Will the Real Me Please Stand?
“I am doing just fine.” I blurted. I lied to myself; I thought if I wanted the words to be true and then spoke them aloud to my concerned friend, I might convince my frozen emotions to thaw to a place where I could respond with honest appropriateness. I knew the drill.
“I was an actress. Not on the big screen or Broadway, of course, but I expertly manipulated people and situations, putting a cheerful smile on my face to assure everyone all was well, while inside I wished I could die.
I was good at impersonating. On the outside, I appeared professional and appropriate to my roles. After all, I was a pastor’s wife, a young mother, and a volunteer in my church. I was nice and agreeable; I didn’t make any waves. I let people see only the side of me I wanted them to know. Why? I was a codependent people–pleaser who found delight in setting my feelings aside, even to the point of dishonesty to myself and others.
Brennan Manning explains, “Our false self stubbornly blinds each of us to the light and truth of our own emptiness and hollowness. We cannot acknowledge the darkness within.” I was preoccupied with perfectionism, approval, and acceptance. My mind and emotions were stacked to the brim with strongholds. Ed Silvoso says a stronghold is “a mind-set impregnated with hopelessness that causes us to accept as unchangeable situations that we know are contrary to the will of God.”
” (Excerpt from “It’ll Be Okay:Finding God When Doubt Hides the Truth — to purchase click here:
Our vehicles have safety features, including warning lights to alert us to internal issues. One light comes on if the air in the tires is low. Yet another light comes on if windshield wipers need a fluid refill. Some of us have experienced times of depression, discouragement or major meltdowns.
God doesn’t hold our sins, mistakes, or missteps against us. But often we can’t forgive ourselves for our own past mistakes.
God’s will is for us to let go of our past by trusting him with all of our hurts and hang-ups. I’ve learned that we can’t reach for anything new if our hands are still full of yesterday’s junk. Statements of truth are found in what the Bible says about us. We must understand our identity in Christ.
This understanding is absolutely essential to living the victorious Christian life. In Christ, I am loved, I am safe and I am important. The In Christ I Am list is to help you be reminded of who you are in Christ and whose you are because of God’s Son.
I am Sheryl Giesbrecht. I am a woman, wife, mother, daughter, employee, writer, speaker, friend, mentor, runner. These titles describe things I do and relationships I have but they do not describe who I really am. I am a saint who sometimes sins. I am adopted into God’s family. I am a child of God. If we know who we are in Christ, we realize the victory has already been won. The battle is over, but we must claim the victory we have in Christ, our victor. Each of us must know our identity, that is, who we are in Christ.
Who am I in Christ?
I am accepted. I am God’s child. (John 1:12)
I am Christ’s friend. (John 15:15)
I have been justified. (Rom. 5:1)
I am united with the Lord and I am one spirit with Him. (I Cor. 6:17)
I am secure. I am free forever from condemnation. (Rom. 8:1,2)
I am assured that all things work together for good. (Rom. 8:28)
I am a citizen of heaven. (Phil 3:20)
I can find grace and mercy in time of need. (Heb. 4:16)
I am significant. I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life. (John 15:1,5)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
I am God’s temple. (I Cor. 3:16)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)
(From Who I Am in Christ by Dr. Neil Anderson, Bondage Breaker.)
Let’s pray, “Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for restoring my identity to what you intended it to be in the Garden of Eden. You made it possible for me to be everything you designed me to be.”