How has your day been? Your week? Your month? Odds are that you have faced a trial or two. Maybe it was a quick argument or a small fender-bender. Or, maybe you or someone you love is facing a difficult health or personal circumstances. The reality is, this is life. Life is hard. No where will we find a promise that our life is supposed to be easy. In fact, we read in God’s Word that we will have trouble.
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
As we go through these troubles in our life, it is easy to lose focus. The enemy wants nothing more than to get in our thoughts and feelings and tell us lies about what we are experiencing. The enemy is waiting for any moment that he can jump in on our struggles. He makes us think that we haven’t handled a situation right, that we are not good enough, that we could have done more. He never stops whispering in our ear that we are never going to measure up.
But!!!! If we know Jesus, we are none of the lies that the enemy wants us to believe about ourselves.
In our reading today, Ephesians 1, Paul reminds the church of Ephesus, and us, who we are in Christ.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has Poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.
Ephesians 1:3-7
Did you read that and realize that we already have everything we need through Christ. I find that when I make scripture personal I relate to it on a different level. Do this. Read the above verses again and exchange the underlined word with your name, I, and me. This is written for you. When you insert your name, you really understand what God has done for you!
God has blessed you with every spiritual blessing.
You are Holy and without fault in the eyes of God .
You are adopted as His child.
You are beloved and accepted by his son Jesus.
In Jesus, you are redeemed and your sins are forgiven!
We are not defined by the thoughts that drift into our mind from the enemy. We are not defined by how we are handling a certain situation or by our past.
We are defined by God. Our identity in Chris is our true worth. It is easy to get wrapped up in our circumstances, especially when they are hard. Take a moment to read the scripture above and remember who you truly are… A child of the one true God!