Looking around today at the situation in many of our neighborhoods is enough to stress many of us out. One of the reasons for the rising crime rates among youth and others is that folk simply don’t know who they are. There’s an aimless apathy that comes upon many who have nothing to live for. This same aimlessness can grip the life of the child of God when they don’t know who they are in Christ. Serving from one ministry to another, not sure of where they fit in the body. The constant losing battle with sin in the life; never quite getting the victory. Knowing who you are in Christ, opens the door to your potential. Someone’s potential is an ability they have that has not yet been achieved; they are the possibilities that have not yet been attained.There are two who realize our potential even more than we do, though on two very different levels. God, of course, knows our potential and sees us as we can be, and He is constantly steering us into the direction of our purpose. Satan also knows our potential, but he is afraid of it, and he does all that he can to detour, distract and destroy our usefulness to the Lord. Here is the divine equation that the enemy seeks to undermine:
IDENTITY = POTENTIAL = PURPOSE
The governing or foundational principle that undergirds this equation is found in 2 Peter 3:18, which says in part:
But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ…
The more we learn of Him, the more we will learn of ourselves. When we get saved, we are not fully aware of all of our rights and privileges as children of God. This is why we must attend to the study of the Word. We must ask the Lord to give us a love and desire for scripture, ensuring that the Spirit will begin to reveal these great truths to us.
Your identity is the accumulation of all that you are and all you possess in Christ. They are the sum and total of the spiritual blessings He has bestowed upon you. Here’s an excellent resource which gives a good sampling of who we are and what we have in Christ; we’ll speak more on several of these later: http://mercyme.org/my-identity-in-jesus-chirst/
It is important to note that Satan does not know our purpose, but he is well aware of our potential. This is the reason why he attempts to undermine, frustrate, delay and halt our progression, i.e., our spiritual growth in Christ.
Coming to the knowledge of who you are in Christ (your identity), unlocks the door to your potential, which will pave the way to your God-given purpose.
Satan would have the child of God remain ignorant of not only who they are in Christ, but also of what they possess.
Getting to the Other Side
Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him. Luke 8:22-25
I use this event to illustrate that there are storms of wind, raging waters, and many other things that the enemy will use in his attempt to keep us from getting to the other side; and that there is another place in Christ that we need to be. The other side represents a new place and different place, a place you’ve never been before. Within you, it’s that untapped place; that yet unrecognized power that dwells in you the moment the Spirit of God takes up residence in your life. This is your potential.
It is God’s power that turns potential into a promise. But all this will never happen until you come to an understanding and realization of who you are in Christ. When we speak of your purpose, we are not speaking of your dreams or your plans necessarily. Your true purpose is actually His divine will placed in and upon you. It’s His call put to action in your life. In another very real sense, your purpose is your potential realized.
Let’s take another look at our divine equation:
IDENTITY = POTENTIAL = PURPOSE
Coming to the knowledge of your identity in Christ is like the unearthing of buried treasure. Upon finding it, most of us would respond by thinking, ‘I’m rich! Now I can do the things and get the things I’ve wanted!’ The possibilities are now endless. However, it must first be put into its proper perspective. This treasure must have the Lord at the helm because it’s actually not about what you could do with it. It’s about what Christ can do through you because of it.
So let’s talk about your identity in Christ. Do you really know who you are in Christ? Do you know what you possess? Really? Clearly, the knee jerk response to such a question is usually a hearty, ‘Yes! I’miss blessed and highly favored!’ This is all true enough, however, the sad truth is that most Christians have not even begun to plumb the depths of all it means to be in Christ. Time will not permit for an exhaustive treatment of this subject, and I believe we will never fully know all that we are in Him while we are in this life, but I’d like to briefly touch upon several key scriptures which leave no doubt as to who we are and what our purpose is in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:18,19 –I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Not only have we been brought back to God where we belong, but He has made us called us to the same to those who are lost and without hope I this world. This is another version of the Great Commission spoken by Jesus in Mat.28:19, where He tells us to go into all the world and preach the gospel. If for some reason you feel unqualified for the job, 2 Cor.5:18-19 qualifies you. You are a minister of reconciliation!
1 Peter 2:9,10 – I am a part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God’s own possession.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Encapsulized within these powerful verses, we find several things that mark us as children of the Most High God. These alone should cause us to be proud of who we are in Him. We are chosen; we are priests of the Most High God who have been set apart by Him and for Him. What else could we ask for?
Romans 5:1 – I have been justified (completely forgiven and made righteous) and am at peace with God.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Finally, as a child of God I need to know that I have been made righteous in the sight of God; completely forgiven! In the mind and heart of God, my former sins do not exist. In Christ, I have have no past. This alone gives me unsurpassed peace with God.
The inherent power behind these verses are nearly unmatched as it pertains to our position and purpose in Christ and should not be underestimated. Learning your identity opens up potential that leads you to your purpose in Him; and it’s the Cross of Jesus Christ, what He actually accomplished there by His death, that makes it all possible. A popular song puts it this way:
I’m walking in power
A walking miracle
I live a life of favor
I know own who I am!
Have you realized your identits in Christ yet? Do you know own who you are? Don’t forget the divine equation:
IDENTITY = POTENTIAL = PURPOSE
That’s the Word! Take it with you. God bless you.