It’s not what you are that holds you back; it’s what you think you are not.
What’s holding you back? Are you being kept from achieving your full potential because you think you are not something? If so, then it’s probably because you don’t really know who you are.
As Christians, we must think of ourselves in accordance with the truth of God’s Word. We must know our true identity—who we really are in Christ. Second Corinthians 5:17 tells us,
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new
The moment we accepted Jesus as our Lord, we each became a brand-new person, a new creation. But what does it mean to be a “new creation”? We need an easy-to-understand description of who we are.
One of the greatest revelations I ever received from the Word regarding the new nature is found in 1 Corinthians 6:17. The English Standard Version puts it like this:
But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
When you accepted Christ or joined yourself to the Lord, a powerful change took place. This verse says that you became one spirit with Him. In other words, God fused His Spirit with your spirit and you became one. This is an amazing truth! There aren’t two spirits living in your body. There is only one spirit—you and God as one!
This one truth is so transforming, liberating, and empowering! It can radically change the way you think about yourself and, therefore, the way you live.
In Andrew’s broadcast this month, he’s teaching on Excellence: How to Pursue an Excellent Spirit. There, he explains that in order to have an excellent spirit, we’ve got to know who we are in Christ. He says,
It is impossible for you to release your true identity, who you are in Christ if you don’t know what [your identity] is.
He shares from Philemon when Paul prays for his friend. Verse 6 says,
that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus
Andrew explains,
The way your faith begins to work is when you start acknowledging. The word acknowledge, it doesn’t mean . . . you petition God, you intercede, you beg, and then God gives you something. No, you’ve already got it. You just need to acknowledge what has already happened to you when you got born again.
For instance, some people struggle with the belief that they are close to God when they “feel” His presence, but far from Him when they don’t. If they fail because of a sin, that too makes them feel far from God. They think He has withdrawn His Spirit from them. But nothing could be further from the truth!
Andrew goes on to say,
I don’t care how much you’ve failed. You’ve got to find out your identity and once you discover that identity, you can’t compromise it. You can’t let your failures in the physical realm change your attitude about who you are in the spirit.
Regardless of your feelings, you and He are one and will always be one. You are close to God. You can’t get any closer than one. And that is the way you must see yourself. Knowing your oneness with Him is the key to unlocking your full potential!
Are you one with Him?
