My identity in Christ
Watched 7 Days In Utopia today. What an awesome story! And great message about our truest Identity and our Loving Fathers Original Intent for our lives. I was so surprised by this films content. It is a must watch film. I will buy a copy ASAP. Here are many great verses on our Identity. Blessings. Jonathan
In Christ, I am … the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13)
In Christ, I am … the light of the world (Matt. 5:14)
In Christ, I am … a child of God (John 1:12)
In Christ, I am … part of the true vine, a channel of Christ’s life (John 15)
In Christ, I am … a friend of God (John 15:15)
In Christ, I am … chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)
In Christ, I am … resurrected to new life (Rom. 6:5)
In Christ, I am … a slave of righteousness (Rom. 6:18)
In Christ, I am … enslaved to God (Rom. 6:22)
In Christ, I am … a son of God (Rom. 8:14)
In Christ, I am … a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance (Rom. 8:17)
In Christ, I am … the dwelling place of God (1 Cor. 6:19)
In Christ, I am … united to the Lord (1 Cor. 6:19)
In Christ, I am … a member of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:27)
In Christ, I am … what I am, by God’s grace (1 Cor. 15:10)
In Christ, I am … a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17)
In Christ, I am … reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18-19)
In Christ, I am … the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29)
In Christ, I am … a saint (Eph. 1:1)
In Christ, I am … an heir of God since I am a son of God (Gal. 4:6-7)
In Christ, I am … blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3)
In Christ, I am … God’s workmanship, made to do good works (Eph. 2:10)
In Christ, I am … a fellow citizen of God’s family (Eph. 2:11)
In Christ, I am … a prisoner of Christ (Eph. 4:1)
In Christ, I am … righteous and holy (Eph. 4:24)
In Christ, I am … a citizen of heaven (Phil. 3:20)
In Christ, I am … hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3)
In Christ, I am … an expression of the life of Christ (Col. 3:4)
In Christ, I am … I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Col. 3:12)
In Christ, I am … a child of light and not of darkness (1 Thess. 5:5)
In Christ, I am … an heir to eternal life (Titus 3:7)
In Christ, I am … a holy partaker of a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1)
In Christ, I am … one of God’s living stones (1 Pet. 2:5)
In Christ, I am … a member of a chosen race, a holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9)
In Christ, I am … a priest (1 Pet. 2:9-10)
In Christ, I am … an alien and stranger to the world I live in (1 Pet. 2:11)
In Christ, I am … an enemy of the Devil (1 Pet. 5:8)
In Christ, I am … born of God and the Devil cannot touch me (1 John 5:18)
In Christ, I am … participating in the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:3)
My identity apart from Christ
Apart from Christ, I am … separated from God (Isa. 59:2)
Apart from Christ, I am … under the wrath of God (Rom. 1:18)
Apart from Christ, I am … a slave to sin (John 8:34)
Apart from Christ, I am … in bondage to Satan (Eph. 2:2)
Apart from Christ, I am … blind to the truth (2 Cor. 4:4)
Apart from Christ, I am … an enemy of God (James 4:4)
Apart from Christ, I am … guilty and condemned (Rom. 5:16)
Apart from Christ, I am … dead in my sins (Eph. 2:1)
Apart from Christ, I am … filthy and stained (Isa. 64:6)
Apart from Christ, I am … hard-hearted (Eph. 4:18)
Apart from Christ, I am … fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23)
Apart from Christ, I am … a law-breaker (James 2:10)
Apart from Christ, I am … not a child of God
Apart from Christ, I am … deceived (2 Cor. 11:3)
Apart from Christ, I am … wicked and evil (Gen. 6:5)
Apart from Christ, I am … not good (Rom. 3:10)
DAILY PRAYER FOCUS-
I WILL FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT THROUGH HIS MIGHTY POWER AT WORK IN ME BECAUSE I BELIEVE, BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH. I KNOW IT IS A GIFT OF GOD SO THAT I WILL NOT BOAST, SAVE IN THE CROSS OF CHRIST- FOR I KNOW THAT EVERY GOOD AND PERFECT GIFT IS FROM THE FATHER OF LIFE AND LIGHT. IT IS CHRIST IN ME – HE ALONE IS MY HOPE AND GLORY! I MUST KEEP IN MIND THAT EVERYTHING WORKS TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. I ALSO KNOW THAT NOTHING CAN SEPARATE ME FROM THE LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS. I KNOW THAT I AM CRUCIFIED TO MY POSER AND THAT JESUS CAME TO GIVE ME REAL LIFE – MY TRUEST IDENTITY IS IN HIM! I LAY HOLD OF BY FAITH, ALL THE RICHES IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS.
THIS IS THE KISS GOSPEL – KEEPING IT SIMPLE SAINT
-SUPPORTING VERSES –
Ephesians 3:20-21, 2: 8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
3:20-21
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Colossians 1:27
27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
1 Timothy 6:12
12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Philippians 4:19
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:28-30
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
38 -39. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 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.
Romans 5:9-11
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Genesis 9:11
11 I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”. COVENANT GIFT
Luke 11:11
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? GIFT
Hebrews 11:11
11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[a] considered him faithful who had made the promise. GIFT
James 1:17
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. – GIFT
“THE ONLY SENSE THAT IS COMMON IN THE LONG RUN, IS THE SENSE OF CHANGE – AND WE , ALL, INSTINCTIVELY AVOID IT” LIKE THE PLAGUE ! -my addition – EB White 1899- 1985
It has been roughly a month since Tim Tebow threw for 316 yards against the #1 defense in the NFL as the Broncos beat the Steelers in a Wild-Card Overtime game-The first of its kind! It was the first playoff overtime game since the rule change.
Changing from the sudden death format to one in which both teams get a chance with the ball unless the team with the first possession scores a touchdown. – which the Broncos did on the first play of overtime. If you missed it live, you sure missed some magic! Not only was History made that day but, I believe, God chose the stage to remind the world that He still works in mysterious ways, both large scale and small.
I believe the Church, at least the Church in America, has put God in a box! In essence, as John Eldredge likes to say- ” the Church has tamed the Lion of Judah”!
Over the last two years, God, in ways formerly very foreign to me, has been revealing Himself to me and showing that He is still very much a Big God who works on planes and spheres that we can’t begin to get a grasp of!
I believe we ain’t seen nothing yet, as the saying goes! Even Jesus said –
John 14:12
12 Very truly I tell you, all who have faith in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
Back to the game… So, I believe it safe to say, that you know about the press that was given to the number 316. Tim’s favorite verse, the one he lives his life by is John 3:16
John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This news went viral and it blew up search engines with folks looking up the verse. But it got even wilder as someone from CBS SPORTS took a deeper look. Tim completed 10 passes which comes to 31.6 yards per catch. Then the icing on the cake. Its like God wanted to pop the bubble of even the most hardened skeptic. The TV rating for the last quarter of the game and OT was, you guessed it- a whopping 31.6% share of viewers!
So, jump forward to today…. I was on my website doing some maintenance and I noticed that someone from Pottstown, PA did a google search on the subject of God giving us Spiritual names. No big deal until I saw the # associated with the post I did regarding my God-given spiritual name. I wrote this post in November 2010! To make it even wilder! The website software assigns the #’s associated with each piece of data that makes up my site.
My name went from Jon to Jonathan one preordained day in November 2010 in Tallahassee, FL – my birthplace!
When I saw this my jaw dropped!
http://www.secondtimothyoneseven.com/?p=316
Yes, He still works in mysterious and wild ways! Peace, Jonathan
Do you know how important perspective is? How we respond to all that life “throws” at us, and our subsequent responses, will be driven by our perspectives- or our “filters” as I like to call them!
Our filters are shaped and made from our past experiences and what we did with them. If our filters are formed based on Gods Truth we will perceive all of life, the good, the bad and the ugly through a faith filter. But, if our filters are made or formed in fear, distrust, and the lies of the Evil One, we will process life through fear and distrust- which left unattended, will grow deep roots into our souls. These roots of doubt, fear and distrust will rear their ugly heads over and over again as we walk through the storms of life. Causing us to see God as someone who is mad at us and can’t be trusted. Hindering all of our relationships! Fear is the “relationship cancer”!
Fear is a choice that is made out of our deepest wounds that must be dealt with for Real Life and relationship to happen.
You see, I was blessed with a firm foundation in the truth when I accepted Jesus as my Saviour and Lord at the age of 15. I was blessed with great training in the scriptures. Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church, Westminster Academy, Liberty Baptist College and Campus Crusade for Christ. Now, I share this not to boast in any way,but to prove a greater point. You see, we humans are far more comfortable with gaining knowledge and degrees than we are in dealing with matters far deeper and important- our hearts!
We would much rather be given a systematic list that gets us from point A to point B, something safe and controlled. Many of us will avoid at all cost, delving into matters of the heart. And you know what? It is all fear based! Fear of being exposed to our true selves. The broken and wounded self we have hidden away. The reality is, it is our hearts that we have buried under the false self each of us create. The poser as I like to call my false self. As I have confessed, mine is the good Christian answer man. Wise, intelligent, funny, insightful, creative- someone who has it all together! Gag me,right! Who can relate to him? And more importantly, who can he truly relate to and empathize with?
But the message that must be told is this- what did the Church do about the first foundation that was built in my life. A foundation of pain, generational brokenness and an inability to experience or receive real relationship. You see, I come from a long line of relationally broken people! This wound is not something that will go away over time! It is carried forward from one generation to the next. I don’t care how much education, success and hard work you throw at it, that is, if you are enlightened enough to know it exists!
The problem is- I had a great foundation built atop a broken one! If the Gospel of Christ does not include counseling,healing,Spiritual warfare and discipleship – it will continue to produce broken, powerless , bound possessors of a head faith that will leave them living frustrated lives wondering why they have not experienced the Living Waters that Jesus talked about. Sure they may be great at “doing church” but lousy at being the Bride of Christ with no real heart to bring their Glorious Groom. For their hearts were left behind, covered over with striving, posing, pride and all forms of idol worship!
I know! For the above description was me! Until God set me apart, took away all my trappings of success and began to precisely and surgically work His way through my idols and my wounded heart- my brokenness – I was like a Pharisee – full of knowledge but without a healed heart! A scarecrow of a man! Sure, I was still “Jon”, with glimpses of my original glory shining through. Brief glimpses of His original intent. But If our “first foundations” are not addressed and healed under Jesus’s cleansing flood, we will never experience the abundant, powerful and Glorious life Our Loving Father intended from before time!
When the “Direct Hits” of life come and crumble our first foundations , anything we have built on them will crumble as well. Over the last 7 plus years my loving Father has put me through His Restoration process. It has been the hardest but best years of my life! If you have read my blog you know it took me a while to see all the “bad stuff” as gifts wrapped in darkness, pain and suffering. Much time was needed in the dieing to the poser and forsaking my idols and lesser lovers phase of the restoration process.
Then the healing and rebuilding processes began to take shape- the building of a palace suitable for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Where, you say? Where is this glorious palace fit for the King of Glory? ………,My healed and restored Heart!
Mind you, it is still under construction and will be til I meet Jesus face to face. Until then, I have just begun to truly live. Sure, there are still many challenges before me! But challenges I am now equipped to face with my Lord and Saviour leading me into battle each day!
With my charge to “speak into their brokenness” a message of honesty, transparency, healing and hope- a message from the Heart of a Good and Great God to a broken world!
If the above describes you to some degree and you want to change. You desperately want to experience the John 10:10 life but don’t quite know how or where to begin.
John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
It will not come easy! There is a tremendous cost! Jesus says
Luke 17:33
33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
Matthew 16:25
25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.
Matthew 13:44
44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.”
If you are like most people, you are too busy juggling the facade of your poser and life in general to delve into the deep. We are, by and large, a very superficial culture. We are expert anesthetizers! Addicts and idol worshippers, the whole lot of us! If you think you are exempt from that statement – you are in for a big surprise one day!
Your first step! Answer these simple but profound and penetrating questions?
Who/ what are my idols?
What am I addicted to?
What have I rationalized away as “not being so bad!”?
Who and what have I given my heart to more than God?
I suggest you direct these questions to God who knows you through and through. Ask Him to show you!
Next- i suggest you start a journal or a blog and begin down the scary path to the Abundant Life- a life flowing with Living Water! A Love Life like no other! I life of fulfillment and purpose and adventure that will exceed your wildest dreams- above all you could ask or imagine!
This is what Jesus is lovingly and longingly calling you to my friend. And you want to know the truth- He has been all along!
Lastly- Go to my website- over and over – it is meant to be a resource for you. Check out the reading list, the devotional link, the video link and of course my blog. It is full of scripture and insights that will help you on your own Adventure of the Heart.
I pray that, through faith via His Glorious Grace, you will see your current obstacles as perfect gifts from your Loving Father in Heaven.
That He is lovingly and tenderly calling you on an adventure of the heart.
Warning!!
Gaining this perspective will always lead you to the cross. For hope of real life is only found through Christ’s perfect work on the cross and our acceptance of it by grace through faith –
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
In closing, here are my two favorite promises I began clinging to when all hope was lost inside of me!
Romans 8:28-30
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together[a] for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. 29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.30 And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
Ephesians 3:20-21
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
The following Devotion ties in great! It is from Streams in the Desert… Of Course! 
Our Great Opportunities
“Hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the day of trouble?” (Job 38:22-23).
Our trials are great opportunities. Too often we look on them as great obstacles. It would be a haven of rest and an inspiration of unspeakable power if each of us would henceforth recognize every difficult situation as one of God’s chosen ways of proving to us His love and look around for the signals of His glorious manifestations; then, indeed, would every cloud become a rainbow, and every mountain a path of ascension and a scene of transfiguration.
If we will look back upon the past, many of us will find that the very time our Heavenly Father has chosen to do the kindest things for us, and given us the richest blessings, has been the time we were strained and shut in on every side. God’s jewels are often sent us in rough packages and by dark liveried servants, but within we find the very treasures of the King’s palace and the Bridegroom’s love.
–A. B. Simpson
***
Trust Him in the dark, honor Him with unwavering confidence even in the midst of mysterious dispensations, and the recompense of such faith will be like the moulting of the eagle’s plumes, which was said to give them a new lease of youth and strength.
–J. R. Macduff
***
“If we could see beyond today
As God can see;
If all the clouds should roll away,
The shadows flee;
O’er present griefs we would not fret.
Each sorrow we would soon forget,
For many joys are waiting yet
For you and me.
“If we could know beyond today
As God doth know,
Why dearest treasures pass away
And tears must flow;
And why the darkness leads to light,
Why dreary paths will soon grow bright;
Some day life’s wrongs will be made right,
Faith tells us so.
“‘If we could see, if we could know,’
We often say,
But God in love a veil doth throw
Across our way;
We cannot see what lies before,
And so we cling to Him the more,
He leads us till this life is o’er;
Trust and obey.”
My Dilemma – Living from My Truest Self
If I say I am a writer- people love to know a writer it seems. It sounds so romantic and Cush A dream job! The thing is … I don’t have a contract or “book deal” as they say. But I do write. It is a part of who I am. I am also a counselor. Yes, that is a part of me as well. Hmm, ….. A Mystic- yes ! I most definitely am that! John, who wrote the Gospel of John, was the first of the New Covenant Mystics as far as I can tell
He referred to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. He was most comfortable with that title! The object of Jesus’ love!
You see, I am a lot of things to a lot of people. But, like John, I am not comfortable being titled with anything else than…. The disciple whom Jesus loves. That is my resume! My truest identity… My truest me. Knowing and living in this reality frees me up to really live! To receive and give His love! To be free from a works mentality that most of us struggle with!
It is the best way I know to starve “the poser” within. The one I “lived” through for 50 years! Half a Century! Yikes!
I never again want to live through him! I am dead to him and alive through Jesus. So when the Lord sees fit to raise me up and let my righteousness and cause shine for Him-Psalm 37- I want to be known by no other identity. It is one of my “safeguards” from stealing any of the Glory due the Giver of “All Good And Perfect Gifts”.
James 1:17
17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
You see, when we are fully alive to the glory of God like St Ireneaus says, it is because we have died and Christ is shining through us! It’s not us- it’s not our “Light Show” but the Eternal and Glorious Saviour shining through us!
Now, knowing Satan like I do, I know he will accuse me of false humility and anything else he can come up with. He does not want us to live in the the reality of the Gospel of Grace. He loves it when Gods kids are striving and posing – living by the worlds standards of what’s important. When we participate in this “madness” , he’s won! He loves nothing more than when Gods children are deriving their identity from any other means than our relationship with the Father through the perfect work of Jesus on the Cross.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Colossians 1:7
27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
In closing, If you are deriving your identity and purpose by anything other than the following statement, you are not truly living!
“I am created in the glorious image of my Heavenly Father and my sole purpose is to live in relationship with Him through the perfect work that Jesus did on the cross. That apart from this perfect good news, and my acceptance of this free gift by His Glorious Grace through the perfect gift of faith, I am lost, blind, naked, lame, deaf and living in the darkness of my sin. Without hope of the Life He intended for me to live. I will only be truly satisfied and alive when His love and presence are what I desire more than anything else! There is nothing I can do to earn or deserve His love! I am completely and perfectly loved – the object of His delight and affection! On the flip side- there is nothing I can do to lose His love, delight and favor. All I need to do is receive it by grace through faith- simply as a child receives from his or her daddy! ”
I love this prayer, taken from – Beautiful Outlaw- by John Eldredge
For only when we know the true Jesus, can we begin to know His love and walk in our true identity – as the disciple whom Jesus loves!
Daily Prayer
Jesus, show me who you really are. I pray for the true you. I want the real you. I ask you for you. Spirit of God, free me in every way to know Jesus as he really is. Open my eyes to see him. Deliver me from everything false about Jesus and bring me what is true.
Live, Laugh, Love- Jonathan
