Romans 8 tells us we are heirs with Christ:

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:16-18 (ESV)

Since we are children of God, and since the Holy Spirit is bearing witness with our human spirits this fact, then we have the ability to experience the things that Jesus experienced. Some of this is suffering; some of this is glory. 

One of the goals of this life is to have the very life of The Messiah, Jesus Christ Himself, be lived out through us. This concept is captured very well in Galatians 2:20.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

We, the Church, have been crucified with Jesus the Messiah, the Christ. It is no longer we who live, but Jesus the Messiah, the Christ is living in us now. And this life that we are living here in the physical realm, we are living by faith in the Resurrected Christ, and His attributes are being overlaid upon us, His experiences, His sufferings, and His glory. 

We are sons of God, and we are heirs with Christ. All that the Father has is available to us as sons. 

Jesus Knew

Did Jesus know who He was? Did He know His mission? What do you think? I believe He knew what He was on earth for. 

This is articulated very clearly in this passage:

“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” John 13:1-5 (ESV)

Let me draw your attention back to verse 3:

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God.” John 13:3 (ESV)

Look at the three things that Jesus knew from this verse:

1. He knew the authority that Father God had given Him. 
2. Jesus knew that He had come from God
3. Jesus knew that He was going back to God

Jesus knew His own Heavenly Identity. He knew the implications of His identity, and what His purpose on this earth was for. Jesus knew what He needed to accomplish before He gave up his spirit.

In the same way, I believe God wants us to know the authority that He has given us, the rights and privileges we get to enjoy as sons of God.

God wants us to remember that we come from Him.

And He wants us to remember that we are going back to Him.

Identity Through Scripture

How do we know all of this? How do we know what authority God has given us? How do we know that we come from God and are going back to Him?

Well, first and foremost, we know this from Scripture. The Bible teaches us the principles underlying this belief system. So, a careful, consistent and faithful reading of the Scriptures can help us discern the authority God has given us, and help reinforce that we came from God and are going back to God. That’s one of the reasons it’s so important to read your Bible every day. You are reinforcing God’s belief system about you.

So, did Jesus use Scripture to reinforce His Heavenly Identity? Let’s take a look at a passage from the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, right after His baptism, 40 day fast, and temptation in the desert:

“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 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. 

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

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. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14-21 (ESV)

Jesus read to all those in His hometown what His True Heavenly Identity was. They were confronted with the fact of His words, and how He Himself fulfilled the prophetic words from Isaiah written hundreds of years earlier.

To Agree or To Disagree? That is the Question

Then all the leaders of the town of Nazareth had a choice: they could either agree with Jesus or disagree with Jesus. And guess what they did when they were given this choice? They attempted to kill Jesus!

“When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. But passing through their midst, he went away.” Luke 4:28-30 (ESV)

We are given this same choice. Do we believe that Jesus is who He says He is? Or are we filled with unbelief, like his friends and relatives in Nazareth were, and rejected Jesus’ True Heavenly Identity?

As it says in Romans 10:9-10:

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved [sozo]. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved [soteria].” Romans 10:9-10 (ESV, words in brackets mine)

Believing that Jesus is who He says He is, is the gateway to salvation. It’s the gateway to Heaven. He is the gateway to relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Here’s a good and simple prayer for us to pray and agree together as a Church right now:

Jesus, I believe in my heart that You are who You say you are. Amen.

Agree with what He Says About You

Now, second to this belief about Jesus being who He says He is, we have the choice whether or not to believe what God says about us is true.

What does God say about us? Here are a few of my favorites:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 

to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, 

which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:3-14 (ESV)

This is one of my favorite passages in all the Bible. Why? Because there is so much about our own Heavenly Identity in the Scripture.

• God says you are holy and blameless. Do you believe it?
• God says you have been adopted as a son of God through Jesus Christ. Do you believe it?
• God says that you are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places. Do you believe it?
• God says all your trespasses have been forgiven. Do you believe it?
• God says you have an inheritance according to God’s will. Do you believe it?
• God says you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of your inheritance. Do you believe it?

It is of paramount importance for each of us to come to a strong, convicting, deep-seated, heart belief in the TRUTH of all of these statements about our own Heavenly identities. This is how we move forward in our lives. This is how we accomplish the good works that God prepared for us to do, as referenced in Ephesians 2:10.

Here’s another passage worth reading and agreeing with:

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 (ESV)

Do you believe this?

You have been washed in the regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. This is your True Heavenly Identity.

Overlaying of Jesus’ Identity Onto Us

OK, so we’re talking about the cycles of the Messiah being overlaid upon our lives. 

Let’s come full circle: How do we overlay the True Heavenly Identity of Jesus onto our lives?

Let’s look at a couple more passages on this concept. It’s not even just a New Testament concept. We see it in the Old Testament.

Another of my favorites is the Aaronic blessing found at the end of Numbers chapter 6. Let’s read it.

“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.’” Numbers 6:22-27 (ESV)

A couple points about this. The Lord Himself taught this blessing to Moses and instructed him to teach it to Aaron and his sons, so that they could declare it over the people of Israel. This is significant. This is something we should be doing for people.

In fact, just today, the Lord shared with me that as we pray blessings for people, we are constructing runways in the spirit. These runways allow people to fulfill what God has for them and what He has willed for them. They are allowed to take off in the spirit and soar in their Godly callings. These runways also give spiritual places for spiritual blessings to land. Without a runway, the plane with all the stuff can’t land. And the planes can’t take off. 

Has anyone been sitting in a plane on a runway for hours, just sitting there and not doing anything? It’s kinda miserable. That’s how people feel in the spirit, but they don’t know why. They need Holy Spirit filled Jesus followers to bless them and help construct those runways for them. Some of those runways are equipped with guardrails, because people need guardrails, so they don’t go careening off the right path. This is one of the reasons we pray blessings over people.

Ok, going back to the Aaronic blessing. Did you catch the last verse, Numbers 6:27?

“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:27 (ESV)

Remember, God’s name is His identity. In declaring this blessing over the people, the priests were applying God’s identity over them. The priests were overlaying God’s blessing cycles on the people.

Here’s another one:

“For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.” Psalm 149:4 (ESV)

The Lord takes pleasure in us, and he clothes us with His salvation. Do you remember what the Hebrew word for salvation is? It’s Yeshua! That’s the Hebrew name for Jesus.

So the Lord loves hanging out with us, being around us, and He puts the clothing of Jesus upon us! 

The very identity of Jesus is being overlaid onto our identities by God Himself!

The New Testament agrees with this concept, declaring in Galatians:

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:27 (NIV)

We are being clothed with Jesus Christ. His identifying characteristics are being overlaid upon us.

This happened from the very beginning with the Church. In acts, we read:

“For a whole year they [Paul and Barnabas] met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” Acts 11:26 (ESV, words in brackets mine)

What does the word “Christian” mean in this context? It literally means, “Those who belong to the Messiah.” It’s similar to how we say that we’re Texans, or someone is an Arizonian, or a musician or physician or librarian. It’s a belonging and close association with the root word. 

In our case, our root word is Christ, and we belong to Him. We are associated with Him. His life is being overlaid upon us. His identity is upon us, and we get to operate in His identity, as is our right and privilege as children of God!

Identity Comes Through Prayer

I asked you, “How do we overlay the True Heavenly Identity of Jesus onto our lives?” And I didn’t really answer the “how” part.

It boils down to one word: prayer.

Do you know how many identity statements the Lord has given me during prayer times over the last 7 years since my baptism in the Holy Spirit and my first vision? Too many to count!

And even today during our 3 hour prayer time this morning, God relayed some more identity statements to me.

This is what I felt like I heard from God during prayer this morning:

“Because of your prayers, I’m sending out My Angelic Armies, My Heavenly Hosts. Today is a great day of battle, and you’ve been rightly praying. You all are involved in this massive spiritual battle going on, and your spirits are performing admirably. Keep praying and declaring, because it’s shifting today. A big shift is happening today. There is progress, and there are good surprises coming down the road.

I have sent judgments down for you and all the people connected to you. Every single person who knows you and who treats you well will be blessed. Every person you are connected to will receive blessings. Those who don’t know Me yet will get to know Me. I am doing this for you, and I know you are grateful.”

Let me tell you, if we had not invested that time in prayer this morning, I would not have heard those words from God at that moment.

Prayer is so incredibly important for your True Heavenly Identity. And it’s one of the major ways that the Lord uses to overlay the Identity of Jesus upon us. Even Jesus Himself made time for prayer and connection with the Father.

So I encourage all of you: set aside some regular time with the Lord and for the Lord. You will be greatly blessed through it!