“He has identified us as His own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts . . . “ 2 Corinthians 1:22 (NLT)
Your faith will grow stronger as you focus on your identity in Christ (Galatians 2).
What this means is that you abandon any image of yourself that is not from God. You stop accepting what others have said about you; you stop accepting how others have labeled you; you stop accepting how others have defined you.
You start believing what God says about you; you start believing God is pleased with how he created you; you start believing that God defines you.
You’re not defined by your feelings; you’re not defined by the opinions of others; you’re not defined by your circumstances; you’re not defined by your successes or failures; you’re not defined by the car you drive, the money you make, or the house you say you own when the bank really does.
You are defined by God, and God alone. He identifies you as his own (2 Corinthians 1:22).
The thing is, if you don’t know who you are then you’re vulnerable to other people telling you who you are. But the concrete, solid, gospel truth is that you are who God says you are and no one else has a vote in the matter.
This “identity issue” is an important part of living the abundant life. Jesus was able to face the incredible demands of his mission because he knew exactly who he was; he knew that he mattered to God, and that gave him confidence to move purposefully in faith.
You are now identified with Christ and have the power of the Holy Spirit within you. You are God’s precious child and he created you in a way that pleases him.
