“I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.”  Revelation 3:18 

      As I mentioned yesterday, I will be spending the next few blogs discussing the major categories of  “tests” the Lord sends our way.  Please remember the times of testing are not given for your demise.  The Lord desires all His children to pass with flying colors.  But mostly, He wants us to know where we stand in regards to those things He is revealing to us.  So be of good cheer, my little padawan, you’re going to make it… me thinks! 

      As we grow in the Lord and rid ourselves of the old nature, our new nature begins to take hold in our lives.  It is during this time the Lord begins to speak and to reveal to us our New Identity.  This picture of “who we are in the Lord” can be a difficult one to grasp for some.  The Lord is faithful to reveal to all believers both general and specific revelations about their place in His Kingdom.  While words about our old nature versus our new nature can be somewhat negative at times, new revelations about “who we are in the Beloved” can be quite exhilarating and overwhelming.  God’s love can blow us away. 

      Permit me to chase one rabbit for a moment.  Some become accustomed to hearing only negative words from the Lord.  They view the Father as “always being on their case about various issues.”  They relish hearing words of correction and struggle with the Lord’s uplifting words of love and admonition.  In total contrast, other believers only want to hear good things from heaven.  All negative and corrective words are tossed out immediately. 

      I have found help in receiving both the positive and negative revelations from the Lord.  Believe me, it has taken me much time to arrive at this place.  I have wasted many agonizing years trying to make God’s revelations fit into what I wanted them to be, instead of simply receiving and obeying His words.  Thankfully, God is faithful…and longsuffering.  The word of God speaks….speaks….speaks!  Our job is to listen….listen…listen.  Unfortunately, I chose to try and provide commentary to the revelations of God.  It cost me much consternation in the process.  Hey, if God wanted or needed commentary on what He had spoken, then He would have provided such.  Learn from me…shut up and let the word stand!  Is this blunt enough? 

      Did I catch that rabbit?  Lets go back to discovering our identity.  Knowing who you are in the Lord is of primary importance to discovering your Kingdom work.  If you never fully discover your identity, then you will not:

1. Be able to help others find their way in their Kingdom responsibilities.
2. Be able to “stand your ground.”  The devil and his cohorts will push you around as you try to stand on truth.  (This was Satan’s modus operandi with Jesus in the wilderness temptation. Matthew 4)
3. Be able to proceed.  Why?  You will simply quit at the first signs of hardship because you will not understand “who you are.” 
4. Be able to know your exact place in the Kingdom.  It is a wonderful comfort and peace to know your Kingdom responsibilities. 
5. Be able to discern your destiny and calling.  This is why the drop out rate is high among the called.  They failed to receive all their instructions about their identity in Christ. 

      There is more to say, but we will continue tomorrow.  For now, begin to ask the Lord about your identity.  A great place to start is to ask the Lord this question…”Lord, what do you think about me?”  Right now, the Lord is longing to whisper in your ear and tell you how much He loves you.  If I tell you the Lord loves you, it means one thing.  When you hear those words for yourself from the Lord’s mouth, it is revolutionary!  Start a revolution today…in your own heart. 

Blessings!