You Are Secure!, living the transformed life

Who I Am In Christ Series, part 5

If you have been following along in this series, I hope you are beginning to see what a wonderful identity you have in Christ! The deeper you go in God, the more developed this identity becomes. It begins to permeate everything you think, say, and do. As your mind is renewed by the truths of God’s Word, your identity becomes firmly rooted and established. A miraculous transformation occurs.

To recap, the first section of Dr. Neil Anderson’s “Who I Am In Christ” list is titled I AM ACCEPTED. What a relief it is to know that God accepts you! As someone who suffered from rejection throughout my early years, this revelation brought me so much freedom. I didn’t have to worry about where I stood with God. What a joy to learn God wasn’t angry at me! How I rejoiced when I realized I would never be rejected by my loving heavenly Father!

If you are new to this series, I suggest you go back and read the previous posts:

God Will Complete The Good Work He’s Begun In Me

The second section of Dr. Anderson’s list is titled I AM SECURE. There are five more truths to be examined in this section regarding the fact– yes, fact— that you are secure in Christ. The first is a promise we find in Philippians 1:6, “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” (NIV).

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines confident as “full of conviction; certain.” Right now, and indeed throughout your life here in this world, you are a “work-in-progress.” You are on the potter’s wheel, and day by day He shapes and molds you into what He has envisioned you to be. You haven’t arrived yet, you’re not there, yet– but the day is coming when His glorious work in you will be complete. And being crafted by the Master’s hand, you will be magnificent, a beautiful work of art that will bring praise and glory to your Creator!

Note also that what He began in you the moment you were saved is a good work. You are a good work of God! He formed you intentionally; you aren’t an accident or a mistake. You began as an idea in the mind of God, and God Himself says you’re a good idea! The world is full of the wonders of God– and you’re one of them! There’s no need for you to feel inferior when God calls you a good work. And you’re not even completed yet!

But one day you will be. One day you will step off that potter’s wheel and across the threshold of eternity, and you will be complete, totally healed, totally whole. All cracks and blemishes will be gone. All tears will be wiped away. You can be confident– certain– of this.

A Citizen Of Heaven

But you don’t have to wait for Heaven to start rejoicing. God’s got good things in store for you right here on earth. And one of them is found in Philippians 3:20, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV).

I was born in the United States of America. That makes me a United States citizen. The United States is my homeland. It is a privilege I was born into, and I don’t take it lightly. We are living in days when the United States is not united. There are deep divisions in our country. There is a need for change. We have recently had a change in leadership, though not everyone is satisfied with it. Some are delighted with recent presidential decisions, while others are dismayed and worried. We continue to live in an age of anxiety, and it is easy to get swallowed up by the darkness and sin in our world.

But did you know that, as a Christian, you have dual citizenship? It’s true! I am an American, but I am also a citizen of Heaven. America is my temporary home, but Heaven is my eternal home. I have a president, but I also have a King. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, and my true allegiance is to Him. Today He is seated on His throne in Heaven, but one day He will return to earth to gather those who are His. On that day America ceases to be my home. I am grateful to live in America, but I’m looking forward to living in His kingdom! Focusing on Jesus helps to ease any anxiety I feel about current events, because I know God is in control.

No Fear

Watching the news each evening can be a daunting task. You want to be informed, but the constant negativity and demonstrations of sinful actions can leave you feeling fearful. Some people also have to deal with personal fears resulting from trauma and abuse, while others are tormented by mental illness. All of this can be overwhelming, but there is great comfort in God’s Word, including the truth expressed in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). The NIV translates “a sound mind” as “self-discipline,” and I think both can apply. We can discipline ourselves not to give in to the fear we may feel, and God can calm a troubled mind. I’ve experienced both in my own life.

This verse also tells us that God gives us “power.” The Greek word here is dunamis, from which we get the English word dynamite. Explosive power! The kind of power that cannot be stopped. That’s just one of the many gifts God gives His children. He also gives us love, the most powerful force of all. Though Satan seeks to cripple us with fear, the reality is that fear is no match for this triple-win!

Power, love, and a sound, disciplined mind comes from God-confidence. We sometimes wish we had more self-confidence, when what we really need is confidence in God, confidence that He can and will do what He has promised. Self-confidence will only get you so far, but you can go all the way with God! Knowing that He is on your side can release incredible blessings and breakthroughs in your life.

Grace and Mercy

That confidence is also referred to in the next truth from God’s Word. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (NIV).

This is truly an incredible verse. Can you picture yourself approaching God’s throne without fear? This would have been unimaginable in Old Testament times. But we are under a new covenant. At the crucifixion of Jesus, the veil of the Temple which separated man from God was torn open from top to bottom. God now gives us free access to His throne, day or night. He is always available, always listening to our concerns in prayer.

This verse mentions two things we can receive when we approach God. Both are unavailable to us through our own efforts, but both are abundant at His throne. First, “we may receive mercy.” We are in such need of God’s mercy! Living in a broken world, continually enticed by “the world, the flesh and the devil,” how often we succumb to sin! But the way to God’s throne remains open to us, and rivers of mercy flow there. All we need to do is ask and receive. No need to do penance or offer blood sacrifices, for the perfect sacrifice has already been given. Thank God for His mercy! Lamentations 3:22 assures us, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

But God gives us more than mercy! God says we can “find grace to help us in our time of need.” Christianity.com explains, “God’s grace is his kindness and favor toward us, based on his character and not our merit.” Another website, gotquestions.org, says, “Grace is God choosing to bless us rather than curse us as our sin deserves. It is His benevolence to the undeserving.” Hebrews 4:16 says that at the throne of God we can find grace to help us in our time of need. Notice that the need isn’t specified, which means that grace is available for ANY need we have. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual– it doesn’t matter, God’s got it covered!

All this, and more, is yours through your identity in Christ.

Can’t Touch This!

The last promise we will look at today is 1 John 5:18, and it is a powerful one: “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them” (NIV). Other translations say the wicked or evil one “does not touch him.”

Let’s break this verse down a little. The first two words, regardless of the translation you look at, are “We know.” This is a declarative statement, meaning it is not open to discussion. What is being said here is immutable and unchangeable. It is an absolute fact.

Okay, what fact are we talking about? “We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin.”

Many people are resistant to that statement. They may think, “But I still struggle with sin” or “What about that habitual sin that I can’t get free of?” If we are honest we have to admit it’s hard to believe what that verse is saying.

I think it may be helpful to look at what that verse isn’t saying. It doesn’t say we won’t sin. Satan has been tempting mankind with great success for thousands of years; it’s unlikely that he’s going to stop just because you’re born again. Saved or unsaved, temptation will continue to be a frequently used strategy.

The verse says, “Anyone born of God does not continue to sin.” I heard one pastor explain it this way: Once you are born again, sin is no longer your lifestyle. You’ll still be tempted, and sometimes you’ll stumble and fall. But the times between “sometimes” will get longer and longer. It will no longer be the norm. As for habitual sins or addictions, they can be broken. God’s grace is great enough to cover that.

If you need more assurance, look at the next section of 1 John 5:18. “The One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.” The One born of God is Jesus, God’s Son. Jesus keeps us safe. Our salvation is secure in Him.

In previous articles I shared how for many years I was fearful of losing my salvation. This is one of the verses that set me free from that fear, which had been sent by Satan. I know that when I became born again, my name was written in the Lamb’s Book of Life– and God is not standing there with an eraser! I am forever His child, and my Father protects me. Satan can take his swings, but as Billy Graham said, “I’ve read the end of the Book, and everything turns out all right.” The enemy “can’t touch this” because Jesus keeps me safe.

Discover Who You Are In Christ

I hope this article has been an encouragement to you. Hopefully you are beginning to see how knowing who you are in Christ can bring you tremendous strength and freedom.

You can find Dr. Anderson’s “Who I Am In Christ” list here. I challenge you to print it out and read it aloud every day. If you find yourself doubting any of the statements, just continue declaring them until you do believe them. Satan does not want us to know our identity in Christ, so a certain amount of pushback should be expected. But give God’s Word a chance to saturate your mind, and your spirit, along with the Holy Spirit, will confirm the truth to you. Change is possible. You can live a transformed life!

You can look forward to parts 6 and 7 of this series soon. I like the fact that it is a seven-part series, because 7 is God’s number for completeness. God wants you complete and whole in Christ!

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