Some of us relish the idea of being “different” or unique – the one standing out in the crowd. Others of us like to blend in and avoid being a center of attention. But the truth is that if you are a follower of Jesus, you are already different from all other people groups on the globe. You are set apart and unique and you need to not only get comfortable with the idea but also celebrate it.
God expressed his intent for a such a relationship when he spoke to Israel, saying, “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Deut. 7:6-8).
God declared this over Israel after he had delivered them from Egypt, but they experienced their position with God while in Egypt. After Moses had returned to Egypt to demand the release of God’s people, Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrews go. In response to Pharaoh’s refusal, God released ten plagues on the nation. It seems that the Hebrews experienced the first three just as the Egyptians did – the Nile was turned to blood, frogs infested the land, and gnats filled the air. The next scheduled plague was flies. However, God announced to Pharaoh, “On that day, I will deal differently with the land of Goshen (a province of Egypt, explanation added), where my people live. No swarms of flies will be there so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people” (Ex.8:22-23). The remainder of the plagues devastated the Egyptians but not God’s people. Even when darkness covered the land, there was light in Goshen. When the final plague took the firstborn of every person and animal, the Hebrews and their livestock were spared.
Later, in the days of Ezekiel when Israel had rebelled against the Lord for years, a subgroup within the larger population was set aside as unique to the Lord. “Now the glory of the God of Israel went up from above the cherubim, where it had been, and moved to the threshold of the temple. Then the Lord called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing kit at his side and said to him, ‘Go throughout the city of Jerusalem and put a mark on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the detestable things that are done in it.’ As I listened, he said to the others, ‘Follow him through the city and kill, without showing pity or compassion. Slaughter old men, young men and maidens, women and children, but do not touch anyone who has the mark’” (Ezek. 9:3-6). In this context, God was forced to judge Israel for it’s rebellion, but even in the midst of this judgment, God marked those who had been faithful so that his judgment did not touch them. In the same vein, in the Book of Revelation during the great tribulation, God told his angels, “Do not harm the land or sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of God” (Rev.7:3). Two chapters later, God spoke to scorpions that had been released for judgment and said, “not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their forehead” (Rev. 9:4).
God marks his people and treats them differently from all other people on the earth because he has chosen them. The apostle Paul continued the theme of being set apart from all creation by God when he says of Christ followers, “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Cor. 1:21-22). Paul says in another place, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory” (Eph.1:13-14). Peter put it this way. “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet.2:9).
As a believer in Jesus Christ, you are different. You walk around with the presence of God (the Holy Spirit) within you. You have been born again and made into a new creation. You are primarily a spiritual person rather than a physical or natural person. You are loved, chosen, marked, and elevated above all creation. You are so honored in Christ that Paul even says that you will judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3). You are a royal priest – anointed with the Spirit to offer praise, prayers and service to the King of the universe. Only priests minister in the presence of God. No one else has that kind of access. In the spiritual realm you are clearly marked as one belonging to God. His judgment will not touch you and you will be treated differently – as sons and daughters of the King.
You are different. You are chosen. You should at all times anticipate blessing and favor. You should not be proud but confident and thankful. You should expect significant spiritual assignments that mirror your significance as God’s anointed representative on the earth. One of Satan’s primary strategies is to deny who you are in Christ so that you might deny who you are in Christ. If you deny your identity, you will not live up to the privilege you have in Jesus. You will not walk in your inheritance and you will not fulfill your destiny. It is imperative that you know who you are; accept that you are different; and live up to that difference. With every thought, say what God says about you, call the devil a liar, and be blessed today in your difference.
