Jesus is our example in all things. He put aside His godly attributes to live as a man but without sin. So everything he did is possible for us when we do what He did. He stayed connected to His Father continually. Matthew 11:27 says, "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father." (NKJV) We must come to the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit, through the example of Jesus.

     So, concerning our identity, what is the example of Christ?  After Jesus was baptized by John, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.  After He fasted for forty days, the devil came to tempt Him (see Matthew 4).  The first thing the devil said is, “If You are the Son of God..." (v. 3 and 6). He said that twice and Jesus repelled him with the Word of God. The devil has nothing new under the sun.  He tries the same thing with us.  He says to us, "Who do you think you are?"  Unless we are sure of our identity in Christ we will doubt the power of God in us and lose our effectiveness.  When we know who we are in Him, we have an unlimited supply of power because God is all powerful, omnipotent.  When we know that "all things have been delivered..." by our Father through Jesus then all things are possible. That is what it says about how we get saved. In Matthew 19 we read the story of the rich young ruler. After he went away sad because of his riches the disciples asked, "When His disciples heard it they asked, " 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.' " (v. 26-27)

      It is impossible for us to make our way to God without His intervention. He draws us because He loves us.  Not only that, but He gives us all things:

1. We are His children and heirs - Romans 8:14-17 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

 2. Married to Christ - Romans 7:4 "You also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God."

 3. Set free from sin - Romans 6:18, 22 "And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness...But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

 4. Promise of heaven and eternal life - Philippians 3:20-21 "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. "

 5. Saints - Romans 1:7 "To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints...

      All of these promises and many more are ours. These are not for some select few, but for all who have confessed Jesus as Lord. You don't have to get cleaner or better or do anything to get it. In Romans 5: 18 we read, "Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life." It says that this gift is for all men (meaning mankind). He did the work for us because we couldn't. There is nothing more we can do to be saved. It is totally free, only believe. Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God..."

    Therefore, we must not allow the devil to try to tell us that we are not the children of God. We must not allow him to tell us that we must work for our salvation because that would nullify the work that Jesus has already done. Titus 3:4-7 "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." How do we do that? The same way that Jesus did, by reminding ourselves and the devil who we are and what Jesus has done as told to us in His Word. The more we know about God's promises and plan, the more we can come against the accusations that Satan wants to speak to us. As we learn God's Word, then we learn to hear His voice and tell the devil to take a hike - through faith.

Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved

through faith, and that not of yourselves;

it is the gift of God, not of works,

lest anyone should boast."