God’s Truth About Us
The world often tries to tell us who we are or who we should be. Sometimes, there is truth to what is said but sometimes, there are lies. Being a mother/father, husband/wife, friend, co-worker, sibling, grandparent, etc. can be true, and certainly can be great things! However, if the world tells us we aren’t strong enough, successful enough, good enough, etc., should we believe that too? Or what if the good parts of us change?
The problem with making our core identity something that the world offers is there is no guarantee it’s true and there is no guarantee it will last. While we may identify with things like being a friend, spouse, etc., that is only part of who we are. Rather than looking to the world to define our identity, we ought to look to God.
For many years, being an athlete was a large part of my identity. When I experienced seasons when I wasn’t playing (once for an injury and once because I rode the bench), it rocked me. I had made my whole identity being an athlete, specifically a soccer player, and when that was temporarily gone, I didn’t know who I was. When I look back on my life, those two seasons were the most transformational times in my faith because I had to focus on who I was to God. So, who does God say we are?
First and most importantly, God says we are His children, and He says it multiple times! Check out Galatians 3:26, John 1:12-13, 1 John 3:1, just to name a few! God makes it very clear, we are His sons and daughters, that is our core identity. That is such good news! It is good because we can know and believe it is true and because it will NEVER change. When we believe in Him, He is our Heavenly Father for the rest of eternity.
God makes it very clear, we are His sons and daughters, that is our core identity.
I loved being an athlete and I loved playing soccer. I miss those days so much, but it is nothing compared to being a daughter of the Most High. While my identity as an athlete has come and gone on, my identity as a child of God will remain for all eternity, and for that, I am grateful.
Our core identity is being a child of God, but as a result of that, there are some secondary identities we can claim as His children. Romans 8:17 says we are His heirs, “And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ, we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.”
Being an heir means we receive all that He leaves us. We get to share in His glory! Now, when Jesus walked the earth, a lot of people hated him and he ended up suffering on the cross. The Bible says we too will suffer, but that does not take away from the glory. Nothing the world can do will ever compare to all that God will give us. We are His children, therefore, we are His heirs and receive His glory.
In addition to being His heirs, God also calls us “a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession” 1 Peter 2:9. I don’t know about you but I love that the Creator of the universe, the God of the heavens and the earth, calls me chosen, royal, holy, and His very own possession. That is an identity I want to claim!
The Bible has much more to say about who God says we are, so every time we are tempted to believe something the world (or even our own minds) tells us about ourselves, I think we should test it with God’s Word. For example, if someone tells you that you aren’t good enough, test it with Scripture. Because according to Ephesians 2:10, we are God’s masterpiece! And according to 2 Timothy 2:21, we have been made set apart for good use by the Master!
every time we are tempted to believe something the world (or even our own minds) tells us about ourselves, I think we should test it with God’s Word.
This is not an exhaustive list, but here is a PDF (CLICK HERE) I have created with some lies that we are sometimes tempted to believe next to the truth of what God says about us.
I encourage you to continue studying the Scriptures to see what else you can add! You can make it your “truth list” so that any time the enemy, the world, or your own mind tries to tell you a lie, you can claim God’s truth instead. And for those you that are more musical, check out this spoken word piece by Hosanna Wong called “I Have a New Name”:
I am praying that each of us can claim our identity as Children of God this week. I pray that we can fight the lies of the enemy with the truth of God’s Word. I pray that we live in peace knowing He is our Father. I pray that we remember we are all Holy in Progress.
With love,
Erica