Feeling insecure & struggling to believe your worth? Read on to learn about your identity in Christ and how to believe you are who God says you are.
What Is My Identity In Christ?
We are so quick to tie our identity to roles we have in life (mom, coach, teacher, etc) or our behaviors or personality traits (smart, athletic, slow, optimistic, messy, Enneagram type 2, etc).
All of those things may be a small part of who you are but your core identity, your identity in Christ, is one that cannot be changed or shaken.
It is who you are in every season of life, in every job you hold, in every role you take on, and in every success and failure.
Your identity in Christ is rich, deep, unique, and solidly rooted in God, not your own behavior.
What Does The Bible Say About My Identity In Christ?
The short answer is – a LOT!
I have a post of 27 Bible verses about your identity in Christ, but those are honestly just scratching the surface.
God’s Word is chock full of descriptions about who you are – as a human, as a sinner, as a child of God, as someone who loves Jesus but still feels temptation.
And His Word describes that we are the branches and Christ is our vine.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:5-7
He is our Rock and firm foundation.
I was fortunate to be raised in a Christian household, so I’ve been familiar with what the Bible says about me my entire life, but it wasn’t until 30+ years in that I actually believed it to be true.
And that, my friend, is what changes everything.
It’s one thing to know what the Bible says. It’s a whole different thing to believe that what God says about you in His Word is Truth – not just for the “good” Christians, not just for the people around you, but for you. On your worst days and on your best, His Word stays consistent and His Truth doesn’t change.
You can believe God when He tells you who you are.
Then, the question becomes, “How?”
How do you take what you know about the Bible and convince yourself to actually believe it, especially on your hardest days when it just doesn’t feel like it could possibly be true?
Read on.
How To Believe You Are Who God Says You Are
Step 1 – Recognize The Enemy’s Lies
This is such an important first step. Satan is really good at sneaking into our thoughts in ways that just sound so close to the truth to us.
Think about how you can be in the best mood and, all of a sudden, your day feels ruined when you step on the scale and see the number is higher than you want it to be.
It’s not the scale causing your mood to drop, it’s your thoughts (which are often flying so quickly we don’t even notice them). What really happened when you stepped on the scale?
It’s likely, in an instant, thoughts flew through your mind like:
- I’m not good enough.
- I’ll never be able to do this.
- I’m such a failure.
Maybe they passed through your mind so quickly, you didn’t even notice them…but, yet, they still unconsciously stuck with you.
The problem comes when we don’t recognize them for the lies they are and, instead, choose to believe them.
Step 2 – Take Your Thoughts Captive
I have a full post written about the 5 steps to taking your thoughts captive that will help walk you through this step in more detail, but the main point is to capture those thoughts.
Because our thoughts fire so quickly, we often feel out of control to do anything about them. It feels like it just happens without our even being a part of the process.
I also include a step-by-step worksheet to walk you through taking your thoughts captive in my Prayer Journal Bundle, which is a great done-for-you resource to help you connect with God in your quiet times.
The truth is, we have a lot more control over our thoughts than we think! It just takes some intentional effort and awareness to grab them and hold them steady, without allowing them to lead all of our feelings and actions.
Often, you start by doing this after the actual incident. Let’s go back to the example on the scale. Maybe you didn’t notice any lies in your thoughts. You noticed you were in a bad mood, but didn’t even think twice about it until later that night when you connected the dots and realized you were having a great day until you stepped on the scale and wondered what happened.
Hindsight can really help you to see the situation more clearly and it’s never too late to take a thought captive – not that evening, not the next day, not the next year, not even 6 decades later.
It is always worth it to take lies captive, whenever you recognize they are there.
Step 3 – Choose To Point Your Thoughts Back To Christ
And this, of course, is the most important step of all – choosing to accept God’s Truth as your truth again and again (and again).
Your confidence can be solidly rooted in Christ alone.
Seeing something as a lie and choosing not to believe it are both important steps, but what are you going to replace it with? What are you going to choose to believe instead? The Truth.
This is why it is so very important to spend time in God’s Word.
When you are reading the Bible regularly, you can more easily see when your thoughts don’t line up with His Word.
It fixes your eyes on the characteristics of God, instead of the patterns of this world.
Reading God’s Word is a way to:
- renew your mind
- strengthen your faith
- root yourself in the Truth
- encourage your heart
- rewire negative thoughts
- and so much more.
Step 4 – Pour Into A Close Friendship
We talk a lot about Christian accountability and how important it is, but how many of us actually have friendships close enough where accountability can actually happen?
I have lots of Christian community! I have Christian friends online, at church, in my small group, and in my family. And, as much as I love all of them, most of them aren’t close enough to be able to see when I’m having an “identity crisis” and need to be pointed back to God.
Close friendships take vulnerability to share honestly (when you’re doing well and when you’re choosing poorly), connecting regularly (which takes effort and intentionality), and commitment to stick with each other through different seasons of life.
But, most often, it’s only in genuinely close friendships that someone will notice that something is off in us and be able to help us catch those lies and remind us of our identity in Christ.
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
– Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
We all need someone to help us up.
“I Am” Affirmations/Declarations
My Prayer Journal Bundle also includes a list of nearly 40 “I am” statements with their corresponding Bible verses, but here are some to get you started.
- I am a child of God. (Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. – 1 John 3:2)
- I am a light. (You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. – Matthew 5:14)
- I am a new creation. (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! – 2 Corinthians 5:17)
- I am a temple of the Holy Spirit. (Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; – 1 Corinthians 6:19)
- I am beloved. (The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. – Jeremiah 31:3)
- I am chosen. (Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. – Colossians 3:12)
- I am delighted in. (The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17)
- I am enough. (…and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. – Colossians 2:10)
- I am forgiven. (“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. – Acts 13:38-39)
- I am never alone. (The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” – Deuteronomy 31:8)
- I am pleasing. (For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. – 2 Corinthians 2:15)
- I am valuable. (Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
The biggest takeaway that I hope you’ve noticed here is that your core identity doesn’t rely on you because it relies on Christ.
Each one of these “I am” statements is true because of Jesus.
That’s what makes your identity unshakable and unchangeable because God is unshakable and unchangeable.
Phew! Isn’t that nice to let go of that all-too-heavy burden of trying so hard to be perfect to earn our salvation, our blessings, and our worth?
It’s not up to you. It’s up to Him and He has already chosen you to be created in His image.
You are worthy because He is worthy.
And nothing can change that.
Living Out Your Identity in Christ
When it comes to living out your identity in Christ, you don’t have to worry too much.
Once you’ve done the heart work above to get rid of the lies and choose to cling to God’s Truth, then living out your identity just happens naturally.
When we believe we are loved, we tend to be more loving people. When we believe we are worthy, we become more confident. When we believe we are safe and provided for, we become more content, peaceful, and confident.
Are you seeing a trend here?
When you believe you are who God says you are, you start seeing more and more of the Fruit of the Spirit emerge in your life.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
More peace. More patience. More goodness. The things we all crave.
Your identity is worth fighting for.
Don’t let anything or anyone convince you that you are something that doesn’t line up with God’s Word.
