Many people wrestle with insecurities, self doubt, and feelings of worthlessness. Believers in Christ are in a better position to do something about this than most people. God plainly tells the Christian who he or she is, and He has made it possible to be renewed.
Like many people, I also doubt myself. Understanding my identity in Christ and internalizing this reality can radically transform my feelings about myself. And the same is true for you. We can go from self-doubt to confidence, from feeling discarded to knowing we’re loved, from feeling insignificant to realizing we’re truly special.
How We See Ourselves
Our tendency is to base our feelings about ourselves in lies and values that could be labeled as beauty, brains, brawn, and bucks. If we make these our values, wittingly or unwittingly, and we give them significant credence, then we are in trouble. It’s a lie of incredible scope that makes us believe that true worth is found in dapper clothes, a pretty face, a quick wit, or a large bank account.
No matter how these values are portrayed, they are shallow, transitory, and little more than an illusion. They are not worth valuing when it comes to who I am. I’m better off placing my value in my identity in Christ, and you are too. Here are some things we can do to make our identity in Christ real in our lives.
Three Steps to My Identity In Christ
1) Confidence in God.
The lies convince us to feel bad about ourselves because we don’t compare well to others. Instead of placing so much confidence in what others think of us, or what the world holds worthwhile, let’s place our confidence in God and his thoughts on us and what is valuable. Who should have more say: everyone around us, or the God who made everyone and everything?
If we are confident in God, then is not everything possible—including and especially personal transformation? We were born into sin, and were once enemies of God. But now we belong to him. It’s through that relationship that we undergo the renovation of a lifetime, from getting a new heart and a right spirit to being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2).
If I place my confidence in God, not only can I hold tightly to his view of me—fearfully and wonderfully made—but I can be assured that he is constantly at work in my life to make me into the image of his son, to place my identity in Christ—and that my friends, is even more wonderful and beautiful.
2) Understanding Who We Are.
The Christian’s union with Christ is a key concept in the New Testament. Paul’s familiar phrase, “in Christ,” refers to all God intended since creation for His creature made in His image. We are no longer in Adam—compelled to live out of our fallen humanity. Yet, many of us think and act as if we were still in Adam. We do not know in a real and practical way what it means to be a new creation in Christ. As a result, we are burdened with self-destructive thoughts and tendencies. Instead, we could live confidently in Christ.
There are many great books (here are three) that explain the biblical basis of this new identity—something worth knowing, for sure. But these books come up short in providing tools and methods for finding your identity in Christ. They don’t do enough to show you how to take the truth you’ve read and make it a part of your person. You have a new identity, yes, but how do you internalize this new reality? How can you instill it deep in your heart and mind?
3) Making it Real
At the core of your terrible view of yourself is the lies you tell yourself. You believe the lies as if they were true. They must be replaced. Your heart must be transformed; your mind must be renewed. But how? That’s what The Identity in Christ:Making it Real booklet is about.
By adding several simple methods and practices to your life, you can dramatically alter your self-perception. While these practices may be simple, changing your damaging beliefs about yourself will not come easy, and it will be a continuing process.
But remember this: If transformation were effortless, would I really need God to make me new? Would I persistently seek Him and depend on Him as my identity in Christ is being realized? You know the answer; I would not (and neither would you).
Don’t view these practices as one more thing you have to do. No, consider them as part of a spiritual journey. The Lover of Your Soul walks with you through these steps. Consider these exercises as God communing with your heart, mind, and spirit. Through this journey, he is telling you how to think about yourself, and he is placing these new beliefs deep in your soul. You do not walk this way on your own, nor is this something you work in yourself. This is a spiritual process. God’s Spirit is operating in your spirit. Wow.
Get this booklet on Amazon, and begin the wonderful journey of self discovery—that you are fearfully and wonderfully made.