Who are you? For Christians

[Certain Hope]

 
 When I received this via email, I recalled that it - or something similar - was posted here at Voicelessness awhile back. 
These are some solid truths worth posting again, I think.

Now I'd like to add a disclaimer...
I have seen these Scriptural facts warped out of all relevance, not the least of which twisting was performed by N, who would gleefully refer to the Lord as His brother, and even relish comparing his own physical traits with the Lord Jesus and (Tommy Chong). Ack.

Nonetheless, for those who are redeemed from the pit, born again from above, by the power of God made new creations in Christ Jesus, indwelt by God the Holy Spirit, and strengthened daily by HIS grace.... this is a revelation of identity upon which we'd do well to focus, imo.

When you don't know who you are and when you recognize that you really can never undo the effects of "life" upon who you might have been (had you been able to grow up in a crystal bubble, in contact with only "nice", well-meaning folks), this is, in my opinion, THE answer. 

It's been said - when the devil reminds you of your past, just remind him of his future.
Personally, I wouldn't waste words on the old coot.
Much better, I think, to stick with the facts.
In Christ, you can say aloud, believe, receive, and live by these words of truth:

 

I KNOW WHO I AM
                                                     
  I am God's child (John 1:12)
  I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
                    I am united with the Lord (1 Cor. 6:17)
                   I am bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
                  I am a saint (set apart for God). (Eph. 1:1)
                  I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:
               I am the salt & light of the earth (Matt.
5:13-14)
                I am a member of the body of Christ (1 Cor
12:27)
               I am free forever from condemnation ( Rom. 8:
1-2)
             I am a citizen of Heaven. I am significant
(Phil.3:20)
               I am free from any charge against me (Rom.
8:31-34)
            I am a minister of reconciliation for God (2
Cor.5:17-21)
            I have access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph
2:18)
            I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Eph.
2:6)
            I cannot be separated from the love of God
(Rom.8:35-39)
            I am established, anointed, sealed by God (2
Cor.1:21-22)
           I am assured all things work together for good (Rom.
8: 28)
           I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John
15:16)
           I may approach God with freedom and confidence (Eph.
3: 12)
        I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
(Phil. 4:13)
       I am the branch of the true vine, a channel of His life
(John 15: 1-5)
       I am God's temple (1 Cor. 3: 16).  I am complete in
Christ (Col. 2: 10)
    I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).  I have been
justified (Romans 5:1)
   I am God's co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor 6:1). I am God's
workmanship (Eph. 2:10)
I am confident that the good works God has begun in me will be
perfected (Phil. 1: 5)
I have been redeemed and forgiven (Col. 1:14).I have been
adopted as God's child Eph 1:5)
                                I belong to God

                               
I offer this to fellow followers of Christ as the stuff to which our minds must be renewed.
Practicing these truths and becoming obedient to them removes all confusion and perfects love, as all fear of what those buggaboo N's might do next pales in the Light of the Lord Jesus - who we are in Him - and who HE is, in us.

God bless and keep you.

Hope

[mountainspring]

CH....  I like the I am verses.....  but this really made me smile!

It's been said - when the devil reminds you of your past, just remind him of his future.

[Certain Hope]

Dear Mountainspring,

The friend who sent me this has a signature line that you may like, as well... 
Each email she sends closes with the statement:

Every morning when I rise,
I want the devil to say:

"Oh no, she's awake!!    "


 

((((((((((Ami)))))))))) Have a wonderful week, Sister.

With love,
Hope

[mountainspring]

Certain Hope.... I like that one too.  Remember you said you liked Interview with God last year.  Here's another one.  This one is from you tube.  It's El Shaddai with nature pictures.  Pretty neat!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPi3lR4Bg7k&mode=related&search=

Hi Ami 

[Certain Hope]

Mountainspring,

I had not seen or heard that one... it's lovely. Thank you 
This seems to me to be one of the most important things that God wants His children to know about Him...
that He iis, indeed, all-sufficient.

[camper]

AMEN SISTER!

I love this....

Every morning when I rise,
I want the devil to say:

"Oh no, she's awake!!     "

[michael]

for christians....
well unfortunately modern traditional doctrine usually
wrongly i think includes..
eternal hell
which i think the greek of new testament does not support
see
tentmaker.org

[Certain Hope]

Michael,

For Christians...  isn't "modern traditional doctrine" an oxymoron?

I understand that there is a great deal of confusion in the organized "Christian" church of our day, along with heavy doses of false teaching.

For the reference of those interested, here are just a few passages which plainly (imo) state that not all are saved:

Matthew 7:13-14
Matthew 22:14
Luke 13:22-27
Romans 9:27

Personally, I see no call in Scripture to debate or defend the doctrine of hell.
As I understand it -
the challenge of the Bible and of the Holy Spirit, in the Word, is not  - "what do you believe about hell?"
but rather,
"Who do you say Jesus is?"

Again, as I understand God's Word - everything rests on the answer to that one question.


Camper  >>>>>   

[michael]

Michael,

For Christians...  isn't "modern traditional doctrine" an oxymoron?

I understand that there is a great deal of confusion in the organized "Christian" church of our day, along with heavy doses of false teaching.

For the reference of those interested, here are just a few passages which plainly (imo) state that not all are saved:

Matthew 7:13-14
Matthew 22:14
Luke 13:22-27
Romans 9:27

Personally, I see no call in Scripture to debate or defend the doctrine of hell.
As I understand it -
the challenge of the Bible and of the Holy Spirit, in the Word, is not  - "what do you believe about hell?"
but rather,
"Who do you say Jesus is?"

Again, as I understand God's Word - everything rests on the answer to that one question.


Camper  >>>>>   

i suspect that those who feel put off from the bible and jesus by some of what has been done in jesus' name
and the bible..
and yet live better the golden rule than christians who make it to heaven..
they do not go to hell and maybe are better off in heaven than the believing christian...
plus for me the bible includes reincarnation as part of the salvation plan...
for information on such i suggest the edgar cayce material
tho it is not without fault
i think it is one of the better modern sources on such matters

[Certain Hope]

i suspect that those who feel put off from the bible and jesus by some of what has been done in jesus' name
and the bible..
and yet live better the golden rule than christians who make it to heaven..
they do not go to hell and maybe are better off in heaven than the believing christian...
plus for me the bible includes reincarnation as part of the salvation plan...
for information on such i suggest the edgar cayce material
tho it is not without fault
i think it is one of the better modern sources on such matters

Michael,

I hear what you're saying.

Mankind's concept of the Golden Rule is one thing. God's summary of all His law into two commands is another - the chief command being to love the Lord our God. What I've seen is that I cannot do that for myself, simply by choosing. Operating under the power of my own will, I fall flat every time... because I'll often choose self above God and others.
So to me, it's not about trying to make good (follow the Golden Rule) - it's about being made new.

My own views about believing... well, the devils believe, and they tremble. People can "believe" and yet refuse to "receive"... in which case a heart change is not effected. When belief does not bring about a calling upon the Name of the Lord, there is no rebirth... and consequently, no salvation. For many years, I myself was in the "believing but not receiving" zone... quite religious, and yet quite spiritually dead.

You know what really amazed me as the Holy Spirit began to tug at my buried heart?
It is the goodness of God which leads people to repentance.
I spent so much time and effort trying to do the "right thing"... when, all along, it was as simple as that: recognizing that God is good and I am not, calling on the name (the power and authority of Jesus Christ), repenting, and allowing HIM to make me a new creation.

Thanks for giving your thoughts, Michael, and for allowing me to give mine.

Hope

P.S. on edit... another key "revelation" for me was in recognizing what Satan was about when he decided to lead a rebellion against God.
Lucifer did not choose to be "bad" at all. In fact, his five "I wills" showed me that what he was up to = trying to be good ... trying to be "all that and a bag of chips"... apart from God.  And that was me.

[michael]

CERTAIN HOPE,

WHEN YOU SAY

P.S. on edit... another key "revelation" for me was in recognizing what Satan was about when he decided to lead a rebellion against God.
Lucifer did not choose to be "bad" at all. In fact, his five "I wills" showed me that what he was up to = trying to be good ... trying to be "all that and a bag of chips"... apart from God.  And that was me.

i suspicion the 5 wills of lucifer was not that close to
what you were when you were trying to be good....
kinda stretchin the similarities twixt you and lucifer a tad i would think:)

[Certain Hope]

CERTAIN HOPE,

WHEN YOU SAY

P.S. on edit... another key "revelation" for me was in recognizing what Satan was about when he decided to lead a rebellion against God.
Lucifer did not choose to be "bad" at all. In fact, his five "I wills" showed me that what he was up to = trying to be good ... trying to be "all that and a bag of chips"... apart from God.  And that was me.

i suspicion the 5 wills of lucifer was not that close to
what you were when you were trying to be good....
kinda stretchin the similarities twixt you and lucifer a tad i would think:)

Michael,

I can only speak of my own perspective on these things, which underwent a drastic  chang when I received the teaching that
God sees only two "people" in this world - Adam and Christ.
This is all in a spiritual context, and in no way does it minimize the fact that God
knows each of us individually and intimately, at the deepest level.
HE knows both who I am ... and Whose I am, at heart. What firms this up for me is the way the Lord has made it clear in Scripture that a person cannot serve two masters.... and so I draw the conclusion that if I am not in Christ and serving Him, then I am serving Satan.

I don't speak of comparisons with Lucifers "I will" statements from the standpoint of feeling so "bad".. as though my own evils can be compared with those of the devil. No, it's not a measure of badness vs goodness...  to me, it's about  motivation and heart attitude.
As the Bible teaches, a human being's very best works of righteousness are nothing but filthy rags in the sight of holy God.
And so, before I was in Christ, even when I did "good"... that was an "I will", and not an act of worship to God.

For the benefit of those who aren't familiar,
Satan's five "I will" statements are recorded in the book of Isaiah... and, by the way, I'd say he is the first and ultimate N.

("But you said in your heart,)

 'I will ascend to heaven;

  I will raise my throne above the stars of God,

  And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.

  'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

   I will make myself like the Most High.'

                          Isaiah 14:13-14

Oh yes, that is an ideal description of my self... before I was called to accept Christ as Savior - to humble myself and say "Lord, I can't save myself, I need you Lord, take residence inside me Lord, I am nothing without You Lord."

Now it is - not my will be done, but Yours, Lord Jesus.

Thanks for reading 

[Certain Hope]

I've really been pondering on these promises of God, related to the believer's identity in Jesus Christ, and it finally began to sink in - they truly are my greatest treasure!
But then I wondered... is there room in my treasure chest for these realities?
Or is there some old fool's gold to be cleared out, in order to make way for that which is truly worthy?

For much of my life, I was the tender of the family treasure.
It, whatever it was, was not treasure by nature, or even because of its personal value to me, but because someone else declared it to be so.
I was expected to be keeper of the old, so that the previous owner could make room for the new and better.
Whenever something became flawed, it was given to me, so that they could replace it with something which wouldn't offend them by its defects. At times, I was given something new and undamaged... the sort of token that an N might give to appease, when she'd gone out and gotten something really nice for herself.
Handcrafted items which met the standard of perfection, suitable for sale or gifts, would be bestowed on others with great flourish. The cracked, warped, marred, or stained stuff would be given to me.
My closet, my walls, storage boxes.... all filled with castoffs.
I've enjoyed multiple bonfires... and then felt the guilt and shame.
The stuff is nearly gone, along with any value that had been attached to it, seemingly by osmosis...
but shame doesn't burn, except by the cleansing fire of the Holy Spirit.
So I ask HIM to make room for His genuine treasure and I trust that He will, not because I've got it all sorted... but because God is so very faithful.
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.... well, there's no safer place and no more tender Keeper than the One who gave His all for every one of us.

[Certain Hope]

Dear Hope,
 I am glad that this thread is coming to life again.
 I learned something really profound. Lucifer was trying to "be good" in his own strength(if I have it right).He was not bowing the knee to God. Therefore, when we try to be our "own"person, we are imitating Lucifer- WOW. That is 'heavy"
   That is a "big" revelation Thanks so much. Hope Ami

  Yes, that's a good summary!  Thank you, Ami 

Stopped in here today because I thought of you and your signature line while listening to an online message last evening... titled "How To Find Freedom From Your Fears".

The speaker's name is Chip Ingram and his ministry program is called "Living On the Edge"  (that's what caught my eye initially... so fitting!)
Archives to these audio programs can be found at http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Living_on_the_Edge/archives.asp

I only became aware of this program a couple months ago... and I'm so glad a friend told me about it! 
You'll see the 2-part message about fear is from Tues., 5-29 and Wed., 5-30... but I'd recommend all of the recent broadcasts available there. This morning, I'll play the current one about Love When You Don't Deserve It, and then backtrack a bit, since I've missed a few along the way. Good stuff  Hope it helps someone... I've sure found it beneficial.

With love in Christ,
Hope