There are days where we feel vulnerable. There are days where we feel, open, exposed and there seems to be no place to hide. We doubt our identity, and we aren’t really sure that we have the strength to stand. We begin to wonder if the world even knows that we’re a real, live human being. There’s an emptiness that comes from standing alone, or even perceiving that we stand alone. There’s an imprisonment of the heart, a captivity of the spirit that keeps us from really living, when we stand alone, we are very aware of that solitude, it can be completely overwhelming.

Praise God for Christ Jesus who draws us away from these terrible feelings,perceptions and lies. What we felt while in sin is exposed, where we felt alone, we find that God had been there the entire time, His hands outstretched toward us, ready to take us in. We didn’t see the divine attention that was pointed our way, the reception of heaven’s host that was poised for celebration when our heart would be turned toward Jesus. Listen to Paul’s description of this wonderful news!

Galatians 3:23-29
²³ Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. ²⁴ So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Jesus specifically said that He came to set the captives free, to proclaim this wonderful news:

Luke 4:16-20
¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

There is no delay, no lingering in the promise. When we come to Christ, we find forgiveness, freedom, and we are given a new identity in Him. We need to remember that on these hard days, the days when we feel alone, vulnerable and exposed. He has taken away our isolation, He has removed any other labels that may have been placed on us, any other names that we may have called ourselves. Anything that would have degraded us, pulled us away or perpetuated harm in our hearts, to our identity, He has removed by His grace-filled presence. We are now those blessed heirs of an eternal promise.

Let yourself live in this freedom. Walk in the knowledge that He covers you if you have submitted your life to Him, been baptized and walk in new life. Your identity in Christ doesn’t change based on how you feel on a given day, on how difficult a situation might be. Your identity in Christ isn’t determined on how blessed you feel, on how you might ‘rank’ in the eyes of another person. No other human being can give or take away from your value. You belong to Christ, you have put on Christ. So when God Himself looks at you, He doesn’t see who you used to be. Instead, He sees His Son.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.