WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SEPTEMBER 21, 2024
TOPIC: DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE?
BY T. O. BANSO
“John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord’’” (John 1:23 New International Version).
Do you know who you are? You must know who you are; otherwise, you may believe anything incorrect people say about you. Jesus was not confused about His identity. In Matthew 16:13, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” (New International Version). They told Him some said He was John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
Jesus then asked His disciples who they said He was. Peter said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (verse 16 New International Version). Some Bible translations use the word “Christ” instead of the Messiah. Christos (Christ) is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiach (Messiah) meaning “Anointed One.”
Jesus didn’t ask the question because He didn’t know who He was. He asked for the sake of His disciples. He wanted to be sure they knew whom they were following. Do you know who you are? Beyond singing, “I know who I am”, you must have correct knowledge about who you are in Christ Jesus, and it affects the way you see yourself, think, and behave.
John the Baptist knew who he was. When the Jews sent the priests and Levites to ask him who he was, John wasn’t confused about His true identity. John confessed to them that he wasn’t the Christ – the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet. Pressed further on who he was, “John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord’’” (John 1:23 New International Version).
John the Baptist could have claimed to be the Messiah because the Jews were eagerly waiting for the Messiah, and he was already an outstanding man. He was the first prophet to appear on the scene, in the New Testament, four hundred years after the Prophet Malachi in the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi.
If John had claimed to be the Messiah, he would have gotten a large following. He had a large crowd already trooping to him in the wilderness. But John knew who he was and wasn’t out to play to the gallery. He wasn’t ready to allow people, situations, or circumstances to describe him. Do you know who you are?
Every Christian, including everyone in leadership, must know that he is, first and foremost, a child of God before whatever assignment God may have given him. A leader must derive his true identity and self-worth from God. It is not a leader’s work or ministry that should give him true identity and self-worth but who he is in God. With this perspective, even when he has not achieved the expected results or gotten a breakthrough, he doesn’t get overwhelmed by a sense of failure. He knows that God loves him not based on performance or achievement, the size of church or ministry, the popularity or acceptance by people, the number of services held on Sunday, or the budget of ministry or church, etc.
1 John 3:2-3 says, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (New King James Version).
When a Christian or a Christian in leadership knows who he is, he will have self-worth; he won’t go about looking for people’s approval or get worried by people’s disapproval or low estimation of him. We see this example in the Lord Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. In John 5:41-43, Jesus said, “Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me, for as I know so well, you don’t have God’s love within you. I know, because I have come to you representing my Father and you refuse to welcome me, though you readily enough receive those who aren’t sent from him, but represent only themselves!” (The Living Bible).
Do you know who you are? Don’t let failure or success define you. Know who you are in God. Let your self-worth be rooted in God’s love for you, not in your material possessions. Your valuables don’t determine your true value. Call yourself what God calls you. If you’re born again, you should know the following about yourself:
1. You are a child of God (Galatians 3:26).
2. You are the redeemed of the Lord (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:18-19).
3. You have been made right with God through Christ – you’re God’s righteousness in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).
4. You are God’s workmanship or masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10).
5. You are an overcomer (1 John 2:13; 4:4; 5:4).
6. You are more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37).
7. You are blessed (Ephesians 1:3).
8. You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, which all in Christ are (Matthew 5:13-14; 1 Thessalonians 5:5).
9. You are Jesus’ friend – if you obey His commands (John 15:14-15).
10. You are the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:17).
11. You belong to Christ (1 Corinthians 3:23).
12. You are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10).
These are the ways the Bible describes the followers of Christ. The list is not exhaustive. Know who you are and walk accordingly.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, I thank You that I am Your child. My self-worth is rooted in You, not in my success or earthly possessions. In the name of Jesus, I shall not live below or contrary to who I am in Christ. I shall not go about looking for people’s approval or get worried by people’s disapproval or anyone’s low estimation of me. Holy Spirit, help me not to disappoint God’s expectation of me in Christ Jesus.
(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
