Who Am I and What is My Purpose?
We are followers of Jesus.
Luke 9: 23: “If you truly desire to be my disciple, you must disown your life completely, embrace my ‘cross’ as your own, and surrender to my ways. For if you choose self-sacrifice, giving up your lives for my glory, you will embark on a discovery to more and more true life. But if you choose to keep your lives for yourselves, you will lose what you try to keep” (The Passion Translation).
The Triune God Lives in Us
Colossians 2: 9, 10: “For He is the complete fullness of Deity living in human form. And our own completeness is now found in Him. We are completely filled with God as Christ’s fullness overflows within us. He is the Head of every kingdom and authority in the universe! (TPT).
Colossians 2: 6, 7: “In the same way you received Jesus as Lord and Messiah by faith, continue your journey of faith, progressing further into your union with Him. Your spiritual roots go deeply into His life as you are continually infused with strength, encouraged in every way. For you are established in the faith you have absorbed and enriched by your devotion to Him” (TPT).
I have an amazing inheritance. It is Christ in me, and me in Christ. “Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2: 20); “Christ in you, the hope of Glory” (Colossians 1: 27); and “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you” (2 Corinthians 13: 5).
“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you” (John 14: 15 – 17 NIV).
“But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father” (John 10: 38 NIV).
My reality is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit live in me when I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. And this reality is not metaphorical – They really do live in me. I am a child of God, loved and approved by Him. I am perfect and I am being made holy. I ‘am’ and I ‘am becoming’.
We Are Called to Love God, Our Neighbors,
Ourselves Because We Are Loved
Matthew 22: 37 – 40: “Love the Lord your God with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you (with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind). This is the greatest and supreme commandment. And the second is like it in importance: You must love your friend (neighbor) in the same way you love yourself. (TPT).
John 15: 9 — 12: “I love each of you with the same love that the Father loves me. You must continually let my love nourish your hearts. If you keep my commands, you will live in my love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands, for I continually live nourished and empowered by His love. My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy I experienced will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness! . . . So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you” (TPT).
We are Rulers and Priests of Our God
Isaiah 61: 4 – 6: “They (you) restore ruins from long ago and rebuild what was long devastated. They (you) will renew ruined cities and desolations of past generations . . . But you will be known as Priests of Yahweh, and called Servants (Ministers) of our God” (TPT).
Psalm 8: 4 – 6: “I have to ask You this question: Compared to all this cosmic glory, why would you bother with puny, mortal man or be infatuated with Adam’s sons? Yet what honor you have given to men, created only a little lower than Ehohim (translated as ‘Angels’ or ‘God’), crowned like kings and queens with glory and magnificence. You have delegated to them mastery over all you have made, making everything subservient to their authority, placing earth under the feet of your image bearers” (TPT).
Revelation 5: 9, 10: “You purchased us to bring us to God out of every tribe, language, people group, and nation. You have chosen us to serve our God and formed us into a kingdom of priests who reign on the earth” (TPT).
We Have Power and Authority
Matthew 10: 1, 7: “Jesus gathered His twelve disciples and imparted to them authority to cast out demons and to heal every sickness and every disease . . . And as you go, preach this message: Heaven’s Kingdom realm is accessible, chose enough to touch. You must continually bring healing to lepers and to those who are sick, and make it your habit to break off demonic presence from people, and raise the dead back to life. Freely you have received the power of the Kingdom, so freely release it to others” (TPT).
Luke 9: 1, 2: “Jesus summoned together His twelve apostles and imparted to them authority over every demon and the power to heal every disease. Then He commissioned them to preach God’s Kingdom realm and to heal the sick to demonstrate that the Kingdom has arrived” (TPT).
Our Purpose
Empowered by His Spirit, loving Jesus, and living in His presence, our purpose is to: release the Kingdom of God into the kingdom of the world, push back the darkness, take back the territory, and defeat the power of evil as grace allows, for His glory.
You are not alone. He is with you; He loves you,
John