Will the REAL YOU please STAND UP!

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²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. - James 1: 22 - 24 NIV

It is interesting that the Holy Spirit likens hearing the Word and not doing it to looking into a mirror and immediately forgetting what you look like. You see, when we fail to do what the Word instructs us to do we have essentially forgotten who we truly are in Christ and that leads us to act contrary to our true identity. 

And every time we act contrary to our true identity, that of beloved Children of God, we open ourselves up to condemnation – both from our own hearts and from the enemy of our souls too. Condemnation with its cousins, guilt and shame, if entertained, can incapacitate us. How? They seek to brand us with other identities that are contrary to the one the Father gave us. Identities such as “failure”, “hopeless”, “sinner”, “liar”, “good-for-nothing” and the like, which we should not accept under any circumstance, yes even if we have sinned or failed miserably. We have an advocate with the Father - Jesus Christ the righteous (1 John 2:1)    

Beloved, it is the Father’s will that you be secure in the identity that He has given you. You are His Child, you are His beloved. Refuse to take upon yourself any other identity except the one your Abba Father gives you. Failure to remember Our New Identity in Christ, will always result in us walking in the flesh, having deluded ourselves with all the knowledge of the Word we have amassed, yet without it effecting any positive changes in our lives.

Now, just as we look into natural mirrors to groom ourselves, we must look into the Word to groom our souls. To make sure we “look good spiritually”, we must look into this mirror – The Word – on a regular basis. If you look into a natural mirror daily to avoid going out unkempt, unprepared or outright unsightly, how much more should you look into the Word of God, your spiritual mirror, as it were, to see and be reminded of who and what you are in Christ.

Because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice of Himself our sins have been put away once and for all and now since we have put our trust in Him, we have Eternal Life now, We are part of God’s very own family.That’s who we are!  As you look into this "Mirror" some of the things you will see about yourself in Christ are these: -

You have been reconciled to God, You are a new creation in Christ, you are God’s child, you are the Lord's beloved, you are the righteousness of God, you are Holy before God, He is not keeping a record of your sins, you are one spirit

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with God, God is never angry with you, you are more than a conqueror, you are seated with Christ far above all principalities and powers, your God has promised to supply all your needs. You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ, and a whole lot more…Beloved that is your true identity! 

Once we know, believe and accept our identity as dearly beloved Children of God, all other labels that we or others have placed on us will fall by the wayside, then we will be truly free to live bold, victorious and productive lives that will always bring honor and joy to Our Father, for in Christ, we were created for good works! Blessings!