Who God Says I Am

Identity in Christ

I have told this story before of hearing a working definition of faith that I like to use, and here it is again.

At a church which I was attending services there was an interim pastor, Pastor Alan Furst, who shared this take on what faith is. It resonated within me, and I’ve hung onto it and used it ever since I first learned it. He said faith is the total of these three things:

Believing that God is who He says He is
Believing that I am who God says I am
Believing that God will do what He says He will do

Today we are going to deal with part two, believing that I am who God says I am. We can read all the verses but still not believe them. We can even understand all the verses but still not believe them. And even after we intellectually believe them, we must work them into our spirit until there is absolutely no doubt in our beliefs whatsoever. The beliefs need to be a portion of the abundance of our heart. (review Episode 15 and Luke 6:45) We are responsible for creating the abundance in our heart.

This episode will be very simple. You will hear the summary of a verse, and then the scripture address to which it refers. Here is my reasoning for this:

You can mark the start point of the list and listen to it as often as you wish – getting it into your mind and heart
You can listen to a portion of the list for an area you need affirmation and strengthening in your spirit
You can look up the individual verse in the translation of your choice and study it
You can take the verses you need to hear more regularly, record them in your own voice, and listen to them repeatedly until they are in you

I will note the start times of the different segments of affirmations on our notes page, Virtual Study With .us.

However you decide to use this episode, listen through it at least once after asking Holy Spirit to reveal the love of the Father to you. You may choose to replay a segment or pause and dwell on any “aha” moment.

One last note: I am reading these as if to current believers, those who have surrendered to Christ Jesus as Savior and Lord. If you have not yet done so, please take time to do it now. Believe in your heart that Christ Jesus died for the forgiveness of your sins and confess with your mouth that God raised Him from the dead.

God has so great a love for us, His creation, that He sent His only begotten Son into this world to redeem us and to restore us to a right relationship with Himself.

The Son was willing to come into this world, His creation, to lay down His life for our sake. He laid down His life both in the living of it and in the dying.

In life Jesus showed us how we ought to live in intimacy with the Father, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and loving one another.

In His death Christ Jesus gave His life for us, sacrificing his body which was bruised, wounded, and pierced as He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins.

He paid a debt He did not owe to pay our debt which we could not pay. He restores all who will believe to a right relationship with God free of all fear and condemnation.

God raised Christ Jesus from the dead. Christ ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father on the throne in heaven.

Receive this message into your heart and confess it with your mouth. Turn away from sin and sinful lifestyles and habits and turn toward God and His great love for you. Answer the call of Christ Jesus, “Come, follow Me.”

Let’s begin examining what God has to say about us.

Podcast start points for each segment.

Acceptance starts at 06:52
Significance starts at 09:33
Security starts at 13:30

Concerning My Acceptance by God

I have been forgiven.
- I have been redeemed, through the blood shed by Christ, the forgiveness of my sins. (Colossians 1:14)
- I have been redeemed, purchased with a price, made His own. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
- Being in complete, perfect love, all fear is cast out with its thought of punishment. (1 John 4:18)
- The Father does not judge me as He has given all judgment into the hands of the Son. (John 5:22)
- The Son did not come to judge and condemn me, but to save me. (John 12:47)
- As I confess my sin, Jesus forgives my sin and cleanses me from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7-9)
I am justified.
- I have been acquitted and declared righteous; I am in right standing with God. (Romans 5:1)
- In Christ I am approved and acceptable in right relationship with God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
- Believing in Christ, I am not judged, and I have no condemnation nor rejection. (John 3:16-18)
I am God’s child.
- As He planned, I have been adopted by God because it pleased Him to do so. (Ephesians 1:5)
- I now belong to God’s household. (Ephesians 2:19)
- I now share citizenship with the saints, no longer an outsider. (Ephesians 2:19)
I am united to the Lord.
- United to the Lord, I have become one spirit with Him. (2 Corinthians 6:17)
- I am a member of Christ’s body with a place and function. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
- I am made complete in Christ, filled with the Godhead. (Colossians 2:10)
I have access to God as a friend.
- Christ Jesus calls me His friend. (John 15:15)
- I can approach the Father by access through the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
- Because of my faith in Christ, I can approach God with boldness of free access, without fear. (Ephesians 3:12)
- I can draw near to the throne of grace fearlessly, confidently, and boldly. (Hebrews 4:16)

Concerning My Significance in Christ

I am a child of God.
- As I have received and welcomed Jesus as Lord, He gave me the right to become a child of God. (John 1:12)
- By the Spirit whom I have received, I am a son of God. (Romans 8:14-16)
- Because of the quality of the love the Father has shown me, I am permitted to be called a child of God. (1 John 3:1-3)
I am a friend of Jesus.
- Jesus made known to me what He heard from the Father; He calls me His friend. (John 15:15)
I am chosen.
- Christ chose me and called me to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
I am God’s handiwork.
- Created by God, recreated in Christ, to do good works which He prepared for me. (Ephesians 2:10)
I am made new.
- In Christ I am a new creation, the old has passed away. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I am a saint.
- As Paul wrote to living believers, to the saints. (Ephesians 1:1)
I am a citizen of heaven.
- We are citizens of the state which is heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
I am seated with Christ Jesus.
- I’ve been raised up and seated with Him in Heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6)
I am a part of Christ’s body.
- I am a part, with a function, of Christ’s body. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
I am a part of God’s Temple.
- I am a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
- I am a temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within me. (1 Corinthians 6:19)
- The Father and the Son have made their home within me. (John 14:23)
I am a witness of Christ’s.
- Empowered by the Holy Spirit, I am a witness for Christ. (Acts 1:8)
I am a minister of reconciliation.
- Christ reconciled me to Himself and gave me the ministry of reconciliation for others. (2 Corinthians 5:18)
- I am an ambassador for Christ and the gospel unto reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
I am a co-worker of God.
- I am laboring together with God, His fellow worker. (2 Corinthians 6:1)
- I am a fellow worker of and for God. (1 Corinthians 3:9)
I am a branch of the Vine.
- In Him I bear abundant fruit. (John 15:5)
I am the salt of the earth.
- Abiding in God, I am the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13)
I am the light of the world.
- Abiding in God, I am a light to shine before men and to glorify God. (Matthew 5:14-16)
God is not ashamed of me.
- Christ is not ashamed to call me one of His brethren. (Hebrews 2:11)
- God is not ashamed to be called my God. (Hebrews 11:16)
- The Father loves me because I love Christ Jesus. (John 16:27)
- The Father loves me as He does Christ Jesus. (John 17:23)

Concerning My Security in God

I have been redeemed by Christ.
- I have been redeemed, through the blood shed by Christ, the forgiveness of my sins. (Colossians 1:14)
- The Father has drawn me out of the control and dominion of darkness and has transferred me into the kingdom of the Son. (Colossians 1:13)
- I am born of God, preserved against the evil one by Christ. (1 John 5:18)
- The evil and wicked one has no right to lay hold of or touch me. (1 John 5:18)
- I am a child of God by rights given me by God. (John 1:12)
- In Christ I am a son of God by faith. (Galatians 3:26)
- I, with all believers, am one in Christ. (Galatians 3:28)
- In Christ, God is always with me and wants to provide for my every need. (Luke 15:31)
I am no longer under condemnation.
- There is now no condemnation as I am now in Christ. (Romans 8:1)
- The law of the Spirit of life has freed me from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:2)
- I am now free from any condemning charges brought against me. (Romans 8:33)
I am sealed and secured in God.
- God has established me and confirmed me in Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:21)
- God has consecrated me and anointed me with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 1:21)
- God has acknowledged me as His own and has put His seal upon me. (2 Corinthians 1:22)
- God has secured me and guaranteed the fulfillment of His promise through giving me the Holy Spirit in my heart. (2 Corinthians 1:22)
- I have been stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13)
- The Holy Spirit, in whom I am sealed, is the guarantee of my inheritance. (Ephesians 1:14)
I am united with Christ.
- My new life is hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
- Being baptized in Christ, I have put on Christ. (Galatians 3:27)
- I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me with His sufficiency. (Philippians 4:13)
- I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, discipline, and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)
God has got me.
- No one and nothing, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, can separate me from the love of Christ. (Romans 8:35)
- At God’s throne of grace, I may receive mercy and appropriate help that is well timed. (Hebrews 4:16)
- Because I am loved by God and I am called by Him, I am assured that all things will work together for good. (Romans 8:28)
- With God being on my side, who can stand against me? (Romans 8:31)
- I am confident and assured that God who began a good work in me will bring it to perfect completion. (Philippians 1:6)

From FathersLoveLetter.com

FATHER’S LOVE LETTER

An intimate message from God to you.

My Child,

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. _{Psalm 139:1} I know when you sit down and when you rise up. _{Psalm 139:2} I am familiar with all your ways. _{Psalm 139:3} Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. _{Matthew 10:29-31} For you were made in my image. _{Genesis 1:27} In me you live and move and have your being. _{Acts 17:28} For you are my offspring. _{Acts 17:28} I knew you even before you were conceived. _{Jeremiah 1:4-5} I chose you when I planned creation. _{Ephesians 1:11-12} You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. _{Psalm 139:15-16} I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. _{Acts 17:26} You are fearfully and wonderfully made. _{Psalm 139:14} I knit you together in your mother’s womb. _{Psalm 139:13} And brought you forth on the day you were born. _{Psalm 71:6} I have been misrepresented by those who don’t know me. _{John 8:41-44} I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. _{1 John 4:16} And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. _{1 John 3:1} Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. _{1 John 3:1} I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. _{Matthew 7:11} For I am the perfect father. _{Matthew 5:48} Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. _{James 1:17} For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. _{Matthew 6:31-33} My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. _{Jeremiah 29:11} Because I love you with an everlasting love. _{Jeremiah 31:3} My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. _{Psalm 139:17-18} And I rejoice over you with singing. _{Zephaniah 3:17} I will never stop doing good to you. _{Jeremiah 32:40} For you are my treasured possession. _{Exodus 19:5} I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. _{Jeremiah 32:41} And I want to show you great and marvelous things. _{Jeremiah 33:3} If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. _{Deuteronomy 4:29} Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. _{Psalm 37:4} For it is I who gave you those desires. _{Philippians 2:13} I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. _{Ephesians 3:20} For I am your greatest encourager. _{2 Thessalonians 2:16-17} I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. _{2 Corinthians 1:3-4} When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. _{Psalm 34:18} As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. _{Isaiah 40:11} One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. _{Revelation 21:3-4} And I’ll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. _{Revelation 21:3-4} I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. _{John 17:23} For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. _{John 17:26} He is the exact representation of my being. _{Hebrews 1:3} He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. _{Romans 8:31} And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. _{2 Corinthians 5:18-19} Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. _{2 Corinthians 5:18-19} His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. _{1 John 4:10} I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. _{Romans 8:31-32} If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. _{1 John 2:23} And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. _{Romans 8:38-39} Come home and I’ll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. _{Luke 15:7} I have always been Father, and will always be Father. _{Ephesians 3:14-15} My question is… Will you be my child? _{John 1:12-13}

I am waiting for you. _{Luke 15:11-32}

Love, Your Dad … Almighty God