In marriage many things are taken for granted. Now think of it, if that’s true with marriage how about with God? A God that you cannot even see. Are you trying to please God everyday or are you now taking Him for granted? The chances are what? You’re already married to God therefor, we take Him for.. is it not true? We do that. Wives do you like being taking for granted? No. How do you think God feel if He’s taking for granted, does He like it? You know why is it that people take each other for granted? Many people thinks its familiarity. It’s not true. There are people who have been boyfriend and girlfriend for 5-7 years and yet they don’t think each other for granted, they’ve been together since grade school and yet they think of each other. Why, what’s the difference? What change? I think the bible will tell us what change and once you understand that, your marriage will improve, your relationships with other people will improve significantly and your relationship with God will become nice. We want to start you on the right road today. We believe a lot of Christians do not have a good understanding of what Christianity is all about. They really do not have a good understanding of what a relationships means and that is why mababang mababa ang kanilang quiet time because they miss the boat. I like you to take out your wallet. The reason why many, many people broke their marriages, lack their relationship is very simple. I’d like you to take out your I.D with picture and take a look at you in your I.D. Now I want to ask you a question. Look at your I.D, your I.D suppose to tell you who you are? Who are you, who am I? If I were to really ask you, many of us we don’t even know who we are. We know we’re Filipino, we know what our name is. You see we have never really thought about who you are. I believe one of the greatest reason why marriages fail is because the partners forget really who they are. And do you know a lot of people think of Christianity has a lot of doing. Christianity is a matter of being. What does it mean. John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." It does nothing to do with what he does, it has everything to do with who he is. There’s a difference. Who you are, or better yet who you think you are will determine how you will behave. And Jesus said, being in heaven, being a Christian is a matter of being. Who are you? He must be, unless he is born again. It’s not a matter of doing something, it’s a matter of being someone. All of us want to be somebody. Do you know that your whole life your been trying to do that, you’ve been trying to be this somebody then I ask you who are you, then you really say "I don’t know." But until you know who you are let me suggest you see that big lion. You are in the lion’s mouth, the way you see yourself determines how you behave. What happens is the devil, the greatest thing that he does is in your mind, the greatest defeat that we have had as believers in Christ as disciples the reason why we cannot please God is because of the thought in our mind. Satan has strong hold in our mind. They thought pattern that are deeply engrave inside you and you don’t even know they are wrong and yet they are so contrary to God’s truth and therefor they result in sinful behavior. In a behavior pattern that God does not like, that does not please God. Pag sinabi mong "I’m just a plain housewife" do you think you are pleasing to God or not? Why not? Let me suggest you that you are in sin because that’s not the way God seen that job. In today’s world the devil had put a lot of stupid strong hold in our mind. And if you look at you, if you look at the way you behave, it will affect the way you decide who to marry and you’ll make a mistake because you married for the wrong reason. And if you got formula inside you but you don’t even know that you have, pano yan. When you marry somebody with the same formula and both your formulas are wrong, how can you make a marriage work? it’s impossible. How can you make your life work? You can’t. How can you make Christianity work? It won’t, you can’t make it work because all your formulas about who you are, are wrong. And some in a bible class will put there nice words but they’re just that, nice words, they don’t really understand it, they don’t mean what they say because if you look at the behavior it’s not consistent. The most fundamental deception that the devil can have is a fundamental strong hold about your identity, about who you are. Because who you are will determine how you behave. That’s why si Jesus start first with ask him the question, who do people say I am then after He ask that, who do you say I am? The perception of yourself determines your behavior. Matthew 4. When Jesus met first met the apostles what do you think they thought about themselves. Jesus was already preaching, look at v. 17-18, From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." [18] And walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. The bible is saying, "Ano ang perceive identity nila Peter noong araw? They were fishermen. Is it not true that most of the time when I say to you who are you, you will give me aside from your name what you do. Because the basic formula of the devil and world is who you are is determine by what you do. So the equation of the world is who you are equals to what you do. Supposing, sila Peter fishermen, supposing he broke a leg and then you stop fishing and you became a carpenter did that change who Peter was? It just change his occupation, it didn’t say who he is. All of us we are trying to look good, we are trying to be somebody and most of the time ina-associate natin yun sa trabaho natin, sa position natin, sa possession natin. Why is it that so many Christians are hard press to come up and gave a testimony for Jesus? it’s a struggle with your identity, who are you thinking of? Self. And yet when you look around who are you thinking of? Who you are. So the world’s formula, the wrong formula created by the devil himself have something to do, Who I am equals my work, equals my position or the amount of money that I have. Your identity has nothing to do with what you do but it determines what you will do. Identity determines behavior. We are under the control of the devil because nobody ever taught us the stronghold, we believe them all our lives and they’re in there. Once you don’t understand the struggle you will not make it but once you understand it who you really are then it will set you free. You will be the kind or man or woman God designed you to be. How do we remove his wrong stronghold. There’s only one way. Where’s the stronghold? In your mind therefor how can you break it? You see many people they read the statement and they don’t understand it. They were fishermen sabi sa v. 18, and then Matthew 4:19, And He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." And they immediately left the nets, and followed Him. You know Jesus gave them a new identity and from that identity everything flows. Who will follow Christ? Those who are real disciples. Acts 17:2-4, what kind of occupation did they have? They were ordinary people and Paul was reasoning to them from the scriptures and in v.[4] Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women. And look at v. 6, according to the people the crowd there.. what were Paul and Silas doing? These men, they have caused trouble all over the world. In v. 5, They became jealous. In other words discussing again position. Now look at Acts 17:12, Many of them therefore believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. So these are not just Paul and Silas they were ordinary everyday people. Look at v. 11, what were they examining? Acts 17:11, Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so. In other words they were ordinary laymen, they were hearing the people preach, they were going around. What were they doing to the bible, they were checking kung ang sinasabi ni Paul ay tama o hinde. Ibig sabihin nun, did they believe Paul right away? No, it did not matter what his position was, they would still check. Last week we told ourselves the identity comes from whom? From Christ. Followers of Christ, disciplers. How do we break this kind of strongholds? Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. I’d like to point out something to you, many of us are we looking for God’s will? But most of the time are we in the dark? We are. You’re looking at the bible from the worlds point of view, no wonder you can’t see God’s will, you’re looking at yourself in your I.D. you’re looking at it with glasses that are tinted by the world. Most singles they do that, they make decisions in the dark. They think tama pero mali pala because their values are conformed to the world. Notice: do not be conformed to the world but be transformed how? By the renewing of your mind. If you understand the bible we break the stronghold by renewing our minds and let me tell you until your minds are renewed you cannot possibly know God’s will. You have not groove your mind, it’s not been renewed. The satanic influences ladies and gentlemen are so strong. You are trying to be significant in a different way, in the worlds way rather than God’s way. Let me just give you some key taught. What should your identity billing to? You can change the outside but the real you is unchange. Ganon din po ang Christianity, you can hear the gospel, you can begin to read the bible but the real you is still unchanged. Most of us we were dark glasses, the glasses of the world and our focus is so totally of base because of the devil. You will have a difficult time leaving your job for Jesus Christ. Why? I believe it’s because you don’t know who you really are and who Christ is. Because if you knew you will have no difficulty. What is your identity associated with? See Filipinos, identity is associated by saan ka nanggaling.. If you are related to Jesus Christ, who are you? Turn to 1 John 5:11-12, And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. [12] He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. First and foremost one of the key aspect of your identity if you are united with Jesus Christ is that you have eternal life. When you have it? not in heaven you have it now. If you’re united with Christ, I’m a follower of Christ, I’m a child of God, what do I have?

1. I have eternal life - cannot be bought by money.
2. If you are a follower of Christ; a disciple of Christ.

Let’s turn to Acts 9:13

But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints at Jerusalem; Now most of the time God’s people are called saints but in our culture who are the saints? Patay na. They think that saint is on a.. if you want to put somebody on a pedestal you canonize him as saint. How many believes they’re saints. Are you a saint? Then why are you having difficulty. Saint define as follower of Christ. Were they perfect? No. You have eternal life basically that means you have a divine nature, you are saints no longer sinners. If you have eternal life what kind of nature do you have? Where is it? 2 Peter 1:3-4

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. [4] Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. Do you or do you not have a divine nature according to the bible? Do you? Yeah, so hinde ka na puedeng magsabi, "Sapagkat ako ay tao lamang." What does divine mean? From God, God’s nature. If you have eternal life that’s what it mean. If you have God’s nature how do you behave? Godly. Obviously if you have eternal life, if you have divine nature, you are saint then you should be victorious over sin. Most of us we want to be significant, we want to be accepted. I’m telling you there’s nothing in this world that will make you acceptable to God, Nothing. the only way you can be acceptable to God is if you have Christ. So take away the blinders in your eyes. Money is it important, does it make you somebody, yes in the eyes of the world but not in God’s eyes, not in real terms. Can money buy eternal life? No. then why are you all working? You need to examine that, why are you working, what are you trying to accomplish. Work is good but I’m saying what’s inside you, why are you doing it. You are significant, you are accepted and you are secure. Those are truths. Now you take them, what should you do? Believe them then behave like you are. Don’t try to be significant anymore because you are, don’t try to be secure you are already secure, don’t try to get acceptance from people, binababaan mo yung standard mo, hinde padamihan ito. Jesus was not accepted by the majority, He was rejected, so what. God accepted you. If you learn this lesson, it should turn to our life around. It should, our God did. Let us pray.