“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea. Welcome her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her with anything she may need from you. For she has been a great help to many people, including me.” (Romans 16:1-2 BSB)
“I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:18-21 BSB)
“When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have established, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet.” (Psalm 8:3-6 AMP)
As I was talking to my wife Melody, the Lord gave me a picture of 3 layers of “identity awareness” in the life of the believer. My current awareness will determine how far I go in maturing in my relationship with my Heavenly Father (Daddy), and the degree to which His design and desire (will) manifest in my life today.
Layer 1: “Servant”
At this layer I live a life modeled after the pre-cross “pardoned” righteous of the Old Testament who were doing their best to live according to the law while focused on the hope of a future Messiah. I live primarily by religious creeds and doctrines adhered to mainly in my own strength. I live hoping for a miracle in time of need. When it doesn’t come, I will most likely create a religious paradigm (doctrine or theology) to help me understand the situation and ease the pain. From this layer I tend to have a mindset of holding on until Jesus returns to bail me out of this wretched world. I spend much of my time looking out, or looking up, waiting to be rescued.
Layer 2: “Saint”
At this layer I have moved beyond the Old Testament model, and begin to live in the benefits of grace rather than the burden of the law. Now there is a greater value placed on the potential, and value of freedom, found in Christ. There is a greater awareness of who I am, and what I possess, in my salvation. However the emphasis is still on either a future return of Jesus or going to Heaven. The expectation of the level of the Lord’s involvement in my daily life tends to be isolated to “spiritual” areas such as prayer, Bible study, worship, etc. While there is a greater awareness of the possibility of the miraculous, I still sees the answers “out there” somewhere with God, and spend much of life asking God to move on my behalf, and on behalf of those for I am praying.
Layer 3: “Son/Daughter of God”
This is when my life as a believer gets exciting. Now there is a full awareness of what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God. I embrace the challenge of being a co-laborer with Jesus, a true son of God. Heaven is no longer just a future home. Heaven is in my heart. It is not my goal to get people into Heaven, I am believing, and working, to get Heaven into people. No more begging God to meet needs, rather working out all that is already possessed in my salvation. Living from this layer of identity awareness unleashes the creative abilities within me as I receive the full revelation that I am a partaker of the Divine Nature of my Father.
These layers are fluid in my life. They are not so much a progression as they are a daily choice. At any point in time I am able to move into any layer dependent on my current relationship with the Holy Spirit and the Word. It is also common to be living from different layers in different areas of my life simultaneously. For example, I may live as a Servant when it comes to my physical well being, a Saint in the area of prayer, and a Son when it comes to worship. This is a huge factor in why it is that I do not experience the blessings that are mine in every area of my life at all times.
It is the deepest desire of my heart to live as a Son of God in every area of my life, every moment of every day. As a Son of God, manifesting fully the Kingdom of Heaven in my life, I am able to bring all of Heaven’s solutions to every Earthly problem. I am able to share all of Heaven’s resources to meet all of Earth’s needs. As a Son of God I am able to re-present Jesus well to a world in desperate need of His saving touch.
I long to consistently live in the fullness of…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 142: “How I see myself is critical.” (3 layers of identity awareness)