Do you know that many of us suffer from a case of mistaken identity? We don’t often consider what we think defines us. But think consider what you think really defines you for a moment. For many of us, our identity is rooted in our upbringing, what people have said about us, our accomplishments, our failures, our financial status, and the events and experiences we have been through.
For a long time my identity was tangled up in the events of my life and the strategies I had developed to cope with what I had been through. My parents divorced when I was 11. As the oldest of five kids I decided it was my responsibility to help my mom. Since we struggled financially, I also decided I had to start earning money right away, and work toward a career that would allow me to be financially stable and independent. The words that I thought described me were damaged, abandoned, insecure, struggling, survivor, responsible, independent, among others.
For the most part, what we think of ourselves tends to define what we allow and won’t allow in our lives, for better or worse. When we think we are broken and damaged we are more likely to allow people to take advantage of us, and to be tempted to do things that are self-destructive. If we’ve been abused, we are more likely to allow others to abuse us. And if we’ve struggled financially, we may continue to struggle or go to the other extreme and make money a high priority in life at the expense of our own well-being and our relationships. Regardless, when our identity is defined by the world instead of what God says about us, we miss out on all that God has planned for us. We miss out on the joy, the love, the fulfillment and security that are available when we have our hope in Christ.
Have you take a look at the Bible to see what God says about you? It is truly amazing! Here are just a few things God says about you:
You were created in the image of God. –Genesis 1:27
You are fearfully and wonderfully made. –Psalm 139:13
God loves you so much that He sent His only Son to pay the price for your sins. –John 3:16
You are a new creation in Christ – the old is gone and the new is here! –2 Corinthians 5:17
You are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God prepared in advance for you to do. –Ephesians 2:10
You are a joint heir with Christ. –Romans 8:17
You are more than a conqueror in Christ. –Romans 8:37
You are a partaker of God’s divine nature. –2 Peter 1:3-4
You are an ambassador for Christ. –2 Corinthians 5:20
You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people. –1 Peter 2:9
You are the light of the world. –Matthew 5:14
You have a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. –2 Timothy 1:7
This is your identity in Christ when you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. The problem for even those who have accepted Christ is that many haven’t taken on their new identity. We have to learn who we are by reading the Bible and then walk out our lives in this new self.
So how do you walk in that identity? Let me share with you how the Holy Spirit showed this to me.
I was getting ready for work one Monday morning reflecting on my identity. And it occurred to me that over the last year, I have taken on a new identity at work since I was promoted to a more senior level. I noticed that something new was welling up in me. It wasn’t pride, but a sense of responsibility and confidence. It was as if I now had permission to access something in me that had been dormant. Maybe it was being prepared. Baking, so to speak. Growing, like an embryo in the womb. And being promoted was the shot of hormones needed to birth this part of me I hadn’t expressed before – at least not fully. Other leaders in the company also noticed it and even commented that I was contributing at a new level.
We’ve all had experiences like this … when we get married, we take on the identity of wife; when we have a child, the mother in us emerges; when we land a particular job, it becomes a significant part of who we are.
We simply need to take the time to understand what it really means to belong to Christ and have Christ in us. It’s permission to walk in forgiveness and grace, and put condemnation in the past. It’s the strength we need to overcome challenges because the source of that strength is Jesus. It’s access to wisdom we didn’t know we could have through the Holy Spirit. And it’s a responsibility to represent our Savior well and honor all He has done for us.
Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, our Provider and Protector, the source of all our gifts, of all we need today and all we will ever need. When the rest of the world is falling apart, Jesus is the One we can always count on to be our Rock. And he came that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10)!
So claim this identity in Christ for yourself.
It will take replacing the old beliefs with what God says about you. Pray the verses above over yourself repeatedly ever day until they take root in your heart. Ask God in prayer to help you replace the lies with His truth about who you are. It may take some time. Be persistent until you experience a knowing deep down in your heart. Then keep going! Allow God’s Word to work in you. It will, if you don’t give up.
I can tell you from experience, you’ll have a whole new sense of peace, joy, and security that can only come from finding our identity in Christ.