Identity is defined as the fact of "being what a person or thing is", or as the "distinguishing character or personality of an individual."
It wasn't too many years ago when my daughter Kamdyn was born, I felt the call from the Lord to come and be home with her. I really struggled with this at first because I was very immersed in my profession of teaching. I had nearly 15 years in at the time, was coaching, and also had various leadership positions within the school on committees, and was also the team leader of the 7th grade teachers. I'd worked very hard to get to where I was and knew that if I resigned, I would not likely ever find myself in such a position again, let alone give up my salary.
As I was driving down the road struggling with the thoughts of this wondering what my identity would be, the Lord very clearly said to me "I want to be your Identity".
Its normal to identify with something or someone like a person, organization, race, religion, nationality, church etc..... to help us feel connected and give us a sense of belonging. In the natural realm we do identify with people, places and things but we need to think about it in the spiritual realm.
Galatians 2:20 says
"We have been crucified with Christ" Not only did we die with Him on the cross of Calvary, but we have also been raised with Him.
Ephesians 2:4-7 says
"but God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with wish He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
So according to scripture: We are seated with Christ in Heavenly places.
Unfortunately some Christians are having an identity crisis and are unaware of WHO THEY ARE IN CHRIST OR WHERE THEY ARE SEATED. Instead of identifying with Christ, they are identifying with the problems that they are confronted with. You can tell this because often they call themselves by their problems : Divorced, bankrupt, separated, unemployed etc...
Others identify with a profession (like I did) as a teacher, coach, salesman, lawyer etc.... A profession is not WHO they are but what they DO. We need to change our stinkin thinkin!!!!!
2 Corinthians 5:17 "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new."
When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same anymore, an NEW LIFE HAS BEGUN!! PRAISE THE LORD!!
Before we were in Christ, we were destined for despair, degradation, and poverty.
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Isn't that exciting??!!
IN CHRIST IS WHERE OUR IDENTITY SHOULD BE. IT'S IN JESUS THAT WE ARE SOMEBODY!!!
In scripture, did you even notice that Christ often changes peoples identities? They may look at themselves one way, but God told them who they really were.
Lets read about Gideon:
Judges 6:1-11
Gideon
6 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count them or their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.
7 When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9 I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”
11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
Read Judges 7:1-25 Gideon was acting like anything but a mighty warrior, but when he finally saw himself the way that God saw him, he went on to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites.
Read about Abram: In the natural it was impossible for Abram and Sarai to have children but God said in Genesis 17:5
" No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham,for I have made you a father of many nations." and in Genesis 17:15 He also changed Sarai's name to Sarah. God's words were fulfilled when Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
Romans 4:17 says that God calls those things that are not as thought they were. In the natural realm, what God is calling us may not exist, but in Gods eyes, it does. We need to talk about ourselves in the same way that God does.
So what does God say about us??
2 Corinthians 5:17 - we are new creatures
2 Corinthians 5:21 - We are the righteousness of God
1 Peter 2:24 - We have been healed
2 Corinthians 8:9 - We have been made rich
Ephesians 1:6 - We are accepted
Romans 6:20 - We are free from sin
Psalm 23:4 says "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." I like to say "Yea though I walk through all the mess that the devil tried to put on me, I will fear no evil. Through my identification in Christ, I can walk on scorpions and not be harmed. I can walk on anything that tries to get in my way and come out victorious!!
ITS TIME TO STAND UP AND BE WHO GOD SAYS WE ARE!!
When the devil tries to remind us of who we once were, where we've been, and what we've done in our past, we can throw our shoulders back and say "Don't mess with me, I am IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST!!
