Breaking Free from Lies
If you want to inherit your freedom you must embrace God and His truth about you. For those who are in Christ, the Bible says you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). To build your identity in Christ you must discover your true worth through His eyes. In doing so, the lies in your life are dismantled and the truth becomes your foundation.
Some believers are in Christ and some people are just in church, they are not the same. During the series “Inherit Your Freedom,” Pastor Mike Signorelli admitted embracing his identity in Christ was always an area of constant development for him.
“Identity has been the greatest area of wrestling in my entire life,” he said. As a result, Signorelli has struggled with stress eating, always changing his appearance, and said he never felt like he fit in.
Believe Truth
Although becoming new in Christ may not feel like you are in the “new,” the Christian's job is to believe it. The new has come and it’s God’s job to actualize the new in us by the power of His Holy Spirit. In time, we conform to what the word of God says about us by His transforming power.
We've all had the experience of knowing someone was gossiping about us. Pastor Mike challenged: “Why be mad when someone gossips about you but then talk worse about yourself?
The followers of Christ must learn how to encourage themselves in the Lord. Become comfortable with the truth of what God declares about you and learn how to declare the scriptures out loud. We’ve learned how to bind demons but we also should learn how to loose scripture over ourselves.
Forming your godly identity is a process. The V1 church leader encourages Christians to declare scripture out loud until what we can not see about ourselves becomes a reality. “Speak life over every area in your life,” Pastor Mike instructs.
Motivational speeches are fueled by emotion but the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword and can break through any false identity. The scriptures tell God’s people to meditate on the word of God.
Declare God's Word
Ephesians 1:3–14 is filled with scripture that the Apostle Paul instructs the church of Christ to believe about themselves.
Read the following passage out loud:
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will— to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He loves. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
“In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.”
The language of the kingdom is foreign until we become familiar with it. Pastor Mike believes people of God need a language upgrade. To remain in the kingdom you need to speak the language.
Adopted into His New Creation
As we know, a butterfly begins as a caterpillar. However, to become a butterfly that caterpillar must go through a process of metamorphosis inside of a cocoon. Likewise, a follower of Christ has to go through a process of sanctification to become new. The cocoon stage is necessary for there to be healthy maturation but you can not stay in the cocoon forever because that is not your final destination.
When you upgrade the way you think in your mind, you upgrade your life. Pastor Mike cited the scripture in James 4: “You have not because you ask not.” King David shows us in scripture that his relationship with God was so solidified that when he called upon the Lord, God heard and He answered. The believer must likewise get their identity rooted in Christ so when we cry out to Jesus and He responds.
“Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.”
The children of God are preordained. He knew every sin we would commit but He still chose us, still believed in us. He saw us at our worst yet through it He chose us. We are adopted by God and adoption is the ultimate form of love because it is a choice.
Identity was never meant to be achieved - that produces competition and comparison; it was only meant to be received, when received it produces celebration.
Many people are used to being rebellious because society tells us we can make our own identity. Our Heavenly Father however gives us our identity in Him for a great purpose. When studying the stories of the Bible, we learn that every Bible hero's purpose was linked to those connected to them. For some it was their children and heritage, for others it was the nation of Israel. Everything recorded is linked to changing the world for Christ.
God will anoint you to change the world when you get free from the lies that you are not worthy. Your freedom will in turn affect everyone around you for good.
About the Author
Jeannie Ortega Law is a chart-topping singer, evangelist, media personality and author from New York City. She can be reached on social media: @JeannieOrtega or emailed at Info@JeannieO.com
At V1 Church we believe in teaching Bible-based relationship principles so that you can your family can be strengthened. Connect with us using one of the links below – we’d love to see you and help you walk through the process of reconciliation.