The world is loud. It’s demanding and assertive. The world likes to tell us what is right and wrong to believe. It uses its loudness to speak over the truth of Scripture and create confusion in our lives. The world is constantly trying to distract us from Jesus by telling us who we are and who we should be. The truth is that when we fall for this trap, we allow the world to assign and take away value from our lives based on worldly standards and what other people think about us.
The enemy has created an identity crisis in our generations.
So what do we do? How do we know who we are and what our purpose is? Where do we find value that isn’t determined by others?
It has to start with the Word of God.
Let’s begin with value. Genesis 1:27 says,
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Stop and think about that. You are made in the image of the holy and everlasting God. You were created in the image of the Most High Lord! God has formed you with value that cannot be taken away by anyone. Psalm 139 says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. You have value and worth that has been assigned to you by God. You are so deeply loved by Him.
Now, let me be clear. This means that everyone has inherent value and worth. Your parents and your siblings are made in the image of God. Your teachers, your coaches, and your classmates are as well. The person who bullies you and the person you bully. All people, regardless of their background and upbringing, regardless of whether you like them or not, have been given infinite value by God. To love others like Jesus needs to begin with seeing them the way that Jesus does: made in His image, which makes them worthy of our love.
For those who know Jesus as Lord and Savior, our identity goes beyond our value. As soon as you give your life to Jesus, you are no longer defined by your old self. You are no longer defined by the world and by what others say about you. Your identity now resides in Jesus and what His word says about you. So let’s look at the things that scripture says about you.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
You have been made new! Some of us have a hard time moving forward in our relationship with Jesus because we can’t move on from the shortcomings and struggles of our past. Let me encourage you today. You have literally been made new in Christ Jesus. Those struggles and shortcomings no longer define you because they have died with the old self. You can forgive yourself and move forward.
On top of that, being made new in Christ comes with some awesome benefits. Let's look at them.
You are now a child of God, adopted into His family. (John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5)
You are holy. (1 Peter 1:15)
You are the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
You are now an ambassador for Christ, which gives you purpose as His representative to the world. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
You are the salt and the light of the earth. (Matthew 5:13-16)
You are a part of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13)
You are a part of God’s people, His chosen possession. You are considered royalty (1 Peter 2:9)
I could keep going, but I want to ask you something. What would happen if you truly started to see yourself the way that Jesus sees you? What would happen if you placed your identity in Him and in who He says you are? What would happen if you let Jesus define who you are instead of the world?
I’ll give you a spoiler: You would see a radical change in your life. Everything from your self-image to how you go about living each and every day changes when you place your identity in Jesus.
Take a step away from the noise of the world. Go to Scripture and find out who you are according to your Creator.
