Ha-Ha!! Okay, but only if you promise to continue reading the blog. The answer as I see it is Prayer! Prayer is the initial key application of our identity in Christ. I Thess. 5:17 tells us to “pray continually”. That is exactly the heart’s desire of someone in whom Christ lives and who is experiencing his love and acceptance. The moment we are moved to approach God in prayer, the extent to which we trust in His acceptance comes immediately into play. How confident are we that His ears are open to us? I don’t believe that very many Christians have much assurance in prayer and it’s because we don’t know who we are.
John 6:35 Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” We must have faith and believe that God’s Word is true regardless of how we may “feel” on any given day. We know our emotions are a direct result of what we believe and for us ladies emotions can be affected by what mood our hormones are in. Gee…did I just admit that on a public blog?? I hope my husband doesn’t read this one! Oh, just kidding…..seriously, our emotions are like the wind sometimes – here today and gone tomorrow. However, I am glad to know that Christ can bring healing to my emotions by renewing my mind with truth.
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
God totally accepts us and can because of our identity change at the moment we accept the gift of life from His Son, Jesus Christ. Because of Christ blood shed on the cross for me and my belief in that fact my identity goes from sinner to saint! I go from being in the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. Before I become a Christian my core identity comes from the sin nature present in my spirit and after salvation my core identity comes from the new nature that is put in place of the old nature. Before, the person that we were was sin and it affected our behavior. We had no other option but to sin. Now, the person that we are is saint, clean, new, righteous – that is our identity and it affects our behavior as well. There is a “want to” with regards to doing the right thing and we now have a choice to do the right thing. Simply put, because of Christ in us empowering us, we can chose to do the right thing.
Christ fully loves us and accepts us so He will lovingly put His arm around us and tell us the truth about a sinful action in our behavior. He doesn’t see us any differently but because He does love us like this He will reveal to us when we are walking after the flesh because He wants to protect us and help us avoid harmful situations and things.
Now, when I grasp that this is how God loves and accepts me….that I don’t ever have to fear rejection with Him….that makes me want to fellowship with Him more. How does fellowship occur with God? Is it baking a casserole and taking it to the church? Fellowship with God begins with PRAYER! Talking to Him and listening as He Talks to us! I love that sweet time with Him. You know, those friends that are just a “joy” to be with are those that I can’t wait to spend time with and eagerly look forward to being with. I feel that way around them because they love and accept me and I don’t fear rejection from them. That is how God wants you to feel with Him. The punishment for our sin was taken care of at the cross, forgiveness is ours for the receiving. Now, go to your heavenly Father who longs to be with you, who longs to talk with you, laugh with you, cry with you and minister to you and who will fully equip you to walk this journey.
– Dana