Our Identity in Christ

Diane, twenty ladies from the church are going to a ladies’ night out event sponsored by a Christian radio station. One lady canceled. Do you want to go?” my friend Karen asked one January. We do not see each other often, and it sounded like a good time to connect. I asked, “What are they doing at this ladies’ night out?” She shared, “It’s a dinner, and there will be speakers from the radio station.” I took a leap of faith and said, “All right, sign me up!” At the event, one of the speakers shared a story about a day when she was hurting and feeling lost. She sought out a bench in a quiet place. As she journaled, she found a passage she liked in Jeremiah 29:12–14: “ ‘Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD.” (NIV).

She emphasized the phrase, “I will be found by you.” It made her think about who she is in Christ. She started a list of identity statements. Then she shared what she found that day: I am found; I am yours; I am loved; I am made pure; I have life; I can breathe; I am healed; and I am free. It reminded me of the importance of knowing who we are in Christ. Many years ago, while working in Women’s Ministries at the local conference level, I learned that it is helpful to write these statements out. It is a good exercise to erase the negative tapes that play in our heads—things we have heard from others who think they know who we are. If we know who we are, we can have confidence in God’s purpose for us. For example, in Christ, I am not condemned (Romans 8:1). In Christ, I am made alive (Ephesians 2:5). This is a good thing to do in our own personal worship time. As we read God’s Word, He will help us discover our identity in Christ Jesus. Try it today. Write out: “In Christ, I am _______.” As you read from your Bible, ask God to show you how to fill in the blank. Before long, you will know exactly, from His Word, who you are in Christ.

Diane Pestes