Redefining Yourself in God

Scripture: Ephesians 1:3-14

Key Verse: Ephesians 1:4

Once you have begun cultivating a relationship with God, you can then begin to redefine yourself in Him. I know that many of you are like what is the difference, so let me explain. You can have relationship with someone with investing in someone. The “with” is just the association, whereas the “in” is the complete immersion. So, to redefine yourself “in” God you have to understand how God has immersed and invested Himself in us.

The first thing we must remember is that God choose us, and it is a great feeling to know that we were chosen for the winning team. God knew that the characteristics we have and will have in the future will benefit the team even those characteristics that we consider to be our biggest insecurities. So, in choosing us, He validates who we are as humans. It should make you feel even more special to know that He chose us before the creation of the world. So, even before everything was created and marked as good, God had already chosen us (v.4). He had His own idea of who we were supposed to be before we took our first breath. He had His own idea of who we were supposed to be before we received our organs, bones, and flesh. More importantly, He had His own idea of us before the world ever got the chance to flaunt our insecurities in our faces.

It wasn’t enough for Him to just choose us, He made us a part of His family (v.5). As our father, He can care for us and discipline us, but we have to talk to Him. He wants to help us be our best. He wants us to have earthly success so that He can get the glory. Since God is rich in grace, He can easily help us when we put our lives in His hand (v. 7). God has already laid out His plan for us. The question is: Can we put ourselves to the side long enough to help it come to fruition? Can we not be so selfish that we help God bring unity to heaven and earth (v.10) What does this mean? If you know that you are insecure about your public speaking, God may want you to minister to people on a more individual level. If you are insecure about the way that you look, your goal may be to remind yourself that you are made in the image of God. If you are insecure about not having the right resources, understand that God is a provider and He will never leave you. God is inside of us and has invested in His plan. We are just the earthly vessels that He has chosen to use to make everything work.

Now, I know you are thinking, but what about my hopes and dreams. Well that doesn’t change the act that God chose you. It simply means that God wants you to put His plans first, so that He can make our plans align with His will (v.11). Unfortunately, since we often make plans without consulting the person making the investment, we have to restructure what we are doing after we’ve put in so much time.  Think of it like a banker giving you a loan to start a business. They have to do a background check and approve your plan before they can give you the loan. However, God is different than the banker. It is okay for us to come to him with a messed-up background (insecure) and unfinished plan because He is the one who can clear of us our past and rewrite the plan so that He can get the glory (v.12). God left His mark on us when we first interacted with His word. He knew about all of our baggage and still sent the Holy Spirit (v.13). The gift of the Holy Spirit should be a constant reminder of how we must redefine ourselves in Him because He has so much greater in store for us (v.14). We have come too far to give up now, so let’s start rewriting.

Prayer: Heavenly Father first we want to thank you for the relationship that you allow us to have with you. Thank you for accepting us with open arms and immersing and investing in us. Thank you for being all that we will ever need despite our many insecurities. Lord clear my background and rewrite my plans. Help me define myself in you. I thank you so much for everything you are getting ready to do in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.