From reading the title, you are probably thinking about a story about Ships. Well, you’re close. I am going to tell you about two important concepts that serve the same purpose as the physical ships. A ship is a transportation means you use to travel across seas. Life, especially young hood, can be just as the sea: unstable, unreliable, deep, full of storms and confusion. When dealing with a water body such as oceans and seas, ones you could never swim and finish, you will need yourself a transportation means to carry you over to your destination.

Like us, Jesus was also once a young man who was tempted with the pressures of life, but He never gave in, tested but never failed. The book of Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way but was found sinless and He sympathizes when we are weak. Out of all of these temptations, two of them that almost represent all the other temptations are found in Mathew and Luke 4. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness to fast and pray. There Satan came and tempted Him.

The first temptation was, “If you are the son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” And then, almost similar to the first, he took Him to the Holy city and said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself from the pinnacle of this temple for it is written ‘He will give His angels orders concerning you…’” Now what’s wrong with this picture? The verses Satan quoted were right. Satan quoted them correct. But the condition and spirit that these verses were quoted in are what were wrong. He said ‘if you are the Son of God…’ If you see a few verses up in Mathew 3:17, God had just said about Jesus, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” But here, Satan was saying ‘if you are the Son of God.’

Satan was asking Him to prove His son ship by doing something, instead of by believing the words that the Father spoke about Him. The devil’s number one agenda in these temptations was to confuse Jesus about who He was. The devil knew that if Jesus was confused about who He was, He would always live life confused, constantly trying to prove Himself. He would think, speak and act not because He was the Son of God but to be the Son of God. There is a difference between living to be somebody and living life because you know you are somebody. The statement should have been, ‘since you are the son of God…’ But the devil is so sneaky. He uses a lot of truth and dilutes it with a lie. He fabricates lies but he does it so strategically.

Today, most of us live life confused and lost because we are not sure about who we really are. Every storm of life comes and makes us question whether we are the son or daughter of God. We think we become sons and daughters of God based on what we do or don’t do. Our confidence goes up and down based on our performance. But our lives would be so different if only we understood and accepted that we are children of God.

What is it that we question every time something happens to us, or every time we fail at something? Isn’t it connected with our identity? Does God love me? Am I really a child of God? Listen, you become a child of God because of one and only one reason. John 1:12 and Galatians 3:21 tell us, ‘We are the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus.’ You believe in what Jesus has done for you on the cross, and boom you are a child of God! You become sealed by the Holy Spirit. He makes a dwelling in your heart.

Now somebody could be asking, ‘Ok if I am a son of God by faith and not by what I do, can I live my life however I want?’ The thing is, if you truly understand that you are the son of God by faith and not by works and that God loved you way before you were even born and while a sinner, I am telling you, you wouldn’t even be asking this question. Knowing who you are by itself will eradicate this confusion from your mind.

Son ship - this is one of the ships that will keep you safe and secure amidst of the storms of insecurity, peer pressure, the need to prove who you are and all the many challenges that we face related with identity. The confusion that’s in the world would not toss you here and there if you know who you are. The words God spoke about you will be your anchor. God loves us with the same love He has for His Son Jesus.

Jesus was so secure in what the father had said about Him, He didn’t fall for the devil’s schemes. He never acted based on proving himself to others. He always moved, spoke, behaved and lived His life based on the Father’s heart for Him. That’s why it was so easy for Him to let go of people when they wanted to leave Him. He never needed others to confirm who He was. He never fed off of anybody’s opinion or approval of Him to be secure and bold but the Father’s. You are who God says you are. God’s word is the truth. Tune in and listen to His voice. He is still saying about you, ‘You are my beloved Son in whom I delight!’

I will tell you about the other Ship in my next article.

Enjoy the father’s love. Cheers☺