Many of us struggle to believe we have value and worth. We feel insignificant and worthless and often other people contribute to this low self-esteem, which can be at the root of many mental health issues faced today. We need to be secure in our identity in God, living by God’s evaluation of who we are rather than our own ideas, other people’s judgments or the enemy’s lies.
God says we are…
- children of God (John 1:12, 1 Jn 3:1)
- heirs of God (Rom 8:17)
- friends of God (Jn 15:14)
- accepted by God and free from condemnation (Rom 15:7, Rom 8:1)
- forgiven and redeemed (Col 1:13-14)
- temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19)
- new creations (2 Cor 5:17)
- priests before God (1 Pet 2:9, Rev 5:10)
- chosen by God (Eph 1:4)
- people who belong to God (1 Pet 2:9)
- freed by God (Gal 5:1)
- no longer slaves to sin (Rom 6:14)
- holy and blameless in God’s sigh (Eph 1:3-4)
- seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6)
- sealed with God’s Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13)
- the light of the world (Matt 5:14)
- secure in God’s love (Rom 8:38-39)
- more than conquerors through Christ (Rom 8:37)
- safe with God (Col 3:3)
- part of the body of Christ (Rom 12:5)
Eph 1:11 in the Message version says ‘it’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.’ Only Christ can give us a purposeful identity.