Devotional Day 3: Who Am I?
Scriptures
Genesis 3:1-13
Romans 8:10-11
Ephesians 2:1-10
The second perspective problem that we must come face to face with is ourselves. You may be looking in a mirror but chances are, the "you" that's looking back at you isn't the "you" that you think is looking back at you. Let me explain…
One of the main reasons we don't experience abundant joy, walk in confidence, and live with a sense of hopeful expectation is that we have an improper view of ourselves. After we correct our view of God, we must then receive an alignment check regarding our perspective of who we think we are.
Scripture says we have access to the same power that raised Christ from the dead, yet how often do we exercise the power we have access to? And why don't we? Because our perspective of ourselves needs realignment.
You have to fight yourself every day - fight your negative thoughts, fight your destructive habits, fight your past traumas, fight incorrect ideologies, and fight improper perceptions of who you are. The reason why we don't start the business, reach out to that person, share our testimony, take risks, or dream big is because we don't see the power that's inside of us. We don't understand our identity and our authority in Christ!
The identity crisis goes all the way back to the first few chapters of the Bible. After Adam and Eve eat the fruit which God told them not to do, the Bible says, "The eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves" (Genesis 3:7). After sinning, they experienced something they never had known before - shame.
Now, let's go back to the reason why they ate the fruit in the first place. The serpent (satan) deceived them into believing they weren't all that they could be. They were missing out on something. The way God had created them wasn't enough. In their striving to make up for this "lack" within themselves, they disobey God and blatantly sin against Him.
In Genesis 3:9 we overhear a conversation between the Creator and His Creation right after this happens: "But the Lord called to the man, 'Where are you?'. He answered, 'I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.' And He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?' "
Through sin and disobedience, Adam and Eve opened the door for shame to enter their lives. Through one act of disobedience, Adam and Eve lost sight of their identity and forfeited their authority in the garden. Death entered the world through one man, but thousands of years later, life entered the world through another man. Jesus Christ came to this earth to give Himself up as a sacrifice for the atonement of our sins in order that we may regain our identity as sons and daughters of God and reclaim authority through Him!
Until we accept the finished work of Christ on the cross and recognize the authority that we've been given through Jesus, we will never have a proper understanding of who WE are and what we can do for the Kingdom!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your son Jesus to die for my sins so that our relationship could be reconciled. I recognize the authority that I have access to through Christ according to Luke 10:19 for the expansion of Your Kingdom. Help me, Holy Spirit, to walk in the fruit of the Spirit and the power of Your Spirit every day so that I can rightly see You and rightly see myself. In Jesus' name, amen.
