You will act according to the identity you believe about yourself. So you had better pick the right one.
There are two thoughts a person can carry. One: I am a filthy sinner. Two: I am a child of God.
The Bible says that to as many as believed, He gave the power to become children of God. Empowered by the Spirit. That is the whole point of Pentecost — the Spirit came down so people would not stay the way they were.
So here is my question. If that is true, why do people keep going back every week to repent like they are still filthy? Either you are or you are not. Where is the transformation?
Think about what each identity produces. If you walk around believing you are disgusting, you walk around defeated. Someone always has power over you — the person who gets to tell you whether you are clean yet. That is not transformation. That is captivity with better branding.
If you believe you are a child of God, empowered by the Spirit, you walk different. Not arrogant — grounded. You do not need someone to keep telling you what you are, because it is settled.
And the evidence of the Spirit is not always dramatic. It is not always healing the sick or speaking in tongues. Sometimes the evidence is peace of mind. Not feeling like garbage about yourself for the first time in years.
A lot of people have been abused spiritually by systems that needed them to stay dirty. Because a person who believes they are empowered does not need a gatekeeper. Ask yourself which one your environment is producing.
You have to pick one. You are either still a filthy sinner or you have been made new. You cannot be both. And whichever one you pick will run your life.
Strength is built, not born.
