See Yourself as God Sees You
God created you, loves you, and is willing to be involved in your life on a daily basis! Embracing that truth, however, can sometimes be difficult. As you seek to experience God working in your life, you must first learn to see yourself as God sees you.
1. Before you can understand who you really are, you must first understand how to correctly judge reality.
People define “reality” in different ways: If I can see it, it’s real; if I can experience it, it’s real; if science can verify its existence, it’s real; and for some people, if God says it’s real, it’s real. So which “reality” is most reliable?
“If I can see it, it’s real.”
There are times with this statement is true, and yet, gravity, air waves, and odorless gases such as oxygen or even carbon monoxide are examples of things that are very real, but that we cannot see.
“If I can experience it, it’s real.”
Here again, experiences can be real, but we know that mirages, hallucinations, and holograms are all very real experiences, but in fact are not reality.
“If science can verify its existence, it’s real.”
Science is often a very good indicator of reality, but it too can change over time. Malaria has killed more people than all the wars put together. The word malaria means “bad air” which medical science believed was the reason for the disease. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that mosquitoes were identified as the real cause for the spread of the disease. Scientists are constantly making new discoveries which many times reveal errors in what they had previously believed to be true. There are limitations to our knowledge and understanding of science.
So what about the belief that if God says it’s real, it’s real? If God through His Word tells us something is true but we can’t see it, experience it, or scientifically verify it, can it be true?
One of the basic truths about trusting God is that when God says something is true, then it’s true! He knows all and His righteous nature does not permit Him to lie. With every passing day history continues to verify the absolute accuracy of what God has stated in the Bible. What God says is absolutely true even if we are not capable of understanding it with our limited reasoning.
There are three realms of existence that are involved in the arena of life. We are very aware of the visible, physical realm which we experience through our senses. This includes the things that we can see, hear, taste, touch or smell.
But we are also very dependent upon the invisible, physical realm which includes things like molecules, bacteria, and gases.
We are not aware of these things through our natural senses. Only through recent scientific technology have we begun to understand how changes in this invisible realm affect our physical well-being.
Both the visible and invisible dimensions of the physical realm exist within the larger context of the spirit realm. This is the realm within which God and angels exist. It is every bit as real as the physical realm even though we are not naturally conscious of its existence. We must stand on the reality of who God is and what he tells us in His Word, the Bible.
2. Realities in the physical realm are affected by life in the spiritual realm.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The physical realm in this verse is “what is seen” and “temporary.” It is what we perceive naturally through our senses, experiences and scientific knowledge. The spiritual realm is identified by the words “what is unseen” and “eternal” or permanent.
Paul is not telling us to deny physical realities. He is saying that as a matter of priority those things that happen in the spiritual realm are more important than what happens in the physical realm. Activity in the spiritual realm has a considerable impact on what takes place in the physical world. God wants us to be aware of this principle and to focus our attention on spiritual realities. The spiritual reality for each one of us is that God sees each person as one of His unique creations.
3. Spiritual birth (being born again) is a prerequisite to having an identity in Christ.
Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:3-7).
Our parents gave us a physical birth, and it is the Holy Spirit that gives us spiritual birth.
Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Life must be restored to our spirit before it’s possible to know God, understand His truth, and develop an intimate relationship with Him. When we accept Christ into our life as Savior, we begin our new identity in Christ. This is a key component in seeing ourselves as God sees us.
4. Spiritual birth results in a total transformation of our being. We become a new creation.
Our soul has been programmed by our inherited “old sin nature.” We were born with a natural affinity for false beliefs and wrong values. We have grown up in an environment that permeates our mind with deception and rewards wrong behavior. This kind of thinking is natural to us because it is all that we have really known.
However, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
When Christ comes into our life, our soul is programmed by the Holy Spirit through our new nature. This is accomplished by renewing our minds with God’s truth and rejecting our old false beliefs.
The dilemma we all face is: Why are there two opposing influences if now only the new nature lives?
The answer lies in understanding that our new nature has been set up to control our soul but we are not familiar with it. It is alive and ready for action but goes unnoticed because of our ignorance. The old nature has died and no longer has the authority to control our soul. But, we still have the thought patterns, memories, emotional responses and habit patterns from the past which it created. We continue to acknowledge the old nature and live according to the patterns it previously established because that’s all we’ve ever known. But, the new nature defines who we are now, and we continually grow into it. We truly are new creations!
5. By faith you must accept the reality of who you are in Christ and allow God to conform you to your new identity.
We embrace who we are in Christ by accepting God’s forgiveness to us through the death of Christ on the cross for our sins. Christ makes it possible for us to have a relationship with God.
We must learn what God says in His Word about who we now are in Christ and believe Him. We need to remind ourselves that God’s description of us is now reality, regardless of how we feel, or have perceived ourselves, or how others view us.
Your new relationship with God means you are His child and co-heir with Christ! You have a new nature and God is working in your life through His Holy Spirit.
Tell us How this blog affected you....Thanks!
Five key principles affect self-perception
As you begin to apply these principles to your life, you will be able to embrace God’s perception of you as his child. When we embrace our identity as a child of God, anything is possible!1. Before you can understand who you really are, you must first understand how to correctly judge reality.
People define “reality” in different ways: If I can see it, it’s real; if I can experience it, it’s real; if science can verify its existence, it’s real; and for some people, if God says it’s real, it’s real. So which “reality” is most reliable?
“If I can see it, it’s real.”
There are times with this statement is true, and yet, gravity, air waves, and odorless gases such as oxygen or even carbon monoxide are examples of things that are very real, but that we cannot see.
“If I can experience it, it’s real.”
Here again, experiences can be real, but we know that mirages, hallucinations, and holograms are all very real experiences, but in fact are not reality.
“If science can verify its existence, it’s real.”
Science is often a very good indicator of reality, but it too can change over time. Malaria has killed more people than all the wars put together. The word malaria means “bad air” which medical science believed was the reason for the disease. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that mosquitoes were identified as the real cause for the spread of the disease. Scientists are constantly making new discoveries which many times reveal errors in what they had previously believed to be true. There are limitations to our knowledge and understanding of science.
So what about the belief that if God says it’s real, it’s real? If God through His Word tells us something is true but we can’t see it, experience it, or scientifically verify it, can it be true?
One of the basic truths about trusting God is that when God says something is true, then it’s true! He knows all and His righteous nature does not permit Him to lie. With every passing day history continues to verify the absolute accuracy of what God has stated in the Bible. What God says is absolutely true even if we are not capable of understanding it with our limited reasoning.
There are three realms of existence that are involved in the arena of life. We are very aware of the visible, physical realm which we experience through our senses. This includes the things that we can see, hear, taste, touch or smell.
But we are also very dependent upon the invisible, physical realm which includes things like molecules, bacteria, and gases.
We are not aware of these things through our natural senses. Only through recent scientific technology have we begun to understand how changes in this invisible realm affect our physical well-being.
Both the visible and invisible dimensions of the physical realm exist within the larger context of the spirit realm. This is the realm within which God and angels exist. It is every bit as real as the physical realm even though we are not naturally conscious of its existence. We must stand on the reality of who God is and what he tells us in His Word, the Bible.
2. Realities in the physical realm are affected by life in the spiritual realm.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The physical realm in this verse is “what is seen” and “temporary.” It is what we perceive naturally through our senses, experiences and scientific knowledge. The spiritual realm is identified by the words “what is unseen” and “eternal” or permanent.
Paul is not telling us to deny physical realities. He is saying that as a matter of priority those things that happen in the spiritual realm are more important than what happens in the physical realm. Activity in the spiritual realm has a considerable impact on what takes place in the physical world. God wants us to be aware of this principle and to focus our attention on spiritual realities. The spiritual reality for each one of us is that God sees each person as one of His unique creations.
3. Spiritual birth (being born again) is a prerequisite to having an identity in Christ.
Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:3-7).
Our parents gave us a physical birth, and it is the Holy Spirit that gives us spiritual birth.
Death came into the world because of what one man (Adam) did, and it is because of what this other man (Christ) has done that now there is the resurrection from the dead. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, being members of his sinful race, and wherever there is sin, death results. But all who are related to Christ will rise again (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Life must be restored to our spirit before it’s possible to know God, understand His truth, and develop an intimate relationship with Him. When we accept Christ into our life as Savior, we begin our new identity in Christ. This is a key component in seeing ourselves as God sees us.
4. Spiritual birth results in a total transformation of our being. We become a new creation.
Our soul has been programmed by our inherited “old sin nature.” We were born with a natural affinity for false beliefs and wrong values. We have grown up in an environment that permeates our mind with deception and rewards wrong behavior. This kind of thinking is natural to us because it is all that we have really known.
However, the Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
When Christ comes into our life, our soul is programmed by the Holy Spirit through our new nature. This is accomplished by renewing our minds with God’s truth and rejecting our old false beliefs.
The dilemma we all face is: Why are there two opposing influences if now only the new nature lives?
The answer lies in understanding that our new nature has been set up to control our soul but we are not familiar with it. It is alive and ready for action but goes unnoticed because of our ignorance. The old nature has died and no longer has the authority to control our soul. But, we still have the thought patterns, memories, emotional responses and habit patterns from the past which it created. We continue to acknowledge the old nature and live according to the patterns it previously established because that’s all we’ve ever known. But, the new nature defines who we are now, and we continually grow into it. We truly are new creations!
5. By faith you must accept the reality of who you are in Christ and allow God to conform you to your new identity.
We embrace who we are in Christ by accepting God’s forgiveness to us through the death of Christ on the cross for our sins. Christ makes it possible for us to have a relationship with God.
We must learn what God says in His Word about who we now are in Christ and believe Him. We need to remind ourselves that God’s description of us is now reality, regardless of how we feel, or have perceived ourselves, or how others view us.
Your new relationship with God means you are His child and co-heir with Christ! You have a new nature and God is working in your life through His Holy Spirit.
Tell us How this blog affected you....Thanks!
