How important is it to know who you are in Christ Jesus? It is of great importance for each of us to realize and understand our place in Christ so that the enemy cannot enslave us. Not knowing who we are as a child of God makes us vulnerable to the tricks and schemes of the devil. Deception enslaves and places shackles on God's people. The only way to know who you are in Christ is to know His Word and to understand what is the lie and what is the Truth! Our worth is not in and of ourselves but who we are in Him. Our true identity is who our Creator created us to be. Our Creator knows each of us intimately and desires us to know Him intimately. Our Heavenly Father who created us and knew us before the foundations of the world loves us very much. His desires for us are for our good and not our harm, to give us a hope and a future. He desires for us to know His love, joy and peace in our lives as well as His freedom. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom! Whom the Son sets free is free indeed! May your joy be full just as mine is, said Jesus. We must each be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and the only way this is possible is to know who we are in the eyes of Christ!
What does God's Word say about us and Himself and who we are in Him? Here is a few things: I did not give you a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid for in this world there will be troubles but I have overcome the world. I will never leave you nor forsake you, I am with you always even until the very end and then I am still with you. I have come to heal the broken hearted and set at liberty those who are held captive. I am the Great Good Shepherd and my sheep hear my voice, and I call them by name and they follow me.
The question is, are you following Jesus "the great good Shepherd?" Is He truly the Shepherd of your life? If He is, then you will know the freedom and joy of being lead by Him. No fear, no bondage, peace in the midst of troubles, and the fullness of His joy in your life despite circumstances. The comfort of His Holy Spirit will always be with you, tending to your every need. His love always washing over you bringing refreshing to your soul as you eat in green pastures and drink from the still waters. He is your bread of life and the water that causes you to never thirst again. Jesus our Shepherd never leaves us with feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or vulnerability. There is no condemnation in Him but only saving grace and mercy offered to all who call upon His name and follow Him. He loves us with an Everlasting Love and draws us with His Loving Kindness! Even when our Shepherd must chastise us, it is not done as to cause us to cower in fear of Him for being disobedient. His chastising is done in love as to refine, purify and protect us (His Lambs and Sheep). A Good Shepherd has been known to break a leg of a straying lamb with His Shepherd's hook as to keep a lamb from continually going astray, then the good Shepherd will bind up His lamb's leg and carry him upon His shoulders until the lamb's leg is healed. The bond that grows during this time between the straying lamb and the Shepherd is a loving bond that can never be broken.
The Good Shepherd will leave the 99 in a safe place together while He searches for the straying lamb. Isn't it amazing that the majority (the 99) stay close to the Shepherd but there seems to be the one who always wanders, thus continually placing himself in harms way, where it can be devoured by a predator/the enemy? The wandering lamb may be deceived in thinking that the pastures may look greener on the other side but when they get there they find it was just an illusion. Could it be that, that "one" may not know who they are in the eyes of Christ Jesus/their Great Good Shepherd? Could it be that this wandering lamb/sheep who sabotages his life and places his worth in the abusiveness of the enemy enslaving himself to fear and bondage not know who they are in Christ Jesus?
To be continued....
2 comments:
Tamela,
The Bible is such a powerful book that the Devil fears it and you see this world today trying to keep as many away from God's Word as possible. You are absolutely right in what you right. If we don't know the Scriptures, then we can be left astray by those who use it as a lie. Someone can quote a Bible passage out of context and make it sound as if this is what God wants and if we don't stay in the Word and know, we can easily fall for such deception. Keep encouraging people to read the Bible.
Larry
Hello Larry,
How are you doing? thank you for the encouraging comment. I think the time might be short, people need to get serious about the Word of God and not believe every Tom, Dick, and Harry out there but be Bereans just as Paul said, who study the Word for themselves to see if what others are teaching is accurate. I believed Paul referred to the Bereans as noble honorable men. How much more should we be Bereans today in this day and time when the Word is still being twisted!!! That stinkin Devil knows his time is soon to expire!
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