As we prepare to ring in a new year, we are naturally invited to a time of reflection. As you reflect on this past year, taking stock of the challenges and the good, I also invite you to reflect on your foundation as a child of God.
The world constantly invites us to define ourselves by what we do, what others say about us, or what we have, but today I encourage you to dig deeper to seek out how God defines you.
In the past year, I was able to complete the Armor of God Bible Study. Priscilla Shirer had the following list in her study guide. This list is saturated with truth to help ground us in our true identity in Christ. I pray that this can bless you today and throughout the year.
- I am a child of God (John 1:12).
- I have peace with God (Rom 5:1).
- The Holy Spirit lives in me (1 Cor. 3:16).
- I have access to God’s wisdom (Jas. 1:5).
- I am helped by God (Heb. 4:16).
- I am reconciled to God (Rom. 5:11).
- I am not condemned by God (Rom 8:1).
- I am justified (Rom 5:1).
- I have Christ’s righteousness (Rom. 5:19; 2 Cor. 5:21).
- I am Christ’s ambassador (2 Cor. 5:20).
- I am completely forgiven (Col. 1:14).
- I am tenderly loved by God (Jer. 31:3).
- I am the sweet fragrance of Christ to God (2 Cor. 2:15).
- I am a temple in which God dwells (1 Cor. 3:16).
- I am blameless and beyond reproach (Col. 1:22).
- I am the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13).
- I am the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).
- I am a branch on Christ’s vine (John 15:1, 5).
- I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15).
- I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit (John 15:16).
- I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing his inheritance with him (Rom 8:17).
- I am united to the Lord, one spirit with him (1 Cor. 6:17).
- I am a member of Christ’s body (1 Cor. 12:27).
- I am a saint (Eph. 1:1).
- I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).
- I am chosen by God, holy and dearly loved (Col. 3:12).
- I am a child of the light (1 Thess. 5:5).
- I am holy, and I share in God’s heavenly calling (Heb. 3.1).
- I am sanctified (Heb. 2:11).
- I am one of god’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5).
- I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession and created to sing his praises (1 Pet. 2:9-10).
- I am firmly rooted and built up in Christ (Col. 2:7).
- I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18).
- I have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).
- I may approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence (Eph. 3:12).
- I have been rescued from Satan’s domain and transferred into the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13).
- I have been made complete in Christ (Col. 2:10).
- I have been given a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Tim. 1:7).
- I have been given great and precious promises by God (2 Pet. 1:4).
- My needs are met by God (Phil. 4:19).
- I am a prince (princess) in God’s kingdom (John 1:12, 1 Tim. 6:15).
- I have been bought with a price, and I belong to God (1 Cor. 6:19, 20).
- I have been adopted as God’s child (Eph. 1:5).
- I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:18).
- I am assured that all things are working together for good (Rom 8:28).
- I am free from any condemning charges against me (Rom 8:31).
- I cannot be separated from the love of God (Rom 8:35).
- I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God (2 Cor. 1:21, 22).
- I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected (Phil. 1:6).
- I am a citizen of heaven (Phil. 3:20).
- I am a personal witness of Christ’s (Acts 1:8).
- I am God’s coworker (2 Cor. 6:1, 1 Cor. 3:9).
- I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm (Eph. 2:6).
- I am God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10).
- I can do all things through Christ, who gives me the strength I need (Phil. 4:13).
I hope you can sense the the power that accompanies these truths as you read this list and spend time reflecting on it today. Coming back to these truths and so many others found in the Bible can help us be steadfast on our journey as another year and day approaches.
At Completely Broken Fully Loved, we pray that you are steadied with God’s love and truth as you face the blessings and challenges of 2018! You are the Beloved of Christ and you can be confident that the good work that God has begun in you will be perfected (Phil. 1:6)!
~MM