IDENTITY

“Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.”  John 15:4-5 - AMP

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much  fruit; for without Me you can do  nothing.”  John 15:4-5 - NKJV

“Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me.”  John 15:4-5 - CEV

This is a promise!

“When Jesus was baptized the Spirit of God descended upon Him like a dove and said, “this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”  Matthew 3:17.  This is identity.  

When you know who you are, you know what to do.

If you don’t know who you are you will continually walk in a circle around the mountain.  When you know your identity then you know your purpose and you will discover your call as you mature in the Lord.

When satan tries to cause us to doubt who we are and the authority we have, our weapon is to counter act him or rebuke him or silence him with the Word of God just as Jesus did.  If we don’t know who we are as told to us by the Word of God how can we rebuke satan?  This is another important reason we need to fill up on the Word of God daily.

All throughout the Bible our identity is revealed to us.  Here a few verses….

We are adopted
“…so that He might redeem and liberate those who were under the Law, that we [who believe] might be adopted as sons [as God’s children with all rights as fully grown members of a family]. And because you [really] are [His] sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave (bond-servant), but a son; and if a son, then also an heir through [the gracious act of] God [through Christ].”  Galatians 4:5-7 - AMP

AND

“He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will— to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ].”  Ephesians 1:5-6 - AMP

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From Kyle Winkler - “The Spiritual Habit That Will Change Your Life Forever”.  

1. We are “new creatures”  2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP  “Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].

2. We are “righteous” 2 Corinthians 5:21 AMP. “He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness]. 

3. We are chosen Ephesians 1:5 AMP.  “He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will”

4. We are accepted.  Just like Jesus defeated the enemy with the Word of God, so can you as you build your confidence in your identity by studying the Word of God. “to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ].” Ephesians 1:6 AMP

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Many of you have already heard from the Holy Spirit as to your word or topic He wants to work on with you this year.  This is one way He is building knowledge and confidence of your identity in Him.  Your word or topic is unique just for you.  He is intentional about what He will show you and work through you as you grow in stature as we saw He did in Luke 2:52.  “And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Amplified translation)

Jesus’ strategy for shutting up the devil was to put the power of God’s Word to work against satan by countering him with it.  Jesus said, “It is written” three times and all three times it shut  up the devil.  This silenced the attacks and caused satan to retreat.  

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“God wants to be revealed in His glory THROUGH His saints.”  Johnny Enlow

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John 15:1-27 AMP

1 I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit]. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have given you [the teachings which I have discussed with you]. 4 Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples. 9 I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you]. 10 If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing. 12 “This is My commandment, that you [c]love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father. 16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you. 17 This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another. 18 “If the world hates you [and it does], know that it has hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love [you as] its own and would treat you with affection. But you are not of the world [you no longer belong to it], but I have chosen you out of the world. And because of this the world hates you. 20 Remember [and continue to remember] that I told you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 But they will do all these [hurtful] things to you for My name’s sake [because you bear My name and are identified with Me], for they do not know the One who sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have [the guilt of their] sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates Me also hates My Father. 24 If I had not done among them the works (attesting miracles) which no one else [ever] did, they would not have [the guilt of their] sin; but now [the fact is that] they have both seen [these works] and have hated Me [and continue to hate Me] and My Father as well. 25 But [this is so] that the word which has been written in their Law would be fulfilled, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ 26 “But when the [d]Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, He will testify and bear witness about Me. 27 But you will testify also and be My witnesses, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”  John 15:1-27 - AMP

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Shellie shared that her morning devotional today was John 15:5-6 and 15-16.  Before we go into pray, we have to have a foundation of belief.  We receive that foundation of belief as we read the Bible.  Then as we come into the revelation that we are chosen, we will bear much fruit.  Clary said, “because of His great love He has chosen us.”

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.”  Romans 8:28-29 NIV

Laverne reminded us of the scene in the movie “War Room” where Clara tells Elizabeth, “…you need to kick the real enemy out of your home with the Word of God.”  If we don’t know the Word of God and it’s power, the enemy does not have to obey us.  It is not enough to just say some words we are reading off of the page.  We need to know, really know, the Word of God is living and a sword when we speak it.  (Ephesians 6:17). Shellie commented that when we have the Word of God established in us and we are believing, we are able to gain the territory in the kingdom that is ours and that we might have lost.  “War Room” scene:  https://youtu.be/rIJYqcRk2-o

From the afternoon Zoom call:

Terry taught us to daily:

  Put on the armor of God in Ephesians 6:13-18.

  Put on Jesus. Romans 13:14, Colossians 3:10.

  Ask what mantel you need to put on for that day.

A mantle is a type of anointing.  Ask the Holy Spirit  what anointing you need for that day. 

  Commit to the Holy Spirit your affections, emotions  and heart and choose to not react or respond out of  your emotions but as the Holy Spirit leads.

Stand.  See Ephesians 6:11

Standing against the spirit of fear.  Cancel any and all pre-attacks, counter attacks and retaliatory attacks of fear.  Then get in God’s presence.  When we are in God’s presence we don’t “feel” any fear because we are concentrated on God and His Word.  Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty.  2 Corinthians 3:17.  Fear cannot exist where the Spirit of the Lord is.  But, once we leave it starts trying to creep back in.  Choose to live by the Spirit and not in the flesh.  This does take intentionality and practice.

Where the Lord leads He provides.

Where the Lord provides He protects

Where the Lord protects He promotes.

“There is nothing impossible with God.  All the impossibility is with us when we measure God by the limitations of our unbelief.”  Smith Wigglesworth