SCRIPTURE READING: ACTS 16: 16-39
FOCUS: “And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them.” (Acts 16: 22)
MEMORY VERSE: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” (Galatians 5: 1)
In our Focal Scripture, the multitude joined the magistrates to beat Paul and Silas. Several stripes were laid on them, after which they were thrown into prison. In subsequent verses, Paul protested against the idea of being released privately, having been humiliated as a Roman citizen. He never mentioned his Roman citizenship when he was first apprehended, but he mentioned it after being brutalized. He suffered for not using his identity.
Friend, when the vicissitudes of life come against you, remember to confront them with your identity in Christ. Use your identity in Christ to stand against every arrangement of hell against you. Use your identity in Christ to confront the wiles of the enemy. Use your identity in Christ to reject everything that is not of God that the enemy has thrown at you. Use your identity in Christ to win the battles against your destiny.
The magistrates who ordered the beating that was meted out to Paul and Silas were afraid when they eventually found out that their victims were Roman citizens, who should ordinarily not be touched. So, they would have avoided Paul and Silas if they disclosed their identity early enough. Sometimes, the enemy is only taking advantage of your ignorance of your identity and what is not consistent with your identity in Christ.
Remind yourself of your identity in Christ. You have been ransomed by the blood of Jesus. You are risen with Christ. You are engraved in the palm of His hands. You are the apple of God’s eye. You are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. You are hid in Christ and Christ in God. You are that star that will not go down. You are that vessel unto honour, sanctified, and fit for the Master’s use. Your identity is of Christ. You are surnamed by God.
Don’t let any situation make you lose sight of your identity in Christ. Use your identity in Christ to defeat the enemy.
FURTHER READING: GALATIANS 5
DECLARATION:
- I know my identity in Christ; I will not be a victim of the enemy, in Jesus’ name!
