True Life Challenge: Our Identity Crisis...

Col 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

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This week I am feeling a little bit convicted. God has placed in my heart a burning desire to seek Him first in all that I do. And, since this blog is about what God is doing and speaking in my life, I feel compelled to be brutally honest and just say it how I am feeling it... There is nothing in this entire Daily In Christ Devotional Blog that I write that God isn't working on in my life. I believe I am the test pilot for all of my writings and I pray that you see my heart and know that what I speak, I speak from Him working on me first...With that said:

Are you having an identity crisis? No, seriously... I think at some time or another in our life we run into a period where our identity gets shaken. The things we place our identity into crumble around us, let us down, or abandon us all together. I know this is true for me and I have seen it occur in the the lives of many people around me. When our identity is in anything but Christ, we will get impatient, frustrated, angry, and desire the things of the world over the things of God. Paul calls them idols and they take first place in our life.

Some people put their identity into their children. And when their children fail them they feel like a failure as a parent. Others might put their identity into health, nutrition, and working out. And we all know that eventually our body is going to let us down. Cars, houses, jobs, etc... we all seek our identity in some form or another in and through these types of things.

As I look closely at the book of Colossians, Paul speaks clearly to the fellow believer's in Colosse to put their identity in Christ. He begins in Col 3:1, "if you are a believer"... "if you have been raised with Christ" then...

Then what? Col 3:2 Set your mind on things above; Col 3:3 put to death what is earthly; Col 3:9-10 put away the old self and put on the new self; Col 3:12-13 put on the attributes of Christ; Col 3:14 and above all else put on love; Col 3:16 let the word of Christ dwell in you; Col 3:17 do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ...

When we have our identity in Christ, we are like a mirror image of the Almighty Creator. We look different, we act different, and we love different than the rest of the world. We do these things not to gain the approval of God, but because we have been transformed by Him and we have placed our identity in Him.

Daily In Christ - True Life Challenge

Where do you place your identity? In your kids, your spouse, you appearance? Do you seek approval because of the work that you do or the people you know? Christ is all and should be all in our lives.

Here are some things that often take the place of God in our lives:

• Success
• Family
• Popularity
• Things
• Health
• Good Works
• Pleasure
• Money
• Position
• Selfish Desires

I encourage you today to look at the things that are most important in your life. Do they center around the things of God or are they for personal comfort, success, or to bring glory to yourself? God wants all our affection. I pray today that you will honor God with all of your heart and begin tearing down idols that keep you from seeing Him. When you place your identity in Christ, you will never be let down!

Blessings to you as you draw closer to Him.

Keith

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