John 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

It’s not my fault! That’s the name of the game isn’t it? Someone has to be at fault. My parents, the school system, my friends, society, my counselor; take your pick or add one of your own. Either by nature or nurture I ended up the person I am, it isn’t my fault.

No, I am not about to take you down the rabbit hole of entitlement. Wouldn’t think about going there. The issues of fault finding are as old as man himself. Wasn’t it Adam who first pointed the finger of fault at Eve? So by nature we all seek to survive by feeding one another to the wolves.

May I suggest that finding fault fixes nothing? Or is it that you are not interested in a fix? Are we jaded by observing so many fixes that made things worse? Even our medications that are supposed to relieve our suffering come with disclaimers that the product may cause, itching, numbness, paralysis, swelling, blood clots, stoke or death. No problem just call 1-800-BAD-MEDS.

OK, OK, I’ll give you the fix to end your suffering. Repeat after me; “It’s my fault. I made bad choices. I cannot fix this life by myself. I need you Lord Jesus. I surrender.”

Suffering after all is a state of mind. Finding fault does not make you feel better about yourself, it only fools others who are looking for someone to judge. What you need is a new way of thinking, a new attitude.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

James 1:23-25 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Sadly I have heard these very words used by preachers to guilt people into action. If a church body appears to be inactive in the mind of the speaker, a sense of desperation can set into his speech. Let me point out I have not heard this lately, but in churches I have attended. Needless to say, I am no longer there.

One critical point is always overlooked during those sermons. The man turned away forgetting who he was, not who he is today. We turned from a life that wasn’t working for us. Pain and suffering usually comes from thinking about that old life, the old dead man. We as born again believers are a new creature. But who are we in Christ?

Identity is a strange thing. We often associate our identity with our profession or our relationships. I’m an engineer, a police officer, a nurse, a father, a wife. Those are things we do but are not who we are in Christ. James made the inference that your works show who you are but the subject at hand was faith, not identity.

We all start out as babes in Christ and we are expected to grow, mature, increase in grace, mercy and love. Who we are in Christ has more to do with our spiritual nourishment and exercise than it does in works. Faith will produce works, but how is one to know what to do if he/she does not know who they are in Christ?

Want to know who you are in Christ? Eat right and exercise.