Anthem of GraceSample

You hear them every day... voices. Some are in your head. Some are on your social feed. Some come from your friends. Some come from those who openly dislike you. They’re the voices trying to tell you who you are... and what it will take to become who you should be. One problem with all those voices is that they can’t deliver on their promise. Your identity is not something you have to earn, figure out on your own, or fight to keep. It’s a gift from God. Pastor and theologian John Piper writes, “In Jesus, we do not lose our true selves, but we become our true selves, only in Him.” So where do you find your true self? In money? In followers? In achievement? In looks? In politics? In power? In status? In sex? No, only in Jesus. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV) This is great news! It means who you are is not up for debate. Your identity comes from the God who created you and saved you. He says, “You are a brand-new creation because of Jesus... free from trying to earn other's approval, free from trying to prove your worth, free from running from your past.” By God’s grace through Jesus, you are not what you used to be, what others think you are, or what the world says you should be. Instead, you are a beloved child of God. And here’s the really cool part... Because God created you, the closer you get to Him, the more you become the ultimate version of who He created you to be. In a way, God gives you back your true self, the very thing we all spend so much time and effort trying to figure out on our own. Do you realize what that means? Whenever others tear you down, you question yourself, or you feel the drive to earn the world’s approval, you have the truth to hold on to. You can stand firm and say, “I know who I am. It’s not in question. I’m a child of God, forgiven, set free, and made new through Jesus.” Go ahead, try it out today; at work, on socials, with your friends, just in your own heart. Affirm who God says you are through Jesus. Receive it. Believe it. Live in it. And never forget how much God loves you. Blessings, Nick Hall