A Good Friday Reflection
by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
When I accepted Jesus in 1984, I was just a young girl—but the Holy Spirit immediately began tucking Scripture into my heart. I was hungry to know Him, and I knew Him.
Then, the world crept into my life, my mind, and my heart. My decision making broke me.
At 25, after my divorce, I began to believe a lie—that God couldn’t love someone like me. That lie became a trickle of identity theft, slowly stealing away who I was in Christ. The world told me I was unworthy, unlovable, and unacceptable.
But in 2015, that lie was nailed to the cross. By Jesus’ revelation to me, I knew that I had put my self worth in things and in titles, not in my inheritance as a daughter of the King of Kings.
In 2015, everything I thought I was DIED. I lost it all just to find my identity again. My true identity, robbed by my unrenewed mind and by lies the enemy told that I so easily believed. It was painful process. Slow. Humbling. Renewing. However, it was also holy. Because Jesus had already died to restore me—and in 2015, I finally began to die to self and rise with Him.
It’s now 2025, and on this Good Friday, I have finally let the full weight of the cross hit me.
The cursed tree.
The torn flesh.
The blood.
The brutality.
The price paid… for me.
I have been in joyful mourning today because Jesus who was ripped and beaten, the Savior who was pierced and nailed—He did it for me.
My identity was buried on that cursed hill–Golgotha–it should have been ME.
Because of who HE is, I am so joyful and so grateful that on Sunday… it will be raised. My identity is as RISEN as He!
🗝️ Because of the Cross…
- My identity has been redeemed.
- My life has been restored.
- My mind has been renewed.
- My authority as a daughter of the King has been realized.
- My inheritance as an heir with Jesus has been sealed.
- Death has lost its grip on me.
- Hell has no hold on me.
- The grave has no power over me.
My Jesus took the keys.
My Savior tore the veil.
My Redeemer declared, “It is finished.”
In the silence of the next three days, my identity began to bloom. By Sunday, resurrection day belongs to me just as it belongs to each of you, who believe in the Lamb of God, who was slain on this very day.
🙌 A Closing Declaration
Oh Jesus,
I never run out of awe for You.
You are my Savior, my Friend, my King.
You suffered willingly so I could walk in authority.
You died so I could truly live.
You gave me purpose before I knew my name.
You healed me before I even asked.
And now—now that I am rooted in who You say I am—
I will love You for eternity,
I will serve You gladly,
And I will proclaim You boldly to a world that needs only You.
Forever and ever, Amen.
🗝️ Because of the Cross…
10 Biblical Declarations with Scripture References (ESV)
1. My identity has been redeemed.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”
— Ephesians 1:7
2. My life has been restored.
“He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
— Psalm 23:3
3. My mind has been renewed.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”
— Romans 12:2
4. My authority as a daughter of the King has been restored.
“But to all who did receive him… he gave the right to become children of God.”
— John 1:12
5. My inheritance as an heir with Jesus has been sealed.
“…if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ…”
— Romans 8:17
6. Death has lost its grip on me.
“Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory?”
— 1 Corinthians 15:54b–55
7. Hell has no hold on me.
“I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”
— Revelation 1:18
8. By His stripes I am healed. By His wounds, my transgressions have been forgiven.
“…he was pierced for our transgressions… and with his wounds we are healed.”
— Isaiah 53:5
9. The grave has no voice over me.
“God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.”
— Acts 2:24
10. The curse is broken, and the tomb is temporary.
“Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
— Luke 24:5b–6a
✝️ Challenge: Walk in Your Redeemed Identity
From now through Resurrection Day, I challenge you to:
- 🌿 Reflect daily on one of the “Because of the Cross” declarations. Write it. Speak it. Pray it. Let it sink deep into your spirit.
- 📖 Read the crucifixion and resurrection accounts in the Gospels. (Matthew 26–28, Mark 14–16, Luke 22–24, John 18–20)
- 🕊️ Ask the Holy Spirit to show you what part of your identity needs resurrection. Is it your confidence? Your calling? Your joy?
- 🔑 Write your own “Because of the Cross” declaration. Start it with: “Because of the cross, I can now…” and let it be your banner to end this Holy Week.
On Resurrection Sunday—celebrate not only that Jesus rose… but that you did too. 🙌
#BecauseOfTheCross #RedeemedIdentity #ResurrectionSunday #ItIsFinished #DaughterOfTheKing #JesusPaidItAll #VictoryInJesus #RisenSavior #HealedAndWhole #HolyWeekend #FaithNotFences #JenniferGreeneSullivan
The Aging English Major 