Have you ever struggled to find your place or felt stuck trying to figure out who you are? You may find yourself asking questions like, “What is my gifting? What’s my calling and purpose? What is my value in the Kingdom?” Iv’e got some good news for you: the answer is closer and simpler than you might think!
Last week, we discussed the importance of changing our minds because sometimes, it’s hard to see the forest for the trees. In the previous Weekly Word, I encouraged you to start thinking more highly of yourself—not more highly than you ought to think, but definitely with a greater sense of value!
What does it mean to think more highly of ourselves? I’m glad you asked! The answer lies in thinking with the mind of Christ and, by faith, embracing our identity as children of God. The answers to all those questions above about our purpose, calling, gifts, and talents are all rooted in who we are as children of God in Christ Jesus.
Children develop confidence in who they are based on their interactions and upbringing in the home. In an environment filled with support, nurture, safety, and provision, children thrive and grow in the confidence of their true selves. The same is true for us in our relationship with the Father. Today, I want to share a story that highlights the power of the mind and identity as a child of God. It is who we are and what God has called us to in Christ!
At the end of Matthew 3, we see Jesus being baptized by John. When Jesus came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove, and the Father’s voice from heaven was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” He was filled with the Holy Spirit and received the Father’s confirmation, love, and acceptance. This would be the relational position of power and identity that Jesus would think, walk, talk, and act from for the rest of His life! As a child of the Most High God.
At the beginning of chapter 4, we see that Jesus is immediately led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, He became hungry, and the tempter approached Him, saying, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus responded, “It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.“
Since Jesus used Scripture in His first response, the devil then attempted to twist the Word to deceive Him in the second temptation. Just because we can quote Scripture doesn’t mean we have the correct answers; in the previous temptation, Jesus taught that the answers come from what God is saying, and yes, that absolutely includes scriptures as well. Remember, The Kingdom of God is relational! There is a significant difference between knowing the word and knowing the Word. (John 1:1, 1:14)
In the final temptation, the devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would bow down and worship him. Again, Jesus rebuked the devil and replied with God’s Word, “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” Then the devil departed from Him until a more opportune time and angels came and ministered to Him.
In all these temptations, the devil targeted the areas where he thought Jesus to be most vulnerable, trying to dictate His identity and alter His outcome by shaking His faith. Does that sound like a familiar tactic he tries on you? After fasting for 40 days, Jesus was hungry, and the enemy challenged His identity as the Son of God and tempted Him to use that power to command stones to become bread.
The last thing we heard the Father say before Jesus was led into the desert by the Spirit is, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased!” This declaration of identity was what Jesus held onto, not only during His trials but for the entirety of His life! It was The Mind of Christ!
As a child of the Most High God, all of Jesus’s confidence came from His relationship with the Father. He was filled and led by the Spirit in His actions, responses, and conduct. No earthly situation dictated His identity; everything He said and did was grounded relationally in what the Father said to and about Him.
We share that same identity through salvation! The Word tells us, “As Jesus is, so are we in this world.” We are the children of God in whom He is well pleased. We are Holy Spirit-filled, blessed, highly favored, more than conquerors, the righteousness of God in Christ, heirs of the Kingdom—powerful children of the Most High God! The answers to all our questions and problems are found in the relationship the Father has established with us through Jesus.
Nothing in this world should dictate our identity or determine the outcome of our circumstances. Let’s embrace a childlike faith as sons and daughters of the Most High God! Let’s live, love, and deeply invest all that we are in the King and His Kingdom! We should think, act, speak, and respond as Children of the Most High God, influenced by the transformational power of the Holy Spirit within us. This is our identity in Christ!