Break Shackles of Guilt and Pain With This Liberating Truth

All of us have an identity.

• Our heritage
• Our career
• Our children’s career
• Our past
• Our marital status
• A trauma
• Infertility
• A gifting or talent
• Our ministry
• A success or award

Whatever it is, there is something in our life that we identify ourselves with and we feel defines who we are.

But here’s the thing:

“Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

The moment we received Christ, our identity changed. Very much like the moment I got married, my last named changed. I am no longer known as Rosilind Hackett. I am now Rosilind Jukić.

What’s more is that our identity in Christ isn’t just a spiritual identity.

It is an identity that is meant to take over our whole entire lives—our hearts, souls, minds and bodies!

No longer should our heritage, career, marital status, failure, success or anything else define who we are. Because Jesus Christ Himself has become our identity.

But the enemy is forever trying to get us to default back to old identities. He’ll do everything in his power to get us to identify with our old man, and when he succeeds in that, we begin living less and less like Jesus.

He will use circumstances, disappointments, rejection, hurtful words—anything he can to get us to respond with thoughts like: “I knew I wouldn’t do well with that project. I always fail at whatever I do” or “I know I gave that guy a piece of my mind, but hey—I’m Irish. My red hair was just showing.”

Or he’ll get us back into a deep pit of self-pity, nursing an old victim mentality.

Or he’ll make sure our lives revolve around the fact that we’re single; so we can’t rejoice when a friend gets married. He’ll get us all wrapped up in the fact that we’ve had multiple miscarriages so that we can’t rejoice when a sister in Christ finds out she’s expecting.

We live in a culture that is so labeled and identifies so strongly with temporal stuff of this world and demands to be tolerated—even coddled.

• Those whose identity is wrapped up in being single are offended when people emphasize marriage.
• Women whose identity is wrapped up in their infertility are offended by Mother’s Day, and now churches are left in a quandary every year.
• Those who identify as being special-needs parents are hurt when parents brag about their children’s successes or abilities.
• Those who identify with their weight are offended by moms who brag about their weight loss or fitness abilities.

These misplaced identities have made us overly sensitive and easily offended. God never intended us to live this way because He always intended us to identify with ourselves as new creations in Jesus Christ!

He always intended us to identify as citizens of heaven, not of Earth!

There are two quotes by my dad that I constantly remind myself of:

“Your past and present circumstances do not have to determine your future or your identity.”

“Failure is an event, not an identity.”

During the month of September we will be looking at how Scripture defines our identity!

Are you ready?

Here’s how you can download the 30 Day Prayer Challenge for My Identity in Christ:

Simply fill in your email below, and within 48 hours, you will receive an email from me with instructions on how to download your prayer challenge.

If you’ve already signed up, you should have received yours already, because you only have to sign up once. After you’ve signed up to receive one prayer challenge, every month you will automatically receive a new one.

Let’s begin renewing our mind by praying Scripture daily and filling our hearts and minds with what God says we are, as we reject the world’s message of who it wants us to be!

Are you with me? {eoa}

Rosilind Jukic, a Pacific Northwest native, is a missionary living in Croatia and married to her Bosnian hero. Together they live with their two active boys where she enjoys fruity candles, good coffee and a hot cup of herbal tea on a blustery fall evening. Her passion for writing led her to author her best-selling book The Missional Handbook. At A Little R & R she encourages women to find contentment in what God created them to be. You can also find her at Missional Call where she shares her passion for local and global missions. She can also be found at on a regular basis. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google +.