Learning to Abide in Your Christ Given Identity Sample

Day 8 Living Out Your Identity in Christ 

In the book of Judges, the children of Israel were not intimately connected to the Lord firsthand but had only heard about Him from the previous generation. This led to their ignorance and ultimate rebellion against God’s desires (Judges 2). That is why understanding this topic is essential to your spiritual maturity. James tells us that “each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” If your mind is not renewed by God’s Word, your desires will not be His. The desires of the flesh will end up drawing you away and enticing you. When desire conceives, “it gives birth to sin,” and sin produces death. Do you see the subtlety of the damage that an unrenewed mind can do to your identity in Christ? When you walk outside of a renewed mind, you have no one but yourself to blame for the sin you commit. So, in what do you find your identity other than in Christ? 

The same gospel was preached to all, but it was only the ones who took the knowledge and applied faith who received any benefit. If you don’t have the full truth about this, you will neglect to walk in the fullness of your identity. Don’t allow anything to stand in the way of full righteousness in Christ.

There are three fundamental aspects to living out your identity in Christ: 

• Experiencing Christ 

• Growing in Christ

• Sharing His love with others

As you learn to abide in your identity, you should find a way to experience Christ in every aspect of your day. This can happen in a time of prayer, worship, or devotion, or it can mean involving Him in everyday activities. Abiding in Christ takes a big commitment. There are many things fighting for your time, and the tyranny of the urgent usually wins out. You must make Him the priority, including Him in every part of your day. 

Remember that Christ should be the center of your life, not just the first item on a list for the day. When you are spending time with God every day, you will grow in your relationship with Him. You will grow in your perception of who God is and who you are in a relationship with Him, and you will grow in the gifts that He has given you. You will grow in the knowledge of the Word, in your faith, and in righteousness. This process of sanctification will equip you to share the love of Christ in practical ways with those in your circle of influence. 

When you experience and grow in God every day, sharing Him will be a natural outflow of your life. When you abide in your identity in Christ, you accept that love should be your response to people in every situation. You gladly give this love because you are operating out of a transformed heart. You also realize that love puts others’ needs before yours. Servanthood becomes a joy to you as you model Christ because your identity is wrapped up in Him. Remember, sanctification is a process that happens over a lifetime. Be patient, but be hopeful that God will fulfill His promises to you as you abide in your identity in Him.

When we don’t understand biblically defined righteousness, it is easy to find our identity in horizontal, earthly things. As a disciple of Christ, you should find great joy in your identity in Him. If you are finding your identity in anything outside of Christ, then you are not experiencing the fullness of abiding in His identity. 

Our identity in Christ gives us new affections and fruits of the Holy Spirit. He lives in us and will empower us to live in obedience and holiness. Do you see the power you have over a sinful lifestyle when you abide in your identity in Christ? God calls you to holiness, and He will make provision for you to walk in it. If God commands it, then He will provide a way for you to live in it. The truth of God’s Word does not condemn you unless you reject it. The Word of God will bring conviction when you begin to understand that a change is needed in your life. When God exposes a false identity in your life, it is an act of His grace. He is giving you the opportunity to see the truth and make the necessary changes to walk in it. 

I encourage you to take what you’ve learned here and abide in your identity in Christ. Don’t settle for less than what God has promised you in the gospel: salvation, a life empowered by the Holy Spirit, and deep, abiding intimacy with Christ.

To learn more on this topic you can get the full book at www.abidingnetwork.com/amazon 

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?