And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17 (NKV) Identity is crucial, because it’s where you get your sense of worth. But do you know your identity? It’s not your name, skin colour or language group. It’s not your role as a father, mother, lawyer, or nurse. If you get your identity from other people, then as your friends or peers either like you or dislike you, your self-worth goes up and down. Your identity is in Christ. God loves you, and it’s not because you’ve done anything to earn it! When Jesus was baptized, Holy Spirit came upon Him and said, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well …

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 (NLT) Sometimes we think that our faith needs to be connected to a specific Bible verse. If we’re facing a health crisis, we confess a healing Scripture. If we’re struggling financially, we find a promise about God’s provision. But before you focus on any one promise of God, the most important confessions in the Word have to do with your identity. This is where we need to connect with God at the heart level the most. So what is your identity? Where do you get your self-worth? Do you look to your physical abilities in the physical realm? Do you measure yourself against other people? You might …

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 2 Corinthians 12:7 (NKJV) Over the past few days, we’ve been talking about God’s grace, and what it means to “fall from grace.” This phrase is often misunderstood, so let’s look a time when Paul had fallen from grace. When today’s verse was written, people were harassing Paul everywhere he went. From city to city, he was lied about, talked about, and beaten—and he was getting tired of it! In this moment of weakness, Paul forgot about God’s grace—that incredible power and ability he had been given. Instead, he …

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Ephesians 6:10 (NKJV) Some people have misunderstood the word “faith” over the years. They think faith is the source of our power as believers. Now, 1 John 5:4 (NKJV) does say, this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. But faith is not the power source. Faith’s job is to release God’s grace. The Greek word for faith is pistis, which means trust. It’s a confident, persuaded belief and trust in God. When this faith begins to rise up on the inside of you, it releases the flow of God’s grace. What is grace? It’s God’s unearned favour and ability in our lives. We’ve all learned to use our …

If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favor and unmerited blessing). Galatians 5:4 (AMPC) Today’s verse mentions falling from grace, but does this mean that believers can lose the right to spend eternity in heaven? No, Jesus secured heaven for us. It becomes our inheritance the moment we accept salvation as a gift. You don’t deserve it, and neither do I! The good news is that we aren’t expected to earn it. Salvation is a gift, given to us by grace. Grace is often misunderstood. It’s easy for us to think …