Who I Am In Christ Devotionals

Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 Catch My Drift I am a child of God, yes! And it’s beautiful. Yet, sometimes I stray. I drift. I wander. Maybe just a little ways at first. Then, I can find myself so far, so fast that I wonder what hit me. I just walk off like a two year old in the mall. But there’s a thing that happens. When I get used to walking in the light, I understand it better, I look for it, I breath it. I believe Jesus is with me. I see because of the light. And I can start to see my drift. And because of my memory of deep and lasting hurt, I can go back, seeking him, knowing that I certainly can depend upon Him. At all times. Every single day, good or bad. So at my best, I encourage, in my spirit, a quick return to Him when I’ve gone off. A Friend With All of the Answers And at my best, those wanderings get smaller. And I can only see th

    …take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires, to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. Ephesians 4:22-24 I Can Be Renewed in My Mind! The Holy Spirit works on me, changing me to be like Jesus. He is making me new. Believers need reminders that this is happening. I do. And I love being reminded of it   I like how the Living Translation says to “throw off” my old sinful self. Throw. Be active in this. Work it out. Throw that junk off. Why? It’s corrupted by lust. Evil desires. That’s flesh. Romans 8 talks about believers setting our minds on the things of the Spirit versus the things of the flesh. I must work at this. And to make matters worse, the verse says I can deceive myself. I must throw off my sinful nature which is corrupted by lust and deception. This is serious, right? I must pay attention. If I don’t, I can find mysel

  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 Stress Contentment is a blessing, and it’s in my control as a believer. Really? Yes it is. How do I know? Because Paul is implying here that believers should be content. If he is saying that I can be content, then I can. How easy it is for me to not treat contentment with the full respect it deserves! Sometimes I don’t think at all about how to nurture it nor protect it. I know what it is to be rich. And I know what it is to scrape by, to wonder how the bills are ever going to get paid. I can get so anxious about possible upcoming stresses. So I build up this steam of discontent all in my head, ruining the day. Learning to be Content How do I get this contentment? I love the first few lines of the serenity pr

  I am the one, I sweep away your transgressions for my own sake and remember your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25 I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you. Isaiah 44:22 All of It God works and keeps on working in the lives and hearts of believers, in me. Even when I go through dry times and I feel like God has forgotten me. That’s me being self-deceptive. Living in denial. God is with me, and He does expect me to trust and obey Him. I am in no way able to handle my own sin. It handles me. And the God of all creation knows all about it. He knows all about my sin. Nothing is hidden. And He sweeps my sin away. The dirt is gone. He sweeps up my jealousies. He sweeps up my unrighteous anger. He sweeps up my unfaithfulness. He sweeps up my laziness. He sweeps it ALL up. Throwing Out the Garbage Not only does He sweep it away, but He remembers it no more. He sweeps away my sins like a mist! Poof, just like smoke it disapp

  I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love… Ephesians 3:16-17 Strengthen You This verse says I am strengthened out of the riches of His glory. I need that strength. I am not God. I serve Him. I need power to serve Him. It seems like I falter over and over and over. I also can pray that other believers be strengthened. When I see a brother or sister hurting or weak, I get to ask that God strengthen them! How? In what way? OUT OF THE RICHES OF HIS GLORY! I often zoom right past that idea. My strength comes from the riches of His glory. Knock me over with a feather. There is plenty for all. (And I can pray that the believers around me get it too...) With what do I get strengthened? With power through His Spirit in my inner being. This is treasure. More valuable than any chest that any pirate ever buried. I am a believe

  I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe Him. It is that same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven… Ephesians 1:19 Mighty Power This year, I began journaling to dig into who I am in Christ. Now, I've been a believer since I was a child. Plus, I went to Christian schools and camps. I went on summer missions in Brazil and Scotland. I've taught Sunday School and preached sermons. Still, somehow, I missed a complete understanding of who I am in Christ. But in the last year, verses began slapping me in the face. It was like I had never slowed down to take them in. And I found myself grieving my former blindness yet getting excited about this. They were verses like the one above. Paul says to the Ephesians here "how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe Him." That's me. I believe Him. So then, His power is incredibly

  But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Boast About My Weakness His grace is plenty for me. His power is perfected in my weakness. What a concept! Good then, because I have plenty of that to go around! I will boast about my weaknesses: pride, jealousy, anger, worry, lack of faith, self pity. Boy, it stings for me to write that list. And of course there are more. But the verse says to BOAST about them! Why? So that His power may reside in me. I want that. Then, the writer of the verse really lays in on thick. He also says he takes pleasure in insults. I'm going to stop right there for a sec. Because I usually read through this verse like a motorcar.

  Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:24-‬25 Crucified The Flesh I am Christ's. I am a believer. He wrote my name in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world. Amen! I have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. That's what the verse says. I have crucified, past tense. So, why do I put on that old rotten corpse of my flesh again to try to serve Him, to battle sin, or even do this thing called life? Makes no sense! But I have crucified the flesh. And I do need reminders! I am not a child of the Devil. I am a child of God. No matter how much the Devil lies to me. No matter how much I have carried unhelpful shame. I AM A CHILD OF GOD! Hallelujah! Now, I live in the Spirit. That's the truth. That's the reality. I know it. I believe it. The verse says, "Let us also walk in the Spirit." Walk. Move my feet. That's me ac

 

 

  Today, we only have a podcast version of the daily devotional. It's about 8 minutes long. The scripture is a bit longer than what we normally cover.  Here's the passage. May you be blessed as you read and meditate on His word! 2 Peter 1:3-8  3  His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  4  By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire.  5  For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,  6  knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,  7  godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  8  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful in the knowledge of our

No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV Temptation is not sin. I get tempted. Everyone does. It is part of the fabric of being human, even for believers. And I might think that this temptation is unique to me. That I need to work my way through it in my own way.  That's just my pride. "I got this. No one can help me." When I try to work it, I end up feeling hopeless. Feeling that others can live a victorious Christian life, but not me.  I have year upon year of trying to break through my own temptation and sin.  But wait... He doesn't let me get tempted beyond my ability. "Yes He does!" I secretly think.  I'm wrong. I know, because when I look at how giving in to my sin happened, I see patterns of thought and even "smaller" sins tha