<- that would be the sunrise this morning. thanks for that Jesus :)
It is currently 7 am, and believe it or not, the past 9 or so hours were not spent under my covers. God decided to teach me a lesson or two that ended up lasting all night, and the aftermath is obviously still going strong as I am voluntarily awake right now, with no intention of going back to bed for a while. That in itself should be deemed quite attention-grabbing, as sleep happens to be one of my greatest delights.
So what was it that kept my eyes wide all hours of the night? God is slowly but surely walking me through the realization of my identity in Him-a concept that is fully understood by very few followers of Christ, despite its commonality in the 'Christianese' terminology. Coming to a fully understanding of our identity in Christ is an on-going process that will never be completely realized until we are living in the eternal presence of our mighty God in Heaven..and even then, I personally believe there will continue to be more that He desires to teach us concerning who He has created us to be. So lately I have been given brief glimpses that leave me wanting more and stir up an incredible supernatural hope in realizing who I truly am.
I am a regal princess.
I am His Beautiful One.
I am a Child of God.
I am His Beloved.
I am His Treasure.
I am His Favorite One.
I am made holy and pure in the glory of his grace.
Tonight I was talking with a friend and he shared a beautiful revelation with me: the difference between condemnation and conviction. Condemnation tells us that we are defined by our actions ( ie. I drank alcohol, therefore I am an alcoholic). Primarily, it says that we sin, therefore we are sinners. Conviction tells us that we are called to be holy in Christ. When we stumble, it tells us that we are way too awesome to be acting like that, and we are called to a higher Way. Such a common mistake that I know I am guilty of is living a life of condemnation. The truth is that we were sinners who have been made pure by sanctification in Christ. He has redeemed us, therefore we are no longer sinners. Of course we still sin, but we find freedom in His grace so that our sin does not define who we are.
How incredibly beautiful.
By choosing to live in that condemnation, we are refusing God's astounding gift of love...which is not showing a whole lot of gratitude in my opinion. If we are truly thankful for the love of God that surpasses all understanding, all shame, all sin, then why aren't we fully receiving it?
Receive. -> another puzzle piece in discovering my identity. God is teaching me to release and receive. I must release my old self in order to receive the new creation he is offering me.
Release deceit. Receive Truth.
Release fear. Receive Power.
Release doubt. Receive Faith.
and so on..
Obviously, there is a lot left for God to work on in my life until I reach a point of implementing my identity into a lifestyle...but the glimmer of light that he is shedding on my life is exciting and enticing. I am on an incredible journey with the Most High God, which is allowing me to discover what truly defines Britni Clarice Steiling.
5 comments:
Receiving Jesus is the key to heaven. But living as if God looks at you and sees Him is what allows you to live on earth as if you were already there. I'm very proud of you, and you should be free to receive that, but even more so... I'm thankful that our God is a God who loves. The fact that His love has been seeded deep inside of you is proven by this revelation you're receiving. It's a revelation of mercy, of identity, of victory... but primarily, it's a revelation of what pure, distilled, untainted love looks like. Thank you Father!!!
It's beautiful! Praise Jesus for taking the time to work on our hearts!
so this took too long. i read it a while ago but never commented.
conviction vs. condemnation...i love it.
isn't it amazing when you get a chance to step outside your life for a split second and see that the way you are viewing things is so wrong...and the good news is there is a better way.
As christians we are constantly surrounded by condemnation..of ourselves and others. It's so not about that and i am really happy you reminded me of that in this.
I love you're constant pursuit of truth and knowledge in our Lord. it blows me away every time and im so thankful i get to hear your thoughts and discuss the things that really matter with you...i would not want it any other way.
Brit..
Ok.. Where to begin.. I stumbled upon this post yesterday and I can't tell you how much I appreciated it. You are so open and honest with what you have been learning and seeking and I can feel your humility in your words. This concept you speak of, our Identity In Christ.. Ill just go ahead and say it, I love it. Better yet lets start with being followers of Christ. I need to hear more about that. What you have come to find that that is. Am I a follower of Christ simply by saying so? What does it mean to be a Disciple? You have sparked so many thoughts and opinions that I could probably reply forever but I really wanted to hear your thoughts on what it means to follow the Saviour. This blog was one of my favorites I've ever read.. It was like you were speaking the language I speak inside myself. I know you seek with selfless intent.. Wanting to know who you are so that you can be all you can for the Saviour.
ok.. "our identity in Christ is an on-going process that will never be completely realized until we are living in the eternal presence of our mighty God"
"I must release my old self in order to receive the new creation he is offering me."
"implementing my identity into a lifestyle"
So I pulled these three particles out because I found myself saying yes yes! out loud as I was reading. haha. Im the old lady in church sitting behind you shouting amen and what not. But Its like you have the entire core of the Gospel of Christ down. How can we find our identity in him? How can we gain truth, light, and direction? We must have the desire.. We must release our old selves and receive what he has in store for us. How often do we pray with pre-determined answers? How often do we pray with little or no faith of receiving an answer? I have had to pray simply for strength in faith and nothing else. If I know I am struggling, so does the Lord, why not talk to him about it. I guess I am just rambling but I have been very excited about things that are taking place in my life lately and I would love to hear more about what you have going on and I would love o get my impressions out as well. So I think I will wrap this up.. Just too many things to say right now. Ill leave you with more questions :) About sin and choosing to live in condemnation.. We are saved in the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ.. But if we are givin conviction and know that we should be living better, yet we continue to choose, out of our own free will to continue in condemnation.. What will it be like after this life? I want to hear your thoughts on the afterlife. One of the other things you said was that you believe "there will continue to be more that He desires to teach us concerning who He has created us to be"
in Heaven. I believe that whole heartedly. I honestly don't know what the average Christian believes about our purpose here and after death. But I know its not to just get here... Try a couple things.. Say we believe or dont believe, and then eternal paradise or hell. We have a truly magnificent Father in Heaven. And I believe our purpose to be more than an ending where we can be eternally happy with.. "well.. I made it" :) Of course we are human and will not accomplish a life without sin.. But I believe we can eternally progress. That we dont have to stay in the same sin we have before, that even in this life we can strive and walk with our Saviour. We are subject to temptation, but we have free agency to choose whether or not to act upon it which in turn is sin. We are not destined to fail, we are destined to succeed if we choose to. Ok.. truly done now. Please blog again soon. Your are amazing me with the purity of intent in your heart. I hope you never lose that and that you continue to progress in your quest. "Faith without works is dead" James 2:20
Thanks again Brit.
-Nate
Wow Nate.
haha okay here we go.. :)
First-thank you. I have been thinking about how much i need to get my thoughts and recent discoveries out of my head and in writing, but your response confirmed that need and inspired me to write a new blog right then! hah so kudos to you.
Anyway,
number one-being a disciple of Christ, personally I can't think of one solid description of a disciple of Christ. I mean, I don't think there are certain qualifications you have to meet in order to become one, other than obviously having a genuine relationship with Him and an understanding of that relationship. I say this because one of the beautiful things about Christ is how he relates to us differently, according to how he created us. Meaning he has revealed certain aspects of Himself to some that he hasn't to others, based on how they are wired and what he has allowed them to experience. I guess I would just have to conclude that someone who "follows Jesus" is someone who is passionately in love with him, and earnestly seeking to increase that love daily, as they receive more and more of him in their life. This love for him encompasses everything else that a follower does, from sharing the truth with others to serving the homeless man on the corner.
number two-something you said really struck a chord with where I have been recently..I have been experimenting with the thought of complete and utter honesty with the Lord. Like you said-if we are struggling, God knows we are too, so why not talk to him about it? I have heard of other believers talking with him in this manner, pouring their heart out without having to sensor what they say..so I tried it out :) and it is the most liberating feeling in the world. we were created to COMMUNICATE with Him, not talk at him. That dance of talking back and forth with him is freeing and beautiful..and highly recommended hah.
number three- the afterlife. oh man. haha i really don't know. but i have heard/read some interesting things...one is that (myself included) Christians tend to overlook the many passages in the word discussing judgment, including judgment of believers. I can't give you a specific verse off-hand, but it's an interesting thing to chew on. BUT going off of that concept, I get confused about where God's grace comes into play.. I would recommend reading "Driven by Eternity" (with reservation, i don't know if I believe everything in the book, but it is definitely some food for thought). Like you pointed out, I do believe that eternity in Heaven will be a time of growth. We will obviously never even approach the magnitude of Christ in our own life, but there is an infinite amount he can teach us to get closer to reaching that pinnacle. I think that instruction will only increase once we enter his presence.
Okay... hopefully that gives you some inspiration to keep diving into your curiosities! Remember, of course, to take everything I said with a HUGE grain of salt, because it is obviously just thoughts and ramblings of a fellow believer :) Thanks again for your encouragement!
-Brit
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