Our Place in God Through Jesus

Introduction

"But [we are different, because] our citizenship is in heaven. And from there we eagerly await [the coming of] the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3.20 AMP).

Because of the Finished Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, we now have a Place in God, our Creator. This space we occupy in God's presence entails ten supernatural realities: Position, Purpose, Promise, Power, Protection, Prosperity, Peace, Perfection, Provision and Prize—all attributes of our Heavenly Father's goodness.

The Bible says that if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are reconciled (restored to friendly relations) back to God (Romans 5:10-11). This restoration is a gift that we can never earn. God so loves us that He initiated the Gift of Salvation through Jesus while we were yet undeserving (Romans 5.8). All we must do is see our need for this gift and accept it by confessing and believing. Simple.

"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10.9 NKJV).

Once we accept the Gift of Salvation, we now have a Place in God, and again this space includes but is not limited to Position, Purpose, Promise, Power, Protection, Prosperity, Peace, Perfection, Provision and Prize.

Gift of Salvation

If you would like the Gift of Salvation and find your true identity in Christ and find your Place in God, all you have to do is pray the simple prayer below and believe in your heart that Jesus died to be your Lord and Savior.

"Jesus, I believe You died to reconcile me back to my Creator God. Thank You for paying the debt of my sin with Your Precious Blood. I ask You to come into my heart and life and save me from darkness, sin and shame. I declare that I am a new person in Christ, and I can now have a growing relationship with my Heavenly Father. Now I ask that God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, pour over me with a mighty flood of His Presence, so I can be Placed directly in the will, favor and blessings of God. I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen."

Our Place in God Through Jesus: (1)

Position

We have been raised up to new life with Christ and now we are hidden in Him. That means our life without Christ is gone, and we have a fresh life that has crossed over from death to life and will not be condemned (John 5.24).

Once we realize that our Position has changed through Christ, we will begin to believe, think and act differently. There is no greater name on Earth than the Name of Jesus (Philippians 2.9), and we are now found inside and covered by the mighty Person Who embodies this Name, Jesus!

"Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand...For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:1 & 3 NLT).

God's Children

Not only has our new Position placed us in Christ, but we are also now positioned as Children of God instead of His enemy (Colossians 1.21). As His Children, God wants us to have His best blessings possible (Matthew 7.11). He is not far from us. He is near to us and eager to have a deepening relationship with us. No longer are we outsiders. We are now positioned in God's royal family.

"But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1.12 NLT).

This new Position as God's Children also entails more awe-inspiring aspects that, when we fully understand and embrace them, will transform our minds, hearts and lives. As God's children, we are Chosen, Royalty, a Priesthood, Holy—and we Belong. We do not have to live in darkness any longer because God has positioned us in His wonderful light!

"But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2.9 NLT).

How can we possibly live in defeat from a Position of such noble heritage? The glorious realities of our change in Position are limitless, but the following are just a few more positional qualities we gain in Christ.

Positional Qualities Gained in Christ

• Victorious: 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT)

"But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ."

• Righteous: 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)

"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

• The Head, not the Tail: Deuteronomy 28:13 (NLT)

"If you listen to these commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today, and if you carefully obey them, the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never at the bottom."

• Beloved: Romans 1.7 (NKJV)

"To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

• Complete: Colossians 2.10 (NLT)

"So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority."

• Perfected: Hebrews 10.14 (NLT)

"For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy."

• Overcomer: Revelation 12:11 (NKJV)

"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."

Therefore, in Christ, we have been gifted a Position as Royal Children of God found as a Holy, Chosen, Victorious, Righteous, Beloved, Complete, Perfected Priesthood who Overcome all obstacles becoming the Head, not the Tail, because we Belong to our Loving Father!

Once the truth of our Position finally sinks into our hearts and minds, we can live out our true identity in Christ.

Our Place in God through Jesus: (2)

Purpose

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8.28 NKJV).

Now that we understand our Position in God, we can examine our Purpose in God. To have a Purpose on Earth is vital to our daily life. The Bible says that if we don't have a vision for our lives, we (our destinies) will perish. We have to know that our lives have meaning and that we fulfill a valuable service on Earth. The work we do must earn us more than a paycheck. It must fulfill our very real and strong desire to feel valuable, needed and prosperous. God is a creative God, and He has a creative Purpose for each of His children.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he" (Proverbs 29.18 KJV).

We have been created to do the will of God which will produce good works in our lives that line up with His Greater Kingdom Plan. Our Purpose is what keeps us walking by faith and trusting and relying on God in everything we do. Many times, God calls us to stretch our comfort zones and do things that scare us or seem impossible, and the reason we overcome our fears and make a leap of faith is that our Purpose draws us to continue despite feeling inadequate or not knowing the outcome.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2.10 NKJV).

When we get to Heaven we will be judged not by our sins because they have been cleansed by the Blood of Jesus. However, we will be judged based on what we did with the gifts and talents God wove into our nature in order to accomplish the Purpose He has for us. This Purpose will always serve the needs of others and quench our thirst for a life of meaning. When we obey in our work according to God's will for us, we will one day hear Jesus say, "Well done!"

"The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’" (Matthew 25.23 NLT).

Our Purpose also brings us closer to God's best design for our lives. In order to achieve the great things God has planned for us, we must make a habit of learning, growing, stretching and relying on Him. Without a Purpose, there would be no reason to press forward and develop as individuals into the image of Christ. Christ completed the ultimate Purpose of reconciling the world back to God through His Finished Work on the Cross. Now it is our turn to pick up our own Cross—our personal Purpose—and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 16:24).

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image" (2 Corinthians 3.18 NLT).

If God didn't have a Purpose for our lives on Earth, He would simply take us straight to Heaven after we receive salvation through Jesus Christ. However, God does not take us up right away because He has a Purpose for our lives on Earth that will bless His Children and grow our maturity in Christ. Once we know our Position in God through Christ, we can ask God what Purpose He has for us, so we can align ourselves with God's Kingdom Purpose.

"Declaring the end and the result from the beginning, And from ancient times the things which have not [yet] been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will do all that pleases Me and fulfills My purpose’" (Isaiah 46.10 AMP).

Below is a prayer we can say in order to ask God to reveal our Purpose, so we can begin living a life overflowing with meaning, value and blessing.

"Dear Heavenly Father, now that I know my Position as a Child of God, I desire to know why I am here on this Earth, in this body, during this time and with the talents and gifts I've been born with and want to cultivate. God, reveal your great Purpose for my life to me. I want my steps each day to be directed by a greater vision than I could have ever imagined. Open my eyes to all your plans, so I can wake up each day knowing I have worth, value and meaning. I now have a Purpose that will shine before others, and I can't wait to walk in my Purpose filled with great deeds that will glorify You. I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen."

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5.16 NIV).

Our Place in God through Jesus: (3)

Promise

"For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding ‘Yes!’ And through Christ, our ‘Amen’ (which means ‘Yes’) ascends to God for his glory" (2 Corinthians 1.20 NLT).

Now that we know our Position in God as His Children and we have gained an understanding of our Purpose, we can now focus on the Promise God gives us to achieve all that He has planned. God's Promises will almost always seem impossible for us to achieve on our own. God places our promises at the foot of His throne, so as we walk toward them, we come closer into relationship with Him. And, yes, our Promises may be impossible, but with God all things are possible, which is why we must learn to trust and rely on His great hand to accomplish His Promise through us.

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible'" (Matthew 19.26 NIV).

Once God gives us a Promise, we must write it down and claim it by faith daily. We can believe in the Promise despite our circumstances because many times our circumstances will be the complete opposite of our Promise. God allows this contradiction to produce faith in us. Our faith illustrates that we believe God above what our eyes see: "For we live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5.7 NIV). As we collect God's Promises for our lives, we can trust that they will "surely come." Then once God accomplishes a Promise, it will become a testimony of our faith and God's grace. Plus, our faith will be boosted for the next Promise God has in store for us.

“Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it;Because it will surely come, It will not tarry’” (Habakkuk 2.2-3 NKJV).

The Promises of God make our Purpose possible. They also become motivators for us and endow our work with meaning, filling us with passion for the things of God. These Promises are like unopened gifts just waiting to be revealed and used to bless us and others. Jesus Himself was the first Gift given to us (John 4.10), and once the Gift of Salvation has been secured by faith, we can ask God to shed light on all the gifts He has in store for us in every season of life.

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]” (James 1.17 AMP).

Jesus gave us a word of assurance that will help us believe, claim and achieve all the Promises of God for us. He said if we have faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible for us. That single Promise should usurp all our fears. However, many times our Promises must die in the natural, so God can resurrect them in the supernatural. We can do our part, but there will be a point where we are going to have to lay the Promises of God at His feet and allow His strong arm to move on our behalf.

"...Jesus told them. 'I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible'" (Matthew 17.20 NLT).

Sometimes trusting God and waiting on His timing can be the most difficult actions to take. It will be tempting to go around God and achieve a lesser Promise. Or we may try to force His Promise in our own meager way. But whatever is achieved in our own strength must be maintained by our strength. What God achieves in His strength on our behalf will be maintained by His strength, and we will have a "holy ease" when walking in our Promises. God lives outside of time. Time doesn't matter as much as life matters. God will hold our Promises safely until He knows the greatest good will come out of them, and more often than not that takes time. But we don't have to be dismayed. We can simply trust that God always keeps His Promises no matter if they take days, weeks, months, years or even decades to come to fruition.

"The Lord always keeps his promises; he is gracious in all he does" (Psalm 145.13b NLT).

We must not let discouragement prevent us from achieving all that God has Promised us. A day can be like a thousand years to God, so we must carry the weight of hope with great anticipation, renewing our faith whenever discouragement rears its ugly head.

"But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent" (2 Peter 3.8-9 NLT).

If you have lost faith in the Promises of God for your life, speak the prayer below by faith and trust that God is true to His Word.

"Father God, You have given me many Promises. Some of them have come to pass and others I am still working toward and believing for. I declare today that Your Word is more powerful than my situation. By faith, I claim my Promises are 'Yes" and "Amen" in Christ. I will not speak a word against them. I will not believe the contradictions of my circumstances. I will only claim and speak each of my Promises as if they are already on Earth as they are in Heaven. I rebuke doubt. I rebuke fear. I rebuke discouragement. I rebuke worry. And I rebuke any hindering and distracting spirit that may be trying to work against my Promises from coming to fruition. I thank You, God, in advance for resurrecting my Promises in Your strength and time. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen."

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think" (Ephesians 3.20 NLT).