I have talked to many people, Christians and non-Christians, and discovered that many people, not just our youths, are going through an identity crisis. People are not forgetting who they are, but they never even knew to begin with. For those in the world, it is hard to find an identity because the world says you must be the richest, best looking, strongest, and most powerful; but that can never happen because there is always someone better looking to someone's standards, or someone stronger, or someone who is richer, or someone who is naturally better at something than you. It is an endless struggle to find a worldly identity. As Christians, we have an identity that is simple yet so powerful. We are the sons and daughters of God. It is so simple to say, but it has so much meaning.
When a security guard at a work place or an airport asks to see your ID, they want to know who and what you associate with. They want to know who you are. Like I said yesterday, we have abandoned the old man for the new man; so we associate with new things. This means that we get a new ID in Christ. Now, many people would say, "it's impossible to be just like Christ," and they are right. It is impossible. So, how do we overcome this struggle of being a Christian? Well, it's not about what we do and how we do things, it's not about being perfect; it's all about who we are, and we determine that by our relationship with God. We are not supposed to strive to be perfect. We are to strive to get to know God better.
When we become a Christian, Christ is supposed to come into every area of our lives. There is not one area that is supposed to be left untouched. We naturally sin and we will continue to do so, if Christ does not step into our lives. I am not saying that we will stop sinning all together, but the love of God is the only thing strong enough to change us dramatically. He is pulling us out of death and into life, out of sin and into Christ. Again, like I said yesterday, the old man is gone and the new man is here. The old man is sinful and tries to become perfect through laws or rules, even the laws and rules of the illegal life (for example, do whatever it takes to win, show no mercy, don't snitch, etc.) When you pick up the new you, the Holy Spirit can step in and help you do the things that the old man could not do, such as follow the laws of God and express His true love to everyone, including yourself.
We must realize that our relationship with God is not based on what we do, our sins, or how other's think of us. Our titles mean nothing to God. Our heart is what matters. We must stop allowing the old man to take control and give the wheel to the new man; because no matter how hard we try, the old man is not the real you. The real you is the new man, and you will not find yourself in any other identity. You will not find the real you in the laws or the Ten Commandments. You will find the real you in who God says you are. He formed you out of the dust of the Earth. He knows you better than you do.
In the end, it is not about what laws you have followed or what sins you have committed, it is about you knowing that God loves you unconditionally and has the best waiting for you. He cares more about your relationship than your titles. We will not find ourselves in the law, but only in Christ Jesus and what God has said about us.
This is what God says about You when you look into His word. You are not rejected, unloved, dirty or shameful because in Christ you are completely accepted. You are not guilty, unprotected, alone or abandoned because in Christ, you are totally secure. You are not worthless, inadequate, helpless or hopeless because in Christ you are deeply significant. Romans 15:7 says, "accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." You are accepted, and not only by other true Christians, but by Jesus Christ Himself.
Child of God, stop condemning yourself. If you do not know who you are, read God's word and He will tell you in His timing. You cannot find your identity in anything but Christ. God is the one who has made you and has been there with you through everything. He knows the numbers of hairs on your heads and every thought that has ever been in your mind (Luke 12:7, Matthew 10:30). Stop trying to be perfect, stop trying to be a "Christian" and stop trying to take matters into your own hand. Once you humble yourself and say, "God, You tell me because no one else knows me better than you," He will begin to show you what to do.
For those of you who wish to start figuring out who you are this moment, begin by reading Ephesians 1. The chapter will tell you about who you truly are. Remember, you are loved by God and no matter where you are in your walk with Him, all He wants is a relationship with you.
-D
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