A Thirty Day Devotional adapted from the NEW book: Identity: The Distinctiveness of You – Day 16

I am an heir, a son of God. Galatians 4:7

I am a new creature in Christ. II Corinthians 5:17

In today’s devotional, we see four revelations all important to the establishment and growth of our identity in Christ. 

Romans chapter eight speaks over each of us with these deeply compelling words, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…”  

Revelation number one: We are heirs, the children of God.  We know this by revelation because this revelation is given to us from our spirit to our minds and not from our minds to our spirits. 

Revelation number two: We are a new creation.  The verse found in II Corinthians 5:17 is revelation when it comes to our new self – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”  You are a new creation in Christ.  A new creation has a newly developing mind because of the Spirit of Christ within us. Elsewhere in Corinthians we are told that we have the mind of Christ.  (See I Corinthians 2:16.)  To have the mind of Christ is a revelation because we are thinking His thoughts and then speaking His words from our spirit.  

I was in my counseling office one day, ready to reprimand a counselee for not completing his reading assignments when I heard the voice of the Spirit say, “Ask him if he struggles with reading.”  I thought, “What? Who can’t read in this day and age?”  But I obeyed and asked Mike if he struggled with reading.  Immediately he dropped his head as if to say, “You found me out.”  He then told me that he was unable to read and could barely write. Thankfully, I acted on what God revealed to me through His Spirit and not my feelings.

Revelation number three: We are overcomers.  Jesus told us in this world we would have trouble and tribulation, but that we were not to be discouraged, He has overcome the world.  (See John 16:33.)  We are overcomers in Him by revelation!

Further in Romans chapter twelve we are admonished to live life this way: “Hate what is evil;” “Be devoted to one another;” “Love one another;” “…be patient, be joyful, be faithful in prayer, practice hospitality, live in harmony with one another, do not repay evil for evil, live at peace with everyone, do not take revenge and overcome evil with good.” 

Mother Teresa was once asked by the press in the United States if she ever felt like a failure.  Her answer to them was by revelation.  She said, “No, because I am not trying to be a success, only obedient.”  Mother Teresa was not a failure, neither did she described herself as one; she was an overcomer.  

Revelation number four: The purpose of identity is not about me.  Tying this all together is revelation number four.  It is the ‘why’ of identity.  For God to reveal this revelation to us, we, our flesh, must get out of the way.  We have to receive a revelation of why He chooses to live within us.  He chooses this path in order to equip you to live out His story on the earth for the season that you exist on this earth.  

Acts chapter seventeen has some verses that I love to share with people in order to receive this revelation.  It states, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.  And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.  From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” 

God determined your birth for this time, this season.  God saved you for this time, for this season.  God lives in you for this time and this season. You live where you live because He determined the “exact places” for you to live out His story on the earth.  

Questions for reflection:

In what ways can you say that you are becoming a new creation in Christ?

You can order the new book here.