For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority. Colossians 2:9-10

The truths in the Bible, inspired and revealed by the Holy Spirit, will liberate you from the devil’s accusations (Revelation 12:10) and bring you into the understanding of who God created you to be. Understanding who you are in Jesus isn’t just for a feel-good moment; it will make you more effective in your prayer walk, in your relationships, and in your church life!

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:12

God is a God of revelation. He wants to reveal things to us through His Holy Spirit. When we look away from the mirror of God’s Word, it’s easy to forget what we truly look like (James 1:22-24). That’s why we need to be constantly reminding ourselves of who we are and what we have in Jesus.

Let the Word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16

God’s Word is more stable than the trends and seasons of the world. There is power in the name of Jesus. There is power in prayer. There is power in getting a renewed mind (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23)—it enables you to cast down imaginations and resist the accuser. So delve into the Scriptures and begin acknowledging every good thing that is in you through Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:6 NKJV).

Press on!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. NKJV reference taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

And I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. Philemon 1:6

Our identity needs to be clarified by the Word of God. God wants us to understand who Jesus is, why we were created, and what His death, burial, and resurrection bring into our lives. Human nature is prone to acknowledge failure and weakness and forget what God says. That is why our mind must be renewed daily. (Ephesians 4:23).

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Joshua 1:8

For quick reference, print up verses about who you are in Christ. Speak God’s Word over your day first thing—when you’re getting ready for work or while you’re in the car. Walk around your house saying what you have in God. Don’t let the devil shut your mouth—confess God’s truth till the devil leaves you alone. The knowledge of what Jesus has done for you will free you and open the door for greater effectiveness.

[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Ephesians 1:17-19a

God bless you!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2011 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

Overcome an Identity Crisis. Our generation has a collective identity crisis—a disorientation that comes on people as a result of being brought up under disruptive, fast-paced situations. With all the bombardment that comes with the Information Age, we need to get our priorities straight about who gets our attention. When we make Jesus central in our lives, we overcome apathy, fear, and disorientation and become ignited with something significant to deposit in our world.

Understand the Times. There was a group of people in the Bible, Issachar’s tribe, who were described as understanding the times and who had knowledge of what to do (1 Chronicles 12:32). That’s what God wants us to be in our generation! Not like the Pharisees who Jesus said didn‘t recognize the time of their visitation and totally missed what God was doing in their generation (Luke 19:39-44). The plans God has for you are considerable—don’t underestimate your moment.

Jesus fulfills. Jesus is not just one of a myriad of religious concepts in this pluralistic, relativistic world. He is the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Jesus (John 14:6).

“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”
Blaise Pascal ~ Mathematician, Philosopher & Physicist

Take it to the world. Jesus, the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), the exact representation of the Father (Hebrews 1:3), is looking for people whose hearts are completely His that He may strongly support them (2 Chronicles 16:9). If you make Jesus central—your priority, the main deal—it will cause the confusion to dissipate and position you to be a voice in your generation. Reject apathy and trust the Savior to activate you beyond what you can even imagine.

Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. John 4:35b

God bless you!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2010 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

The value of something is determined by what someone is willing to pay for it. The world evaluates worth based on appearance, performance, and status. But God doesn’t make superficial evaluations. Whether you are doing great or not so great, He absolutely loves you. You are worthy because of the blood of Jesus that reconciled you to God!

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:17

In order for us to operate fully and effectively in the ministry of reconciliation, we must know who we are in Christ. The devil wants to keep us from seeing ourselves in the mirror of the Word so that we stay dominated by our flesh, fears, and sensory impulses. But God’s Word identifies us clearly and transforms us completely: “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

Forget conforming to the expectations of the world. If you want to live radically for Jesus, get your mind on what God has intended you to be: someone who walks in close fellowship with Him and who carries the message of reconciliation to a lost world.

You are loved by God!
Pastor Jeff Perry
St. Louis Family Church®

Copyright © 2009 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.