Man was created in the image of God. Because your identity is so closely linked to God’s identity, when you can’t see yourself clearly for who you are in Jesus Christ, you cannot see God clearly for Who He really is. Also, when you cannot see God clearly for Who He is, you cannot see yourself clearly for who you are in Jesus Christ.

Because satan opposes you and your growth as a Christian, his desire is to disarm you and separate you from Jesus Christ by enticing you into sin. He is definitely your adversary.

Adversary = a person or force that opposes or attacks; enemy; foe

Today we will examine identity lie #3 and what God provides for you to refute that lie

“You are less than everyone else”

When you believe that identity lie about yourself, you are also believing this identity lie about God

“God shortchanged you”

But your God, Jesus Christ, loves you and has a good plan for you. He knows more about you than you know about yourself. He chooses to place His hand on you. He designed and created you. He provides these words to refute your enemy’s lies.

Jeremiah 29:¹¹For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end

Psalms 139:¹ (To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.) O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

² Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

³ Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

⁴ For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

⁵ Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

Your God, Jesus, has created you as a wondrous, unique work. He never makes junk. He designed your genes and your DNA. He designed your talents, strengths and limitations. He has more thoughts of you than the number of sands on the seashore. He provides these words for you to use to refute your enemy’s identity lies in Psalms 139:

¹³ For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

¹⁴ I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

¹⁵ My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

¹⁶ Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁷ How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!

¹⁸ If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

At last night’s Prayer Meeting at the church I attend, we sang this song and the words to the 3^rd verse are ringing in my mind. I share them with you.

Higher Ground

I want to live above the world Tho’ satan’s darts at me are hurled
For faith has caught the joyful sound -The song of saints on higher ground.

Chorus:

Lord, lift me up and let me stand By faith on heaven’s table land
A higher plane than I have found Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

Remember God’s promise in Isaiah 55:⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

¹⁰ For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

¹¹ So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Use His Word to refute your enemy’s lie!

 So put God’s Word in your arsenal of God’s truths to counter the identity lies your enemy throws at you, by writing them on an index card; keeping them at your fingertips; reciting them aloud; committing them to memory; meditating on them. Trust Jesus Christ. He never fails and certainly will not fail you! He is our Immanuel, God with us.

These seven examples of identity lies are given and refuted with the Word of Jesus Christ. They are just examples. Perhaps there is another lie about your identity that satan uses to discourage and attempt to defeat you. I find no Bible reference indicating the enemy can read your thoughts but certainly he has all of history to observe the human condition and test his various lies. He knows your history. Although the enemy is not present everywhere he has emissaries who spy for him.

Is there a lie about your identity that you are believing?

Why do you believe it?

Did someone in authority or important to you, tell you that lie?

Are you willing to use God’s Word to refute that lie?

Hebrews 12:¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in His strength alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through  you!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti