Your Identity In Christ: Day 1 - Pastor Kerry Shook
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“Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12 (NIV)
Understanding who you are is critical to your confidence, peace, joy, and success in life. God wants you to know the truth about your identity. And the truth is you are not worthless! You are priceless! Your story doesn’t have to be one of irredeemable regrets. It can be a story of redemption! It doesn’t have to end in failure. It can be a great comeback story when you discover who you are in Christ! That’s why Jesus came! John tells us in John 10:10 (TLB), “The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” Are you experiencing that quality of life? Life in all its fullness! The Message describes it like this, “… more and better life than they ever dreamed of.” The NLT translates it as “… a rich and satisfying life.” Other translations call it an abundant life! Who wouldn’t want that kind of life?
If you’re not experiencing that kind of life, maybe it’s because an identity thief has convinced you to believe a lie leaving you with an identity crisis! You’re left questioning your place in the world and who you really are. The good news is that you can experience the kind of life God created you to have, life that is eternal and abundant, life in all its fullness, a more and better life than you ever dreamed that is rich and satisfying! Are you ready? Here’s how. In John 1:12 (NIV), the Bible promises, “Yet to all who did receive Him (Jesus Christ), to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”
So what do you have to do to experience the life God created you for? It’s so simple that most people miss it. My friend Lee Strobel puts it like this based on John 1:12 – “Believe + Receive = Become”. When you receive the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior and believe that He died in your place on the cross for your sin, then by faith you become a child of God! The problem is that many people believe in God; they believe Jesus died on the cross, but they have never opened their hearts to receive Him as their personal Savior. They have religion but their lives are empty. What they need most is a personal and intimate relationship with the One they believe in. That happens when we receive Him by faith into our lives. In that very moment, an eternal transaction takes place by grace! We become a child of God. We have a new identity in Christ! We are given all the rights and privileges of children of God because we have been born again!
This is what a religious leader experienced when he came to Jesus, longing to fill his empty heart. His head was filled with belief and the knowledge of God, but his heart was empty. Jesus told him, “You must be born again!” in John 3:7 (NLT) Have you been born again? The moment you receive the One you believe in, you are born from above, born of the Spirit! You are a child of God! You have a new life, an eternal life, an abundant life, sharing with Jesus that life here on earth that you will one day share with Him forever in Heaven!
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.