INTRODUCTION: Over the next three and a half weeks, Time With God will be revisiting who we are in Christ. Our prayer is that you will grow in confidence and hope as we unpack biblical truth about who God has made us to be. Please note that there will be no Digging Deeper section.
GETTING STARTED
Every day I hear people tell me that they are lonely, angry, confused, sad, or scared. Life this side of heaven is sometimes difficult. We all feel the tug and challenge of the world pressing down on us. These feelings are normal.
But, it is a very short trip from saying, “I’m lonely,” to believing the lie, I am alone. Some people easily slide from feeling sad to thinking I am hopeless. And the world around us is all too willing to jump on the bandwagon of accusation and discouragement. One woman said that every time she turns on the television, she says things to herself like, I am ugly. A guy in our church once told me that hanging out with other men makes him feel like he doesn’t measure up, explaining, “I walk away thinking I am a loser.” I simply cannot tell you how many people who experience broken relationships, or the reality of their sin and past mistakes, walk around believing I am unlovable.
And that is exactly what the enemy of God would have you believe.
READ THE WORD: 1 PETER 5:8 (ESV)
8“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
RESPOND TO GOD
This is how the evil one attacks us. If he cannot get us to deny the character and nature of God, he will work with all his might to get us to deny our own character and nature in Christ.
But to undermine the truth of our true identify in Jesus is to simultaneously destroy both a proper self-image and an accurate God-image. You see, to say, “I am unlovable,” not only leaves you defeated emotionally, but also denies the perfect nature of God’s love for you. If you say, “I am hopeless,” you leave yourself open to depression, in addition to admitting to believing that God has neither the power nor the interest to do anything in your life.
Knowing accurately who you are in Christ gives you the courage to face your life, no matter what happens. You can suffer tragedy or stumble into success—neither changes the very nature of who you are before God. And knowing who you are in him will build an understanding of God that leads to steadfast awe and joy.
We pray that your study these next few weeks will lead you to declare with greater conviction, “I am loved,” because God is truly loving.
- Think about what negative word most often completes this sentence for you:“I am _________.” Ask God to show you what, in this world, most affirms your negative sense of yourself.
- Ask God to use the next number of days of this study to help you build an accurate view of yourself in Christ that leads to freedom, joy, and worship.
