My church has been studying the book of Ephesians in the bible for the past few weeks, and it has been an amazing experience. This study has challenged my mind and deepened my connection and understanding in Christ. Oh, how great and how wide His love is for humanity.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—” Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV
In chapter one, the believers in the city of Ephesus, are introduced to what is known as the spiritual blessings that all believers have access to when they are in Christ or believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Paul says this,
“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” Ephesians 1:3 NLT
God has given us EVERY spiritual blessing that we need and the prerequisite to receiving these are that we are to be “united with Christ” or in Christ. This means that when we become believers in Christ, He gives us spiritual benefits through our relationship with Him. How awesome is this?! At this point I am sure you’re wondering what those benefits are; keep reading and you will find out.
But as I began to learn about these benefits, God had put it on my heart to create affirmation statements from what I had been learning during this study. In doing so, I would be able to connect to the teaching in a deeper way. If I’m honest, I have been slow in doing this, but I am so thankful for God’s rich grace and mercy! Last night, during bible study, I was reminded to make what God has given us more personal. My pastor said, “Personalize it for yourself. You gotta make it personal to be able to truly connect to what Christ has done for you.” (Thank You Jesus for this reminder!)
And, this morning during my quiet time with God, He reminded me again to create affirmation statements to speak over myself from Ephesians chapters one and two. Some of you may be wondering what an affirmation statement is. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word affirm means a positive assertion, or more simply put, it means to make a positive, confident, and forceful statement of fact or belief. It’s a declaration or a statement. And what is more positive, confident building or forceful and full of truth, than God’s word?! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
So that is what I created, my positive assertions, my affirmations built on the word of God, which is TRUE and INFALLIBLE. As I read through Ephesians this morning, I created my affirmation statements of truth. And as I did this, my heart was filled with great joy, and the thought to share them was laid on my heart. Because if an am being empowered and encouraged, why not empower and encourage another?! Below you will find some of my affirmations created from Ephesians chapters one and two.
If you need some encouragement about how God sees you and what He has done for you and in you, go read Ephesians. If you have never heard about the spiritual blessings or benefits we get to live in and experience because of our connection to Jesus Christ, go read Ephesians. I promise you will not be disappointed. Allow Him to encourage you. Remember where you started and how far you have come in your walk with Christ. If you are new in this journey with Jesus, reflect on where you are and allow Him to encourage you in where you’re going. And if you are having a hard time seeing yourself in a positive manner or you can’t see yourself beyond where you are now, allow His word and the affirmations below to help you see yourself the way Jesus REALLY sees you. I will also add the scriptures from Ephesians underneath the affirmations, so we can all connect to the truth from God’s word from which they were created.
I pray you are blessed and strengthened in Christ through these affirmations. And may each one partner with the truth of God’s word to combat any and every lie you have been believing. “The only way to identify a lie is to know the Truth” – Dr. Tony Evans
15 Affirmations from Ephesians 1 and 2
- I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ
Ephesians 1: 3 NLT – “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”
- I am chosen by God to be holy and blameless before Him
- He hand-picked me to be set apart for His glory and plan
- I am loved by God
Ephesians 1:4 NLT – “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.”
- I am predestined by God to be adopted as His child
- I am a child of God
- He wanted me even before I knew I wanted Him or even chose Him
Ephesians 1:5 NLT – “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
- I am accepted by Christ
Ephesians 1:6 NKJV – “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”
- I am redeemed through the blood of Christ
- Through His death and resurrection, Christ has rescued me from a life of destruction and an eternity of separation from Him
- I am forgiven of all my sins
- I have been preserved by His grace
- He covers me by His favor that I don’t deserve
Ephesians 1:7 NKJV – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”
- I am a recipient of God’s inheritance
Ephesians 1:11 NLT – “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”
- I am sealed by the promised Holy Spirit
- God is a promise keeper
Ephesians 1:13 NKJV – “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,”
- I am made alive in Him
Ephesians 2:1 NKJV – “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,”
- I am saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ
- I don’t have to work to get salvation; there is NOTHING I can do to earn His grace, His love, or His salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV – “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.”
- I am God’s masterpiece, I am one of His greatest works of art
- I am created in Christ for good works that God planned for me long ago
- I have a purpose that has been hand created by God. Time with Him will reveal its specifics to me.
Ephesians 2:10 NLT – “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
I hope this charges you up and encourages you in your pursuit of Christ. I truly pray that as we continue to read these, the veil will be lifted from our eyes and that we will be able to see ourselves as Christ does and that we can connect to Him in a fresh, new way. I also want to encourage you to not just stop at my affirmations, but to also add to them or create your own. God is ALWAYS ready to empower His people, we just have to be willing to slow down with Him to receive it.
Comment below with which affirmation is speaking to you the most today or share one of your own!
Peace and blessings,
Arnita Faith
All bible verses were retrieved from biblegateway.com. Image personally created from word swag.
Encouragement 2 Continue 