Being transformed into our new identity

The fruit of Christianity is much higher than the name many of us carry.

In the root of our conversion there must be a genuine transformation of identity and a dramatic change of character, especially in facing our own character weakness we need to come to the point in our lives where we must acknowledge our weakness before the transformation can come from the Lord.

God’s chosen vessels need to travel the pathway of humiliation and despair, before they will be granted a transformation of character by God. God’s chosen vessels of mercy in order to be able to receive the highest blessings of God without leaving them scared and wounded by their own ego need to completely acknowledge their own insufficiency and utter helplessness.

A genuine follower of Christ must first experience the agonizing pain of living the life of faith by their own strength, so then the Lord can grab his attention and eternally transform him by the power of the spirit into living the abundant of grace. This character transformation always costs God’s people in terms of the death of their own strength of the flesh which is instigated by their egotistic motivation of their carnal nature.

This strength must first be exhausted before the life in the spirit could begin to flow through them. That is why Prophet Hosea in chapter 12 verses 2 to 6 speaks of this Character transformation brought by God in Jacob’s life.

We like Jacob after totally agreeing with God about our total depravity can enter into a contending term presenting our desperate need of our identity transformation. It is only then that nothing can stop us attaining our new heavenly identity.

This is type of Godly pursuit is highly praised in the sight of God.

It is at this point that we are ready to carry out our new identity to others.

Like Jacob’s case only then we are allowed to meet those whom we have left behind before we started traveling with God.

Christianity is a way of life and not mere outward pretence of self righteousness.

All true converts will have to walk the walk of faith only to find out their own inadequacies would not measure up the standard of His righteousness.

That is why when Paul came to the final day of His journey with Christ he boldly proclaimed Himself the chief of sinners, whom God had chosen to reveal His glory in.

Paul and Peter and the rest of the apostles journeyed to find themselves like Jacob contending with God to receive their portion of the final grace through which they became the true Israel or princes with God.

They all must have said May God preserve. Transform and save us in spite of all our character weaknesses.

That is why this desperation must come before a genuine cry would arise in man for a heavenly identity change.

Almost all of us have started like Jacob.

We are all deceivers and manipulators trying to live the Christian life in our own strength and by our own carnal efforts.

Yet even if we like Jacob have to run the race of our faith for 21 years we will still need to reach our own Peniels, where we will see our God face to face.

Here is where we begin to realize that He alone by His unfathomable grace would become the means of our abundant life in Him. Not only while on earth, but even to inherit His eternal Kingdom to come.

Also in this transformation of our new identity we would learn that one of the major stepping stones is the understanding of God’s measure of love and forgiveness for wretched sinners like us. In this process we begin to appreciate His mercy that stands between Him and us. This mercy is the act of His love through giving up His only Son for us as our in offering.

Therefore only in this great understanding we could run away with our new identity proclaiming the God of Jacob as our only source of life and existance.

We need to be men and women who have been touch by God to have a genuine character transformation.

Until then our own self sufficiency cannot bring us into this great transformation of our heavenly identity. I said our heavenly identity, because we do have such an identity, but we cannot attain it until we are ready to give up our earthly one by our own free will.

Jesus would not exchange His for you’re when you and I are not willing to let go our own.

It is through this change that we are transformed and the heavens realities would become ours even while living here on earth. But many live as Christians, yet their ID card’s say citizen of the earth.

A genuine person of the Way will be brought by God‘s spirit to his/her most desperate hour of need and then the transformation will begin to happen in them.

He or she will then genuinely rise up a cry for help to God, and the Lord will begin to transform them into His image.

As long as we live self reliance not realizing the need for our own transformation the Lord  will stand back to once again prove to us our own desperate need of  personal acknowledgement of our own helplessness and despair.

This heavenly rendezvous happens with all who are desperately seeking to be transformed into their new identity with Him.

As long as we are still praying as Christians for carnal appetites of our flesh we will not be a candidate of this new identity.

Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” Mourn over what?

Who are these mourners who are comforted by God according to Jesus? These are the true believers who have stopped forging their real identifications by covering their sin and putting the faces the false pretentious holiness.

These are the Christians who do not hide their sin, but confess it to God in a deep sorrow of the heart. Their intentions are not to conceal their true identity, but in admittance of heartfelt guilt would cry out for their new and transformed identity in Him.

These are the ones who are not the Christian con artist trying to cover up their true identity with Adam their forefather, but are willing to cry out to God for the transformation of their new identity in Christ their only true Redeemer. These men and women of virtue are the ones who do not love their sinful lives and are ready to cry out

To God in saying to Him as the psalmist in psalm 86:11 says….

“Teach me o Lord and I will walk in your truth”. These are the ones that in Jeremiah 17 the word says it again….

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of draught, nor will cease from yielding fruit.”

Oh yes these are the people who know the condition of their heart (meaning their Old nature) is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.

These know that even when they are not willing to admit it the Lord searches their heart and tests their mind, to give every one man according to his ways. According to the fruit of his doings. ( Jer. 17:7-10) These are the true mourners in Zion.

These are the true Christians that when looking into the mirror of the word soon would like to see Jesus and not their former faces.

They are so desperate for change that their only prayer to God is the transformation of their old nature into their new identity in Christ.

They do not pray for nothing else, but the righteousness of Christ to be their highest goal in their lives.

Their only quest in life is to resemble their new image in Him. These have learned that only in attaining this new identity they can be assured of heaven and its benefits on earth.

These are the truly redeemed of the Lord, who carry His marks on their bodies and in their souls. These are the future citizens of heaven.

These are the ones transformed into their new identity in Christ.