the 7-Day Identity Project by Alison Tiemeyer

Transcription

1 the 7-Day Identity Project by Alison Tiemeyer

2 2016 Alison Tiemeyer. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law. This workbook is licensed for your personal enjoyment and use only, and may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this workbook with another individual, please direct them to where they may obtain a copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

3 Welcome! Have you ever felt forgotten and abandoned? There is a whole society of people that stands with you, bearing the weight of loneliness and shame, fear and isolation. It s AD 60 and Paul is sitting in the corner of a Roman prison, writing the book of Ephesians to the new community of Christians in Ephesus. The book of Ephesians is about our identity in Christ - our adoption, redemption and hope. And the new church in Ephesus desperately needed this message of identity. Don t you? Don t I? You see, the people of Ephesus were composed of high-ups and important businessmen, but there was also a large population of forgotten people. When a baby was born, it was not uncommon for the baby to be laid at the father s feet and evaluated. Maybe the parents were hoping for a boy, and this baby is a girl. Maybe the father was longing for a strong and mighty warrior, and this son was delivered a premature babe. The father was allowed to rid of the baby to leave the infant in the cold or the brutal heat - maybe to be found but maybe not. 1 Passerbys would search through these forgotten infants left on the street. If a baby seemed promising, they would raise the child and then sell him or her into slavery or prostitution. As Paul was penning the book of Ephesians, hundreds of slaves and prostitutes were wandering the streets of Ephesus. Many were scanning crowds with their eyes. Are you my mother? Are you the father that abandoned me? Talk about a forgotten people. Talk about aching hearts and a desperate longing for identity Manion, Jeff. Satisfied.

4 In comes Paul with the message of the gospel - the message of identity and love and grace and freedom and redemption. The message of an Abba Father who will never leave you or forsake you. And these slaves and prostitutes the babes who years before were left by trash piles and forgotten have been given new names, new identities, and new purposes. They are now children of God. What does this true story have to do with you a modern-day Christian? It offers the only hope you need. It tells you that no matter how hurt you ve been, no matter how lonely you feel, no matter how misunderstand and unappreciated you ve been, no matter how poorly you ve been treated There. Is. Hope. The hope of adoption. You are a son or daughter of the Most High King. And He is a Father who will never leave you and forsake you. There is power in the identity of Christ! If you ve been betrayed by a spouse If you ve been fired from a comfortable job If you ve been abused and used If you ve been left for garbage, forgotten and shamed If you ve been scammed and cheated If you ve suffered from depression or addiction If you ve never felt safe If you ve been deserted by those who are supposed to love you There. Is. Hope. The hope lies in your identity. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. [Ephesians 1:4-6, NIV] Dear child of the Most High Abba Father, your identity is secure. The book of Ephesians has been penned for you.

5 I ve created this one-week reading plan for those struggling with their true identity. It walks you through the first three chapters of Ephesians, asking questions and reminding you of important truths from your Father. I encourage you to be diligent about working through the study. It s not long each day shouldn t take more than 30 minutes. But when you take the time to dig deep and find your true identity, wild things happen. You find security in God rather than finances. You find hope in the gospel, rather than that substance you can t stop using. You stand firm on the rock of your salvation, rather than the opinions of those around you. Begin today. Dive deep into who Christ says you are. And just like those long-ago forgotten babes, you too will be armed with the truth of your adoption as a child of the Most High King. Thanks for downloading. I can t wait for you to get started! In Christ, Alison

6 Day 1 Reading: Ephesians 1:1-10 Whew! This is a meaty chunk of the Bible - full of meaning and truth for our hearts. Paul starts the book of Ephesians with the important reminder that we are chosen and adopted by the Great God who created the universe. Verse four tells us that He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world... (NKJV) and verse six reminds us that we are accepted into the Lord s family because of grace. You, dear child of God, are in God s family! Paul also mentions redemption in verse seven. Basically, redemption means that you ve been saved from your sins. No matter what you ve done, how many times you did it, or when the sin occured, you have been forgiven. Washed. What a Savior!

7 Diving Deeper: My Notes about the Passage: Optional Passages to Read: - Galatians 3: Romans 6:6 - Colossians 2:9-10

8 Questions to Consider: 1) What in my past has kept me from fully accepting my new identity in Christ? 2) What sins do I need to repent of and have washed in the redemptive blood of Christ? Repent of them now, then praise God that He has purified you completely!

9 Day 2 Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23 There is so much truth in this small section of the Word. You have been guaranteed an inheritance, which has been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Your future is secure because Christ was raised from the dead. And that same risen Savior is seated next to God Almighty. I m telling you, friend. THIS is the hope of our faith! We are not left on the earth without a future. We are secured a future by the creator of the whole world. He is preparing it for us now! That is our inheritance. That is our hope. That is a gospel of salvation worth believing in.

10 Diving Deeper: My Notes about the Passage: Optional Passages to Read: - 1 John 2: Galatians 6: Psalm 86: 12-13

11 Questions to Consider: 1) What does this promise about a secure future communicate to you about who God is? What does it tell you about who you are to God? 2) Spend some time thinking & praying about the phrase to the purpose of Him who works all things according to His will (NKJV) in verse 11. Find some other verses that communicate God being trustworthy and having a plan for your life. Write them here.

12 Day 3 Reading: Ephesians 2:1-13 Think back on the story of the forgotten babies in the beginning of this workbook. Those men and women in Ephesus must have found so much comfort & peace in these 13 verses! Can you imagine being a forgotten baby, left by the trash, misunderstood and afraid? But then THIS message makes its way into your hands - the message of forgiveness, acceptance, and being brought near by the blood of Christ. Verse 13 utterly amazes me, and I get chills, when I think about those forgotten babies hearing that they are now in Christ - no longer strangers or aliens - but children of God. This is our story too. We are in Christ. No longer forgotten. Rather, always loved.

13 Diving Deeper: My Notes about the Passage: Optional Passages to Read: - 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Romans 8: Isaiah 41:13

14 Questions to Consider: 1) We ve been made new - given the greatest second chance - because of Christ s sacrifice. How does this impact the way you should live as a child of God? 2) Picture a moment in your life when you felt utterly forgotten - like one of the babies in the story. Now, picture the Lord grabbing you by the hand and bringing you to Himself. THIS is your reality. Write a prayer of thanksgiving to God for this hope.

15 Day 4 Reading: Ephesians 2:14-22 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father (NKJV). Did you see that? We have been given access to the Lord - He hears us, cares about our feelings, and loves to answer our prayers. Verse 22 mentions a dwelling place for the Spirit. I believe that WE are a dwelling place for the Spirit. Only sometimes, we have to do hard work in order to make room for His whole Spirit to enter! If God listens to our prayers, and if God wants to fill all of you with His peace (verse 1), then why don t we spend some time asking God to replace some of our negative experiences with truths about Him? Welcome Him in. He will fill you with peace.

16 Diving Deeper: My Notes about the Passage: Optional Passages to Read: - Psalm 55: Psalm 62:5 - Psalm 34:17

17 Questions to Consider: 1) Verse 22 talks about being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (NKJV). This is talking about us! What do you need to get rid of in order for this dwelling place to be completed? (ex: harsh words by a parent, an abuse experience, betrayal by a spouse, etc.) 2) Now, spend time giving your answer to question 1 to the Lord. Verse 14 says that He Himself is our Peace. Ask for peace to replace that hurt. (Please know that it is healthy to experience emotion, and that this experience is not meant to diminish pain you are feeling. Rather, it is a time of laying your burdens at the feet of Jesus.

18 Day 5 Reading: Ephesians 3:1-13 Don t let these verses confuse you. Paul tends to ramble a bit, but there are some nuggets of powerful truth waiting in the midst of this passage! Read verse 6 - that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel... (NKJV) This is powerful stuff. You see, the Gentiles were the outcasts of society. Remember the woman at the well who Jesus shouldn t have been talking to according to society? She was a Gentile. And the babies in our story? They were Gentile slaves and prostitutes. Yet God, in his infinite grace, says that the Gentiles should be heirs of the same body. AND they should be partakers of the promise of Christ. There are no outcasts with God. He loves equally, freely, and graciously.

19 Diving Deeper: My Notes about the Passage: Optional Passages to Read: - Galatians 3: Romans 10: Isaiah 45:3

20 Question to Consider: 1) Make a list of your names according to society. (ex: Cheater, Liar, Broken, Used, Discarded, Forgotten, Dumb, Fat, Achiever, Goody-Two-Shoes, Anxious, Frightened, etc.) Now, make a big bold line through each of those names and replace it with a name in Christ. (ex: Adopted, Cherished, Loved, Righteous, Adored, Remembered, Redeemed, Valued, etc.) Spend as much time as you need praying through your new identity.

21 Day 6 Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21 This passage has a tendency to make me teary. Picture this: one of those forgotten babies receives a message. This message. One of love and purpose and redemption and grace. One of acceptance. One that says,... comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ which passes knowledge. (NKJV) These formerly forgotten Christians would never be able to comprehend the love of the Father. Wow. Chills. The rest of Ephesians tells the church how to live as a Christian. But before Paul even considers telling the Ephesians how to live, he reminds them of their identity. How beautiful. It all comes down to who we are in Christ. It s all grace.

22 Diving Deeper: My Notes about the Passage: Optional Passages to Read: - 2 Timothy 2:19 - Psalm 125:1-2 - John 3:16-17

23 Questions to Consider: 1)...that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (verse 19, NKJV) This is the foundation of our identity - being filled with God. Write down at least 10 of God s attributes, and consider how you have seen each of these attributes in your life. 2) Read verse 20 again. The power in those words is unchangeable. God alone has this power. When you are tempted to believe a lie about your identity, remember this power. Pray to the God who is able to do exceedingly & abundantly more than we could ask to comfort you and take away the lies. In fact, write a prayer asking for this now.

24 Day 7 Reading: Ephesians 1-3 I encourage you to finish this week of studying about your identity with a review of Ephesians 1-3. You can break this up into a few days if you wish. While you are reading, underline at least four verses that stand out to you about who God says you are. Use the preformatted notecards on the next page to record these verses. Then, keep them with you in your purse, your car, on your bathroom mirror, as a bookmark, etc. Whenever you are doubting your purpose - or when you are stuck dwelling on the hurts of the past - pull out one of your verses and say it out loud. The goal is to eventually memorize these four verses.

25 My Identity Verses

26 A Place for Notes

27 Thank you for taking the time to learn about your true identity in Christ. Just like those long-ago forgotten babies, you are not discarded. Rather, you are made new by the blood of the Lamb - a Risen Lamb who cherishes you beyond your wildest imagination. If you have questions - or you need help understanding a verse or a word in Scripture - me at alison.tiemeyer@gmail.com. It is a great joy of mine to hear from those who have worked through one of my studies. As always, head over to for more encouragement and content like this. I frequently write about identity and overcoming life s difficulties. I pray this study has been a blessing to you! In Christ Always, Alison

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