Who Am I?

One of the biggest struggles we face as women today is a struggle with our identity.

Who am I and how should I view myself? The problem is that many of us define ourselves by our past, by the world’s standards, and by what other people think of us. That sets us up for not only frustration but also certainly for an identity crisis. People are fickle, and their opinions of us will constantly change. The world’s standards are anything but solid and dependable. We may be bearing the consequences of certain decisions we made in the past, but our past does not define who we are in the present. So what does?

If you are a Christian, your whole identity is wrapped up in Jesus Christ – your past, present, and future.

And we are to see ourselves as He sees us. As our minds marinate on the truths of God’s Word and our identity in Him, we will be able to overcome the lies of Satan, our own unpredictable feelings, and the opinions of others. This takes practice. And discipline. And a complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. But this is how we change, and grow, and become more like Christ. Jesus prayed for us, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” (John 17:17 emphasis added) We become more like who we are in Christ as we study and apply the truth of God’s Word. Kenneth Boa says in his wonderful book, Conformed to His Image, “In Scripture, doing (our actions) should flow out of being (our identity); the better we grasp our identity in Christ, the more our actions should reflect Christlike character.” (p. 36)  

Here are just a few of the many truths about who God says you are as a believer in Christ:

• You are a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. (2 Cor. 5:17)
• In Him you have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of your trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, (Eph. 1:7)
• You are loved with an everlasting love; therefore the Lord has continued His faithfulness to you. (Jer. 31:3)
• You are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God. (Gal. 4:7)
• You are blessed. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed you with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Eph. 1:3)
• You are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that you should walk in them. (Eph. 2:10)

This is just a small sampling of the glorious riches of our inheritance in Christ Jesus. And you and I need to remind ourselves of these riches. Every. Single. Day. And as we do, we will become secure in God’s love for us and able to live confidently in Christ. Does that sound foreign to you – secure, confident, loved? If you are in Christ, that is your identity! Pray for the grace to believe it and live it.

I encourage you to write out your own “Who Am I?” Scriptures and meditate on them every day for the next month.

You can download Who am I in Christ? to get you started.  You can even tailor it to deal with specific struggles you might be having right now (i.e. If you’re struggling with loneliness, write out as many Scriptures you can find on God’s love for you and His promise to never leave you) or to combat lies you’re tempted to believe (i.e. “I don’t feel loved” or “I’ll never have victory over this sin” – write out Scriptures to the contrary).

Don’t be conformed to the patterns of this world (and who it says you should be) but be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Rom. 12:2). As you renew your mind in God’s Word and meditate on who He says you are in Christ, you will be transformed more and more into His glorious image.