If I told you I was an heir of a very wealthy person—say Elon Musk, the richest man in the world—would you be impressed? That would mean I would be in line to get lots of money. Well, the truth is, I have more impressive credentials than that. When you and I are born from above through faith in Christ, our identity is truly incredible. Don’t forget that:

You are an heir of God and co-heir with Christ.

That’s what we read in Romans 8. If you're an heir of God, that means you're in line to inherit God's riches. And if you're a co-heir with Christ, that means you'll inherit equally with Christ of the Father's great riches. When you ask yourself "Who am I?", and the answer comes back "An heir of God and co-heir with Christ," then you have to say, "I have value."

If you are indeed born from above, if you and Jesus have a personal one-on-one relationship based on faith in him and repentance from you sins, then you've got the God of heaven and earth counting the hairs of your head, putting your tears in his jar, opening the door to his throne for you to enter whenever you please. Are you somebody? How much more important and significant can you be?

When you focus on who you are in Christ and his power in you, then you can have victory over the old self-images and inadequacies and the way you've seen yourself all these years. You can know freedom from that.

So, please, don’t forget who you are. Let go of the old self-images that have been based on wrong information. Know who you are in Christ according to the Word of God, and just keep remembering it. Tell yourself who you are in Christ. Reprogram your mind to get rid of the old tapes which are Satan’s lies, and program the truth of who you are in Christ and because of Christ.

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If someone asks you, “Who are you?” what do you say? Your answer to that question is important, because having a firm understanding of who you are is critical to your ability to be all that God has created you to be. I’m looking to Scripture for a clear understanding of our identity when we are born from above. We are God’s intentional creation, we were created for his pleasure and his glory, and when you come to saving faith in Christ, the great news is:

You are a new creation.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 

The day that you recognized your sinful state before God and accepted his Son as your own personal Savior, that very day you were transformed into a new creation. Now, this new person that you have become because of Jesus Christ is someone you can feel good about.

This new person is righteous. Not self-righteous, because in ourselves, the Bible says, all our self-righteousness is like filthy rags to God. But Philippians 3:9 tells us that we have a righteousness now which comes through faith in Christ, not a righteousness of our own. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is credited to you and God sees you wrapped up in his righteousness.

And here’s more wonderful news about who you are in Christ:

You are no longer under condemnation.

Romans 8 tells us that the new person has been set free from the law of sin and death. It says you are no longer condemned for what that old person is or was. You're free! There's no condemnation against you! Good news! Great news! Incredible news! Feel good about yourself; you should.

You know, when you intentionally remember who you are in Christ and because of Christ, it truly makes a difference in the way you face life, the way you face the day ahead. Regardless of what’s going on in your life, what other people think of you, even what you think of yourself, if you remember who you are, it will give you strength and encouragement. So don’t forget: You are a new creation in Christ and you are no longer under condemnation.

We all recognize that a strong self-image is important to us. Knowing who we are and why we’re here is a foundation that is really necessary for living a fulfilled life. I’m pointing out from Scripture just who you are if you are connected to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

We’ve seen that we are God’s intentional creation, we were created for his pleasure, and now, don’t forget that:

You were created for his glory.

Here are a few verses from that Isaiah 43:1-7:

But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you...he who formed you...'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine...I am the Lord, your God...you are precious and honored in my sight, because  I love you...everyone who is called by my name, I created for my glory....

We admire the paintings of great artists because of their beauty and creativity. But who gets the glory for the painting? The artist, of course. We don’t give the painting credit; rather we say, "This artist is wonderful; this artist is great.” The masterpiece brings glory to the artist.

That's why you and I are here—to bring glory to our Creator. Maybe you're thinking, "But Mary, there's no way that I can glorify God because my life is a mess. You just don't know all the mistakes I've made, all the things I've done wrong. My past is too awful for me to be able to bring glory to God."

Ah, but don't you see, the less he has to work with, the more God gets the glory for the workmanship! And he is masterful at taking ashes and turning them into beauty. He is incredible at transforming ruined lives into testimonies of his greatness.

When your life has been transformed by the power of Jesus Christ, you bring glory to God. Don’t forget, you were created for God’s glory.

As Christ-followers, those who have been born from above, our identity is found in our relationship to God the Father through Jesus Christ. We saw that we are God’s intentional creation, created by him and for him. Now, consider this:

You were created for his pleasure.

Remember the wonderful movie, Chariots of Fire, the story of that remarkable Olympic champion, the Scottish runner, Eric Liddle, who was a strong Christian committed to Jesus Christ. His missionary sister was concerned about his running career because she felt he was neglecting his calling and not putting God first. But Eric said to his sister, "Oh, don't you see, Jenny. God made me fast and when I run, I give God pleasure.”

He got it! He understood that God took pleasure in him. I love this verse from Zephaniah 3:17:

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Don't you love that imagery of God rejoicing over you with singing? We often rejoice and take delight in God through singing, but to think that he does the same over us. God takes pleasure in you. You should be able to verbalize how God has created you to bring him pleasure. Maybe you would say: "Because God made me a good listener, I bring God pleasure when I listen and care about others.” Or "Because God made me a good organizer, I bring God pleasure when I organize events and run them smoothly.” Or "Because God made me a speaker, I bring God pleasure when I give a good talk or make a good presentation.”

It really doesn't matter how God has created you; we are all very different in our gifts and abilities. But we were all created for his pleasure. It is not pride on your part to recognize how God has created you. Eric Liddle gave God the credit for his fast body, but he also recognized that it was a gift from God to bring God pleasure.

Don’t forget who you are! You were created for God’s pleasure.

Who are you? This is a very important question, but often we have the wrong answers. Even those of us who are born from above, who are dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ, all too often let the world shove us into its mold and we define ourselves by the wrong criteria.

I did that for many years, and it led to an emotional roller coaster ride, to a self-focused life, and to a sinful lifestyle. It might be the cause of a great deal of the pain and struggle you are having in your life right now. If you're unhappy with who you are, wishing you were like other people, feeling cheated because you don't have what you want, feeling guilty because you haven't lived up to other's expectations or your own, it's highly likely you've fallen into this trap of identifying yourself incorrectly. You don't really know who you are.

I want to go to Scripture to show you who you are in Christ, just in case you’ve forgotten or maybe you never knew.

You are God's intentional creation.

You are not an accident of nature or a mistake your parents made. In Colossians 1:16 we read:

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

You were not just created by him, but for him! The depth of this truth is life-changing. You and I were created by the Almighty God, and we were created for him—for his purposes, for his reasons. That knowledge alone brings significance into our lives.

A dear friend who is now with Jesus came to saving faith as an adult, and I’ll never forget how this truth transformed her life. Her mother had told her all her life that she was accident—an unplanned birth—and her birth had complicated her mother’s life. So, coming to know Jesus meant she finally understood that she was not an accident. She was created by God for his purpose.

And that’s true for you as well. So, don’t forget who you are today! You are God’s intentional creation—his handiwork.

Let me start with quoting this admonition from God’s Word:

1 Peter 5:5b-6: God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Luke 14:11: For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Notice that there are promises given in these two passages for those who are willing to humble themselves. They will be lifted up and they will be exalted. No doubt the average person would not connect being humble with being lifted up and exalted, but this is the upside-down truth for us as followers of Christ. Living for Jesus is often swimming upstream as to what our culture would tell us. Frequently we are called to live counter-cultural lives but it’s not a call to a dreadful life or a weird life. It’s a call to be lifted; to find true lasting joy and even to be exalted, as Jesus told us.

We typically think that God is the one who exalts or humbles us. If we’re humbled or if we’re exalted, we think it will be God who does it. But Jesus said we must humble ourselves.

Have you ever intentionally tried to humble yourself? Is that something on your to-do list? “Today I will humble myself?” Very few Christians ever take this literally and seriously. But there is great benefit for those who do. In addition to being lifted up and exalted, here are some further promises for those who humble themselves:

God gives you grace. James 4:6: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (ESV).

God guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. Psalm 25:9: He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way (ESV).

God crowns the humble with salvation. Psalm 149:4: For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation (ESV).

With humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2: When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom (ESV).

You will be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:4: Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (ESV).

So, for all kinds of good reasons we should learn how to humble ourselves. But how do we do that? How do we humble ourselves when our natural instincts are to be number one? How do we humble ourselves when we fear that others will take advantage of us if we are humble? What does it mean to humble yourself and how do you do it?

First, let’s consider what it does NOT mean to be humble:

It does not mean that you walk around with your head hung low, looking pitiful.

It does not mean that you run yourself down.

It does not mean that you cannot be ambitious or successful.

It does not mean that you can’t be the best at what you do.

It does not mean that you can never be number one

Furthermore, humility and ambition can co-exist very nicely. Look at some people in the Bible who were ambitious:

Abraham was ambitious to go to a land where God was sending him, and God calls him the father of our faith.

Noah was ambitious to build an ark that took over one hundred years to complete.

David was ambitious to defeat Goliath.

Esther was ambitious to save her people from extinction.

Ruth was ambitious to save her mother-in-law and herself.

Jesus was ambitious to do the Father’s will.

The Apostle Paul was ambitious to spread the Gospel throughout the world.

Without ambitions and goals and visions, we don’t do anything—we perish! It’s not wrong to be ambitious and want to succeed. Here are three reasons every Christian should have great ambitions:

We are created by God and from the beginning God had a plan for his creation.

Trying to find the right balance as a Christian woman is certainly a major challenge for most of us. I find that I must fight not to be caught up in what others think I should be. Rather I want to focus on the characteristics of a godly woman, and as Proverbs 31:30 tells us, a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

We should not fear:

What people say or think about us

Frankly, that can be a hard one for us women, because our natures are often inclined to be people-pleasers, and we will do most anything to avoid rejection. So, we can easily care too much about what people say or think.

Sometimes I find myself fearful of looking irrelevant because I have aspirations and beliefs that are not in sync with the norm for women today. Let's face it—we like to think of ourselves as sophisticated and “cool.”  And quite honestly, there are times when I feel like the country-bumpkin, even among some Christian women who seem to be more "in tune" than I am.

But I have to keep going back to who I am—a woman who wants to please God. That means, I must fear the Lord, and not fear looking dumb or backwards. If we live godly lives in this society, we're going to look weird at times. Be prepared for it. And ask God to help you not to fear what people say or think.

That also means I must not fear:

What people can do to me.

A boss can fire you, a boyfriend or husband can leave you, a child can disobey you, a parent can disappoint you, a friend can be disloyal to you. There are many things that people can do to you, and if you live in fear of those things, your life will be a constant emotional roller-coaster. Remember, no one can separate you from the love of Jesus, and as long as they cannot do that, then we don't have to live in fear of what people can do.

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.”  Let's make that our goal in life, to be a woman who fears the Lord.

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What are you fearful of today? Did you know that we should be women of fear? The Proverbs 31 woman is described as a "woman who feared the Lord" and she was praised. This is the most important lesson we can learn from this ideal woman. Are you a woman who fears the Lord?

If so, there are some specific things you will fear, and one of those is:

The fear of getting off on some issue and losing the right focus

One of the things that I fear greatly is getting out of balance and becoming an issue-oriented woman instead of a God-fearing woman. It would be very easy to do in this society with my personality, believe me. And I fear it, because I know that is one way Satan gets his foot in our doors.

Many women in the last couple of generations have focused their lives and energies on righting all the wrongs done to women. To be sure there have been and still are discriminatory practices in our culture—including Christian institutions—which can be criticized, which should be changed, and which are not fair. And we may have some opportunities to try to effect some of those needed changes. That's fine in its proper place.

But for us to become issue-oriented on women's rights so that the issue is more important to us than anything else is to be shoved into the world's mold of fighting for your rights. I keep reminding myself that the only way I can really help any woman is to point her to Jesus, who can free her from her sins and give her peace. Then she'll be free indeed.

Paul wrote to the Romans that we are all slaves either of sin or of Christ. So instead of being in bondage to some issue, or becoming obsessive about fighting for our rights, I want to encourage women—and everyone else—to become slaves of righteousness, because when we die to ourselves we find life in Christ. I could help further the cause of women's rights 'til I'm blue in the face, and any progress made would be useless if the women are still slaves to sin.

I want to fear not hearing the Lord say to me, "Well done, good and faithful servant," for I will stand before him someday for my life's work to be judged. I fear wasting the time and energy I have on things and issues that are not of eternal significance. That is godly fear.

No matter who you are, how qualified or successful you may or may not be, if you are a woman who fears the Lord, you will be praised. That was the heart of this remarkable woman—she feared the Lord, and we can do that, too.

If we truly fear the Lord, we will fear bringing disgrace to his name. Another holy fear is

Causing any kind of dissension or disunity in the body of Christ

Paul wrote to the Romans: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Rom. 12:18). And Jesus told us to love one another as he has loved us. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).

Are you fearful of causing bad feelings among your friends and fellow believers? That is a godly fear, and we need to cultivate that kind of fear. That loose gossip which we tolerate in our lives, those unkind words we say to each other, that competitive spirit and malice which is evident in the way we treat each other—those are things we should fear greatly.

If you have bad feelings right now toward someone, would you start praying about that and ask God what he wants you to do about it? He may want you to go to that person and ask for forgiveness and have your fellowship restored. If so, please don't put it off. The longer you wait, the heavier that burden will be. Until you make things right between you and others, you'll never be the godly woman you want to be.

Is your fear of people stronger than your fear of the Lord? If you really fear the Lord, it will be more important to you to get your relationships right than it will be to save face with your friends or family. Maybe you're fearing rejection by others, and that keeps you from restoring fellowship with them. But ask God to give you a holy fear—the fear of the Lord—which will be stronger than your fear of people, so that you can do what he wants you to do.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”  Keep repeating this verse over and over to yourself and ask God to make you a woman who fears the Lord.

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” You probably recognize that verse from the famous 31st chapter of Proverbs, which describes a godly woman. The one thing that made this woman significant was that she feared the Lord.

I want to be a godly woman, and I'm sure you do, too. So, how do we become a woman who fears the Lord? What does that mean? This fear is reverential awe—a fear that comes from knowing enough about God to be in awe of his power, his holiness, his sovereignty. An awe that springs from love and devotion.

First, let's talk about what we should fear if we fear the Lord.

I should fear bringing any kind of disgrace to the name of Jesus.

Psalm 69:6 is a prayer of David's which I have written in my prayer journal and I pray often:

"May those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me, God of Israel; may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me.” 

Do you fear doing something that will cause the name of Jesus to be dishonored? That is a godly fear; it is the fear of the Lord.

We've seen many times over, both in public and private arenas, where Christians have strayed morally and ethically, and brought disgrace to the name of the Lord. I have a great fear of doing that and I hope I always will.

Why am I fearful of bringing disgrace to the name of the Lord? One, because I know how weak I am and how easy it would be for me to fall. That's true of all of us. Two, because the thought of breaking his heart through a moral failure breaks my heart. And third, because I know I would lose so much; my ministry and freedom to serve the Lord would be greatly impacted if I brought disgrace to his name.

When you have a holy fear of bringing disgrace to God's name, you will watch the way you live very closely. No temporary thrill can entice you to pay this awful price, when you truly fear the Lord as you should.