Dwight Fletcher | Understand your identity in Christ

Rev Dwight Fletcher

CHRISTIANS HAVE authority in Jesus’ name, and the correct use of this authority can shift the course of lives, communities and nations for God’s glory. When we look around us, we wonder if this is really the case, because we are desperate for change but it doesn’t seem to be happening. What prevents Christians from walking in this authority? The problem sometimes is that we need to understand our identity in Christ. We can learn about our authority, but if we don’t understand our identity in Christ, it can be an obstacle in the proper exercise of this authority.

When we don’t know who we are, we will be insecure about our identity and won’t exercise Jesus’ authority correctly. Who we are comes from our knowledge and acceptance of how God sees us, then we can step into the role(s) He’s called us to. The opening verse of the song Champion says, “I’ve tried so hard to see it … Took me so long to believe it … That You’d choose someone like me … To carry Your victory.”

God has called us to walk in authority, but our poor self-concept sometimes stands in our way. When we have an opinion that says that God can’t use us in particular ways, it obstructs God’s best being poured out of our lives.

Unfortunately, many of us get our identity from false sources. This isn’t about blame, because our identities are formed through a complex mix of our emotions, social and family background, what others have said, and other inputs that we may not have had direct control over. However, we all have wrong sources of our identity. Our experiences, especially those that cause us pain, are the first place to check. Our experiences can be so traumatic, or agonising, that they imprint on us a wrong perception of ourselves. We can see ourselves as rejected, failures, and worthless. We need to be aware because our experiences are not who we are.

The second place to look at is what people in our lives have said, especially repeatedly. People often put labels on us and, over time, we may come to believe and subconsciously work to make them true. Statements suggesting that we won’t amount to much can impact us for a lifetime. Our problems can also impact our identity. We may see ourselves through them. Divorced, bankrupt, diabetic, and bipolar are just a few of many things that we can allow to define who we are. Finally, our profession, or lack of one, can become a place of false identity. Doctor, teacher, unemployed, we can each fill in the blanks.

We need to seriously believe what God says about us when we become born again. “Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (TPT). The old definitions don’t apply anymore; we’re given a fresh start in Christ and we need to grow to understand the new person who has emerged.

When we truly understand our identity in Christ, it will change the way we think and live. David Benner, wrote “… an identity grounded in God would mean that, when we think of who we are, the first thing that would come to mind is our status as someone who is deeply loved by God.”

Knowing who we are in Christ will not only make us secure in Him, but will empower us to walk in great authority and power as we live for Jesus.