How to Be Confident in Your Identity in Christ (With Examples)
In a world full of self-identification, relative truth and ungodly philosophies, it’s very important for us to understand and walk in our identity in Christ.
If we are a born-again believer in Christ, then we are a child of God. We belong to Him, and we are not our own. This means that our identity comes from who we are in Him, not from who we think we are or who others have said we are. We must learn who we are in Christ as outlined in His Word and begin to live from that reality.
My Story
I was born extremely premature and developed an eye disease which left me with a visual impairment—even completely blind in one eye. From an early age, I subconsciously began to base my identity on my lack of vision which often left me feeling insecure and unconfident.
Notice how in the above paragraph I described myself as someone “with a visual impairment,” instead of as someone “who is visually impaired.” This is significant. For so many years I would say, “I am visually impaired,” as if that was my entire identity.
I finally made the switch to “I have a visual impairment” when I learned my identity in Christ. I realized that my vision loss was something that I have, it’s not who I am. That was a huge revelation for me, and practicing re-wording how I write and speak about myself has further helped reinforce this truth for me.
Here are some steps I have taken to help me understand and live out my identity in Christ.
1 - Study the Word
Seek what God says in His Word
Here are a few verses which tell us who we are in Christ:
We are righteous in God’s eyes through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21)
We are chosen, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)
We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians. 6:19)
We are here on purpose and for a purpose (Ephesians. 2:10)
We are full of the Holy Spirit who gives us power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)
2 - Memorize the Word
Memorize verses about who I am in Him
I did this by speaking over myself while blow drying my hair in the mornings. I would declare, “All my days were recorded in God’s book before a single one came to be, so I have purpose” (Psalm 139: 16)
I also began to write down these verses by making a list of “I am” statements.
I am righteous in God’s eyes through Christ.
I am chosen, holy and dearly loved.
I am the temple of the Holy Spirit.
I am here on purpose and for a purpose.
I am full of the Holy Spirit who gives me power, love and a sound mind.
3 - Develop a Relationship with God
The foundation for living out our identity in Christ is growing in our relationship with Him.
Spend time with God every day through worship, prayer and reading His Word
I started my journey with God by making a habit of spending ten minutes alone with Him every morning before school. Slowly but surely, my life began to change. My hunger for Him grew more intense, and I gradually increased my prayer time as my desire to be with Him grew stronger. Small starts produce great things.
Learning to transition from an old thought process takes time. As I began to practice the steps above, I experienced so much transformation in the way I think about myself. Not only that, I also began to see others through God’s eyes and realized that I had a great opportunity to serve others and make my life count for something bigger than myself.
As a young adult in this generation, I think it’s more important than ever that we know who we are in Christ amid a world of ever-changing trends, relative truth and societal chaos.