Knowing My Identity

Over this Thanksgiving weekend, I have been thinking about all the things that I am thankful for and how God has provided so much.   I am definitely thankful for my lovely wife, fantastic kids, extended family, food (pizza specifically), a warm home, friends, my new job, a close relationship with the Lord and so much more.  These can be seemingly common to many people.  However, I also have been thinking about how grateful I am that my identity as a person is in the Lord.

What do I mean by the word “identity”?  Well, Google defines identity as “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is”.   That’s a pretty bland way of describing what I am feeling and what I am grateful for.  When I think of my identity, I think of who I am as a man, what I stand for, my name and how I would be described by others.  Even better, I think about what God has to say about me, who I am in His eyes and the Godly man He has called me to be.

Let’s take a look at what the Lord has to say in the Bible about us and our identity in Him:

• I am a child of God – John 1:12
• I am the light of the world – Matthew 5:14
• I am strong and courageous – Joshua 1:9
• I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father – Romans 8:14-15, Galatians 3:26 and 4:6
• Because I am sanctified and am one with the Sanctifier, He is not ashamed to call me brother – Hebrews 2:11
• I am righteous and holy – Ephesians 4:24
• I may approach God with boldness, freedom and confidence – Ephesians 3:12
• I am a new creation – 2 Corinthians 5:17
• I am free forever from condemnation – Romans 8:1
• I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit – John 15:16
• I am joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him – Romans 8:17
• I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved – Colossians 3:12 and Thessalonians 1:4
• I am an enemy of the devil – 1 Peter 2:11
• I am a son of light and not of darkness – 1 Thessalonians 5:5
• I am a temple – a dwelling place – of God. His Spirit and His life dwell in me –                  1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19
• I have been justified – completely forgiven and made righteous – Romans 5:1

Could it not be any more clear how much the Lord loves and cares for us?   Is there any doubt about what He thinks of us?  If the answer is so clear, then why do we have such a hard time believing that these verses are real and true?

I think we need to ask ourselves on a regular basis where we are seeking our validation and identity.  Is it from the world that we search for our answers or is it from God?   Do wealth, power, success and fame determine our identity or is it in our character built by the Lord over time?  I think we know the answers to all of these questions on the surface, but truly knowing in our hearts can be a different story.

So let’s talk about receiving our identity from the Lord instead of the world.  How do we do this?  One way is to just ask Him.  During your quiet times with the Lord, try asking Him these questions:

• What do you think of me Lord?
• What do you see in me?
• What is my identity?
• Who am I called to be?

If you don’t receive an answer right away, stay with it.  Come back to it later and be persistent.  He loves you and wants you to know how special you are to Him.  Seek and you shall find.

Part of my prayer life each morning is to ask God to speak to my identity.  I want to know who I am in Him each day.  He answers this prayer by speaking directly into my heart, through other people, through music, books, podcasts, nature and more.  Knowing who I am allows me to be true, real and authentic in my relationships and activities.  I can be who I truly am in the Lord and not worry about what others think.  I can walk free and without fear throughout my day.  Knowing He is with me and that I get my validation and identify through Him allows me to be my true self.

Having this knowledge of who I am and who He made me to be is better than gold.  With this knowledge comes a sense of peace, comfort and confidence for anything that comes my way in my life.  The confidence is not of my power, but only received through Him.  For all of this, I am grateful and thankful this day.

Let me leave you with this wonderful song sung by Hillsong called “Who You say I am”.  This song was played at our church service this past Sunday morning, and it spoke directly into my soul.  The Spirit of God reigned down upon me like the rays of the sun as this song played.  I felt His love encompass me as a true Son and Child of God.

https://youtu.be/lKw6uqtGFfo

Just know that we can all have this connection and identity in the Lord.  Just ask Him for it.  He wants to reach out to you and for you to reach out to Him.  Take the risk.  You won’t regret it!