“When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TLB)
You’ve probably heard the phrase: “The spirit of Christmas is giving.” But the spirit of Christmas is not actually giving. It’s receiving God’s gift to you.
Once you receive the gift of salvation through Jesus, God has other things in store for you. Another gift he wants to give you this Christmas is the gift of a new identity.
One of the fastest growing crimes in the world today is identity theft. But the truth is that we’ve all had our identity stolen. Sometimes it’s stolen by your parents who wanted you to be something that was at odds with God’s plans for you. Sometimes it’s stolen by culture and your peers and the pressure to conform rather than being who God designed you to be.
Most people get their identity from their work, their relationships, or their possessions. But you should never base your identity on something you can lose, like your career or your home or even another person.
The only thing that can’t be taken away is God’s love for you. So if you want to have a new, true, and permanent identity, you must receive it from God and base it on the fact that you are deeply and unconditionally loved by him.
The Living Bible paraphrase says, “When someone becomes a Christian, he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore. A new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Accepting God’s love for you through Jesus gives you a new identity. It doesn’t mean you stop sinning. It means you’re not identified with your sin or your past or your failures anymore. You are identified with Christ. You are a child of God!
The starting point of a new identity is to stop seeing yourself the way everybody else sees you. You’ve got to start seeing yourself the way God sees you. You do that by regularly reading and studying God’s Word.
“Jesus said to the people who believed in him, ‘You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’” (John 8:31-32 NLT).
There is freedom in knowing how capable, how accepted, how usable, how blessable, and how loved you are in Christ. It’s the greatest gift you’ll ever receive.
Do you believe that God loves you unconditionally, no matter what past mistakes you’ve made? Why is it important to believe in God’s acceptance?
In what ways have you based your identity on what other people think about you?
How can you know what God thinks about you?
Are you ready to find your identity in God?
The first step toward your true identity is to make peace with God by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. You can start with this simple prayer:
“Dear God, I don’t want my sin to separate me from you any longer. I ask for your forgiveness. You have promised that if I believe in Jesus, you’ll forgive me for everything I’ve ever done wrong, you’ll show me the purpose of my life, and you’ll accept me into your family and bring me to heaven one day to live with you for eternity.
“Jesus, I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. I trust you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I ask you to come into my life as my Lord. Today, I commit my life to you.
“I want to live the way you created me to live—at peace and rested—and to use the remainder of my life to serve you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
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