Mentoring Minutes

“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”           2 Corinthians 1:21-22

Love and Lordship in Focus…When you receive Christ as Savior and Lord, you receive His Holy Spirit into your life. One of the greatest benefits is the fact that by placing His Holy Spirit in you as a pledge, you are sealed (assured) as His! What an incredible encouragement in our identity in Christ!

Here’s one of the most powerful and fulfilling promises that we have in Christ…You and I are established, anointed and sealed by God with the promise and presence of The Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)!

In all these promises that we’ve been talking about as our identity in Christ, as well as so many more to come, every one of them are “Yes” in Christ. You are anointed…which is taken from the pouring of oil on the head and beard of the High Priest (and any others), allowing it to run down over the garments of the person so that they were being set apart for God’s specific purposes. The anointing of the Holy Spirit has set you apart for God’s Kingdom purposes that He created, and recreated in Christ, for His Glory and your good.

All of this has been sealed by the giving and filling of The Holy Spirit it you. He is the deposit dwelling in you that guarantees that you belong to God and He is Your Heavenly Father and will always care for you!

You are established in every condition and every Truth that His Word has said that you are. Now, don’t let the world or others compare, rate or rank you in any way…you have the very Spirit of God in you if you are a believer in Christ and He will show you all that He has in store for you as you seek, know and love Him!

Do you know Him or are you still trying to figure it out yourself and allowing the world to define who you are? You can know and it is the greatest thing you will ever know…established, anointed and sealed by Him and for Him…and as you are you will come to know what it means to be free and fulfilled!

I pray that you’ve been encouraged and blessed by walking through the Truths of God’s Word that declare who you are in Christ. Nothing in this world or the spiritual realm can take this identity away from you. The only way you step out of this identity is if you choose to do so, walk away from and reject Christ.

Even then, and this a beautiful part of our identity because of Who He Is…He still loves you and like the father of the prodigal son, he waits with open arms to show you that love. You need to know this and remember it at all times so you will continue to grow and walk in who He is showing you that you are in Christ… nothing can separate you from His Love (Romans 8:35-39)!

Don’t let your past, your present, those around you, the world, your selfish desires or anything else keep you from His Love that is always available to you because of what Christ has done.

This is what He wants you to desperately know so that you not only know His Love but can truly know and love who you are in Christ!

Do you know Him and His Love? Are you beginning to know and love more and more who He has recreated you to be in Christ? You can because He died and rose again!

As I pray we are becoming very aware that our identity in Christ is very fulfilling, our focus today should encourage us to know and love not only who we are in Christ but what He has called us to.

Paul describes it in Philippians 1:6 when he states that God is at work among us and in and through us. He goes so far as to say that he’s very confident (and wants us to be as well) that our Great God who has begun a work in each and every one of us is faithful to complete that work by the return of Christ.

We need to be assured that Christ has not only saved us but as we walk with Him as Lord, He is fulfilling every purpose and the specific purpose that God has created us for and that Christ gave Himself so we could be recreated to accomplish that end (Ephesians 2:10)!

Food for Thought…We can continue to strive in our own strength to fulfill what we would like to do to please or impress others…or we can rest and abide in God through Christ who has given us all we need. As we do so we will find that the greatest confidence and contentment are found in Him and His perfect purpose in and through us. I pray you know Him and are finding out all He has in store for you.

Love in Action –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. Journal what you’ve learned about your identity in Christ in this post. 
3. Reflect on and write about what it means for God to “seal” you by His Holy Spirit.
4. Reflect on and write about what it means that nothing can separate you from God’s Love.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns and we’ll walk through them together in The Lord and His Spirit.

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com to find out more about how you can know God the Father, Christ His Son and The Holy Spirit.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, I’ve tried to achieve, succeed and impress others on my own based on what the world tells me is good, using the talents you’ve given me. Thank You for showing me that the only way I can be confident, content and fulfilled is seeking You and allowing Christ to have His way in and through me. Let me continue to live in this and help others know You and the purpose they were recreated in Christ for so they can know the peace and contentment and know that You will complete what You’ve started in all of us and in all of us as Christ’s Church. In His Name. Amen.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  Romans 8:1 (KJ21)

Love and Lordship in Focus…So many of us love to hear those encouraging words that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ…but we struggle with the part that concludes who we are in Christ by our walking according to His Spirit and not our flesh! Make sure you are walking in His Spirit and His Word!

We’re talking now about what it means to be secure in Christ and what that looks like according to His Truth, knowing that our identity is defined by and secure in Him.

Did you know that because He has saved all who believe that, as a believer, you are forever free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-8). This does not mean that you can claim His grace and go on sinning (see Romans 6) but knowing that you’ve been saved by grace through faith you continue to walk in that identity by living in grace through faith!

Romans 8 goes on to tell us that those who are no longer condemned because they are in Christ are those who walk not according to the flesh but according to The Spirit. Your new identity in Christ, His love for you and yours for Him compels you to walk away from the things of the flesh and selfish desires and in surrender to Him, walk according to His word and Spirit!

This is your identity in Christ…know that you can daily and moment by moment choose to walk out the Truths of His Word and Spirit. That’s what He’s done for you (and me…all who believe) in abolishing the works of the Law that none of us could keep and therefore our identity was that of sin and failure. He has changed all of that!

He took all of that upon Himself and gave us this new identity with no condemnation that we can now grow in according to His Life (Spirit) in us!

Have you received Him as Savior and Lord and are now walking and growing  in your new identity in which sin and the flesh to not rule over you (it is a process – discipleship and sanctification)? Or are you claiming Him as Savior and still walking according to the flesh?

Spend time in The Word and prayer and ask Him to have His way in every part of your life as you walk in the new identity of His Spirit and without condemnation!

We continue in seeking God’s Word of Truth for who He says that we are…our identity…and the reality is that we are accepted and secure in Christ. Those are good places to be if we will let them sink in and walk accordingly by faith through grace.

Building on the just mentioned Truth, in Christ and walking in His Spirit, we are free from any condemnation as Christ has paid the price. Even if we stumble in our walk and maturity, as we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:7-9). Does that sound familiar from last week’s post?

This means that He has taken and abolished any accusations that the enemy or our own mind and flesh bring against us…we are free from any charges (Romans 8:31-34). The question is will you reject the now false charges from the flesh, the world and the enemy, and walk in His forgiveness, freedom and righteousness? Or will you allow the enemy to deceive and shame you into walking back into and committing those sins again?

You have a choice. He has taken that punishment for your sin(s) as well as made you righteous. He literally became sin and took our sin(s) so that we who believe are now made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Yet another familiar promise from His Word that should strengthen us in our walk and assurance of who we are in Christ. Walk in His Truth and believe and there can be no charge held against you because He has taken it.

Are you walking in that kind of forgiveness and freedom in Christ? You can. God is on your side…Christ is proof of that! So who can stand (or bring any charges) against you?

This who you are in Christ!

I hope you’re seeing how loved you are by God in His acceptance of you in Christ and realizing that you are secure in Him. As long as you remain in Christ by grace through faith, nothing can shake you. If you are being shaken, know He is there to make and keep you secure…check your relationship with Him.

We continue with the assurance of security as we realize in His Word that we will always have what we need (not all we want because God knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us too much to give us the selfish desires of our heart) (Philippians 4:19). We have this because of His grace (undeserved favor) and mercy (undeserved forgiveness and pardon) in Christ so that we now receive all the help we need (Hebrews 4:16).

Grace and mercy are the greatest needs we have for without them we could not hope to be saved, to know Him or be assured of our eternal salvation in Christ. Because Christ has paid the price, God’s perfect grace and mercy have been extended to us in gifts that we could never deserve (salvation, sanctification, blessings, eternal life and so much more) and in pardon and forgiveness that we can in no way earn…but Christ has made it so that we have help for every need. We can come boldly (and humbly) into God’s presence because Christ has made us holy (completely forgiven) and whole (healed) so that I’m perfect in God’s sight even as I continue to mature in His grace and mercy becoming more like Christ!

How reassuring is that? Do you know that regardless of what you’ve done or where you’ve been, you can freely receive His gift of grace and mercy at any time that covers every real need that you have (the Only Way)? He will see you through no matter what.

How reassuring and comforting is that security in Him? I pray that you know Him and His grace and mercy!  

Food for Thought…Do you know that regardless of what you’ve done or where you’ve been, you can freely receive His gift of grace and mercy at any time that covers every real need that you have (the Only Way)? He will see you through no matter what. I pray that you know Him and His grace and mercy!

Love in Action –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. Journal what you’ve learned about your identity in Christ in this post. 
3. Make a list of those things that you’re insecure about.
4. Pray about your list and ask The Lord to show you in His Word and by His Spirit that He is your assurance and security in every trial and uncertainty.

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com to find out more about how you can know God the Father, Christ His Son and The Holy Spirit.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, I have so many wants that I think are needs but in receiving Christ I begin to realize that my greatest needs are forgiveness and salvation and He has paid it all for me to freely receive these. I have all I need by Your grace and mercy in Him. Thank You and help me to share this with others so they can know Him and rest assured that they have all they need by Your grace and mercy. In Jesus Name. Amen.

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27

Love and Lordship in Focus…In Christ you have both an individual identity and an incredible identity of belonging to His Family, The Church. May we love one another in such a way to make every member confident of who they are in Christ!

In last week’s post we looked at our identity as being united with Christ in spirit as individuals and alluded to the unity of the Body of Christ. This unity is essential to who we are in Christ because we are literally members of His Body (1 Corinthians 12:27).

Paul describes our identity and unity in specific analogous terms of our own bodies and reminds us that every part is important and plays its role only as we accept our identity and humbly and diligently do our part.

As a former athlete and coach, one of the greatest things I learned and taught applies here in our identity. When we try to do things that we were not given, skilled or prepared to do we end up much less effective and often “on the bench.”

However, when we recognize our calling, abilities, preparation and roles…our IDENTITY…we find that, in humility, we are much more effective in abiding in Christ and accomplishing the purpose that we were called and created for, both personally and collectively in His Body.

If you are a believer in Christ, He lovingly and boldly calls you to walk in that identity and be confident, content and fulfilled (true humility) in His purpose in and through you to love others. The thing that most often gets in the way of us sharing, serving and loving others is our discontent with who we are in Christ because we allow the world and others define us.

Christ is the only One who can truly let you know who you are and what He has created you for…look to and be fulfilled in Him and who you are in Him!

Paul tells us in Romans that we have all sinned and are sinners. In our proud flesh that’s a hard pill to swallow because each of us thinks we’re pretty good folks. But sin is our default and it separates us from God. That’s the identity that satan wants you to carry with you to the end so that his work of killing, stealing and destroying are complete… “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;” (John 10:10a).

None of us wants that identity but we are stuck with it…that is until The One who came to bring us life and not just life but abundant life (John 10:10b)… “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” He gave His life to change it all! That’s the identity that we all truly desire because we were created for it (Ecclesiastes 3:11). We were made for, and to desire, eternity but we blew it. Christ came to restore our real identity so we could be assured of eternity.  However, without Him forgiving us and making us holy and whole we have no chance of entering into that Eternity with Him.

That’s why understanding and walking in our identity in Him is so powerful. Each of us as sinners in our natural flesh, once we by grace through faith believe in Christ, are made saints that can live forever with our God. Everyone who has received Christ and, is faithful in Christ, is addressed as saint (1 Corinthians 1:2)!

How’s that for an identity? You can live assuredly that you are saved and God sees you as a saint, even when you stumble, as long as you remain in Christ because He has already made you so.

Are you still living in a sinner identity with all the destructive repercussions of that life…OR are you living as the saint that Christ died to make you?

We’re talking about Love and identity in Christ. My hope and prayer is that you understand what that means and by knowing Christ you truly know who you are in Him.

Another part of our identity in Christ is found in one of the most beautiful revelations about who we are not only in Christ but with Him. John 15:13-15 plainly tells us in the context of being branches in The Vine (Christ) and walking in His Love that He has called us friends. I am a friend of God, of Christ, as I walk and remain in Him as my Savior and Lord!

Do you realize that as a believer in Christ you are in an intimate friendship with Him? Are you living and growing in that friendship with Him? What does it look like to be in and build a friendship with anyone, including God Himself?

I pray you do know Him and are walking as His friend because that is what He has called you. Are you spending time with Him, in His Word, prayer and listening to Him…that’s how you grow a friendship! I pray that just as Christ has made The Father known to you that you will make Him known to others…that’s true friendship!

We have been focusing on our identity as being accepted of God as His children, friends, redeemed, saints, a part of His Body, The Church, forgiven and whole, all in Christ.

We close today’s message with the reality (don’t miss this word in all of these things that we’ve been discovering or rediscovering that we are in Him) that we are secure in Him and all the ways that we are…

Because of God’s great Love given to me (to you and all believers) in Christ, I am now reborn of God and because of His Love and Grace the evil one can’t touch me (1 John 5:18). I may choose to step out of that and enter into sin, which invites the enemy and sin back into my life and in so doing have to deal with the consequences. I can be forgiven as I recognize, confess and repent of those sins (1 John 1:7-9). But as long as I choose by grace through faith to remain in all that He has given me in Christ then I belong to Him, reborn in Christ, secure in Him and protected from the enemy.

Food for Thought…As a believer in Christ as Savior and Lord, you have the security and assurance of being born of God in Christ, protected from all the enemy brings against you as you remain in Him. You also have the assurance that you are an integral and much needed part of His Body, The Church! Are you allowing Him to define you and do you know who you are in Him?

Love in Action –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. Journal what you’ve learned about your identity in Christ in this post. 
3. Take it a step further and journal how God has recreated you in Christ, gifted you for His purposes, and how you are/can be used of Him for His Glory.

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com to find out more about how you can know God the Father, Christ His Son and The Holy Spirit.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus Heavenly Father, Your Word has made it so clear that, in Christ, I’m saved and set apart for a specific purpose in my life! It also declares that in Him I have a purpose in fellowship with others in His Church to fulfill Your will, build Your Kingdom and bring You Glory! Thank You for making me who I am in Christ! In His Name. Amen.