Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith [and confident trust in My power] has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Jesus on the road.
—Mark 10:52 (AMP)
When Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, heard that Jesus was the reason for the large crowd, he began crying out loudly for the Lord to have mercy on him. Several in the crowd told him to be still and quiet, but Bartimaeus cried out even louder. It didn’t matter that they were upset. Jesus heard Bartimaeus and called him to come to him. When some in the crowd heard Jesus calling him, they said to Bartimaeus, “Take courage. He is calling you.” Bartimaeus jumped up and came to Jesus. Jesus asked him what we wanted, and Bartimaeus said he wanted to regain his sight. And Jesus told him that his faith had made him well.
This blind beggar believed that Jesus could heal him. He took responsibility for what he needed in his life. It didn’t matter about the taunts of the crowd or what they thought of him. When Bartimaeus moved forward toward Jesus, he stepped away from his identity as a blind man. And he received what Jesus had for him—a new identity as a man who could see.
Often, we identify with an illness we experience—or a problem we have—or a failure we encounter, instead of identifying with Jesus. Jesus waits for us to move forward in faith, believing all things are possible in Him. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks or says. If Bartimaeus had waited for the perfect opportunity, he would have missed his healing. Jesus made it clear to Bartimaeus why he received his sight. "Your faith [and confident trust in My power]," Jesus said, "has made you well" (Mark 10:52, AMP).
Sometimes, we allow an illness or problem or failure to be our identity instead of believing who we are in Christ. We see ourselves less than Jesus sees us. When we push our way through the obstacles to believing the truth of who we are in Him, we move away from the emotional and physical things we experience toward the spiritual truth of healing freedom in Him. Feelings become less important. We start to see ourselves through the truth of God’s Word. Our perception changes and we identify with Jesus. He becomes our identity.
After Jesus told Bartimaeus that his faith had made him well, Bartimaeus immediately began following Jesus down the road. He went with the person who had changed his life. Yes, Bartimaeus could see with his physical eyes, but he could see so much more. He no longer saw himself as the man who sat by the road's side, begging in his need. Bartimaeus identified with Jesus, who told him that his faith had made him well.
Do you identify with Jesus? Or do you identify with an illness, a failure, or your past?
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]" (2 Corinthians 5:17, AMP).
You are reborn and renewed by God’s Spirit. Jesus doesn't see you as sinful or sick or a failure. He desires for you to see and understand what He has redeemed in your life. Your old sinful nature has died. The sin and the sickness it brought are gone. There is nothing against you. You are forgiven, healed, and delivered—completely new in Him—grafted and joined to Him by faith. Christ is your new identity.
See yourself as Christ sees you—not as others in the crowd see you. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal your new identity in the Word. Leave the baggage of your old self behind. Have confident faith. When you identify with Jesus, all things are possible. You will know His truth, and it will set you free. Like Bartimaeus, fight the obstacles. Believe, and receive.
© 2021 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2021/10/your-new-identity.html
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