(Note: "The Quest for the King" will resume on Friday, August 17)
Most
of us struggle against lies about ourselves—lies that come from the world
around us, from Satan, or from our own doubts. Once again, the best way to
counteract this is to remind ourselves of who we really are, and to do that we
need to soak ourselves in the truth of Scripture. The Bible is absolutely full
of life-changing truths about who we are in Christ. Below are just a few pages
of selections on this theme—read them through, meditate on them, and spend some
time thanking God in prayer for what he has done for us.
- John 1:12 - I am God's child.
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - John 15:15 - As a disciple, I am a
friend of Jesus Christ.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. - Romans 5:1 - I have been justified.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. - 1 Corinthians 6:17 – I am united
with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. - 1 Corinthians 12:27 – I am a
member of Christ’s body.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. - Ephesians 1:3-8 – I have been
chosen by God and adopted as His child.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. - Colossians 1:13-14 – I have been
redeemed and forgive of all my sins.
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. - Colossians 2:9-10 – I am complete
in Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. - Hebrews 4:14-16 – I have direct
access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
- Romans 8:1 – I am free from
condemnation.
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:28 – I am assured that
God works for my good in all circumstances.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:31-39 – I am free from
any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the
love of God.
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died more than that, who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughter." No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 – I have
been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. - Colossians 3:1-4 – I am hidden
with Christ in God.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. - Philippians 1:6 – I am confident
that God will complete the good work He started in me.
being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:20 – I am a citizen
of heaven.
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, - 1 John 5:18 – I am born of God and
the evil one cannot touch me.
We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him.
- John 15:5 – I am a branch of Jesus
Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:16 – I have been chosen
and appointed to bear fruit.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. - 1 Corinthians 3:16 – I am God’s temple.
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 – I am a
minister of reconciliation for God.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - Ephesians 2:6 – I am seated with
Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. - Ephesians 2:10 – I am God’s
workmanship.
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 3:12 – I may approach
God with freedom and confidence.
In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.