Author: Alyssa J Howard

For those of you who have been following this 31-day series on our identity in Christ, you know that it has been quite a journey! We took a look at life before salvation in Jesus and the consequences of our slavery to sin and death. In contrast, we learned about who we are now in Christ according to His Word. We are alive and free! But the truth is that none of this matters unless we act upon our new identity. We have to walk in it in order for it to affect our lives as well as the Kingdom. God is making all things new, and He longs to use us in His ultimate plan for mankind’s redemption.

When you look around at the world today, do you ever wonder what God is doing? It’s easy to feel hopeless when we watch the news or when life becomes personally difficult. But the truth is that we have a glorious hope and an amazing future in Christ. And even though we don’t always understand how God is working, we can trust that He is always at work carrying out His plan for mankind. From glory to glory… This is the way the Bible describes our growth and transformation as children of God.

Has there ever been a time in your life when you didn’t “feel” like a Christian? Perhaps you didn’t feel God nearby. Or maybe you struggled with doubt and fears that you were really saved or that God was even listening to your prayers. When it comes to our identity in Christ, it is one thing to know who you are, but it’s another thing entirely to feel like a child of God. And trust me when I say that there will be times in our lives when we don’t feel like ourselves… when our feelings don’t match what we know to be true. So what do we do in these moments? How do we cope and change the way we feel?

When we think of heaven, we typically imagine a wonderful, far-off place where God dwells and where we will one day (in the distant future) be with Him. But this isn’t exactly how the Bible defines things. We are told in God’s Word that we have a spiritual identity and are currently seated in “heavenly places” with Christ. So how do we reconcile this spiritual truth about ourselves with our physical reality on earth? Is it possible to live by your spiritual identity in a physical world? And if so… how?

What do you suppose goes through the mind of an artist when they set out to create a magnificent work of art? I’ve always loved art, but I’ll be honest in saying that I was never great at it. I couldn’t draw or paint well as a child. I took a pottery class in high school, but I was average at best. The Bible tells us that we are God’s workmanship. In other words, we are His work of art. And trust me when I say that when we allow Him to be the artist of our lives, we will truly be a masterpiece.