Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; make and female, He created them.
We are made in the parts – body, soul and spirit. And each work together. When you have a bad thought or unforgiveness in the soul area (the mind), it affects the spirit and body of a person.
He have us a human spirit so that we can relate to Him. If you look at nature around us, many items created by God are in 3 parts. A tree has trunk, roots and leaves.
The soul includes our mind to know God. It is the intellect part of the 3 part which thinks and reasons and makes conclusions and choices in life. The emotions is also tied into the soul area of the mind.
The spirit is the part that communicates with God in the spirit but the enemy is also made up of spirit who also project thoughts in our head. That is why it is important to know who we are in Christ so that you don’t believe the lies of the enemy.
The body, related to the tree, is the part that needs nutrition to survive (food and water). The spirit of man resides in a body. The spirit lives forever but the body dies and goes back to dust. Also the body is the temple of the holy spirit of God.
Your true image is in your soul but many times, as humans, looks at the body to be the image of God.
The cross is the instrument of death for our old nature and identity. When Christ died, our old sinful nature died with Him. Rom. 6:6, 2 Cor. 5:17.
Discovering Your Identity in Christ
When we receive Christ, we are given a brand new identity. Finding your identity in Christ:
- totally and completely forgiven eph. 1:7; col. 2:13-14
- completely accepted (Rom. 15:7; Eph. 1:4)
- absollutely righteous in Christ (Eph 4:24; 2 Cor. 5:21)
- perfect in Christ (Col. 1:22)
- holy and blameless (Col. 1:22)
- comlete, whole and adequate (Col. 2:10)
- possessing the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16);
Our spirit is now indwelling by God’s spirit:
- our spirit has been sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13)
- we are now one spirit with Christ (1 Cor. 6:17)
- our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16
Finding Your Identity in Christ
When we receive a new identity:
Our body/Soul – temple is filled with the Holy Spirit
Our Mind, will and emitons is being renewed by the empowering of the Holy Spirit
Our Spirit – no longer separated from God but now have the ability to hear and get revelation from God.
Unfortunately, Satan attempts to tempt us by appealing to the memory of the old nature to entice us to walk in our old ways (the flesh) rather than by the Spirit. His strategy is to deceive us into believing that we have not been changed.
Satan uses the world system to deceive us into believing h is lie as truth. Especially our past thoughts, past mistakes and past issues. Through making us believe we are not truly forgiven by throwing guilt, etc.
Only through Christ and through the spirit do we have the power to overcome our past and live in the present and move into the future of His high calling. He has a plan and a purpose for you to fulfill on earth.
Satan gets you to believe the opposite of God’s Word. So, who are you going to believe. What others say about you, what your thoughts (mind and will and emotions) tell you which can deceive you greately. That is why it is very important to know God’s word and to know who you are through God’s word to discern truth and not believe the lies of the enemy.
Our soul continually needs to be renewed with truth and filled with God’s spirit (Rom. 12:1-2; Eph. 5:18)
by: Traci Morin
