"Your Posture & Identity in Christ."

Posture: is the way you choose to act, respond, or carry yourself in a situation. It’s the attitude or approach you take toward something. In simple terms, it’s how you present yourself— sometimes in a way meant to impress others or even to cover up what’s really going on inside.

Identity: is who you are at your core. It includes how you see yourself, how others see you, the traits that define you, and the qualities that shape your character. For believers, identity also reflects your likeness to God— your God‑given nature, purpose, and the characteristics He forms within you.

John 1:12 - “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

When you read John 1:1–13 all the way through, you see something powerful. It shows how people viewed God— the Creator of everything. The same God who made the earth and formed humanity came into the world, yet many did not recognize Him. They didn’t receive Him or acknowledge Him as the One who created them. The passage reveals how easily people can miss God even when He is right in front of them.

Today, I feel like many people want God, but they also want the world at the same time. We desire His blessings, His presence, and His favor— but are we willing to live according to His will and purpose? Can our lives truly line up with His Word and His character? I know I go through things that are outside of God’s will, but I also know I have to do better. I need to pray more, study more, and stop pushing it off. Our identity is meant to be rooted fully in Christ Jesus— not shaped by the world or its distractions.

2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!

Have we truly confessed with our mouths and believed in our hearts that Jesus rose from the dead? Do we take time to pray and study God’s Word? Are we living a life of holiness—a true Christian lifestyle—or are we trying to serve God while still holding on to our own “gods”? When we genuinely accept Jesus into our hearts, our faith should be shown through our actions. That’s when we become a new creation in Him. Our old ways, habits, and patterns are gone, and we welcome the new life that God gives us. Praise be unto God!

I feel there are still areas in my life that I need to work on. I often feel convicted when I see others serving and doing more in the church, and I realize it’s because I still have growing to do. It’s not that God isn’t blessing me—He surely is—but I believe there are steps we must take for Him to elevate us higher. Like I preached at Dry Creek about faith, we must also remember that faith without works is dead. The work in this case means praying more, studying more, worshiping, and spending quiet time alone with God. When we truly walk in Christ, our testimony becomes, “What a mighty long way the Lord has brought us through.”

In Christ,

Minister Emory Cannon July 9, 2026