Finding Your Identity
God designed us with a unique identity that is fueled by His love and knowledge of who He made us to be.
IDENTITY
Who are you and what are you doing here?
These are questions each of us humans asks ourselves, often. Another way to put it is, "Whatis my identity?" What I believe about myself is acted out every day in what I think, what I say, what I do. So understanding my true identity is essential.
Who does a child look to to get their sense of value and identity? Their sense of who they actually are? Of course, they look at their parents. From day one, our lives are shaped by who our parents are. Our parents give us a sense of being loved, wanted, and cared for. And a sense of value just by belonging to them. Our identity starts to form through this relationship within our family. Yet, we had nothing to do with being created or born into our family. Each human is a completely unique individual with DNA created just for them. You are uniquely created and here for a purpose.
You are here because God wants you here!
Jesus' identity comes from His Father. Jesus would often remove himself from the crowd to be with His Father —to hear His voice, receive from Him, be with Him. Our lives are about knowing Him, not just knowing thoughts about him, but knowing the person, Jesus, and living in response to that relationship. Our ideas about God impact everything in our everyday lives. When we spend time with God, we see who He is and who we are because of Him.
One of the goals in my relationship with God is to know my true identity.To be reminded of whose image I am made in. The truth of who He is, the truth of who I am. He says I am His child. What an awesome thought this is, to be called a child of God! When you spend time with God and receive His love and forgiveness, are you overwhelmed with this intentional identity He gives us?
You are a child of God.
Say this out loud to yourself everyday, so you think it, hear it, believe it and live it out,
"I am a child of God."
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." John 1:12
Our image of God will drive every single part of our life and declare how we show up in the world. Do you have the right view of God? And the right view of being His creation? His child? Or are you believing lies?
"One of the goals in my relationship with God is to know my true identity. The enemy's goal is to make me doubt it." Jamie Winship
Have you read Psalm 139 out loud ? It is written in the first person and tells about how amazing God is, the beauty of His creation and His carefully crafted creation of you! He is who He says He is and You are who He says You are! This can be so healing to anyone struggling with actually believing that God loves them. This poetic chapter will speak to your identity! Try reading it everyday for a month and see if that doesn't change your thought patterns!
Becoming a disciple of Jesus is a journey.
We all struggle with understanding how to navigate our life as followers of Jesus. We need wisdom and our church community And here is what the Word says about that: "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone." James 1:5-6
Let's remind each other of the truth.
As we follow Jesus, let's help others see their true identity in Christ. The world wants us to stay small and believe lies about who we are. When we get a glimpse of our true identity and calling it is contagious and we get to encourage and inspire each other and actually reflect Jesus. Believe that you are 100% unconditionally loved by the creator of the universe, crafted and created in God's image, and you are a child of God. So let's believe it and live it out in our community.
Ephesians 1:3-14; Romans 12:4-5, Psalm 139
