To know your identity in Christ, you first need to understand what the Bible says about how God sees you. In His Word, you’ll discover who God says you are. Here are 6 ways to claim your God-given identity.
In 2023, God had me in complete isolation. I could feel myself being set apart trying to manifest itself in 2022, but I fought back hard against it. God was calling me closer to Him, but I completely ignored it. I didn’t understand what God was doing or exactly why He was doing it, but looking back, I am so thankful for that season. God not only showed me how to deepen my relationship with Him, but he led me on a self-discovery journey as well.
Let’s take a step back.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been attending church. I was baptized at a young age, and never really left the church other than the handful of times I attended while in college. Even though I was a weekly attendee, I didn’t know who God was. I knew that He sent His son to die for my sins, but that’s about as far as my relationship went. If I can be honest, I didn’t think that I could get to know God on a deeper level. I thought that was only reserved for those called to ministry or who went to Bible school. I didn’t fall into either category.
I wanted to live a life according to God, but I didn’t know how. Growing up, I was always told of all the many things I couldn’t do as a Christian, but no one ever shared the thousands of things I could do as a follower of Christ. That left me feeling unworthy. I felt like I could never live up to the standard that God wanted me to be, so I didn’t try to develop a deeper relationship.
In 2015, my husband and I started attending Impact Church. Week after week, we were taught from the Bible, and it slowly started to make sense. But I still didn’t pick up my Bible to read for myself until May 2023. In 2018, God slowly started pulling me in. He taught me what the Bible said about finances, and I was empowered to work hard to become debt-free. Spoiler: I’m still working, but I haven’t given up on that goal.
In 2020, deeper was my Word of the Year, and I was so excited to learn more about God. But, COVID happened, and I couldn’t understand how God could let COVID allow so many people to die. I also had a hard time connecting to church virtually, and I allowed the enemy to convince me to place my faith on the back burner. I still believed, but I became curious about other religions and started to research what was true and what was not.
My turning point
Fast forward to 2023, I was faced with a life-changing situation that God himself used to present himself to me through a family friend. A true Genesis 50:20 moment for sure. From that one encounter, I opened my Bible, prayed, and asked God to reveal himself to me, and that He did.
I’ll share my full testimony soon about all the lessons God taught me in 2023, but a huge part of my testimony is learning who I am in Christ. For over a decade, I defined myself solely as a wife and mom. And before that, I allowed the world to tell me who I was.
But God.
I had no idea who I was, and our Father in heaven, showed me quickly that I was His daughter and that in Him, I could find my true identity. By learning who I was in Christ, I made room for God to transform me from the inside out. The radiance and light that shines through me now is all thanks to Him. God has indeed begun a good work in me (Philippians 1:6), and I am so excited to see how He will continue to use me to do work for His kingdom.
Surrendering to God isn’t easy, but I can promise, that if you let go and let God and allow His will to be done for your life, He’ll not only fulfill every promise He’s made to you, but He’ll transform you into a way that you could have never even imagined.
God loves you and so do I!
Today, I want to share with you what it means to know your identity in Christ and how vital it is to see ourselves how God does and not allow the world to define us.
What does it mean to know your identity in Christ?
You may have heard people say, “Find your identity in Christ,” but what does that mean? Knowing your identity in Christ means that we allow God to tell us who we are.
It’s so easy to look to the world to discover who we are. All around us are advertisements telling us how we should dress, what size we should be, and how we should act. If you scroll on social media for any amount of time, you’ll see hundreds of thousands of posts to influence us to misplace our identity.
We are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), so it should be natural for us to find our identity in God. However, we live in a fallen world, and we often look to the world to define ourselves.
Why is important for you to know your identity in Christ and not this world?
Knowing your identity in Christ is essential because there isn’t self-discovery without Christ. Your identity is who you are. It’s how you view yourself and it speaks to the characteristics that define you. When you recognize who you are in Christ, you find who you are. That’s the only way to discover and embrace the plan and purpose that God has for your life. This is where true freedom lies. There is nothing in this world, no amount of money or tangible items, that can fulfill you the way God can.
When you understand who you are in Christ you:
- Easily understand yourself and how you should live
- Are mentally prepared to live life despite any obstacles thrown your way
- Make better life choices and necessary life changes
- Live a life dedicated to making an impact
- Appreciate God’s love for others
6 Ways to Embrace Your Identity in Christ
Through our relationship with God, we become a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). He sets us apart and changes our identity from “in this world” to “of this world.” Whether you believe it or not, we are all called to walk according to our royal identity as a child of God in our everyday lives.
Here are six ways to help you explore and understand your identity, purpose, and calling in God’s plan. It doesn’t matter what we think about ourselves, or what any person walking this Earth believes. If it isn’t through the eyes of Christ, you will never truly grasp the essence of who you are.
Release shame, guilt, and failures of the past
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1), so we can freely release any shame, guilt, or failures of our past. God’s grace and mercy will give you the ability to shed off the shackles of your past and accept that your slate has been washed clean. As a child of God, you are not a slave to your failures. Instead, God will use them for His glory to bring others to Him when you share your testimony of His love.
Ignore the Ideals of the World
To embrace your identity in Christ, you must reject what the world says about you. Romans 12:2 reminds us not to copy the behavior and customs of this world, but to allow God to transform us into a new person by changing the way that we think.
Without realizing so, you can become easily consumed with the world without realizing it. But when you are fixated on God and His plan for your life, the Holy Spirit will transform you from the inside out. He will mold you into the Kingdom woman that He created you to be and develop you into the best version you could be. If He did it for me, He can do it for you too. God doesn’t show favoritism (Romans 2:11)
Trust turning away from the world won’t be easy, but it will be so worth it. God will begin to use you to further His kingdom and you’ll make a lasting impact in the world for His glory. You must remember that the enemy will be working hard to prevent you from walking away from the life you’ve grown accustomed to. He will try to get you to doubt your value and question God’s love and faithfulness.
Satan doesn’t use new tricks though. If he can get you to chase after the world, he’ll convince you that you’ll gain everything; however, your salvation will be at risk. He’ll never admit it, but he believes everything that God has spoken over your life, so he’ll work overtime to get you to believe it. But don’t live in fear.
John 10:10 tells us that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ came so that we may have life and have it more abundantly.
Know What God Says About You
When our identity is rooted in the world, we will never be satisfied. We’ll be on a hamster wheel constantly chasing the next best thing. By the time we obtain that thing, there will be a new trend, and we’ll start the process over and over.
However, the Word of God never changes. God promises us in Hebrews 4:12 that the Word is alive and powerful. It’s the only thing that lasts forever.
Want to know some powerful things that God has said about you? In 1 Thessalonians 4:1 God says that he loves you and chose you to be His people. In Psalms 139:14 He said that you were fearfully and wonderfully made. In 1 Corinthians 15:57, He calls you victorious, and in Song of Songs 4:7, He says that you are beautiful.
And this doesn’t even scratch the surface. God formed you in your mother’s womb and knew you before you were even born (Jeremiah 1:5). He doesn’t make mistakes. So, know that there is nothing about you that needs to be changed.
If God is for you, who can be against you (Romans 8:31)? God approves of you. It doesn’t matter if no one else in this world does.
Read: 24 Powerful Christian Birth Affirmations for a Calm Labor and Delivery
Spend time with Jesus
Spending intimate time with God is key to finding your identity in Him. The only way you will know what God says about you and who God is is to intentionally spend time with Him. This requires more than just Sunday mornings at church. Been there and done that, so I can attest that it indeed takes more.
Carve out time daily to pray, read Scripture, worship, and sit in His presence. This will help you to create values that align with the Word of God. Your desires will begin to imitate His. You will begin to gain your strength from God, and you’ll easily turn to Christ and not the opinions of the world.
Depend on God
God is the only one that is dependable. Man will let you down every time. If we know this, why do we look to man for help to embrace our flaws and imperfections? Once you recognize those limitations, surrender them to God. He will perfect you in any area where you may deem yourself weak.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 reminds us that His grace is sufficient, and our power is made perfect in weakness. We can boldly and confidently approach our weaknesses so that the power of Christ can work through us. Take pleasure in areas where you may be weak. When we are weak, He is strong.
By learning to depend on God in every aspect of your life, you will be pushed to unimaginable heights. You will be empowered to walk in your authority and do all things through Christ who gives you strength. But He can only make you strong when He’s living within you.
Meditate on God’s Word
Renew your mind daily by meditating on the Word of God. You will refresh your heart with His promises and learn exactly what He says about you. Use His Word as affirmations to keep the truth about your identity front and center.
Consider memorizing scripture and learning God’s Word for yourself. That way when the enemy tries to get you to believe something different, you can fight back with the world of God the same way that Jesus did while in the wilderness (Luke 4: 1-13).
Remember: we must be equipped with the full armor of God daily (Ephesians 6:10-18) to withstand the fiery darts of the enemy.
Wrap Up
The first step in knowing your identity in Christ is to first accept Him as your Lord and Savior. You must confess that He died and rose again to save us from our sins, which grants us eternal life with our Heavenly Father. When we decide to follow Christ and allow Jesus to enter our hearts, we are made new. Galatians 2:20 reminds us that our old selves have been crucified with Christ. We will be empowered to discover our purpose and walk in our Kingdom assignment by rejecting the customs and behaviors of the world.
Meditate on Galatians 2:19-21: ‘“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”’
Remember, what God says about you and rely on Him alone.
Do you know who you are in Christ?
