#CST - Identity - Who am I in Christ ? (#CST3)

Christian Straight Talk: Identity – Who Am I in Christ?

In this bold and unscripted episode of Christian Straight Talk, Reverend Ben Cooper and Simon Pinchbeck return to the mics for a powerful discussion that cuts straight to the heart of the matter: Identity – Who Am I in Christ?

This is more than just a conversation—it's a no-holds-barred exploration of biblical truth about who you really are as a follower of Jesus. In a culture saturated with confusion, labels, and identity crises, this episode brings clarity through the lens of God’s Word.

Ben and Simon don’t shy away from asking hard questions:

• Have you ever wondered who you truly are in the eyes of God?
• Are you living under labels the world gave you, or standing in the truth of your spiritual identity?
• What does the Bible say about your position, purpose, and worth in Christ?

In a world that tells us to define ourselves by success, failure, trauma, sexuality, gender, or performance, this episode reminds us that our true identity is found only in Jesus. You are not your past, not your sin, not your career, and not your achievements. You are a child of God, redeemed, called, anointed, and chosen.

The discussion dives into the spiritual battle over identity, exploring how Satan uses confusion, shame, and worldly systems to distort what God has spoken. But the truth of Scripture breaks through the noise:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here!" – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Whether you're a new believer, a seasoned Christian, or struggling to reconcile your faith with your self-worth, this message will encourage, challenge, and refocus you on the foundational truth: Who you are in Christ defines everything else.

Join the Christian Straight Talk conversation—raw, real, and rooted in the Bible. This isn’t religion. This is Kingdom truth, spoken straight out of the barrel of bold faith.

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Transcript

Reverend Ben Cooper: 0:31

God bless you we are in this is #Christian straight talk and we are straight out the barrel of truth. And this is Simon and myself coming to you today wherever you are straight out of the barrel of truth and we got a subject that is bubbling we've got a subject that we've been talking about this is about identity Who am I in Christ? Simon we're in this is # Christian straight talk it's good to be with you today. My god bless you in the mighty name of Jesus identity. What a word. Yeah, we want to scrape the be back on our mics again, Ben and we want to we want to thank everybody out there for listening with us because you know, we're just like guys have a Bible that want to really look at different angles to subjects or maybe go a bit deeper in in your life if you listen this may be good maybe ask a few questions in your life. Maybe give you a little bit of a little bit of Summit to hang on to which is obviously the Word of God but it's going to praise God. It's going to free you up and identity is massive. And it's you know, who do you are? Who are you? Are you? Are you wearing a mask? Are you wearing several mess? We're gonna look at all that today. Ben and it's a big word.

Simon Pinchbeck: 1:52

Yeah, it's huge.

Reverend Ben Cooper: 1:53

Because it makes me look at me the word identity makes me look at me and the world tries to shape me into someone I'm not really am and that can be a marriage that can be in education that can be as a child growing up that can be from a father figure from a mother from a brother from a sister from people at work even now trying to shape us into people it's quite a quite a big word you brought to the table our identity who am I? Well, what happens is Ben you know people try and shape us but we also try and shape ourselves into fitting in to whatever Yeah, bit that we are and I want to ask this question straight off the bat to people if you wherever you are out there, ask this question to you is any anyone in your life ever told you that you're no good? You will achieve anything? Has anyone ever told you that? You'll never make anything of yourself? Has anyone ever said they don't believe in you? Because I know they've said it in my life and I guess they've said it in your life at some stage and even oh yeah yeah definitely got that score member a math teacher I remember it to this this day remember exactly what they said Cooper, you're come to nothing. And that sits there and as a child and as a young person growing up it it it affects you but you try and bounce it off you try not to let feelings show as you're growing up. And yeah, that that affected me that words are so powerful they are arrows that come on they are huge men words are like seeds that go inside and and the problem is if you don't deal with that, is that negative word is not reinforcing a positive word or filled with the Word of God then obviously, we carry on believing that stuff. That's right. And every negative thing that happens to you after that, you know, you might not get picked it at school for football team or a rugby team or, or you may be overlooked. You might be overlooked in your job you might be overlooked in your church. You know, when you when you think and and all that negativity, if it's not careful, you start believing. Yeah, those words you stopped believing? Ooh, those words say you are. And so what happens is you bounce around in relationships, you've bounced around in jobs and we won't take a job that's going to put your head above the parapet you know that you because you're too worried about being told, get down? Who do you think you are? You can become depressed. And I think there's a lot of people that go through life a lot of periods of time in their life that don't realize that why they're unhappy and why they feel depressed is because of the words that have been spoken over you and the controlling way that people control your bit in the Bible in two Corinthians, chapter five, verse 17, in the years he s v version, it says Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation the oldest passed away and behold, a new has come so that me as a physical me, Christ as nowadays You think to the cross sins, everything like that, but also, I am now a Son of the living God. So all those negative words, all them rhythms of life that people have tried to narrow us down with our broken because of Christ is for us and not against us. Well, Ben and his ministry a great scripture, there's many others that will say that, but it's actually believing that and when those you see what you brought up something there, you know, those words, those words, create a certain identity. And unless we sort of break those words, unless we break that, then we're going to continue living in the net, enact character that somewhere. So parents as well as parents, we try and and you see a lot at this moment, you see education being such a hard press on children, parents, certain parents are really driving their children. And now we're finding that through statistics that a lot of children are depressed, tired and exhausted, because their parents are trying to create a person that their parents want to see. When actually isn't that child, their child? Oh, no. So you're trying to squeeze trying to squeeze peg in a square? No. And as we grow older, we try and fit in yet, don't we? Because a parent is trying to shape you and trying to make you into someone you're not suddenly you you don't realize who who am I? What is my purpose for living? What is my purpose for life what mom and dad are trying to shape me into a doctor when actually want to be a bricklayer? When actually my sister is telling me this, my brother is telling me miss this, the school teacher is telling me this and and it's trying to shape me even down to husbands and wives, brothers and sisters. Everyone is interested in everyone has an opinion on someone who they think you are and who you should be. No, you should be and what happens is been, then that stuff pushes your, your real, real self suppresses you. And as you karate said, it then becomes the root of all that unhappiness, so your negativity, so that root will never unless you get rid of that root. Yeah, that'll always go on. And we can say the scriptures over our lives every day if we want it to, but unless we actually believe in it, yeah. Then it's just lip service, just lip service. And that root is still there. We have to take that root out. Yeah, yeah. But it can go the other way, as well call it you know, if words have been said over your life, you may find that as the driver took the issue forward, yeah, you find success in whatever you're doing. But that can be a danger. It's a danger. It's a big danger, because then I'll become self driven. I can always almost become arrogant cannot become self driven. You can become arrogant, and nothing will ever be grasped righted anger, you'll never be good. You're not going to tell I'm better than that. I'm going to anger. It's almost like the survival of the fittest, like evolution theory that I'm going to trample on whoever I am. Because I'm not who you say I am. So I will do whatever I do to prove to you that I am better than all that negativity. So you've always got to if you're using prove yourself, you've got to get to the next level of promotion. You've got to look what I've done. Yeah, look. Next. Yeah. Money. Yeah. When all you ever wanted was for maybe your father to put his arm around you and go, general what sound you know what door your, your gray, what do you want to do? You're great. Let's sit down. Let's have a chat. I'm proud of you. Whatever you do, whatever you do, I'll support you all the way through. And it's like church leadership, isn't it? And I been I know, men. And I was I was with on the other night, he weighed 40 odd years for his dad to say I'm proud of you. Wow, has sometimes that never happens. But he'd waited 40 years and that's all his dad did was say, Son, sit down. I just want to tell you. I'm so glad you're in my life. That's all he said. Words are really powerful. But that Yeah, man. Yeah, there's no your 60s. Yeah, it changed him. It changed changed everything for him. Yeah, you know, it's like, I have to reference the Bible again. We keep referencing the Bible, what? The Bible what? So when you look at Jezebel and Ahab, and you look at that great prophet that was praying for rain and fire fell down. He was he was literally following God completely. He prayed, and it stopped raining and then he prayed three and a half years later, and then rain fell, fire fell. Everything was happening at that time. of Mount Carmel. And then he runs and he tells his servant, we got to run. So he's running in his miracle, he has just prayed and the heavens have opened, the clouds have come in. And that servant was saying to him time and time again, it's not going to rain. It's it's sunny, it's sunny, it's sunny. But then suddenly the heavens moved. He prayed and rain fell. But what's interesting about this is that he saw the miracle from God and he's running in his miracle is running for what he called down to being but then jazz a bell gave him a message. So words are very powerful. And the message that we hear can affect our character. Now this prophet was one of the greatest prophets that walked the earth. And when he heard the message, the word in that come from Jezebel, what you have done today, I'm gonna make sure happens to you, your life is is numbered, it made him run in fear. So even as a believer, even though we are anointed words from the other side of the cross, can affect us and made him run to the wilderness run under under the Juma juniper tree fall down and he said, God, I've had enough. So it doesn't matter who we are. Words can affect us even as anointed, even as a believer. Words can affect us when and we're all pretty much a lot of us. Pretty susceptible to what other people think of us, is that right? And we want we want to fit in, we have this desire sometimes, you know, we have a rebellious nature, sometimes we're not but so. So we want a lot of us, especially if you're not born again. But even when you are born again and with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you, you put your identity in things, things because we have an enemy that wants you to tie your identity to your house, your car, your battle family. Yeah, your job. Yes. All your identity to that. And so it becomes what you are. And so when we ask when we meet someone for the first time, and we want to gauge where we are with them, what do you do for a living? I'm a I'm a, I'm a bricklayer, I'm an accountant, you know, so all of a sudden, Doctor yeah, there's layers there's layers in there. Yeah, we box ourselves and what we end up doing if we're not careful, we put that mask on, don't we? Yeah, that mask and I know that because I was in the police for well over 20 years and and when I first returned the police, you know, I put the mask on when I went yeah, to do my job took it off. What went on? Yeah, but over the years there must never came off. And so I became that same person. Yeah, a policeman. Yeah. And that's what happens in it as that's what happens to never really knowing and understanding who you actually are. It's very difficult because when you when you talk about identity, only you know who you are. The real, real real you. I don't think you do Ben sometimes. Actually, probably you don't at some points, do you? And I'll tell you a good exercise. Yeah. Let me tell you a good exercise to find out come on. What is it? Get your closest family members to write you a letter? Yeah. Believe me if you're married, get your wife and your children to write your letter. If you're not married, get your mom and dad or whoever's around to write you a letter because they won't tell you maybe face to face but they will write it down. Believe me it's happened to me I've done it as an exercise to do and issue hard issue log a steam train because there you are, you're open because they they're the people that you spend the most time they say they see you because sometimes we start to believe our own press guys don't we believe we started to think we're a legend around lunchtime god help me, please god

Simon Pinchbeck: 14:15

we do ben

Reverend Ben Cooper: 14:16

we go yeah, definitely. The way it is. As tricky subject in it is Who am I because what what can come back for that letter? Is not what we want to hear. We want to we continually want to put people in boxes don't we? All day long. All day long. Everything church in church, our church different denominations all over the world whatever that we are all boxed we are all shaped by what we have materially what postcode I live in. What gadget I have, what job I have, where I work, what car I drive. I mean, we don't know how many songs do we go? Yeah, my job's interesting, but yeah, You bet yourself. Yeah. Do you want tell me about yourself? Oh, and it's the same in church or church how many people in your congregation? What are you doing? Big one? how big your candle yeah you may never Christian What church she go to? Yeah. Oh yeah junior partner. She's this my church is that we're doing this we're doing that and let me tell you the worst thing about I mean there's some lovely people out there on the I think they call it a welcome dont they Oh Gosh Please now yeah there's some lovely people out there have been on welcome teams but some churches probably a little bit more charismatic have taken it one step further and got a little bit embarrassing. They dress up in bright T shirts. Yeah, and sometimes it's the guy probably wear the t shirt don't quite meet his trousers. Yeah, you know and all of a sudden if you go in there as a new you know suffer your first time in what is this bouncing around that go and meet you at the car park with an umberella comes in when you go in and sit in the corner because afterwards you'd have to push coffee you know it's just press the prophetic art yeah and quite quite close to the flag wavers just and we want to know all about Yeah, we want to know about you all you want to feel this fall in there. Might I go? I just want to I just want to listen to what God is telling me I need to be challenged. I don't want to be big up. I don't be. Don't scratch me back here. I think who's gonna find out about who I am. Yeah, it's all come to church. I might get you a t shirt that says Welcome to church. You know, it's just you in you know? Yeah. All the time. That was God doing in your life? How many people in your congregation? Oh, you're from that denomination? Oh, you lead that church? You do this? You do that? Hang on a minute. I just want to I just want to follow Jesus. I just want to find I just want to follow Jesus don't characterize me by my denomination. Now. I get that a lot. I get that a lot when people say to me, all your Reverend our Church of England cuff Catholicism? No, I'm a Pentecostal Bible believing believer by it's very interesting to know. I mean, oh, he believes in the Bible. I know. I know a guy who leads an Afro Caribbean church up in Luton. Yeah. And lovely fella. I've spent a lot of time he's taught me a lot. And he says when he goes to churches together what he does when Yeah, you've got the anglich wideangle Anglican fellows come and go in. What church you from? He tells him his church. Yeah. Well, you you've never been a Bible college. So have you? And he goes, Yeah, I spent for years. Yeah, so I want to put him in this box as someone who's Yes. Yes. Exactly. Just just just taken up a church and started a home church or whatever. No, no, come on. Yeah. Get to know the person get to know that person. Because is the deal, then, you know, we've spoke about it before on other podcasts. But when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, yeah, admit we're sinners. Yeah, we confess our wrongdoings repent allows Amen. And accept Jesus, don't we? That's right. Yeah. And then, you know, we've said it before in another but what happens is that we should give our old life all of that baggage, all that stuff to jito. Because that's the offering. That's the offer of bring it to me, bring it to me, bring it to me hand your life over to me law. But if I do that, I'm exposing myself again, law to this and I've boxed myself off and I've been characterized either luck or Gideon. I'm just tramping this, walking around this circle and doing something that I shouldn't be doing. I'm using the system that's not really working. And then the angel comes down and says to get here, you are a warrior. Hang on a minute. I'm the least in my family. Um, the least. Why you the least Gideon, because that's what I've been told. I'm nothing I'm no one. I've been downtrodden. I've been beaten around not with with an iron rod. But we've words words beat us down more than a physical aggression. And it's very interesting and we're gonna we'll come on to that. Oh, excuse me. Oh, come on to that, Ben. Because I what other people say you are in? Because Ben is the deal. What is the deal? What is the greatest lawyer of your life? I am the greatest deal of your life is when Jesus says Bring me your old life. What does he say? Yeah, you know creation is a new life is a no life. Yeah, but Lord and I beliefs how many people struggle with their, the character that they're not really are and God says you're not, you're not that person. You're not that person. I know you, I know you better than your family better than your husband and your wife better than the past. I know you, and this is who you are, you're my son, you're my daughter. I am well pleased you you are a child of the living God, you are blessed and highly favored. You are fearfully, wonderfully made. People can't actually say that to themselves. I'm blessed. God does says that to this. does say that. Bam. But here's the deal. When of you listening to this podcast ever asked God, who he says you are? Who you are, I can guarantee not many people out there would have ever even thought about that. But the thing is men, the word says it. So we're not believing the word Are We Now it's either belief issue. So there's a belief issue there. And what we end up doing is going, Yes, Jesus, I want that new life. But they said, and there we go, yeah, you can have that. But where I'm holding on to this, and we ended up holding on to stuff. And we ended up holding on to the old man. And it becomes a process because that's what it says, as I think it was last week we spoke about working out your salvation and fear and trembling, is the process. Don't just accept the no life Jesus gives, you know, work out your salvation with fear and trembling on a daily basis. Who am I? Who am I in Christ? That is the question when Jesus just said, just believe, that is so, so, so important for me as a believer to understand that I am saved. I am washed in the blood of Jesus, I am a child, the living God. I am who he says I am. But dealing with what words have been spoken over X amount of years over someone's life is the hardest thing you'll ever do is not wrestling the devil. It's it's decluttering yourself from the junk that has been spoken about you and how many people are in jobs that shouldn't even be in that job. Yeah, totally, then totally and. But that's becomes then it should we should want. People can't flourish to their full potential because they've been blocked by words of human beings. But I'm going to put two words together that that many people won't put together and may only want to put together let's I'm going to put together some two words that we should be striving to be, which is this is exciting, Christian, hang on,

Simon Pinchbeck: 22:59

we should be working towards being an exciting Christian, because that's what's offered to us. By that, coming by accepting Jesus and given him our old life, we should be working towards getting less of us and more Jesus every day should we

Reverend Ben Cooper: 23:18

die into self? What is dying to self die? And, and Paul says it in all of these books. He says, you know, Galatians 220, for an example is I've been crucified by Christ. It's not either live, but Christ, Christ who lives in me, Christ lives in me. So if Christ is live on me, the oldest gone the newest come, I am a child of the living God, I am blessed not because I am but because he is the I Am. So everything is now to the cross a Calvary, and I am a son. I am a daughter. I'm not who the world says I am. That's a great point. That's a great point. You're not who the world says, you are. I'm not. I'm not. We're labeled from birth, we've got the NHS number, we've got the tax number, we've got every code under the sun. And we are characterized from, from birth all the way through to death by what the world thinks we are even down to family, even down to your relationship, even down to your closest friend. Everyone wants to try and shape you into the person they want you to be. Jesus says this. He says, I don't want you to live in this depressed life. I don't want you to live in under the yoke of the fallen world under the world because he says in Matthew 1129 says, Come to Me with all your burdens, all your problems. I will give you rest because my yoke is easy. People because he's going to he's going to walk with you is going to bear that load. Yeah, you got to give it a new start to live an exciting Christian In life, listen, believe me, you chew these you gardening, if you want to get the most out your Christian life, yeah, you can't get into the Word because you got to study j in the word study what a word says Christ ology you got to study Christ, you got to look in the Word of God, you got to see what God says about you. And you will find these not big in your app in any human form whatsoever. Because that great writer writes a wretched man am I when I die to self, I suddenly become a servant. I serve and don't expect to be served. But I think what a big issue is in in Christians and believers lives is that when we become born again, we have to die to self and to die to self is to die to pride, arrogance, and all that sort of stuff. And the people around us can't accept us as a different person. And that's a good point as well. Yeah, the people around us can accept. So that becomes a challenge because people see us in a different way we become, there's something different about you, you're not you're not you're you're a Christian, you're weak you, what do they want to do? They want to drag you back. They want to drag you back to be arrogant and prideful, and all that, because that's what they created. Because the world creates characters that we really are not. And because they want you to be like them. Yeah. And they want to control you. And I was looking at you, I get you into that. I'd love to be like that, but and the enemy goes, No, you're out here and drag him back. And but by getting into the word by realizing that there's no condemnation for by realizing that you don't have to be guilty of stuff. You could run on a daily basis. Konya. Yeah, start chlorin your new life. So living your new life. Why? Because if we're into the word, if we're into prayer into connection with our Father, God, given more of our life back to Jesus, and accepting more than the new creation becomes, yeah, but Ben, let me ask you this, right. It's a question that I was asked a couple of weeks ago. Oh, can we ever be fully sanctified? Oh, gosh, no. And the answer is no. We can never, ever all the time, his heart is beating all the time, I'll be in trouble. I'll be in situations, I'll be saying things I'll be doing things sanctification justification. When you bring all this stuff together, it'd be great one if the church of the UK we're talk on the very fundamental points of Christianity, the creation, the birth, the death, the resurrection, justification, the blood of Christ, because what we need is sound doctrine. If sound doctrine is coming across pulpits, I realize a wretched man am I but because when I die to self, then suddenly I am who Christ wants me to be or not who the family want me to be. Look at Joseph when, when the Father This is another interesting thing when the father blesses someone, the church congregation and pastors get quite jealous. Kind of jealousy. So So those characters in church those characters haven't really died to themselves either. Because when someone gets blessed, automatically it should be God anointed you. God has blessed you were going to walk with you. But if you look at the story of of Joseph, his own blood brothers wanted him dead. Why is the Father bless you more than me? What is this and to be honest with you, Joseph to now be yourself in that situation? A young man and give me Yes, yes. Okay. See, that's another point. And I think that's another podcast but I do believe that when we're blessed, yeah, shouldn't boast about it down because just tell your family they say that the Bible tells us prior to comes before so we don't best not say anything. We know you got to be so so careful. That because you suddenly realize Oh, hang on. I've got a blessing. I got to share it. Look what God has done for me hang on a moment. I think we could share it without being prideful con, you know, yeah. If, you know, we know many people were the Lord's blessed him with a few quid and they've shared it out. But we can never be fully sanctified, which means we can never be fully like Jesus. Why? Because there's layers. These layers you know, why but but either the church Tober that can be a god. I've heard church tell me that I'm, I'm sitting at the right hand of God. I'm like, you know, you, you can be you know, gotta be careful kinda because there's a word out there that's been used so many in so many places. Sorry, I am I am I I built this I'd done that if you soon. And when people use that type of wording, usually find that they don't know who they really are in Christ because no idea, Ben, because if you're working out your, your salvation with fear and trembling, in Philippians, 212, you, you kind of realize that I'm a servant. The more that you give over, the more Ristic give over enough, because there's layers in this layers. The more I give, the more God posed a vow back and goes,

Simon Pinchbeck: 30:32

Yes, you know,

Reverend Ben Cooper: 30:35

I reached it, but the curtain gets wider. The patio doors get wider and wider and wider. And suddenly you've got this view of yourself. God, is that me? Is that me? He sat me. I didn't realize unforgiving. I've got pride. I'm arrogant. I want it's all about me. I thought I'd given a thought I'd given that over for a given that for myself. I thought I thought I thought, no, I thought I've given an anger up. I think the most the hardest thing anyone could ever pray is, Please, Lord stripped me back. I don't want to be materialistic Lord, I don't want to be people patting me on the back. Lord, I don't want to be lifted up, Lord, I just want to serve you. I want to walk with you, Lord, I want their god to know what it's to be like to be in the Garden of Gethsemane when I say Lord, not my will. When I reach a point, when I'm in the Garden of Gethsemane when I say Lord, it's not my will. That that is a place. I think that is a place of, of complete surrender to a degree, but it's easy to get up from the garden and walk out isn't it and sit with the Amazon on the on the edge of the garden. Because when you're in the garden, you are in complete surrender and complete surrender, can you can feel vulnerable and vulnerable. Come come take you back to a character where Yeah, because what happens is we want to when we're vulnerable, we want to come back to a place of safety and a place of safety isn't generally speaking for most people is not the new man. It's the old man, the old man. Yeah, the old man, the Old Testament, they they tested the Old Testament and actually being in the garden, you know, that is that that is a character stripped back, that is a character stripped back of everything what everybody has said over you, what everybody thinks of you. The Garden of Gethsemane, a place of ministry, a place of separation from your church, your family, just you and the Father. And, and just giving it giving it over giving it over on a daily basis. This is not a one time thing. It's a continuum Tineo thing where process or journey with Jesus and that that's the exciting thing. Yeah, because the more as I said, the more we give, the more we is revealed. And we have to stay in in the word and and if you're in any doubt about who you are in Christ, and who am I you know, Romans six six, or say you're not ruled by the world of sin, you're, you know, Galatian Galatians 327 28 Oh, God, it says, He says, For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, Amen. So you're a son of God, through your faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you, as were baptized into Christ, have put on Christ so that when you're baptized in Christ, you're clothed in Christ in it you put on us on the clothing of Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free. There is neither male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus took it out what a scripture that's yes, we're all wanting Christ. We're all one. We're all one and I've been adopted into the God's family, not into the the worldly church, I'm adopted into the family of God into the kingdom. I'm not an orphan. Many people think that they're orphans. And they're separated by sin from God when actually no this the adoption, you are adopted in you are grafted in. You are part of the Kingdom of God. You are the child of God. You are a daughter of the king, you are a son of the king, you are blessed you are free in Christ Jesus because of the cross a Calvary, who am I in Christ, look at this man this look at this. This is really interesting. Look at what he says here just to read it a one line scripture in Colombia Colossians three three says this Spence is for you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Yo, yo, yo live is hidden you're in weavin Christ. Yes What amazing hidden it's gone. It's been now to the cross a Calvary, I am free but we don't fully believe it because we you know that there are times during the day that elemental rises Ed Yeah, that's it as to be asked to be less and less if it's not becoming less and less then really you got a study where you are Yeah. And study who you are because we see it all the time, don't we? You know, James says out of the mouth flow rivers of living water but their flow curses and blessings. Yeah, the same time the same time. So we see many times you know, you've got someone or be posting something on social media, you know, be cursing and doing that. And then Oh, bless you praise the Lord. I'll be praying for you. Now that's wrong. That's not right. You know, we should be making a daily basis to move forward and live an exciting Christian life in Christ and asking the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. Is there anything in me is there any for strip any bathroom you back? Yes, Lord. See, one Peter. One Peter chapter two verse nine says, Yeah, good. Okay. Pick a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special. You know, you are chosen you are chosen by this god this this this great Creator of heaven on earth, you are a son, you are a daughter, you are blessed, the oldest gone, you are a child of faith, you belong you are grafted in you are you have been adopted, you are not an orphan. You are not who your parents say you are, you are not who the world says you are. You are not what your work colleagues say you're not what your line manager, you're not what the pastor, you are a child of the living God, you're grafted in, you belong to the kingdom of God, you are saved, you are sanctified, you are washed, you are on a journey of redemption, you are redeemed your sin has gone been redeemed by the blood of Christ redemption. And let me ask you this. Let me put the bed put it so really so well better than I could put it there that you're you're not who anyone else says you are. You're not your father or your parents or you know your school to anyone and says you are you have been redeemed. Right? The blood of Christ. So my friends if you're out there feeling you're not worthy, and you don't think God will use you. That's right. I'm thinking, God, listen to this. You're not an accident. The parents that you've got other ones God chose to produce you produce you unless they were they were put together but every time you feel not worthy then Ben, we got magnificent cross here in the pod Look at that. We looked at across Yeah, because the calculus is how much the father thinks of you because He sent His only Son, Allah lie on cross. Thank you, my friend. Yeah. So that so that you will be set free from the old man. Yeah. So look at that. Look at across, you know how precious you are to him. And he doesn't want you live in in that old way. He doesn't want you living in guilt. He doesn't want you're living in all that stuff. Yeah, he wants you as the new creation to be part of His kingdom to advance his kingdom. I'm not I'm not. I'm not. I'm not that that person that's addicted to that anymore. I'm not that I am. I'm free. You're free. I'm free. You're around certain cultures and presses that if I was addicted, or I was I was trapped in a certain press of life that I have to keep recognizing. That's what I was. No, I'm not what I was. I am different to what I am what I was, I am free. I am a child or living God. I'm not an alcoholic. I'm not a drug user. I'm not what you think I was, I am blessed. I am washed in the blood of Jesus. I am not addicted to that stuff anymore. I am not that person. I am free because who the sunsets free is free indeed. And there are certain areas of life and culture ministries that keeps saying that we have to remind ourselves what we was when actually the scripture says don't put your hands to the plow and look back. You was that but there was one sacrifice once once and for all. That was my old man, and I am not an addictive character anymore. I am free. I am saved. I am washed in the blood of Jesus. I am a child and living God who the sunsets free is free indeed. Then you got it you Got it exactly. Because, you know, we look to things like Alcoholics Anonymous, all this Yes, yeah. If they want to, you have to stand up there and go, I'm an addict. No, my friends, when you've embraced Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you aren't unfree, you're free. Because if, if that scripture could be canceled out by lots of things, and teachings and organizations out there, if I keep after referencing what I was, I tell you what, there's not enough ink in the world to reference what I was. But there's something that I need to remind myself of who the sun sets free, is free indeed. And when we need your free and hit me, Ben, you know, like, what my free from I'm free from the old of the character, but free. The identity that they identified me to be is not me. If I look at my life, Ben, and you know, I give testimony many times, yeah, yeah. One time I fell in the trap of using Jesus like a genie in a bowl. So yeah, it would be I was this I was that. Then Jesus came in, and then it's all about me. It's me, me, me. Me. It's not, is it not because the story is all about Jesus, Jesus. And listen to this. John 15 Five says, I am divine. Oh, you're grafted into the text. You can do nothing apart from me that you could do nothing apart from Jesus. So when we we read books and the testimonies and believe me, the Christian world loves a dramatic testimony, oh, if fryums offer offer human beings testimony, but really, what next week, you'll be kicked into touch with someone's story because it's greater than yours. And yours. Yeah, I got a story that's greater than anybody's story. But God so loved the world. That is the story. That is the story. When you start to realize that the story I'm about you're not allowed me all about Jesus, then you won't come out with a title of a book saying, Jesus in my corner or whatever your he is a book of Jesus, everything this is, the Scripture says He is before all things He created all things, all things consist because of him. He is the first he is the last. He is the great I Am He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. And he is your identity because you are alive in Christ. So who am I? I'm a son, or my daughter of the living God, I am blessed. No matter what the world says. I am chosen no matter what the world says. And who the sun sets free is free indeed. What do I need to be set free from my old identity the world and the thing is been that you set free from your old identity which is caught up in the world. Yeah. And what we what we need to realize and what is the much preaching on this man? Is that Jesus died for you and your sin. Yeah, he rose again to save you and accept you. Yeah. He also if you let him will lead you to the Father but he's separated you from the world. Yeah, you are set apart from the world now. 100% you are set apart as a as a as a citizen of the kingdom of God. And my friends, if you will need doubt and who the father thinks you are. Then in a quiet time, just say Father Who Am I? Who am I see my God will not say this to your bed. My father God will not say you're useless you'll never achieve any think your your your you. We always know when we made you do you weren't going to go anyway. I will never say that. Now, what he will say is what you just said is your son, your daughter, you're a warrior. Yeah, you're a warrior, and your mind and your mind. And I own you. I own you. I created you. I formed you in your mother's womb. I brought you into existence before even existence began. And it will say at this point. I do not make rubbish. You're exactly who are wanting to make but there's a few things we need to get straight. Oh, hang on load. There we are. We've landed, we've landed. We've landed we'll just pause for a few hours. Just for a few days we're gonna pause and we're going to be still and know that he's got the identity. You are who God says you are. You're not who the world says you are. Please write that you are who God says you are you wait anything else? No, no, no, we just touched the surface. You scratched the surface but we are we've given you Do something to live an exciting Christian life with Yeah, because my friends is all about the cross and it's all about Jesus. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. He's your God. Have a great day, wherever you are across the world. Please share all this stuff out. You can find us online, you can find us on many platforms, but you can also go to Spotify Buzzsprout and Amazon music, I Heart Radio and so many other places. Please go and share all these podcasts out, share them out with your family or friends. And please just follow Jesus. It is critical for us as believers living in the UK at this moment all across the world wherever you are, and we thank you so much to our fellow podcasters for sharing all this stuff out. God is with you, but you are a child of the living God. In Jesus name. Amen.