(True Identity in Christ)
II Corinthians 4:7 “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” (NLT)
The picture above is me when I was in the middle of my battle with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. I am smiling, but to be honest, God told me if I did not take at least one picture of myself bald and stripped of makeup, I would regret it. Many days during my 5 days a week of Chemotherapy and chemo pills (8 months), bone marrow biopsies, and spinal taps to send the chemo medicine to my brain, my husband and I had to completely trust God. Now I am in complete remission, (healed by God), and I am glad that I took this picture. It is a testament to myself and others that my identity is NOT in the way I look on the outside, but who Jesus Christ is on the inside of me. This picture is raw and real. That is what I desire to be to others…the hands, feet, and heart (compassion) of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
This blog will be short and to the point. We are God’s children if we have repented and accepted Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. We are like the Prodigal Son from Luke 15. When we come to our Heavenly Father, all of heaven celebrates! Hell lost another one…I AM FREE! (I love that song!) Freedom in Christ and living under his blessings is something this world cannot offer. Satan can only offer pleasure for a short time, then a person will feel empty inside. We all are born with a need to know our Creator. Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden until Satan deceived them (Genesis 3). Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice to reconcile us all back into the arms of our loving Heavenly Father.
Below are a few scriptures that speak of our valuable in the eyes of our Heavenly Father:
Psalm 139:13-14 “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-how well I know it!” (NLT)
Romans 8:15-17 “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as his own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father’. For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering. (NLT)
Matthew 13: 44-46 “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of Great Value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” (NLT- Words of Jesus-We are a pearl of great value to our Heavenly Father.)
Ephesians 1:4-6 “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him Great Pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.” (NLT)
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (NLT)
Luke 11:9-13 “And so I tell you, KEEP on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. KEEP on seeking, and you will find. KEEP on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers-if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (NLT)
When I was moved out of ICU into a regular hospital room, I was alone and praying. I was asking God to heal my weak and very sick body. The Holy Spirit overwhelmed me and said, “If you ask for a fish, will I give you a snake?” I did not even remember where that scripture was in the Bible, but I had memorized it at one time in my life. I knew at that very moment that I did not have to beg for my healing, that my good, good Father would provide it because it was for my healing that Jesus took the stripes on his back and suffered an agonizing, humiliating, and excruciating death. Every thing that I needed to endure that season was already paid for by my Savior, Jesus Christ. I am writing this to tell every one who takes the time to read it; that EVERY THING we need is found in Jesus Christ. It takes our faith to activate it. Our faith is built up and exercised by reading and meditating on the Word of God. Since I had a firm foundation of the Word and I knew who I was in Christ, this storm in my life did not destroy my faith in God. My husband and I have a stronger marriage built on God’s goodness and love toward us. We do not view my season of cancer as something we “just had to endure”. But rather an opportunity to place our complete trust in Jehovah-Jireh (The Lord will Provide). He provided for us not only with my healing, but also financially in miraculous ways. If you need someone to agree with you in prayer for healing, spiritual strength, financial miracles, or for lost loved ones, feel free to email me or Bill, or leave a message in the comments.
God Speed!
TateandTateGodSpeed 