We are concluding on our series on Embracing our Identity in Christ today with the topic-Operating From Your True Identity. So far we have acknowledged the fact that through Jesus Christ God has recovered our original identity which we lost through Adam and Eve. We have recognized the fact that we experience identity crises because we lack a revelation of who we are in Christ. We have seen that the journey of understanding our identity in Christ starts with understanding how God sees us in the spirit realm and what He says about us. And we saw in the last Episode that embracing our identity in Christ can only be achieved through consciously renewing our minds with the word of God.

In this Episode, we are going to end the series by exploring the way we can practically apply what we have learnt about operating in our true identity.

Let me start by reiterating some of the fundamental things we learnt in the last episode. I explained that when we received Christ, the divine nature of God was deposited only in our spirit man which means that our thought processes and the way we act do not change instantly when we are saved; and that we have to commence the process of working on our minds in order to bring the transformation in our spirit into the physical realm and make it our reality. 

I expressed firmly in the last Episode that the reason why many of us are not operating in our God given identities is because we are not renewing our minds with the Word of God! Let me reiterate-It is the Word of God in your mind that controls your thinking, would transform your life, and would enable you to step into your new identity in Christ. 

Moving forward, to operate in your true identity, you must not waver on the belief that you are who God says you are; and your utterances, your actions and especially your prayers should reflect the fact that you know who you are in Christ. Also, you need to be intentional about applying the principles I will outline now to your life.

• Discard your old way of Seeing Yourself.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Renew your mind to the fact that you are no longer that old person. Maybe you are fearful; or have anxiety attacks; or you get angry easily or you have done things in the past that you are not proud of and people always identify you with those things.

You do not need to deny what you did wrong but you should no longer live in shame or guilt because you are a different person now and your past mistakes do not define who you are.  When people try to remind you of past mistakes- pause, remember and remind yourself that that is not the voice of God because God does not see you through the lense of your past mistakes. Remind yourself that the voice of God says- That’s not who I am. The voice of God says there is no condemnation for me. I am free from condemnation.

• Respond to situations from the perspective of who you are in Christ. The principle here is- remember and respond. Remember what you are learning from renewing your mind and respond appropriately. For instance, when someone offends you and the feeling of anger threatens, you should remember that God forgave you of worse offenses and you can start speaking to yourself; remind yourself that a gentle answer deflects anger. When fear threatens, remind yourself that God says you should neither fear nor be frightened because He is with you and would strengthen you and uphold you. When weakness threatens, remind yourself that He said He would never leave you nor forsake you. When people speak bad of you, remind yourself that you are free from condemnation and if God does not condemn you, no one can condemn you. You respond from who God says you are; not from what your old self is telling you. I do not pretend it is easy or that we would always remember and respond, but the goal is to start and improve gradually. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us and remind us. If we ask for His help and rely on Him to remind us, He would remind us to respond appropriately. Ask the Holy Spirit every morning to remind you to respond to circumstances from the perspective of your true identity in Christ.
• When you act in a way that does not reflect your identity in Christ and do something you should not have done, do not run from God. This is a mistake many people make. I know this happens most times because of the preaching we hear in Church that God would punish you if you disobey Him or live in sin. However, if you run away from God or the Church, how will you get the help you need to receive forgiveness and renew fellowship with God? You that is an ordinary human being, do you disown your child and sever relationship with him when he does wrong? So why do we impute this kind of mean reaction to God who declared His unconditional and everlasting love for us in Romans 8:35? When you realize that you have a loving Father that would not turn His back on you when you err, you would run to Him and not from Him when you are in error. Because you do not take His love for you for granted, you would quickly admit your error and receive forgiveness from Him.
• When we step into our identity in Christ, we find it easier to deal with other people’s weaknesses and errors with grace and not judgment. We appreciate the privileges and blessings of who we are in Christ; not because we deserve it but because of the Grace of God, we find it easier to offer others the same Grace.  
• Stepping into your identity in Christ makes you bold and confident. When you become aware of who you are in Christ and all the privileges and rights you have been given as a child of God, you become so bold and confident that no situation can conquer you. You know that challenges and problems would arise. But you have that inner peace and calmness that whatever comes will pass because you are confident that you have a Father who cannot disappoint you.
• When you step into your true identity in Christ, you would change your approach to prayer to align with who God says you are. This is so important and I never get tired of saying it because I listen to prayers all the time and they are not aligning with who God says we are.

When you step into your identity in Christ, your prayers would come from a place of relationship with Him. You will no longer be trying to get Him to do something for you or to impress Him with your prayers. Your prayers would be more about resting in His accomplishments and aligning with what He said He has already done for you. You thank Him for what He has done for you and you receive it by faith. For instance, we saw in Episode 65 that God says you are you forgiven; justified; loved; adopted; more than a conqueror; chosen. He also calls you free from condemnation; healed and so forth. When you step into your identity in Christ, you would rest in these accomplishments. Rather than pray for these gifts by pleading with God to provide them, you would align with His provisions. Your approach would be to thank God for these provisions and receive them by faith because they have already been provided for you.

• Finally, you need to be very intentional about calling yourself what God sees in you and calls you. As you study and meditate on the Word of God, you need to pay attention to the names and adjectives that God is attaching to your identity so that you can declare the same over yourself. Constantly call yourself the names I mentioned now. Say of yourself-I am forgiven; justified; loved; adopted; more than a conqueror; chosen. I am free from condemnation; healed; joint heir with Jesus Christ; seated on His right hand side and so forth. Like I have said before, this is how God sees you. You may not feel this way in the physical. But this is who you are in your spirit.

When I am studying the Scriptures, I make notes of the things God says about me and calls me. I have a journal of who God says I am and my journal increases by the day. My prayers are largely based on these pronouncements of God about who I am. And I see these confessions bearing fruit in the physical realm. I would encourage you to do the same as you study the Word of God. Make a journal of who God says you are; call yourself the names that God calls you in His Word and declare these over yourself on a daily basis. You would be surprised at what you would experience without struggle,

Remember Romans 4:7 says that God calls those things that are not as though they were. It is by agreeing with God and declaring these names over yourself that you call them into being; succeed in breaking free from false identities and embrace your true identity in Christ.