When I moved to the large city in which I now live, I looked for the right job for over a year. At times, the circumstances surrounding the situation tempted me to feel unqualified. I had to make a concerted effort to hold fast to what God says that I am and to believe it. When I am tempted to think less of myself than what God says of me, I do two things. I go to His Word to remind myself of my true identity, and then I hold that Word in mind and walk out on it with believing. Let’s review these two steps so that we can each confidently confess and live this truth: I am what the Word of God says I am!
The world may try to label us and tell us what we are, but God—our maker—gave us our true identity. He wants us to live confidently according to what He says we are. He thinks very highly of His children, and His Word declares His viewpoint of us. Step one is to go to His Word and remind ourselves of our true identity. A great place to go in the Word to see this is the seven Church Epistles, which are written to us as God’s children. Following are scriptures that I chose to apply to my situation of finding the right job.
Romans 8:37:
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
II Corinthians 9:8:
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
Colossians 2:10:
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power.
Here are a few more scriptures written to us as God’s children, reminding us of our true identity.
Romans 8:16,17:
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Philippians 2:15:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Colossians 1:12-14:
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.
Once we have found truths concerning what the Word of God says we are, we want to hold those truths in mind and walk out on them. This is step two to believing that we are what the Word of God says we are.
When I was looking for my job, I remember one time in particular when I allowed myself to become VERY discouraged. The circumstances stacked against me were continuing to increase the longer I was without a job. These circumstances seemed bigger than me. Then I remembered what David did in I Samuel 30 when his people talked about stoning him because they were upset. David encouraged himself in the Lord his God (I Samuel 30:6). I recognized then that my feelings were just that—feelings—and not the true reality of what the Word of God says I am.
In that moment, I encouraged myself with all the things I had seen my God do for me, even amid the challenges I was facing. After David encouraged himself in God, he took action. Taking action based on God’s Word indicates believing. I reminded myself that my identity is what God made me in Christ Jesus, not what circumstances say I am. I wrote down verses that applied to my specific situation and kept them in a place where I would see them to help me hold those truths in mind. I continued moving forward, and soon I got the very best job for me. This job not only meets my need beyond what I was believing for, but it also puts me in a position to help others.
We have a trustworthy God Who has written down in the pages of His Word what He thinks about us. He has defined what we are as His children. When we go to His Word and read it, let’s align our thoughts and actions to it, walk confidently according to what the Word of God says we are, and proclaim the same truths to others.