Learning to Abide in Your Christ Given Identity Sample

Day 6 Finding My New Identity In Christ 

God’s love is freely given, not earned. However, love must also be received for it to have any effect. God has freely given His love, and if we choose to receive that love, it will manifest fully in our lives. When you don’t walk in the righteousness of God, being either self-righteous or a carnal Christian, you will easily fall prey to ignorance of His promises as well as rebellion against His words. 

Here are some examples of things that may keep you from abiding in your true identity in Christ if you put them above your identity in Him: 

• Your denominational leaning or religious group 

• Your reputation with others 

• Your family or marital status 

• Your race, gender, sexuality, or socioeconomic status 

• Your gifts and talents  

• Your occupation, hobby, or favorite sports team  

• A political party or social justice movement 

If you want to abide fully in your identity in Christ, it will mean utterly forsaking your old identity. You cannot keep one foot in the identity of your old nature and one in your new nature and expect to abide in your identity in Christ. If you are double-minded, you cannot expect to receive anything from God. What are some of your excuses as to why you have not made Christ the Lord of your life and submitted to His kingdom? 

A lot of people have a hard time digesting the revelation that God would and did, make us righteous. Most Christians live with a sin consciousness even after they are born again. This means that the awareness and thoughts that speak to right standing with God are overshadowed by sin in the mind. Many Christians, in my experience, would not confess, “I am the righteousness of God”. 

You have a choice to love the things of the world or the things of the Father. If you do not renew your mind, you are doomed to live in the lust that is in the world. This will stunt and cripple your new identity in Christ. The renewal of your mind is an act of your will. There are no magic answers to this. A renewal comes down to you making the choice to do things differently. You must actively replace your old thinking with the knowledge of God. Romans 12:1–2 speaks about continually renewing our minds in the process of sanctification. 

Abiding in your identity is a lifestyle. It’s not about a one-time decision, a once-a-week church service, or a once-a-year resolution. It’s about daily abiding in intimacy with Christ. This new life and identity will be contrary to the way you lived your entire life prior to salvation. The change will take discipline and intentionality. You must determine to live in the Spirit all day, every day. That is why it is called abiding in your identity. You must continue to remain there. If we understand and live in our identity in Christ, we can seek, pursue, and see the Father’s heart to view our world through that lens. 

Wake up every day and ask the Lord to show you His heart in your decisions. Prayerfully navigate His Word. Live in personal abandonment and absolute trust in God, knowing that He is “the author and finisher of our faith”. When hell is breaking loose around you, dig into your identity, seeking His perspective and hearing His heart. Be cautious of what voices you are allowing to speak into your life. Every voice has a purpose and an agenda. Don’t let people around you, political parties, evangelical leaders, patriots, or any other voices influence your heart away from God. Make sure that your anchor and center is Christ—His Word, His identity, His perspective, and His heart. Do not be pulled away into intellectual deception that goes against the peace in your heart from God. 

Pick some of the verses or thoughts we shared and use the STAR Journal Method to process through. 

#1 Scripture Read/Promise Given/Question Asked

Read the verse and/or question. Pause and prayerfully meditate on what is being said, read, or asked.

#2 Thought Conveyed

Write down what this means to you to clearly understand the question, Scripture thought, or promise. Make it personal to get the most out of it.

#3 Application Made

How does this teaching apply to me right now? How does this apply to my leadership context?

#4 Response Given

What can I do to immediately apply this to my life? How should I respond/react to this promise or instruction now and long-term?