FIVE FIERCE TRUTHS is a new five-part series for your Fierce Calling journey…
FIERCE TRUTH #1: YOU Have a Fierce Identity in Christ
You were always meant to be here.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV).
On a shivery January day in 1962, a sweet young mom-to-be experienced her first twinges of labor. Excited and frightened all at once, she entered the hospital with great anticipation of what would be–warm snuggles with her new little one and soft scents of everything baby.
This was her first experience giving birth. She hardly knew what to expect and what she experienced was not what she expected.
She labored for days. Her doctor was MIA, all wrapped up in his own personal crisis. He failed to check on her and five days into her hospital stay, her water broke.
That was the day a quiet, sweet mom got fierce.
She could see the outline of her precious baby lying still within her belly, and it frightened her. She demanded to see the doctor. One emergency c-section later, a scared young mama and a baby in distress were recovering after a harrowing experience.
That baby almost died, but she didn’t.
That baby was me.
Although my birth was traumatic, it was not my true beginning. My life and your life had intentional and fierce beginnings that started long before we were conceived.
Whether you were planned, unplanned, or abandoned by earthly parents, the God of the universe already predestined your existence before you were formed in the secret place, your mother’s womb.
How Have Your Early Years Impacted Your Life?
Whether you felt loved or rejected growing up, you have always been loved and accepted because God planned your existence.
You may have been raised in a loving atmosphere or in a dysfunctional environment. You may have had a wonderful childhood or you may have experienced trauma and abuse.
And whatever our early years looked like, we all experienced some type of pain in one way or another.
Pain is hard to explain but it is never wasted…
Jesus knows about your pain and His love is a heavenly balm to soothe and heal the raw, open wounds. He binds them and transforms them into purpose. Share on XWhat you have been through is part of your journey but those events do not define your identity. Before we can walk in our fierce calling we need to know who we are…
We can mistakenly find our identities in the past, in labels people slap on our foreheads, in untruths we tell ourselves, and in the roles we play, but that is not who we are and that is not the reason we are here.
We may be mothers, aunts, sisters, wives, friends…
But the one thing we all are?
We are all God’s daughters–in Christ, we are all children of God.
And we are loved and we are chosen.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Ephesians 1:3-6 (NASB)
We were created to know God–to have a relationship with our Creator and for His pleasure. And He knows you and He knows me and we can know Him. Not just about Him but really know Him. He is El Roi, the God who sees you.
You May Have Heard it But do You Believe it?
When you feel swallowed up by circumstances and when you feel unloved, unworthy, insignificant, you’re not. You are who God says you are–beloved and worthy through Jesus and His unconditional love and sacrifice.
Do you believe it?
I asked the Lord what He wanted me to tell His girls. As I prayed I strongly felt deep in my spirit His words which are both simple and profound:
Tell them they are loved.
So I will tell you that you are loved by a God who knows you, sees you, and by a God you can know. The one true God.
J. I. Packer put it this way in his book, Knowing God:
“What makes life worthwhile is having a big enough objective, something which catches our imagination and lays hold of our allegiance, and this the Christian has in a way that no other person has. For what higher, more exalted, and more compelling goal can there be than to know God?”
We are in Christ and Christ is in Us
Christ in us is the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 clearly states this truth. We have a hope in things to come–when God restores all the brokenness and our inheritance is finally realized.
Christ in us is a miraculous mystery revealed. Saved by grace through faith, we are His and He is ours. When we accept and receive Christ into our hearts as our Lord and Savior, Christ is in us.
In Christ, our Father who art in heaven who cannot look upon sin, sees us through His Son. Jesus.
YOU HAVE A FIERCE IDENTITY IN CHRIST.
Now say it and believe it:
I HAVE A FIERCE IDENTITY IN CHRIST.
Call to Action
Allow the Holy Spirit to minister to you this week. Talk with Him and ask Him to show you what you need to see and tell you what you need to know. Seek with an open heart and listen with holy intention.
Do you believe your identity is in Christ?
Good.
Now that we know who we really are, we have work to do so let’s get ready. The world needs your God-given gifts.
FIERCE TRUTH #2: YOU HAVE FIERCE CONFIDENCE THROUGH CHRIST is up next week.
Blessings of Love, Peace, & Joy in Christ,
Doris
This is a great post! Holding on to the truth of our identity in Christ is so important, and I think we do have to be fierce to fight against the lies that can so easily creep in.
Amen to that, Lesley! Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts. I appreciate your encouraging words. God bless!
Wow, your imagery is contagious — I love the idea of being fierce!
Thank you, Elizabeth! I love that idea, too! We are fierce together in Christ as we walk in the power of the Spirit. Woo-hoo! Thanks again for taking time to read and comment.
I love this. Holding solidly to our identity in Jesus changes absolutely everything. <3 This is a favorite topic of mine – thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Amanda!A favorite topic of mine as well. Love how we are who God says we are, no matter what. Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts!
So much truth in this!
Thank you for reading and commenting, Debbie! I appreciate you 🙂