Obstacle 10 - Forgetting Our Identity in Christ

In this episode, I want to remind you of something your soul may need to hear again: you are not what you’ve done, not what others say about you, and not the sum of your failures or fears. In Christ, you are beloved. You are chosen, redeemed, and held by grace. We’ll talk about how easy it is to forget that truth in a world that constantly pushes us to perform, compare, and prove ourselves—and how the Spirit lovingly calls us back to our true identity. My prayer is that this episode will encourage you to rest in who you already are in Jesus and to keep walking the beautiful journey of transformation, one step at a time. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you went in there? Yeah. Me too. Sometimes I call it maturity. But there's one kind of forgetting that isn't funny. It's costly. The most dangerous thing that you can forget is who you are. Not the false self that you've constructed. Not the performance-based identity that you've been living from. But your true identity. The one God declared over you the moment you became his. Welcome back, beloved of the Lord. I'm Pastor Charles, and you're listening to a message designed to strengthen mission-ready faith. Faith that doesn't just believe, it lives. Today we're closing out the Christ-likeness journey by adding what might be the root obstacle behind all others. Identity amnesia. Forgetting who you are in Christ. Because when you forget who you are, you revert to striving. You fall back into shame. You live from fear instead of freedom. You perform for approval instead of resting in acceptance. And you exhaust yourself by trying to become something you already are. So let's settle in, take a breath, and let the spirit re anchor you. That's what fuels them all. For many of us, it's this we forget our identity. When you forget who you are in Christ, you live from a place of lack rather than abundance, from proving rather than becoming, from striving rather than rest. And the tragedy is you start negotiating for a belonging that Jesus already secured. Let me take you to one of the most pivotal moments in Jesus' earthly life, his baptism. The heavens opened, the Spirit descends, and the Father declares This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased Matthew three seventeen. Now don't miss this. Jesus hadn't performed miracles yet. He hasn't preached a sermon yet. He hasn't done anything impressive yet. The Father's pleasure isn't based on performance. It's based on identity. And that's where we have to start. Before you do anything for God, you must know who you are in God. You are beloved. Not because of what you do, and not because of anything, performance, anything like that, but because of who you are. Now there are competing voices, persistent lies try to redefine you. Performance based identity. You are what you accomplish. Approval based identity. You are what others think. Circumstance based identity. You are your current situation. Comparison based identity. You are how you measure up to others. Shame-based identity. You are your past mistakes. Role-based identity. You are what you do. And if we're being honest, you hear these voices sometimes at two o'clock in the morning with your head on the pillow. And here's the real issue whatever identity you believe you will live from. So if you believe that you're only as valuable as your performance, you will grind yourself into dust. If you believe that you're only as valuable as people's opinions, you will live on emotional roller coaster up and down. If you believe your past defines you, you'll stay trapped in shame. So let's anchor ourselves in who you actually are in Christ. Well Romans fifth chapter, verse eight says that you are loved unconditionally. Ephesians first chapter, verse four says that you are chosen deliberately. Ephesians first chapter, verse five, it says that you are adopted permanently. Ephesians first chapter, verse seven says that you are redeemed completely. First Peter, second chapter, verse nine, it says that you are holy positionally. And how about Second Corinthians third chapter verse eighteen? Says that you are being transformed progressively. Second Peter first chapter verse three. You are empowered supernaturally. Go to your Bible, find some more. Look at who you truly are. This means that your identity isn't a paycheck you earn, it's a birthright you receive in your new birth in Christ. And when the enemy whispers you're not enough, heaven replies, Beloved. Now when identity slips, a few predictable things show up. You live from striving instead of rest. You become vulnerable to comparison. Either pride when you're ahead or shame when you fall behind. You become susceptible to shame because you start believing failure is your name. You react instead of respond because insecurity is driving the car. You seek external validation because you've lost contact with the approval that matters the most. And here's the kicker. When you're busy trying to earn identity, you miss living from identity. That's why I keep saying transformation in action. It doesn't happen by trying harder to be loved. It happens by realizing you are loved and then living like it. So how do we remember consistently when a thousand voices are trying to rename us? Well, start your day every day, before picking up the phone, before checking messages, before the scroll, before you do anything. When you wake up, thank our Heavenly Father. I I always say thank you, Abba, that you've restored, you restored me for another day. You've lifted me up to serve you another day, and I am yours, your beloved child. You are my Abba. Say to yourself, my worth is not based on performance. And remind yourself, I am being transformed from glory to glory. Now criticism is going to come, but remember you're still beloved. That's why I greet you at the beginning of the podcast. Hey, how are you doing, beloved? Because that's who you are. And I know, I understand, we don't feel that way. And I can't say that I've always felt that way from the time of my accepting Christ into my life. But it grows and it grows and it grows, and this is the holy boldness that rises up within us, but it is a humble boldness, just like our big brother Jesus. Jesus Christ, God's original Son. And we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. So when the lies come, you don't go hunting for truth, you draw it like a trained operator draws a tool. You know who you are. Remember what God rescued you from. He has lifted us up out of the miry clay. Not to live in the past, but to live grounded in the reality that you are his. And we're here to usher in his kingdom. That's why Jesus taught us to pray, Thy kingdom come. And we all forget, that's where healthy community helps you remember. Stay rooted and grounded in a local assembly. And then every night, practice the exam. Ask yourself these questions and journal on them. Where did I live from my true identity today? Where did I forget? What lie did I believe today? What truth do I need tomorrow? Now there's a powerful connection here. What you repeatedly reinforce becomes your default pathway, your default way of being. If you reinforce shame, your mind becomes fluent in shame. But if you reinforce truth, beloved, redeemed, adopted, your mind gets rewired toward freedom. Paul calls it renewing of the mind, and that brings transformation. And yes, it's spiritual, but it's also practical. Day by day, thought by thought. So beloved, here is the paradox that will set you free. You already are who God says you are, and you're also becoming who God says you are. You already are, and we're becoming, we're discovering, and we're starting to own that. So here's your one-step assignment this week. Choose one practice of remembering, just one, and commit to it for seven days. Not for perfection, but for direction. Not striving, but abiding. Not earning, receiving, not performing, just presence. Because this is how Christ likeness grows. Transformation in action. So let's pray. Oh Father Abba, our loving Abba, thank you for reminding us who we truly are, your beloved, your chosen, and your redeemed children. Forgive us for the times that we've forgotten and lived from fear instead of freedom and faith. Reanchor our hearts in your truth and renew our minds with your word. Help us walk with confidence in our identity in Christ, living not to earn your love, but living from the abundance of your love. Continue to transform us with ever increasing glory until our lives radiate Jesus.

unknown 17:01

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 17:05

Beloved, remember this. You are not what you've done, what others say, or what you feel sometimes. You are who God says you are. And who He says you are is beloved. And if this has encouraged you, share it with someone who needs it. And share it with me. I'd love to hear from you. Subscribe, uh, subscribe to our podcast too so that you don't miss what's next. And uh just keep walking step by step, one step, one choice, one day at a time, living in Abba's love.