Have you ever bought into the lies of the deceiver, Satan, and thought that you weren't good enough? Have you ever wondered if what you did and or said had value? Have you walked down the dark mental thought path and wondered if you have value? I have, and I've come out the other side in hope through God's truth. Today I'm here to say that you do have value and you are loved, but there's more, so keep reading.
Writing these questions and revealing my thoughts for you to read fills my heart with such sadness because I know I'm not alone in having these false thoughts. I want to share with you the hopeful truth of who you are through Jesus Christ, the truth to which I know and cling when an identity crisis occurs. I started this blog because of my children. I want them to know the legacy they have from their Heavenly Father, through their Savior, Jesus Christ, guided by their counselor, the Holy Spirit. I want to remind you or tell you if you don't know, as a believer in Jesus Christ you are a child of God and share with you what that means. If you're not a believer, yet, I want to share with you the hope you can have. Who Jesus says you and I are is the final word. He is the word of God made flesh (see John chapter 1) and he tells us who we are. Our doubts about self-worth are mind-trash that separate us receiving the love of Jesus Christ. Through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection we are children of God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. If you don't believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, he still loves you, but can't be in relationship with you due to the barrier of sin. Jesus Christ, God the Son, showed his love for us was so much, though, that he took on our sin at the cross so that we could be restored to him. If you're not a believer, while God's love for you is real, his promises don't apply, yet, because your relationship with God hasn't been restored. Read Faith 101: Is My Name Child of God? first and then come back to this post. The Holy Spirit whispers to the hearts of the lost and speaks to those who have been found through faith in Jesus. Jesus calls to us. Through His Word, the Bible, Jesus says, "I say you have value. Here's who I say you are through faith in me..." IN JESUS I AM: UNIQUELY CREATED (Psalm 139: 13-15 NIV) For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. UNCONDITIONALLY LOVED (Romans 8:38-39 NIV) For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NEVER ALONE (Matthew 28:20 NIV) Jesus said, “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” FORGIVEN (I Corinthians 15:2-3 NIV) By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures REDEEMED (Ephesians 1: 7-10 ESV) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ READY AND ARMED WITH TRUTH (Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV) Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. To God be the glory, Sarah Will you join me in prayer? LORD Jesus, help me to believe your truth because I have value, I am special, and I am loved by You, You died to take away my sin and rose from the dead giving me new life. Give me the strength and tools to fight the evil one and stand firmly in your promises and Word. YOU ALONE ARE GOD and who I am in You is the final word. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Reflection: Do you believe that through faith in Jesus the above scripture verses are about you? If so, how does that change your today, tomorrow, and your life? If not, what lies are you allowing to dwell as truth in your life? Do you embrace your name, Child of God, and the identity that comes with it? Faith-In-Action: Choose one identity trait of a child of God. Read the verses every day for 3 days and pray that the Lord would help you see yourself through His eyes.
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A lot of time I hear the words thrown out that we are all God's children... but is this true? What does the Bible tell us?
The Bible says we're either God's children through faith in Jesus Christ, God the Son, or we're his enemies in rebellion against him. These are two very different relationships we can have with God, the creator of the universe. God DOES NOT WANT us to be his enemies, so he intervened so we can have relationship with him. On our own we are not OK. Most of us know this, but some are in denial. We do things we know are wrong and can't figure out how to stop! The Bible calls our problem, our not-rightness--sin. It's our nature to often choose what is wrong over what is right-- to choose what is easy or good for us only. We can't fix our sin problem on our own. We need God, who is sinless, to save us. If you are not a follower of Jesus I want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with you. If you believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, be encouraged--this is the Good News that has already saved you! In this sin filled world we are separated from God on our own. Our attempts to be good are never enough to match God's holiness (perfect goodness through which He is set apart). However, to bring us back to relationship with himself God the Father sent Jesus Christ, God the Son, to redeem us. Jesus is fully God and fully human. What a mystery! He was born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins and was raised from the dead by God the Father (Romans 3:22-29). Through faith in Jesus we have access to God the Father. When we repent of our sins and believe Jesus is our risen Lord and Savior, he sends the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts, sealing us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:3, Ephesians 4:13). Though these references are true-- I invite you to meet Jesus through the biographies of his life as told in the Bible in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (also known as the Gospels). We don’t come to faith on our own. Out of God’s grace he gives us the gift of faith so no one can think they had a part in their salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). Though God calls all his children to him we do have the choice to reject the Lord. If you don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ or if you feel distant but want to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior then pray to him. If you don't know what to pray it might sound something like this: Jesus, I have done bad things in my life and sinned against you. I need your forgiveness. Please forgive me. Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins (the bad things) and rose again. You defeated both sin and death. Jesus, I believe you are my Savior and I want you to be the Lord of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Since before you were born the Lord God has been wanting you to know him personally. He calls us to him and walks with us in our faith journey. If you're a believer who feels disconnected or have recently taken the name Child of God I encourage you to get connected in a church near you that emphasizes teaching from the Bible and confesses that Jesus is the risen Lord who defeated sin and death. Jesus as the Son of God, brings us into God's holy family through our faith in Him as Lord and Savior (Galatians 3: 26, Romans 8: 11-17). In Christ we are legitimate heirs with all the rights of a son or daughter (Galatians 4: 3-7). Instead of seeing our sin, God sees us clothed in Jesus' righteousness. If you believe in Jesus as Lord your name is Child of God. I pray Be Blessed Prayer helps you remember your identity and inheritance. If You're not sure what it looks like to be called Child of God in your life and how that affects your identity I encourage you to check out Identity Restored: Child of God. To God be the glory, Sarah |
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