Identity in Christ... what's that all about?

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Welcome to the YA podcast. Lean in as we dive into the practicals of life with Jesus as spirit filled young adults. Well, welcome back everyone to the Young adult Podcast season six. We are back for more episodes and I am very excited to be joined by the one and only Emily Dean. [00:00:38] Speaker B: Hello. [00:00:38] Speaker A: Hello. Emily is such a gift. She is, has done ministry all over the world, if I can say that, and over Australia. Why don't you tell everyone about what that's look like for you? [00:00:51] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. Thanks first of all for having me today. Excited pleasure and have our amazing chats that we're gonna have. So a little bit about me. I have spent some time in the States. I was there for about five years, went through ministry school and then ended up working as a youth pastor for a couple years in Texas and then the Lord brought me back to Perth where I'm from. Shout out to Perth if there's anyone listening. I know there's a real strong like Perth Melbourne connection as I've been picking up. Yeah. And so I, yeah, spent the last about six months, six years back in Perth and ended up church planning. Worked in young adults ministry with Red Frogs and so in the university space. And yeah, many of you may be familiar with Tribes Church. We had Pastor Cody come out for our young adults retreat last year and that was incredible. What a powerful time that was. But I actually ended up helping launch Tribes and was on our executive team there and so served there for about four, almost five years and yeah, it was really incredible. Wore many different hats in a church plan as you do see you need feel a need and so have done various different things in ministry but have such a passion for, yeah, just the local church and for seeing people become all that God has created them to be. And yeah, so I'm really passionate especially about the topic we're talking about today. And one of the other things I am doing at the moment is finishing off my bachelor in theology which is super exciting. And so one of the things that I'm doing at the moment is actually doing a bit of an internship at NUMA for my degree and I've had the privilege of working alongside Jessica and Thomas and helping with a few things behind the scenes. So yeah, yeah. [00:02:42] Speaker A: And you have been such a gift to me personally to our whole young adult ministry, just even in friendship, like if you guys know me and hearing some of the stuff that Emily has done, you're like, oh, it's like the stuff that Jess loves, the Red Frogs, all that stuff. So, so, so cool to see another woman that is just running after the Lord in ministry and. Yeah, serving. So thank you for coming to Melbourne. Thank you for serving us. Thank you for everything you do. And I'm really excited to get into this topic today because it is something that is super foundational for all of us as believers, and I think something, especially as young adults, we can all really struggle with. And as we were chatting, definitely something that came up and is something that we are focusing on as a church as well. In this season, we. Which is identity in Christ. So you might have heard those words. You might be familiar with that or you might not be. We currently have a course running that Emily has been part of as well, which has been so cool just seeing people. Yeah. Go after that and seek out what is. What is my identity in Christ? Why is it so important? Because ultimately, everything that we do flows out of our identity and what we believe to be true. So, yeah, super excited to get straight into that. [00:03:59] Speaker B: So good. [00:04:00] Speaker A: Ready to go? [00:04:00] Speaker B: Let's do it. [00:04:01] Speaker A: Let's do it. [00:04:01] Speaker B: Let's jump in. [00:04:02] Speaker A: Well, before we get into what our identity is and what does the word actually say about us, we want to ask the question, why is it important? I said that. Yes. Everything flows out of that. Well, why? Can you give us a little bit of a framework of why do we actually need to know. Yeah, our identity. [00:04:19] Speaker B: Yeah, totally. I think when we look at scripture, there is often a very clear. I mean, there's lots of things in scripture, obviously, but something that, as I've been helping prepare some of the identity and Cross Christ resources, I really started to notice was like, man, when you look at the New Testament and so much of what Paul writes to the New New Testament Church, there is always this almost like a consistent flow of how he writes a lot of his letters. And often it starts with a little bit of encouragement, and then it flows straight into a reminder of their identity in Christ and the gospel, what was done for them and who they are in Christ. [00:05:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:06] Speaker B: And then it'll flow into addressing a particular issue or something that the church has clearly been navigating or like, facing. And he then reflects on how to address that issue based on their identity in Christ. And so in a lot of what you read in the New Testament, it'll have that pattern. [00:05:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:26] Speaker B: It's what has God done for you? Who are you now? And then how do you face this issue that's in front of you or this conflict or whatever is going on in that particular church context? [00:05:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:37] Speaker B: And I think that's so reflective of Our lives here and now in today society, you know, we can look around us and there's so many things happening. There are so many different things that we face. But the truth is, is that we need to come back to whose we are and who we are, and then we can go from there and going, okay, well, how do I actually face this issue, this whatever is going on in my world or, you know, even just, like, looking at the rest of the world? How do I approach this from the place of what has Jesus done for me and who does that mean I am? [00:06:14] Speaker A: Yeah, that's really good. So instead of jumping ahead to, like, the micromanaging of, like, oh, I'm struggling with this sin, or I have this thought pattern or whatever that is, instead of jumping into that and trying to deal with the symptoms of something, it's ultimately coming back to the root of, like, yeah, what do we believe and what is true? Yes. [00:06:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:35] Speaker A: And there's not always an alignment between what is true and what we actually believe. [00:06:40] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:40] Speaker A: Sometimes we believe something that isn't true. So I think, yeah. What you're hitting on is really, really important that we come back to what does the Lord actually say about us? [00:06:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:52] Speaker A: Who has he really made us to be? What is our identity as sons and daughters in Christ? What is. What is our identity? And therefore, then how does that shape our life? [00:07:02] Speaker B: Yes. [00:07:02] Speaker A: And it's cool that that's all throughout Scripture, Even, you know, 2,000 years ago, that that was important and how much more today, in a society where identity is always in question, absolutely tied to everything other than that coming back to that. And so, yeah, I think I would just encourage anyone listening right now if you. Even if you've been a Christian for a really long time, and even if you feel like, oh, I know this stuff, just to really lean in, just ask Holy Spirit, okay, what can I actually receive of today? What can I be reminded of? Maybe I've drifted a little bit from that. Maybe I'm operating in a works mentality. Maybe I'm operating in poverty or victimhood. And I. And I. I don't realize it, but I've just missed the mark just a little bit. Let us, like, come back to center as we explore this. [00:07:53] Speaker B: That's so good. And I think just even as you were saying that, like, when we reflect on, like, the human condition and the fact that we are living in the tension of the now and the not yet. [00:08:03] Speaker A: Yep. [00:08:03] Speaker B: Of the fullness of what crisis, you know, made available for us, like, we're still human. We still have flesh like we still live in. In this world, but yet we've been given the Holy Spirit to be empowered as we live. The reality is we have to keep coming back to what God has said about us. As you look at humanity in scripture, we can learn so much from the Israelites and the church and the fact that they had to consistently be reminded of who they are. Hey, we're no different. We can't be excused from that. At no point do we graduate our identity in Christ. Like you said, it does affect every single part of our life. How we see ourselves, how we see others, how we treat others, and how we approach every. Everything. [00:08:49] Speaker A: Yeah. I mean, even like how we dress, how we treat our bodies. Like. Yeah. Everything can. Can flow out of this. [00:08:57] Speaker B: Yeah. So good. [00:08:59] Speaker A: Well, what. What is our identity? Grace. [00:09:01] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:09:03] Speaker A: The big question. [00:09:04] Speaker B: The big question. Well, you know, there's so many different ways that we can dive into that, but I think it's really important to remember what he has done for us. [00:09:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:19] Speaker B: You know, he. Jesus came and he died on the cross to restore us into right relationship with the Father. [00:09:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:26] Speaker B: You know, we live in a fallen world and we live with sin. All of us have fallen short, sinned and fallen short as a glory of God. And I think that's so important to recognize and then come to the fact of what he has done. [00:09:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:41] Speaker B: You know, Jesus died on the cross and he took on all our sin. [00:09:47] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:09:48] Speaker B: He took on everything in order that we could then be reconciled to the Father and live as he designed us for. And so through that, we then have been given access to be sons and daughters. [00:10:03] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:04] Speaker B: And. [00:10:05] Speaker A: And now we get to live in that. [00:10:07] Speaker B: Yes. [00:10:07] Speaker A: In that place. So he's given us, like, what you're saying is ultimately the gospel. You. That Jesus's death and resurrection was the missing piece to restore what God had originally designed in the beginning, which is that we were made in his image, we would have dominion over the earth and that we would be fruitful and multiply in this earth because God Himself exists in relationship in the Trinity. And. And that was so beautiful that he wanted more of that and he wanted humanity to have relationship with. So that was restored. What was. What was beautiful in Eden and what was broken through sin was restored through the redemptive work of Jesus. So now, even though. Then we use that language now and not yet, what that means is like, even though we still sin, even though we're still broken human beings, even though we still have all the wrestles and struggles of this life, we know that the work of Jesus has been entirely finished on the cross. And so that moment bought for us the inheritance in Christ. It made us co heirs with Christ. It made us equal as sons and daughters. If Jesus is the firstborn, we, we are the brothers and sisters of Christ and we have the same inheritance in God as if we never sinned and we never did wrong and there was never any reason for separation. But the now and not yet element of it is that now it's been fully, fully completed. But the not yet means that we still have to walk it out. [00:11:45] Speaker B: Yes. [00:11:45] Speaker A: We still have to go through the daily transformation of actually receiving what has already been done in Christ and that transformation. So, yeah, I guess when we talk about inheritance and co heirs with Christ, like, what does that really mean? Could you kind of dig into that a little bit more? [00:12:04] Speaker B: Yeah, totally. I think when we think about that, we have to come back to the fact that like, we've actually laid down our lives. We've laid it down. [00:12:16] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:16] Speaker B: And we, we participate in the, I don't want to say crucifixion, but you [00:12:20] Speaker A: know what I'm saying, We've partnered with him. [00:12:22] Speaker B: We partnered with him in his death. And then as we, we are then raised again through the power of the Holy Spirit who comes and lives in us. And so by laying our lives down, we now then receive the gift of life. [00:12:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:36] Speaker B: And that comes through the Holy Spirit. And so make it official. [00:12:41] Speaker A: Get some scripture. [00:12:43] Speaker B: Yes, yeah. Just pulling up the word. So through what Christ has done for us, we then now receive the Holy Spirit. [00:12:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:12:51] Speaker B: And what I love in Ephesians, Ephesians chapter one is probably like one of my favorite passages of scripture that I always come back to. Why? Because it is an example of Paul speaking to the church in Ephesus and giving them a reminder of what Christ has done for them and so therefore how they are meant to live. And so it's just such a beautiful synopsis of the Gospel. And I think when we come down to, let's see, Ephesians. Just going to read. I'm just going to read. I'm just going to read a portion. [00:13:24] Speaker A: Yeah, go for it. [00:13:25] Speaker B: Because you can't go wrong. But in Ephesians 1:11, it says, in him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in the conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ, when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, when you believed you were marked in him with a seal. The promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until redemption, until the redemption of those who are in God's possessions to the praise of his glory. [00:14:06] Speaker A: So good. [00:14:06] Speaker B: And so what we see is that we receive the Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance of what is to come at that moment of full redemption. [00:14:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:19] Speaker B: And so what we experience in the Holy Spirit is just. Man, we get to experience such a delight in the Lord through the Holy Spirit. And it's just a glimpse. Yeah, it is just a glimpse. It always gets me excited when I think about the peace and the joy and the freedom that I experience in what I've experienced here on earth with the Holy Spirit of what is to come on the other side. [00:14:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:43] Speaker B: Like, oh, my gosh, there's so much of the Lord that we are yet to know. But it is so encouraging and beautiful that we get to experience the Holy Spirit and through receiving him. [00:14:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:54] Speaker B: We then get to have a deposit of that freedom that is to come, of that peace that is to come, of the. Of the power of the gospel, the victory that has already been won. We get that through the deposit of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. [00:15:11] Speaker A: So good. [00:15:11] Speaker B: And so that, to me, is like the. The fact that we have the Holy Spirit, who is a. Is a gift and a deposit of our inheritance. [00:15:21] Speaker A: That's really, really good. And it's such a good reminder. Even when we have, like, encounters with God and we're like, oh, I just feel so joyful. I feel peace or whatever. It's like that is just a reminder in the moment. Not. Not that it's not for the moment, because it is for the moment, but it's also a reminder of what we will walk in, in the fullness, in eternity with Christ. But it's a taste of that. It's an inheritance. It's a guarantee. My version has a footnote that says, or a down payment. Here's the down payment of our inheritance. So we're like, we receive this much now, knowing that there is so much more to come in him, which is so cool. So, yeah, I mean, like, that. I was gonna say, what is that inheritance, but I feel like we've kind of already answered that. It's the freedom, it's the joy. It's life in Christ, oneness with the Father. [00:16:12] Speaker B: Yes. It's that being restored in relationship and being brought back in, grafted in to, like, you were saying before, like, the original plan of what God had for humanity is becoming sons and daughters afresh. [00:16:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:25] Speaker B: Being given the right of adoption to sonship. So that we may cry, I, Abba father. [00:16:30] Speaker A: Yes. [00:16:31] Speaker B: So that we can come boldly before the throne of God. [00:16:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:35] Speaker B: Present our request to him to have that relationship. [00:16:38] Speaker A: Come on. [00:16:39] Speaker B: Have that. That unity with God again and live from that place which is what he longed to do from the beginning of time, is to walk with us day by day and have that restored relationship. [00:16:53] Speaker A: Yeah. And if you just think about it like a son or a daughter, and the Bible uses the word sons because that's historically what we're talking about. Son receives the inheritance. But when it says sons. No girls, you are included in their sons and daughters. Yeah. But you think about it in a natural context. If you had a very wealthy father as a son or a daughter, you received their inheritance. Everything that they have, every right to their name falls to your name at the right time. And so that's what we have in. In God. Like, we think of God the father. I think, like, just even for us to take a moment and just step back and. And think about everything that he is and everything that. All the authority that he has, everything that he has access to and. And who he is. Just. He is love. He is not just that he loves, but he is love. He is joy. He. He owns everything in. In the universe. And we're not talking about material possessions, although that's part of it, but it's like there is nothing that is out of his sight, and we get to be part of that inheritance in him. Because we're sons and daughters. [00:18:04] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:18:05] Speaker A: And that's what you said. It is. When you first heard the word, the gospel of your salvation, you were sealed that in that moment of saying yes to Jesus once and done, believing in our heart that he is who he says he is. When we receive that in that moment, we immediately are grafted into the family of God. [00:18:24] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:25] Speaker A: We're adopted in. We can call him Abba Father. [00:18:28] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:29] Speaker A: Which is like a childlike response to our father. It's like saying, papa, dad. Like, it's. It's that simplicity of. Of coming to him and knowing that, like, he loves us so much, we can sit in his knee and we know that we can have what we ask for because of the way that he loves us and also be disciplined when necessary and. Yeah. And all of that. But. Mm. Yeah. Just knowing that that intimate relationship that he invites us into. [00:18:56] Speaker B: Totally. And I think because we live in the tension of the now and the not yet. And we. We have to keep coming back to. What is the promise over my life? [00:19:08] Speaker A: Yes. [00:19:08] Speaker B: Because when we forget that, we don't live in light of that. [00:19:13] Speaker A: Okay. [00:19:13] Speaker B: And so we have to. We have to come back, just like Paul does in all of his letters, is that we have to come back to the truth of the gospel, the truth of who we are, the truth of the promise that is over our lives, what God's design was for us, what his heart was for us as his people, so that then we can then therefore live in today's day and age from that place of identity in Christ. [00:19:38] Speaker A: That's really, really good. I'm reminded of. And you guys have probably heard me talk about this before because it's something that I frequently come back to, but in Luke 15, the story of the prodigal son. And. And, you know, we can focus on the son that took his inheritance and went away, but also he took his inheritance and came back, and the father still gave him more. [00:19:56] Speaker B: That's one thing. [00:19:57] Speaker A: But also the older brother, because the older brother is like, oh, dad, like, why did. Why did my brother get something that you never gave me? And there's just this line that the Father says to this son, which I will never forget, and I want to read it to you. So the very end of the chapter 15 of Luke, in verse 31, he says to him, son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. [00:20:25] Speaker B: Wow. [00:20:26] Speaker A: And that's just the. That's the heart of the Father is. Is to be reminded, like, how easy it was for him to get derailed, to become jealous and, you know, just questioning things and just a simple reminder, you were always with me, and all that I have is yours. And I don't want to focus on the. The having part of it in terms of like, oh, what can I get from God? But knowing that. That. That intimacy of relationship and that from that, everything else flows. And so, yeah, we really need this reminder. So, like, why do you think we forget this? Why do you think we get derailed or. Yeah. Or. Or move on from that? Like, kind of. What are some of the struggles in that? [00:21:13] Speaker B: Well, I think it's so easy to, you know, when there's different things that we face. [00:21:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:21:20] Speaker B: Today. Like, it could be anything from suffering any. Any aspect of suffering, like failure. Failure, loss of job, failing an exam, or not doing well at uni. Or it could be, like, sickness. Or maybe you slip up in an old pattern and you get faced with the reality of, like, things around you are not secure. [00:21:44] Speaker A: Yep. [00:21:44] Speaker B: Things around you are shifting and changing. And you are not in the. The. You're. You are living in the. The tension of the now and the not yet. [00:21:53] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:21:54] Speaker B: And so when you're constantly faced with the not yet. [00:21:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:21:58] Speaker B: You can sometimes forget what you actually do have access to. [00:22:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:01] Speaker B: And I think we forget what we have access to when we don't stay the shadow of the cross. When we don't stay close to what it is that Jesus has done for us. Yeah. When we. Yeah. You know, when we allow our lives to be full and busy and we maybe don't steward the secret place as well as we want to. [00:22:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:20] Speaker B: That's our anchor. That is our anchor. And when we aren't necessarily. Maybe. And it can happen so unintentionally. [00:22:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:28] Speaker B: But that's our place where we come back and we remind ourselves of, like. No. Like, this is what Christ has done for me, and then, therefore, this is how I live. [00:22:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:38] Speaker B: As I face all of these things around me that change. Because the thing that doesn't change is God. [00:22:42] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:43] Speaker B: He's been the consistent one for the entirety of time. [00:22:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:47] Speaker B: And we know that. And I'm sure many of us have experienced that when we've gotten a bit swirly and we come back to the one true rock in our lives. [00:22:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:54] Speaker B: And that is the one who does not change. He was the same yesterday, today and forever. [00:22:58] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:58] Speaker B: And when we come back to what is secure, we find our security in that place, and that is in Christ. [00:23:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:07] Speaker B: But we have all of these things that happen around us that are changing and shifting. [00:23:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:11] Speaker B: And so we have to remain. [00:23:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:14] Speaker B: Gotta come back and abide. [00:23:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:15] Speaker B: John 15. [00:23:16] Speaker A: And that. And honestly, that is really hard. Yeah. I don't like saying that Christianity is hard, but I. I also just want to, like, empathize with the moment when. Yeah. Like, maybe you've been through a breakup. Maybe you've lost a job, you're starting a new job, and there's. There's all these transitions happening within you and around you, or maybe everyone else is doing something new and you're stuck in the same old thing. Like, whatever way that looks like, you know, all your friends are getting into relationships and you're not, or whatever that is. And you start to enter into this place of. Of misplaced identity, of, like, well, maybe I'm not worth it. Maybe it's. I. You know, I lose my value because I. The things that were secure to me are no longer secure. [00:23:58] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:23:59] Speaker A: And it is really hard when everything is swirling, to be like, oh, yeah, I'm going come back to a God that I can't see. Yes. Yeah. But that's why the Holy Spirit is so important. [00:24:09] Speaker B: Absolutely. [00:24:10] Speaker A: And as we read in that passage earlier, that he is a seal, that he is the one that keeps us on track. He is the reminder of. Of what we have in Christ. And I think sometimes it can actually be good. It can be good when those things happen because they. If we allow them, they can remind us what's important. They can allow us to come back to ground zero, reveal what maybe we were holding on to that was not in Christ. You know, maybe we were feeling really confident, secure and loving life and generous and everything because life was going well. [00:24:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:46] Speaker A: And then maybe when everything is stripped away, we realized that we are just selfish, broken human beings. Yeah. Yeah. And that is a reminder of our need for him and the need for the Holy Spirit to keep us in step with him, that we would walk in step with the Spirit. Because as soon as we don't. [00:25:03] Speaker B: Yes. [00:25:04] Speaker A: We fulfill the desires of the flesh, which are temporary and not the eternal [00:25:09] Speaker B: things, and that's it. I think there is a responsibility that we have to stay in step with the Spirit. [00:25:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:14] Speaker B: Like, that is what Scripture talks about consistently. We are now to live by the Spirit. Yeah. Like, and as we face these different things, like, Scripture doesn't leave us. Like, it doesn't hang us out to dry. Like. [00:25:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:29] Speaker B: There is. There is instructions in the scripture, but we have to. We have to look at them, and then we've got to do them. And that's like. Like there is an active part of our participation in this life. [00:25:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:41] Speaker B: And it's active because if we're not active, if we. If we are passive about how we live our lives, we will slip back into the flesh because we're in the. Not yet. [00:25:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:51] Speaker B: But the reality is when we lay our lives down for the Lord, we die to self, and then we live by the Spirit, you know, and so what that means is that we have to be active. We're no longer citizens of the earth, but we're citizens of heaven. [00:26:07] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:08] Speaker B: And so we have to set our minds on things above, you know, Ephesians 2 and then. [00:26:16] Speaker A: What's it called? [00:26:16] Speaker B: Colossians. Colossians 3 talks about a little bit of homework for you, if you want, should you choose to accept it, is go through Colossians 3 and look at how it says to put off this. Put off all the things of the world, and Then it talks about put on. [00:26:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:34] Speaker B: There is an active thing of putting off and putting on that we have to actually come back to. And that requires participation. [00:26:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:42] Speaker B: It requires something from us. In Romans 8, it says Romans 8:5. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires. But those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their mind set on what the spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. And then we know in Romans 12, do not be conformed. [00:27:08] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:09] Speaker B: To the world around you, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. [00:27:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:13] Speaker B: And so there is the. The scripture tells us there is an active part that we play and how we steward our minds. Setting your minds on the things above. Okay, God. Well, what are those things? Let's come back to your truth, Lord. [00:27:26] Speaker A: Yes. [00:27:26] Speaker B: This is what I'm facing. I have an opportunity here to partner with fear. I have an opportunity to partner with doubt, with all of the different things that we face. But actually, like, what's your truth? Am I living from a place of victory? [00:27:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:41] Speaker B: From a place of the fact that Christ has already overcome all of these things, that there is no separation between us Or. Or am I living in a place of shame and I'm living in a place of fear? Am I living in a place of guilt? [00:27:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:53] Speaker B: And allowing other things to speak louder than the truth that we've been given. [00:27:58] Speaker A: Yeah. That's really good. And you're reiterating that truth of our identity is that we are now saints. [00:28:04] Speaker B: Yes. [00:28:05] Speaker A: That we are now completely forgiven, completely free. So when we do something that is out of alignment with that, it doesn't change our identity. [00:28:13] Speaker B: Yes. [00:28:13] Speaker A: If. If before Christ, I was an alcoholic and then I got set free, and then I sl. And drink too much today, that doesn't make me an alcoholic again. Yeah. I'm still a saint. I'm still fully redeemed. I'm not a sinner, but I still sin. [00:28:29] Speaker B: Yes. Yeah. [00:28:30] Speaker A: And. And I love what you're hitting on there. And what that comes back to is we have to keep feeding the truth. [00:28:36] Speaker B: Yes. [00:28:37] Speaker A: And renewing our minds. We are wired to believe something through repetition. So the more we say something, the more we hear something, the more we're actually going to believe it's true. And so if we have a thought pat of that is a lie. [00:28:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:54] Speaker A: We have to ask ourselves, what have I been feeding that that is grown into a lie. [00:28:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:28:59] Speaker A: And then do the hard work of just beating ourselves with scripture. Yeah. And I would encourage you, especially if identity is a thing for you. Go to the letters, read Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, because they will speak directly into that and obviously the gospel as well. So feeding the truth. Yeah, and continually feeding and rewind, rewiring your brain so that it can be transformed, as it says in Romans 12. Yes, absolutely important. [00:29:27] Speaker B: Absolutely. It's so good. [00:29:31] Speaker A: So good. I was also thinking about, in Ephesians 4. 1, it says that Paul says, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling. Yipping cold. [00:29:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:29:42] Speaker A: And so that's what that is. That's what putting in practices in place does. It doesn't change our identity. Identity is unchangeable. Putting the practices in place means that we are more likely to continue to hold true to that identity and to live it out and to walk in step with the Spirit. So we have to walk worthy of this calling that we've been given in Christ, which is that, that he has redeemed us. And we can, I mean, I can just say the same thing again. But you need you to get this point that, like, we need to choose to walk worthy. We need to choose to resist the devil. To resist sin. Yeah, because sin is a foothold that. It's like one step at a time. It's going to lead you down a path of lies. And the devil is, is the father of lies. He's the accuser of the brethren. He will intentionally, always tell you something that is not true. And if you're living in a sin pattern, you're going to be susceptible to believing those lies again. And so that's why overcoming sin, knowing that you've already been forgiven and by the power of the Holy Spirit overcomin sin, is so important to walking in our identity in Christ. Not perfection, but knowing that we are moving towards complete sanctification. [00:30:51] Speaker B: Yeah. That's so good. Can I just say something about that? I think as I was reflecting this morning and thinking about how we can get stuck in sin patterns, I think it's so easy. But again, I think when I was reflecting on kind of my journey and when there was some, maybe some sin patterns that I was struggling with as a teenager and a young adult, I. What really got me out of that place, that shift from what I would say was like, maybe like living in the pattern of sin to living as maybe, okay, living from a sinner to a saint. Like, I feel like there was a distinct change in my life that happened. I was saved, but I was living as A sinner. And then I switched from a pattern, but it was through a revelation of God's grace. I had a revelation of what the cross really did for me. And that shifted something for me. And I think what happens when we shift and we have that perspective of what Jesus really did on the cross for me, that he physically died for me, for my sins, for my wrongdoing, for my wholeness. He then made a way for me and gave me something I did not deserve. And when I. What? Hey. Where the shift happens, and you'll catch this from what we've been talking about is you take your eyes off of what it is that you're struggling with. You take your eyes off of the flesh, eyes off of the pattern that I consistently keep getting stuck in. And the I. The things that I'm doing that I don't want to be doing, that I end up like in. And I am shifting my eyes to then Jesus. [00:32:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:32:28] Speaker B: What he has done for me. [00:32:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:32:29] Speaker B: I'm shifting my mind to the things above. [00:32:33] Speaker A: Yes. [00:32:33] Speaker B: And what happens is I'm then suddenly living in a place of grace, living from that place, and I'm living now as a saint and not stuck in sin. [00:32:42] Speaker A: Yes. [00:32:43] Speaker B: And for me, I would say that was the defining shift as a young person where I felt a change in my life and a change in how I was walking is when I lifted my eyes to things above and what God has done for me. [00:32:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:32:57] Speaker B: And from there, then, okay, maybe occasionally I would slip up, but my perspective was different because my eyes were set on things above and not on me and how I could stop myself sinning, but on what God has done for me. [00:33:08] Speaker A: That's so good. And I've had the same experience as well. Anytime that I've had idols in my life or unhealthy thoughts, just unwelcome, obtrusive thoughts. Like in those moments, at first I thought, I just have to resist this. Yeah. But then actually what has really helped me is not just not looking at the thing, but looking at Jesus. [00:33:29] Speaker B: Yes. Yes. [00:33:30] Speaker A: And turning my gaze, changing, changing. Like taking those thoughts captive and looking to Jesus. And like, this is all throughout Scripture. I mean, everyone loves the Hebrews passage, but I'm Even reading Psalm 119 at the moment, and it's just every. Every section, he's like, keep my eyes on you, God. [00:33:49] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:33:50] Speaker A: And David had to say that. Yeah. Because when he looked. When he looked astray is when he walked out of his identity, when he. When he acted not in accordance with who he was, when he looked out. Out the window, you know. But when he actually kept his eyes on the Lord, which is what he was supposed to be doing, he stayed in step. Wow. And so I think that's really important for us to keep our eyes on him because he is. He is the identity that we have. [00:34:17] Speaker B: Yes. [00:34:17] Speaker A: Is it? We're not God, but we get to be Christ, like, and we get to be versions of him to this world. And if we look at him, then we'll become like Him. And so we need to keep our eyes. [00:34:30] Speaker B: That's so good. Jess, Come on. What a word. [00:34:33] Speaker A: I feel like maybe we should land there. Yeah. But I hope that you've taken some practical tools out of this. And I think, yeah, if we could just leave the listeners with a. With a few practical things. I think we've kind of already gone there. But what would be, like, one thing that you would say that you would want to leave them with. [00:34:52] Speaker B: Yeah. I think when it comes to kind of like what you're saying, like, have a little bit of a check a check it. Check your heart to see how you're actually doing with your identity. And one of the ways, almost like a bit of a litmus test that I do that personally is I look at my life, I look at. How am I thinking about myself? [00:35:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:35:14] Speaker B: How am I thinking about situations that pop up. [00:35:16] Speaker A: Up. [00:35:17] Speaker B: How am I viewing others and interacting with others? Is this. Is this Emily like, or is this Christ like? Because I think when my eyes are off of Christ, I'm then now living to the standard I think is okay. [00:35:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:35:32] Speaker B: But when my eyes are on Christ, it changes the lens upon which I approach what a successful looks like, life looks like. [00:35:40] Speaker A: Yes. [00:35:41] Speaker B: Because it's doing it through Christ likeness and through Christ. And so is Christ reflected in your interactions with others in the way that you see yourself, the way that you live and move and have your being? [00:35:57] Speaker A: Yes. I love that. I love that. And I would agree with that and even say, like, I personally had experiences even. Like, this applies to everything, even body image. [00:36:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:36:08] Speaker A: And, you know, I don't have time to get into, like, a story and an example of that. But the Lord is, you know, as I've realized my identity, how much that has changed. And so many different areas of life can be fully transformed. Yeah. When we. When we get this right, and I think we're all on different journeys, it could be. Could be sin, it could be work, it could be sexuality, it could be anything. Whatever that is for you, take that before the Lord and. And understand what how your identity actually affects that and get a revelation of the truth. So I would encourage you guys to really dig into this, to read these scriptures as we've encouraged you. There's actually been a few really good books that I've read that I would love to recommend. If anyone out there is an avid non fiction reader like me. Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Chris Fellerton is a really good one. I've just recently finished Living Fearless by Jamie Winship. That was a game changer for me in terms of identity, knowing the truth and wrestling with the reality of our circumstances. And then one key one I've given out this to a lot of people is called Victory over the Darkness by Neil T. Anderson. Highly recommend any of those books shaping our identity in Christ. There's many more, but those are ones that I've read. And personally I can sit here today knowing my identity, not having fully arrived, absolutely not. But I can, I can walk in it so much more than even just couple of years ago, through conversations like this, through reading the Word and through good quality teaching as well. So I would encourage you guys to get good teaching and wrestle it out. Yeah, wrestle it out. Talk about this with someone in your world and be encouraged. [00:37:57] Speaker B: That's so good. And then also a little shameless plug for identity in Christ course as it comes back around the next time that it's running, I recommend that you go and do it, go and sit in the teaching afresh, go and wrestle out some of those things. And I. Yeah, there's never a point at which we shouldn't be coming back to what is identity in Christ. Because until we are on the other side of eternity, we need to come back, remind ourselves and to stay in the truth. [00:38:23] Speaker A: Yeah. Amen. Yeah. Can we just pray for our listeners before we wrap up? Thank you, Emily. [00:38:30] Speaker B: Yeah. Father, I thank you so much for this time. Lord, I thank you for the young adult who is sitting on the other side and listening to our voices as we're recording this. Lord, I thank you and I, I thank you Father, for what you have done through your son Christ. I thank you, Jesus, that you died on the cross for us to restore us and bring us back into right relationship with the Father that we now as sons and daughters, that we now are saints, not sinners. I thank you, Holy Spirit, that you give us every single thing we need to live a life of godliness. And so I just pray, Father, for a fresh empowering, a fresh equipping and a fresh revelation of who we are and whose we are. God, that we would live out a life worthy of the calling, worthy of the name of carrying the name Christian and that we would just, yeah, be able to live a God honoring life as sons and daughters and carry our identity as you have called us to. We thank you Father. And I bless every single person who's listening in Jesus mighty name. [00:39:32] Speaker A: Amen. Amen. Well, we hope that this has blessed you. Please come back with some feedback. We would love to hear how this has impacted your life and know that we are continually standing with you in prayer. And we love you guys so much. So you will hear from us in the next episode. See you later.