How you see yourself is very important. What you see yourself is what you become; your achievements will not exceed how you see yourself. It is a pity that many Christians today only see themselves through the eyes of nature rather than through the eyes of Christ. As a result, they cannot see the wonderful things God has accomplished in them.

But thank the Lord! God's Word says, "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 1:30a). God sees us as we are in Christ Jesus. We also need to see ourselves in Christ. How do you see yourself? You need to see two truths about yourself.

1. You need to see your beauty in Christ

God makes Christ Jesus to be our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30b) God sees us as holy and righteous in Christ. You may say, I still have many weaknesses and flaws, and to this day there are still some sins that I have not overcome. How can I be called holy and righteous? This is what you see yourself with a natural eye.

But thank the Lord! This is not how God in Christ sees us. God's love for us is unconditional. If you do well, God loves you; if you do not do well, God still loves you. God's love for you does not change because of your performance. Frankly speaking, all the good deeds of man are nothing more than a piece of tattered clothes in the eyes of the absolutely holy Lord. We are lovable not because of our own good deeds, but because of the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, God sees us only as holy, blameless, and beyond reproach. (Col. 1:22)

2. You need to see your victory in Christ

2,000 years ago, the Lord Jesus Christ defeated Satan on the cross, and Satan was defeated. He is just in his death throes now, and what Satan fears most today is that God's church knows this truth. Therefore, he will try every possible means to deceive us with many tricks so that we cannot see our victory in Christ and can continue to allow him to abuse us. Satan uses harsh, difficult circumstances to deceive us.

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years because they viewed the Canaanites from a natural perspective. When the twelve spies came back from spying out the land, ten of them said, "The cities there are fortified, and the people there are tall and mighty. Compared with them, we are like grasshoppers that they crush to death with one foot." So the Israelites complained. But the Canaanites' tallness and might were just an outward illusion. Because the Israelites looked at things with a natural perspective, they only saw the greatness of their enemies and their own insignificance.

Only Caleb and Joshua had a different view because they looked at it from a spiritual perspective. They said, "Don't be afraid! Go up and take possession of the land. The Lord is with us, and we will be able to overcome it." However, the Israelites did not accept their opinions, which led to the disastrous consequences of wandering in the wilderness for forty years!

Brothers and sisters, how do you view yourself today? If you look at yourself with a natural eye, you will only see your weakness, incompetence and failure. If you see yourself in Christ, you see your beauty and your victory.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you consider yourself a lovable and victorious person? Or do you feel bad about yourself and feel like a failure? Whether you are positive or negative about yourself, where does this feeling come from? Why do you feel this way?
2. How can we avoid being deceived by Satan and often see our beauty and victory in Christ?

See Yourself in Christ