Personal Identity

 

 

When we seek our personal identity from our mate, family, job or material possessions, we can lose it overnight. Then we are adrift without an anchor to stabilize our life. We may look to our character, talents and independence for our identity until we are accused, or even falsely accused of a crime and put in jail or dismissed from our job. However, if we draw our personal identity from Christ in us, we find a solid rock on which it can stand for eternity, regardless of our circumstances in life.

Paul related his struggle with his personal identity in Romans 7; and at the very last verse, he realizes that God freed him from sin, as well as the condemnation of sin (Romans 8:1). He comprehended the fact that the law of sin and death no longer has any power over the Saints of God, because we are set free by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). Our sinful self died in Christ, and we are raised to walk in His new life (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:4). Jesus did only those things, which He saw our Father do (John 5:19). We have no separate identity apart from the Father either. We live only to please and bring honor to our Lord. His life flows through us and we bear much fruit (John 15:5). We grow in the knowledge of God, and He fills us with endurance and patience, as we joyfully thank Him for His love for us, for His blessings in our life and for replacing our identity with His (Colossians 1:10-12).

We wait on God to give us His thoughts, living from our spirit instead of from our human soul – our mind, will and emotions. We refrain from listening to our human thoughts, so that our words and thoughts come only from Christ within us. We desire God with our whole heart, seeking only His will for our life, and using the gifts, which He provides for us, as He opens doors that no man can close.

Prayer:

Father God, we relinquish our dependence on our self and we rely totally on You. We hunger and thirst after Your righteousness (Matthew 5:6). We thank You for increasing our faith and for helping us to live for Your glory. We totally surrender our life to You, and we thank You for Your spiritual wisdom and understanding (Ephesians 1:17). We succeed in life only through the power of Your might (Ephesians 6:10), not by our human reasoning and efforts. Regardless of the circumstances in our life, our personal identity comes from our relationship with You.

Thought for the Day:

We wait on the Lord until Christ is fully developed in us as our personal identity. – Galatians 4:19

Love Your Neighbor AS Yourself

Read: Ephesians 3:16-19

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” – 2 Corinthians 12: 9

Some people are self-centered, myopic, petty, puffed up, thoughtless, wanting more and more and not willing to give to others. Thankfully, they are few and far between. Most of us, however, are hard working, caring, loving and thoughtful. We consider others before we think about our self. If you are like this second group of people, I want to talk to you right now.

Sometimes we fight battles, which God never intended for us to fight, in an attempt to control our circumstances, to get ahead or to impress someone else. In reality, God wants to use our weaknesses, not our strengths, because…His strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12: 9). We try so hard to be “grown up” and responsible, to make our significant others proud of us, to earn that promotion or reward, or to get that second job to make ends meet.

By trying to be strong, however, we often deny attention to the person who we really are inside. We ignore our needs and opt to care for others instead. By not relying on the Lord or being led by His Spirit, we have no energy left to care for our self. We overlook our needs in order to excel according to other people’s standards. This part of our self, which we deny, has many popular names in today’s psychological world: the authentic self, the true self, the inner soul and the inner child. I like to call this part of the soul, the “Inner Child”.

David, the psalmist and king, agrees with me. He said in Psalm 131: 2 “Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me.”

If you ignore your soul, your energy level will go down incrementally, until you are running on pure adrenalin. Hope deferred does make our heart sick (Proverbs 13:12). You may even resort to pills, caffiene or energy drinks to pump up your quantum state. There is a side effect to ignoring your soul, however. I guarantee that it will use everything available to get your attention.

Our inner child speaks to us through dreams, addictions, illnesses, etc. This is a very real issue. It is very important to pay attention to this matter in order to heal from the emotional wounds we receive almost every day of our life. Most people ignore their own needs, because they do not realize that they are a person too, and that they have needs that should be met.

The two most important commandments, according to Jesus, could actually be broken into three mandates: Luke 10: 27…

1.)“‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ …

2.) “And, ‘Love your neighbor …
3.) “as yourself.’”

We can minister to our self in the same way that we minister to the Lord and to everyone else in our life. When I feel my hope weakening, I ask my true inner self - my soul: my mind, will and emotions – “What do you need?” or “What can I do for you today?”

This accomplishes two things. First, I feel like somebody actually cares about me, so that I am no longer stuck inside my body with no hope of getting my needs met. Then, once I meet the my needs, I have more emotional and physical energy to minister to the Lord and to my neighbor. It is absolutely ridiculous to wait around for other people to meet your needs. This is a very unrealistic expectation, and almost impossible for anyone to live up to.

Jesus recognized the need to have personal, quiet time. He often drew aside from the crowd to recuperate. After Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit actually sent Him into the wilderness to spend time alone in order to get Him ready for three years of intense ministry. Jesus also spent time in the mountains and on the seas throughout these years, resting in order to meet the needs awaiting Him later that day or the next.

We feed our spirit with Biblical nourishment. We feed our body at least three times a day. Now it’s time to start feeding our soul. I’m not refering to the flesh here, or to the carnal nature of man. I am referring to our human faculties of thought, action, and emotion. Without it, we weaken or possibly even shut off a very vital part of our existence, which God created for us to use.

Go fishing, read a book, draw a picture, take a nap, watch a Christian movie, sew a dress, take or teach a class, write a book, make a new friend, enjoy nature, etc. Do something at some time during every day, which makes you feel alive - not only in your body and spirit, but also in your soul.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help me to follow Your example to draw aside for times of refreshment for my soul. Help me to obey Your Spirit and to allow myself times of nourishment in my soul, as well as in my body and spirit. Use me as a blessing and bring people into my life to bless me as well.

Thought for the Day:
When I admire the wonders of nature, the melody of music, the intricacies of art or the giggle of a child, my soul glows with worship for our Creator.