A story is told about King Richard, the Lionhearted. Whether it is legend or truth, I do not know, but here is the tale. King Richard was in a battle facing defeat. He had not known defeat in battle, so sounding retreat was a difficult decision. He was just about to signal retreat when a close companion in war came to him and said, “Remember who you are.” Instead of calling for retreat, he ordered a charge and his army won the battle.
Winning the battle is great. We all love to win in the battles of life, whether they are large or small. But that’s not the message of the story. Our victories or defeats can be eventually traced back to what we believe about ourselves. Who am I? To whom do I belong?
The race we run as believers hinges on our identity in Christ. Battles are won, lost, or remain in stalemate in the the fight, and yet, we have been given the insider clues. Transformation of how we identify ourselves as disciples, sons and daughters, empowered ones, is a soul (will, emotions, intellect) issue and is critical in whether or not we are victorious. We are positioned for transformation by salvation, but the transformation–the change from the inside out–occurs continuously as we engage in the living Word of God, commune with Him, and receive Holy Spirit’s revelation. “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2, NASB, emphasis added). The Spirit in us is given ascendancy and we are empowered for victories.
How you view yourself and your significant relationships is critical to how you approach your life’s situations and battles. You are what you believe you are, spiritually and psychologically. We all esteem ourselves based on early familial relationships and our history of validations. Self-esteem is the conclusion drawn from the accumulation of successes or failures we experience. The truth of those conclusions, however, may be a moving target. We make decisions in critical moments based on whether or not we believe we can win. People with low self-esteem have a history of lack of honest and positive validations and tend to make poor decisions because they do not believe they are worthy of better. We also make determinations on spiritual level based on what we believe about ourselves, to whom we belong, and what God has said in His Word.
Receiving Christ makes us a new creation. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Cor. 5:16 NASB). We have the opportunity to write a new book based on better promises and glorious validations. “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons [and daughters] by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Rom. 8:15 NASB). Remember who you are! You are no longer a disaster or a loser. You come to the battle of life as a child of the living God, accepted in the beloved (Eph. 1:6), fully empowered by His Spirit.
We are not alone or ill equipped in the struggles of life. We have direct access to God and the heavenlies. Jesus said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” (Heb. 13:5b NASB). Jesus also said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26 NASB). Sometimes we forget who we are and whose we are. We need reminders. Remember who you are!
King Richard had an army that was prepared and equipped to face the battles they encountered. It serves here to tell us that we need equipping and the tools to engage an enemy for victory. Our natural minds understand that. It is also true in the spiritual realm (Rom. 12:2). Ephesians 4 describes the equipping of believers and the sixth chapter tells of the armor of God we use to stand firm in the face of evil. Sandwiched in between is an injunction of how we are to behave towards one another so that we lead peaceable lives, and the epistle ends with a powerful statement. “Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love incorruptible” (Eph. 6:24 NASB).
I repeat once more, remember who you are!
Copyright 2015, Eva Benevento. All rights reserved.