Other than verses 13 and 19 in Philippians 4, perhaps one of the most often quoted passage from this epistle is: “Being confident of this very thing, that He Who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6) What a precious promise from God! What a powerful statement of reality! He Who has begun a good work in you, WILL complete it! He cannot fail to do so. If you have repented of your sins and trusted in Christ alone for your salvation, but feel like you’re floundering a bit, be encouraged. Jesus said that He gives to His sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish, and nobody can snatch us out of His hand. (John 10:28). That is security, my friend!

The theme of this passage in Colossians is submission, a far cry from the American ideals of personal freedom, liberation, and choice. But submission is not the tyrannical concept most of us harbor in our minds. Rather, it is freedom! It is a form of respect, which allows us to be free and to have the best flowing in and out of us. It is a safe harbor of smooth waters protecting us from the storms of wrong actions. It frees us from bad thinking that leads to bad choices which, in turn, lead to a life of misery and trouble.

The Lord Almighty reigns is the declaration of heaven (Revelation 19:6)! Right now, right where you are, think about that for a moment. Our God, enthroned on high, reigns. When you observe the decaying “morals” of our society, when you look at the scandals and corruption in high places, and when your heart breaks over the thousands of babies who are murdered every single day in this nation, it doesn’t seem like God is reigning does it? But the timeframe of our study this week is at the end of this age, as we know it. And despite all of the devastation that takes place on earth during the great tribulation period, the heavenly group of elders declare that The Lord Almighty reigns (Revelation 11:17).

You have a new identity: “For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are His heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.” (Galatians 3:26-29, NLT) That is my identity and yours if you have put your faith in Jesus. But there is a problem. Satan hates that message of hope and change. He goes about trying to “steal” our identity in Christ by enticing us to neglect our relationship with God.