The very first thing that Jesus was tempted with by the enemy was His
identity.
Before He had preached His first sermon, and before He had done a
single miracle, a Voice from heaven declared, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
God was pleased because Jesus was His son. He didn't qualify His
pleasure by measuring Christ's worth and say, "I am pleased with You
because..." But the very first thing the enemy tried to tempt Him with, was to doubt His identity and prove His worth.
Twice the enemy said, "If You are the Son of God..." then do
something to prove it!
The bible says that Jesus was tempted in every way we are tempted, yet
without sin. (Hebrews 4:15) And the very first thing the enemy tempts us to do
is to doubt our identity in Christ, and then to try to prove our worth.
The enemy feared Jesus, and He fears a people who know who they are in Jesus!
I have a pastor friend whose used to often say, "Keep giving the devil fits!" I like
that. Keep the enemy in fear, and keep
giving him fits.
The best way I know to walk in victory is to understand and grow in our
identity in Christ. We can never grow in
grace if we don't understand what and who God has made us in Christ.
Who are you?
Just like a caterpillar turns into a butterfly through metamorphosis, as a believer in Jesus, you are a made into a completely
new creation. "Now we look inside, and what we see is that
anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life
is gone; a new life burgeons!" (1 Corinthians
5:17 The Message) You are no longer who
you were before becoming a believer, you are brand new!
If anyone ever asks you, "Who do you think you
are?" You should ask them, "How much time do you have! Let me tell
you…"
Let me share some vital scripture references regarding
who you are in Christ Jesus.
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 - You are the righteousness of God in Christ
- John 17:43 - God loves you like He loves Jesus
- Romans 8:1-39 - You are not under condemnation. You are free from the law of sin and death. The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in you. You have life and peace. You please God. You are not in the flesh. The Spirit of God dwells in you. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead is in you! You are not a debtor to the flesh. You are led by the Spirit of God. You are a child of God. You are an heir of God - a joint heir with Jesus. The Spirit intercedes for you according to God's will. All things work together for good for you. You are predestined to be conformed to Christ's image. You are called. You are justified. You are glorified. God is for you, and He freely gives you all things. You are more than a conqueror. Nothing shall separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 - God has revealed mysteries to you, and He gave you His Spirit so that you might know the things that have been freely given you.
- Galatians 2:20 - You are crucified with Christ, and live by faith in the Son of God.
- Ephesians 1:3-12 - You are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. You were chosen before the foundation of the world. You are holy and without blame before Him in love. You are accepted in the Beloved. You are redeemed. You are forgiven. You have an inheritance.
- Ephesians 2: 4-10 - You are made alive in Christ. You are seated with Christ in heavenly places. You are saved by grace through faith. You are God's workmanship.
There are many, many more promises and scriptures that
describe who and what we are as believers in Jesus. I would encourage you to
search out the scriptures for them. Look
for those scriptures that say in particular; "In Him," "in Whom,"
or "in Christ," etc. There are hundreds if not thousands of verses
that tell us what God thinks about us, who and whose we are.
Have a great week!
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