Who are You?

This may sound like a simple question but the journey can feel complex and overwhelming.

Why is it this such a confusing journey to navigate?

May be you have attached your identity to what you do, or the role you have in life. Or you identify yourself with your looks, or even perhaps a sexual orientation. Sadly, within some Church communities it is about denomination preferences or the role in you serve in Church.

All these “answers” lead us to believe that who we are is determined by what we do… Too often our external appearances don’t match our internal beliefs.

Many people look like they have it all together on the outside but these appearances are facades. Hiding the internal torment and struggle regarding identity issues. These facades, called false walls and are designed to protect, disguise and hide the real you from the world and even perhaps from yourself.

The world wants us to believe that if we look successful, appear attractive, preform well or have a certain amount of money, then we will feel better about ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth. External success, accomplishments and even recognition will not produce internal wholeness and peace.

We tend to believe the narrative that if we have nothing, there is not much hope for happiness. Although this does have a measure of truth because this is where the world places its value for success and happiness.

As Believers when we try to find our meaning and purpose outside of our relationship with God, we discover that when once we have reached the top of the ladder of success, only to find the ladder has been on the wrong wall. Our key to wholeness is only found in our relationship with God. In God’s kingdom, everyone has exactly the same opportunity for a meaningful life. Our hope for internal peace and wholeness lies directly in our understanding of who we are and whose we are. A.W. Tozer said “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us” and equally important is what we believe He is thinking about about us.

These beliefs are core beliefs, those things we hold about God himself and ourselves, wether they are based on truth or lies are like seeds which carry the DNA of an entire tree. These will produce branches of thought, emotions and therefore actions. If we don’t allow God to expose the roots which are lies, so that we can repent. We won’t be able to upgrade those roots into His Truth so that new thoughts regarding God, our worth and identity will grow. This is how we will be like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off and we will prosper in everything we attempt (Psalms 1 v 3).

Effects of the Fall

The effects of the fall was devastating on a global scale. Humankind greatest loss was in our spiritual union and relational access with God. This effect was immediate as the union with God was instantly severed as sin entered into the world. We lost our perception of our true reality of who we are in God. Through this loss, we developed external faulty mindsets through which we viewed God and ourselves and we are still filtering life through these same mindsets.

• Our acceptance was displaced by rejection.

• Our innocence was replaced with guilt and shame.

• Our dominion was substituted by weakness and helplessness.

Another effect experienced is that shame entered our reality. Shame is the belief and internationalisation of a lie regarding your identity. In other words, shame makes you believe is that “you are the problem”. This belief affects how we view ourselves and God.

Our Foundation is “In Christ”

However there is hope, because in Jesus, we become spiritually alive, and are reunited forever with God again. In Christ, our relationship with Him is fully reconciled and we are in right relationship with God. This Truth becomes our definition for our identity because through Jesus, we are accepted and chosen children of God. Now we find our significance, safety, security, and belonging “in Christ”.

When we are asked the question “Who are you?” As a Follower of Jesus, our answer doesn’t lie in what we do, or in appearances or even our past… Our answer lies in Christ. Becoming a Follower of Jesus is not a matter of getting something from Him but it is a matter of becoming someone.

We belong, in God’s forever family and our identity based off of that. The moment our spirit becomes “born again”, we are reconciled and back in union with God. Understanding this truth is essential for our growth and spiritual formation. As a child of God, we now have every right to enjoy a right relationship with God. We don’t have to earn our way in, or even need to ‘work’ at it to stay as a child of God as these are all absolute truths in the Kingdom of God.

However as Believers, we may not fully believe that we don’t need to keep earning approval from God. The enemy cannot change these basic fundamental truths but he can get us to believe lies that we are not who God says we are. Here lies the problem for most Followers of Jesus, we simply can’t see our worth in Jesus and feel we still need to win God approval.

We end up using so much wasted energy trying to be who we think we should be, or what others / family / culture say we must be. However you are no longer defined by your past, or where you came from, as a Believer you are only defined by what God says about you. 

Your responsibility as child of God is to learn how loved you really are and a large part of your spiritual formation journey is getting a deeper revelation of this fact. Learning to ‘Be’ with Jesus, gives Him the opportunity to reveal the lies that you believe about God and yourself, and then He can reveal His Truth to help overcome those lies.

This is what the Bible calls renewing our minds. This is a lifelong process and not an event. It is never too late for you to start. This does require a commitment from you to stick with this process and choose to trust in what Jesus has done for you on the cross. From this moment onwards, you need to start refusing to accept any words that don’t line up with what God says about who you are. 

“Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee.” - St Augustine Prayer

One of your key tasks is to begin to unwrap what your identity in Christ means. This does not start with behaviour modification. You will not be ready to change your behaviour or patterns until you know who you are and where you are seated. In fact, your behaviour will start to change as a result of as your beliefs start to become cemented in His Truth. The place to begin with is the facts of the gospel and what Jesus did for you and lean into them as your truth and reality. 

We all know that words can either build you up or tear you down. Holy Spirit words has the power not only to build you up but repair and bring healing to your identity. This is so much more than encouragement. These words are truth that overcome the lies that have been sown in your life and they have the power to transform you into who you are, your true self in Christ. 

Most importantly, your part is to accept and come into agreement with these Truths. Keep reminding yourself that Jesus reality is now your reality, His story is your story and His Truth is your Truth. Be kind to yourself as God doesn’t expect perfection from you on this journey. He really isn’t upset with any of your failures as imperfection or failure will never change your identity in His eyes.

Prayer:

Father God,

I choose to believe Your opinion over my life and to divorce myself from any lie that tells me that I am not accepted or good enough to be your daughter/son and rightful heir. I reject every lie that tells me that I am only a servant in your House and that I have to work to maintain my belonging. 

I accept and submit to Your Truth and I thank you that I belong to You and Your Kingdom and that I have the status of royalty. I choose from this day to commit to guarding my heart and thoughts against the lies of the enemy. Father God, with the help of Holy Spirit, help me to quickly recognise and identify the lies of the enemy quickly so that I can renounce any lie and replace it with Your Truth.

Father God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. I ask you to examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through my anxious cares. See if there is any pathway of pain that I am walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting ways - the path that brings me back to you. (Psalms 139 v 23-24 T)

Amen

“I Am” Statements*…

 *These have been adapted from Neil Anderson’s book, Victory over Darkness. These are meant to be used to counter any lie and to be used as statements of Truth on which you stand on. You can either read through all of these or choose one or two that you need to declare over yourself on a daily basis.

• I am the salt of the earth (Matt 5 v 13)

• I am the light of the world (Matt 5 v14)

• I am a child of God (John 1 v 12)

• I am part of the true Vine, a channel of Christ’s life (John 15 v 1 - 5)

• I am Jesus Christ’s friend (John 15 v 15)

• I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15 v 16)

• I am a slave of righteousness (Rom 6 v 18)

• I am enslaved to God (Rom 6 v 22)

• I am a son/daughter of God; God is spiritually my Father (Rom 8 v 14, Gal 3 v 26)

• I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His Inheritance with Him (Rom 8 v 17)

• I am a temple of God, His Spirit & life dwells in me (1 Cor 3 v1 6; 6 v 19)

• I am united to God and one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6 v 17)

• I am a member of Christ’s body (1 Cor 12 v 27; Eph 5 v 30)

• I am a new creation (2 Cor 5 v 17)

• I am reconciled to God & a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor 5 v 18 - 19)

• I am a son/daughter of God and one in Christ (Gal 3 v 26 - 28)

• I am a heir of God since I am a son of God (Gal 4 v 6  -7)

• I am a saint (1 Cor 1 v 2; Eph 1 v 1; Phil 1  v1; Col 1 v 2)

• I am God’s workmanship born anew in Christ to do His work (Eph 2 v 10)

• I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s family (Eph 2 v 19)

• I am a prisoner of Christ (Eph 3 v 1; 4 v 1)

• I am righteous and holy (Eph 4 v 24)

• I am a citizen of Heaven, seated in heaven right now (Eph 2 v 6; Phil 3 v 20)

• I am hidden with Christ in God (Col 3 v 3)

• I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life (Col 3 v 4)

• I am chosen of God, holy & dearly loved (Col 3 v 12; 1 Thess 1 v 4)

• I am a son/daughter of light and not of darkness (1 Thess 5 v 5)

• I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling (Heb 3 v 1)

• I am a partaker of Christ, I share in His Life (Heb 3 v 14)

• I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ (1 Pet 2 v 9 - 10)

• I am an alien & stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (1 Pet 2 v 11)

• I am an enemy of the devil (1 Pet 5 v 8)

• I am a child of God & I will resemble Christ when He returns (1 John 3 v  1- 2)

• I am born of God & the devil cannot touch me (1 John 5 v1 8)

• I am not the great “I am” (Exo 3 v 14; John 8 v 24, 28, 58) but by the grace of God I am what I am (1 Cor 15 v 10)

The Practice

The goal of this week is to help you unwrap more of your identity and to hear the heart of Father God towards you as his beloved child. The more you read the story of God in the scriptures, the more you will start to see that your new identity is intertwined with God and His people. By God’s grace you have been made in and for relationship. God has designed that it is through His community, where your true identity is spoken out by others, to help combat and disarm the lies and shame from your identity.

Please note:

• This isn’t a “succeed or fail” project. All you need is a listening heart.

• Remember that this can feel nebulous at times as some of your identity stuff is clear and others not so much.

• Don’t allow discouragement to set in if things don’t come right immediately. This is learning to trust that God is fully committed to working on your mindsets, even if you don’t feel any different. 

• A powerful part of this practice is for you is to speak blessing over others that will encourage, strengthen and bring comfort to them and for you to learn to receive spoken blessings from others. 

If in a small group setting:

• Before your meeting, remind people to bring their journals to write down any revelations received.

• Allow people time to settle and get comfortable but not too long that you run out of time.

• Make sure everyone has their own copy of the above “I am” Statements.

• Ask someone to read the following scripture out aloud (Ephesians 4 v 22 - 25).

Let’s Begin…

• Put away all distractions and devices.

• Start as you would with the Breath Prayer to help centre your on focus on Jesus.

• Read through Ephesians 4 v 22 - 25

• Ask Holy Spirit / Jesus to speak clearly. Invite a conversation about who He has made you to be. If you wish, write down your conversation in your journal and especially take note of His answers. For some people, it may help to begin their journal with a prompt like “To my dear Child” or “To the one I love” and allow Holy Spirit to write His words of love and affirmation over you!

• Read slowly through the “I am” statements (see above). Pick one that you struggle with. Examine the emotion that surfaces.

• Ask Holy Spirit the following questions. (Write down your answers especially the Truth God has revealed)

  • How does this statement make me feel? 

  • Who/what is keeping me from believing this truth?

  • Is the lie about me or God? 

  • Who would I be if I let go of this lie?

  • What truth am I missing? 

  • What would you like me to focus on during this next season? 

  • Who do you say that I am?

• Ask Holy Spirit to help you accept and receive this truth as your new identity.

• Thank God for the ongoing work of transformation that He is doing in your life, even if you don’t see anything.

• Ask Holy Spirit for a blessing to give to another person either in your group or someone you know. Ask God how He sees them or what does He want to say about their identity?

• If you can, next week share one of the “I am” statements that you have been working on with God with your group or with someone you know.