293: Buckling the Belt Lesson 6: Know who you are.

Lesson 6

THEME: Buckle up the belt of truth by believing you are ACCEPTED, SECURE, AND SIGNIFICANT.

According to Dr. Neil T. Anderson, nearly all Christians struggle to overcome Satan’s lies in at least one of these three areas:

1) I’m not accepted. No one wants me. God certainly couldn’t want someone like me. Even though I confess sins, I never feel that I am fully forgiven.

2) I’m not secure. I am weak. The evil one is stronger than I am. I'm gonna fall into the trap of sin and never get out.

3) I’m not significant. I never live up to anyone’s expectations, even my own. I am worthless and stupid.

If you are a believer in Christ and believe in what God’s Word says, these are lies. I hope that the outcome of this lesson is that you know which of the three lies is the one you struggle with the most. Then, when you figure out which is your weakness, Anderson’s Freedom In Christ Ministries gives you verses you can memorize to combat the problem. https://www.ficm.org/about-us/who-i-am-in-christ/ Buckle the belt of truth in your area of weakness.

Of course, it seems obvious that the three areas I listed will likely be related to each person’s personal history. Some children are permanently scarred by parents who cannot be pleased, no matter how hard one tries. Parents, after all, come with hang-ups that they have inherited from their parents. Other children suffer long periods wondering if they will have a mother or father tomorrow. In my case, I think my weakness relates to not learning to read in my first three grades of school.

I think that harassing evil spirits possess keen observational powers by which they discover our weaknesses. I think they can tell when their whispered temptations work. So beware! Evil spirits often introduce thoughts into our minds which they pass off as our own thoughts. In other words, they don’t tell you, “You’re worthless.” Instead they pass off the suggestion as if it came from your own mind, by whispering, “I’m worthless.” If you experience insistent negative thoughts about yourself, I urge you to ask God to reveal the source of them.

In my introduction above, I have stated the three weaknesses negatively. When stated positively, as I will start to do now, these three inner-messages are the foundation of your spiritual identity. Let’s go through them one by one in the order given by Anderson.

 

=====Say to yourself: I am ACCEPTED by Christ=====

If you believe in Jesus and simply come to him, the Bible tells you, “You are accepted by him.”

John 1:12 is the first verse Anderson gives as an antidote to this problem:

• But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

For many verses given as antidotes to this problem, I find myself arguing if I can fulfill the conditions. The verse just quoted has easy conditions. Do I believe in Jesus? Yes. Have I asked Him to come into my life? Yes. I have accepted Him, and that means He accepts me! The verse says, “to all” who do those two things, “he gave the right …” So I’m not left out! He gives to all who believe and accept Him “the right to become children of God.” The next verse goes on to say that those same people become reborn.

I will depart from Anderson’s list to give some of my favorites:

• Mat. 11:28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

If you fit the description, notice the word ‘all’.

I find many such verses in John’s writings. In Rev. 21:6 Jesus—from his position sitting on the throne with God — says,

• “To all who are thirsty, I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”

Then in chapter 22:17,

• “The Spirit and the bride (that is the whole assembly of redeemed people) say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.”

Similarly, in John 7:38, Jesus promises,

• “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

For your convenience, in the episode notes, I list the verses that Anderson gives that help you to claim that YOU are ACCEPTED by God:

I am accepted…

John 1:12 I am God’s child.

John 15:15 As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 I have been justified.

1 Corinthians 6:17 I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.

1 Corinthians 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s body.

Ephesians 1:3-8 I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.

Colossians 1:13-14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.

Colossians 2:9-10 I am complete in Christ.

Hebrews 4:14-16 I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

 

=====Say to yourself: I am SECURE=====

I love how Romans 8 gives us a wonderful logical progression to tell us that we are secure.

• We are one with Christ, or as the NLT translates it, we belong to Christ.
• This means no one can condemn us.
• Those in that position will find the life-giving Spirit working in them.
• Other than transforming our lives, the Spirit is a guarantee that we are God's sons. Again God's Word uses the word ‘all’:

  Romans 8:14 NLT

• For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
• Even though, to be gender sensitive, some translations use ‘children’ here, I think it is good for women to also consider that they become— spiritually speaking— ‘sons’. (Men have a similar difficulty in accepting that they are part of the ‘bride of Christ’.) The precious thing here is that these verses say that we ALL are given the legal status of ‘sonship’, which according to Roman law, could not be changed. (Rom. 8:15)
• Having this legal position of sonship means that no one and no spiritual power can separate us from the love of God and of Christ. Romans 8 is the most emphatic statement about our security that you will find in Scripture!

Once again, in the episode notes I give the nine verses Anderson lists:

I am secure!
Romans 8:1-2 I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28 I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31-39 I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1-4 I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6 I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7 I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18 I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

 

=====Say to yourself: I am SIGNIFICANT=====

It is actually a short logical step from our believing that we are Accepted and Secure to believing that we are SIGNIFICANT in God’s eyes. For instance, if you are one with Christ, it is like you are part of his body. Let's say a little toe. Well just think: No one wants to lose a toe! Every little part of our body is significant to us, especially if it becomes hurt.

I suspect that Satan's lackies whisper to people that believing yourself to be significant to God is prideful. But it is not being prideful to tell the truth about yourself. Base your significance on the amazing things God's Word says about you, then your significance will not be prideful.

It can be helpful to notice the times when the Holy Spirit gives you a nudge.

• Do you feel it natural to call God your Father (Abba) when you pray?— as Romans 8 talks about.
• Have you ever felt the nudge to pray for someone?
• Has a verse of Scripture ever sort of ‘jumped off the page’? Did that ever cause you to repent or take some action?
• In a conversation, have you ever suddenly felt that you should say something to help someone.
• Has anything ever happened to you that might be leading you to exercise a spiritual gift? (Gifts like teaching, counseling, encouraging, being generous, etc.)

These things can be reassuring, we must not totally rely on such experiences, to encourage us about our significance. Please also realize that having a packed schedule of all kinds of church volunteering will never bring a true assurance of your significance.

Consider these eye-opening verses assembled by Dr. Neil Anderson:

I am significant…
John 15:5 I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16 I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16 I am God’s temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6 I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10 I am God’s workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12 I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

• This is the link to the display of “Who I am in Christ” at the Freedomn In Christ Ministries website:
• https://www.ficm.org/about-us/who-i-am-in-christ/

So, the identity we possess in Christ means that we are ACCEPTED, SECURE, AND SIGNIFICANT. And I think it is revealing how this relates to our spiritual armor, as found in Ephesians 6. The seven items of our armor are seven facets of every believer's identity.

There is a PDF file attached to this episode that documents what the figures of speech mean for each item of our spiritual armor: Armor Handout: Understanding how to wear our spiritual armor

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Yyi6NShxL3bmz_-SMMsomuBauK0Y754A/view?usp=drive_link

 

14a belt of truth — significant

14b breastplate of righteousness — accepted

15 shoes — accepted, secure, and significant

16 shield of faith — secure

17a helmet of salvation — accepted

17b sword of the spirit — secure

18 cell phone of prayer — accepted and significant

 

[Improved from lesson 4:]

How to pray to make sure you are wearing your spiritual armor:

Lord God, give me strength to stand firm. Help me to wear— and be aware— of all the spiritual armor You have given to me, so that I can stand against Satan and his forces:

• Please remind me that I am already wearing the breastplate of righteousness, because Jesus died and was raised to life, and He has given me right standing in your sight.
• Help me to keep on the boots of the Gospel of peace, not only being ready to share the good news about Christ, but also anchoring my life in the truth of the Gospel.
• May I always wear the belt of truth, believing in everything you say about me in the Bible,
• and therefore never letting go of my shield, which is fully believing that you will shield me when I experience Satan's temptations and be with me in all my trials.
• May I always have the helmet of salvation, because I know You have saved me.
• Help me to study the Word of God, so that it is a ready resource that the Holy Spirit will use (like a scalpel) to operate on me, as well as prompting me to lovingly share Your truth with others.
• And help me to never forget that the Holy Spirit gives me an instant connection to You in prayer.