3 Urgent Reasons to Fight for Your Identity in Christ

Do you ever feel stuck?  Like nothing will change and life will always be hard… Did you know there is a real battle happening over your life?  There is a real Enemy doing real battle for your mind.  Yes, a Spiritual battle that requires Spiritual Warfare on the part of every Christian who wants to live in Victory and have abundant life.  The enemy uses little things to silently sabotage your peace, steal your joy and leave you hopeless in the midst of the chaos of everyday life.  But take hope today, not only will you see the Three Reason to fight the enemy for your thoughts, you will see there can be victory!

God cleans up my mess piece by piece  

When you think about a Christian Life, do you think of salvation then heaven?  I did for years.  But the Christian Life is meant to be an Abundant life (John 10:10) here on earth.  But He doesn’t change us or clean up our messy life all at once – we couldn’t handle that really.  Think about it like cleaning a house…

Y’all, I hate cleaning.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a clean house, but the process of cleaning is exhausting with children.  It seems like they have “cleaning” radar.  As soon as I finish cleaning one area they storm in – so excited to see a new place to sabotage play.

One reason I hate cleaning is I never know what I am going to find.

Take the living room for example – I see that the cushions are skewed, the blankets are scattered and there are random bits and bobs about the floor.

As I am on my knees -picking up abandoned toys – I notice crushed pretzels under the couch.  Pulling the couch aside I see crumbs, socks, missing shoes, the Water Bill I’ve been missing all week…  On and on it goes until a 10-minute cleaning task has taken the better part of an hour and I am ready for a nap.

The cleaning needed to be done. The mess was always there – even if I couldn’t see it!  If left unchecked – the mess would draw bugs and create more work later.

Still, it was not what I expected.  Our Christian lives are a mess too.  Oh, you can’t see my mess as much now, but just like the mess under my couch – when God sees my soul He sees the messy parts still left to clean up.

Sanctification God’s housecleaning for the heart and soul

God can clean up any mess, in fact, there are many bible verses about cleaning up your life.  We can trust God to turn our messy life into a Message to glorify Him. It is hard work but so worth it.

We can trust God to turn our messy life into a Message to glorify Him. It is hard work but so worth it. Click To Tweet

I remember the day I finally surrendered to God – let God have control of my messy life.  I made a choice to be a disciple of Jesus rather than just a Christian playing church that day but it took years to see victory.

There were messes in my life (sin in my life) – drinking, drugs, language, living with my boyfriend and so many more – but I didn’t know how to fix any of that.  It didn’t matter that I couldn’t change – I simply prayed “God Please fix my mess” and Jesus came in piece by piece to do the hard work.

While God was working, the enemy began to fill my mind with shame and doubt about who I am in Christ (John 8:44).

Can you be a Christian if there is still sin in your life?

The lies began right away to fill my mind.

• You’ve messed up too badly.
• God would never want you.
• You are broken beyond repair
• damaged goods
• unlovable
• unacceptable
• too fat and ugly for anyone to care about…

Honestly, why do we continue to sin after being saved? 

Well, we are human.  Only One perfect man ever lived and you are not Him.  Thank God for forgiveness and grace!

What happens when a believer sins?  I mean deliberate sin after salvation. 

There is a conviction from the Holy Spirit that leads us to repent and turn from that sin.

The Christian Life is not a perfect life. If anyone told you that they lied. When the enemy whispers doubt and shame about your sin – you look that snake in the eye and tell him God forgave you at the Cross.

The Christian Life is not a perfect life. If anyone told you that they lied. When the enemy whispers doubt and shame about your sin - you look that snake in the eye and tell him God forgave you at the Cross. Click To Tweet

Does God forgive sins you continue to repeat? 

He does.  God forgave you completely at the Cross – fully knowing you would sin and struggle to give up that sin.  Jesus blood covers you.  When God sees you He sees Jesus.  In fact, Jesus loves you so much He sits at the right hand of God interceding for you in the midst of the battle.

But we don’t talk about that stuff much and the enemy uses our silence to stir doubt and shame and make us question our identity in Christ.

What lie does the enemy whisper to you?

For more than a decade God has victoriously, slowly, painstakingly removed so many of those habitual sins from my life.

God has taught me how to forgive the hurt and abuse of my past that created some of those cycles of deliberate sin.  Praise His name there has even been a reconciliation in several relationships – not all… Reconciliation takes both parties to make it work.  It does not always happen on this side of heaven.  But I hope it will one day.  I pray for reconciliation.

I’d love to share my story of Finding a Pathway to Forgiveness.  It’s yours free below!   

Recently, God revealed that though I have forgiven others and healed in many ways, I was still believing lies about myself and my identity in Christ.

I didn’t realize I was believing lies…  How was that possible?

God says something very different about me and you as His dearly loved children!  Do you know your identity in Christ?  It is as real as the chair you are sitting in.  I needed help finding my identity in Christ -read more here.

When we believe the enemy about our identity in Christ Three things happen:

1. When I believe the Lie of the Enemy about my identity in Christ- I call God a liar.

Sandy Grose wrote am amazing identity Bible study “You are Potential” (To help with Understanding your identity in Christ).  She likens this conflict in our thoughts as being double minded.  This is one of the best scriptures on identity.

James 1:6-8 for the one who doubts is like the suft of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.  For that man ought not expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double minded man, unstable in all his ways.

God says I am dearly loved. The enemy says I am unlovable. I Can Not believe and operate in both identities.

God says I am dearly loved. The enemy says I am unlovable. I Can Not believe and operate in both identities. Click To Tweet

You can say God loves you but do you believe Him Or do you feel unlovable?

My life has been filled with words to reinforce the lie “I am unlovable”

“No one could ever love you“, “You’re just too fat to be loved“, “What’s wrong with you, no one could ever love someone as messed up as you”, etc.

Those are the voices in my mind. The enemy latches onto anything like that (those words that speak death) and sets them to replay over and over until you believe the lie.

2. Believing the Lie of the Enemy about your Identity in Christ – sets up idols in your life.

Yes, you read that right.  Those lies – or the protection you set up to keep from hearing them – can easily become idols.  Some of my idols are:

• Control
• Performance
• Business
• People pleasing

These behaviors help keep me from the pain of hearing people repeat any of those lies – out loud – to me ever again.  These parts of my personality are protections I set up years ago to never be hurt again.  But if I am supposed to go to God for my protection, and I go to these instead, I set up idols in my life.

Can you relate?  Here are more bible verses about identity to help us get God back in control!

For years I honestly believed that if I could :

• Just please everyone
• Say yes to everything
• Work harder and longer
• Perform the way they want
• Control all the moving pieces around me

I will be tolerable to others.  Not loveable mind you – Just tolerable.  They will tolerate me if they need me.

What I need to do is look to God to protect me and validate me.  Live for God alone.  Find my Identity in Christ rather than seeking validation from others.

But How do I really fight the lies about my Identity and believe only What God says about me?  (We will dig into that in the next article in this series.)

3. Believing the Lie of the Enemy about your Identity in Christ-  Makes you ineffective in God’s Kingdom

Do you believe you are too messed up – too shy, too introverted, too fat- for God to use you?  This created a cycle of living in Fear – or Timidity (2 Timothy 1:7)!  What lies?

• My talent is a dime a dozen
• Anyone could do what I do (maybe even better than me)
• My past is such a mess, it would ruin anything I touch if it got out…

When I feel God calling me to speak up these lies slip into my mind.  Instead of speaking up I wait until someone better-qualified steps in to lead.

Or

I may serve, but I am spread too thin – people pleasing – to actually serve well where I know God has called me.

When I say Yes to please everyone I have no time to please God.

By taking Every Thought captive -in a new more hands-on Way you can agree with God – fulling knowing your identity in Christ – and live an abundant life.

By taking Every Thought captive -in a new more hands-on Way you can agree with God - fulling knowing your identity in Christ - and live an abundant life. Click To Tweet

2 Corinthians 10:4-6 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but devinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…

In Conclusion:

The Three Urgent reasons to Fight the enemy for Your Thoughts:  Believing the enemy’s lies about your identity in Christ, calls God a Lier, Sets up Idols in your life, and makes you ineffective in God’s Kingdom.

There is a real battle for your mind.  A real enemy wants to get you stuck in negative thoughts. Most of my negative thinking about myself is false and shame-filled.  Victory in Jesus comes when I take those thoughts captive, replace them with God’s Truth about me, and step out in faith.  

God can clean up the mess in your life.  It is a slow process and there is more mess hiding in our souls than we realize.  Stay in the Process sweet sister and look forward to the day we walk Victorious with Christ.

Do you believe the lies the enemy whispers?

This year I am on a journey to find Freedom from them.  Comment below if you’ll join me – and I’ll be praying for you as we journey together!

in HIM,