Week 9: Discovering Your Identity in Christ
This week we begin to rebuild the way we see ourselves, not by staring at the past, but by learning what God says is true of us in Christ. Trauma often presses labels on us, shame tries to name us, and fear tries to shrink our future. Scripture gives us a stronger, steadier identity: chosen, redeemed, accepted, and made new in Christ. You may take this slowly. There is no expectation to complete everything, and you are welcome to begin anywhere that feels safest.
Before you begin
If at any point you feel overwhelmed, it is entirely acceptable to pause, step away, or simply sit quietly with the Lord. Identity work can touch tender places, especially when we have been wrongly named by others. We can take one small step at a time.
Scripture for this week
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;”
Slides: Discovering Your Identity in Christ
You may view the slides below at your own pace, and you are also welcome to download them for offline use.
Optional download: Download Week 9 slides
Audio teaching 9a, Introduction
You may listen alongside the slides or on its own. You are free to pause, return later, or stop whenever needed.
Audio teaching 9b, Going Deeper
This shorter session explores how trauma and shame shape identity, how false labels form, and how Scripture helps us practise a gentler, truer self-understanding, rooted in union with Christ rather than in performance or survival strategies.
Transcript (optional)
A written transcript is available for those who find reading more accessible than listening.
Read the transcript
Week 9 – Audio Track 1
Discovering Your Identity in Christ
Hello, and welcome to Week 9.
This week we are looking at identity, the question beneath so many other questions: “Who am I?”
Trauma often answers that question for us, not with truth, but with labels. We may start to believe we are what happened to us,
or what others called us, or what we had to become to survive. But the Lord gives us a better name, and a stronger foundation.
Ephesians 1 tells us that believers are blessed “in Christ”, chosen “in him”, and made “accepted in the beloved”.
That means our identity is not built on our stability, our history, or our performance. It is built on our union with Christ.
And when Scripture says, “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins”, it teaches us that our standing
with God rests on Christ’s finished work, not on how we feel today.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Notice that the centre of the verse is not “if I feel new”, but “if any man be in Christ”.
This is a real change of status, a real belonging, a real newness that God declares and works in us over time.
This week, we will practise something simple. When a harsh label rises in the mind, we will pause and ask:
“Is this what Christ calls me, or is this what fear calls me?”
And then we answer with Scripture. Not as a mantra, but as truth.
We are learning to receive God’s words about us, even when the heart feels slow to believe them.
Read the “Going Deeper” transcript
Week 9 – Audio Track 2
Going Deeper – Shame, Labels, and Learning a Truer Name
In this session we look more closely at how shame shapes identity after trauma.
Shame does not merely say, “Something bad happened”, or even “Something bad was done”. Shame says, “This is who you are.”
It tries to turn pain into a permanent name: damaged, unsafe, too much, unlovable, a problem, a burden.
But Scripture gives us something stronger than shame. Romans 8:15 says:
“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”
Adoption means belonging. Not temporary. Not probationary. Belonging.
And 1 Peter 2:9 gives a whole new set of words:
“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people…”
This does not erase our story, but it changes what the story means. We are not defined by what harmed us.
We are defined by Christ who redeemed us, calls us, and brings us into His light.
This week, practise a gentle replacement:
when a label appears, write it down, then write one Scripture truth beneath it, and speak that truth to the soul.
We are not trying to force feelings. We are training the mind to return to what God has said.
Reflection (optional)
These are not tasks to complete, only invitations to notice.
- What words have I used to describe myself most often, and where did they come from?
- Which verse this week feels hardest for me to receive, and why might that be?
- What does it mean, practically, to be “accepted in the beloved”?
- If I truly believed I belong to God, what might change in how I face the week?
Practical tools (optional)
If helpful, choose one gentle practice for the week. We are not aiming for perfection, only steady return to truth.
- Truth Cards: Write 2–4 short truths from this week’s Scriptures (for example, “accepted in the beloved”, “a new creature”, “the Spirit of adoption”) and read them once daily.
- Label to Truth: When a painful label appears, write it down, then write one verse-truth beneath it, and stop there (no arguing, no spiralling).
- Belonging Prayer: Pray Romans 8:15 slowly: “Father… help me receive that I belong to Thee.”
- Anchor statement: “My truest identity is not what happened to me, but who I am in Christ.”
Course booklet: Week 9 (written companion)
The following pages come from the original course booklet and are provided as a written companion to this week’s teaching.
Optional download: Download Week 9 booklet pages
Facilitator notes (for those leading others)
These notes are intended for those who may be using this material to support others in a group or pastoral setting. Individual participants are very welcome to skip this section.
Questions and support
If a question arises as you work through this week, you are welcome to ask it.
Please note: this is a teaching resource, not an emergency service. If you are in immediate danger or need urgent help, please contact local emergency services.
Closing encouragement
As we finish this week, remember that Christ is not confused about who we are. He does not name us by our worst day, our deepest fear, or our survival patterns. He calls us to Himself, makes us accepted in the beloved, and begins to renew us from the inside out. We may return again and again to these truths, and He will not turn us away.
