Your Identity Is Unchangeable
Before we dive into identity, I’d like to start with what it is not Identity is NOT: Your past Your mistakes Your career path Your season of life (ie: mother, teacher, widow, etc.) Your belief system or religious affiliation Your gender or race Your physical attributes, qualities, likes or dislikes All those things might show up on the outside, and at times might even affect you But make no mistake… THEY DO NOT DEFINE YOUR IDENTITY Your identity does not change from hour to hour, day to day, year to year or even decade to decade You have always been, are now and will always be who God created you to be Circumstances change, people are fickle, life takes unexpected twists and turns, so our identity must not be subject to change with every passing whim and gust of wind See Reflection/Question #1 We read a little bit of Ephesians chapter 1 last week, but I would encourage you to read that whole chapter this week and immerse yourself in it; let it soak into every crevice of your heart, mind and soul Ephesians 1:13b-14 (NIV) says “13... when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” Did you catch that? He has identified you as His own That is powerful, and it is liberating It’s a promise with a purpose; we have an amazing job to do See Reflection/Question #2 God’s love, His acceptance, His mercy and grace, His forgiveness… they DO NOT CHANGE They will NEVER change You Have Got to See Yourself as God Sees You
Ephesians 1:3-10 says that in God’s eyes, we are: Blessed with every spiritual blessing (vs. 3) United with Christ (vs. 3) Loved (vs. 4) Chosen to be holy and without fault (vs. 4) Adopted (vs. 5) Recipients of His glorious grace (vs. 6) Free by the purchase of the blood of His Son (vs. 7) Forgiven (vs. 7) Showered with His kindness, all wisdom and understanding (vs. 8) Recipients of His mysterious revelations regarding Christ (vs. 9) If a person is told they are worthless their whole life, they will believe it, even if it is not true Why? Because they have bought the lie You ARE a cherished, treasured daughter of the King; whether you live it out or not is up to you Everyone Has Worth You have been given very specific blessings, gifts and talents by God They are not because of you, actually they have nothing to do with you Embracing them is easy once you truly realize that it’s all about Him Romans 12:6-8 (NLT) says, “6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” See Reflection/Question #3 God is the master creator; everything He does is done with excellence and divine purpose in mind We Have Got to Fight To Fully Understand Our Identity Embracing your identity is not easy Unfortunately, most of us mistakenly believe that since identity is who we are at the core, it will just emulate from inside of us somehow naturally and organically Not so, girlfriend It is actually quite the opposite We assume that if we get quiet and comfy and control our surroundings until they’re perfectly peaceful, our identity will just magically appear Instead of grabbing your sweater and coffee mug, you need to pick up your sword
We must constantly fight against our human, fleshly, sinful nature and take on His Spirit in each situation Romans 8:12-13 (NLT) says, “12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.” It is the only way to live We have to constantly stand against the lies and deceptions of the enemy that entice us to allow our sinful nature to take over See Reflection/Question #4 We have a job to do Genesis 4:6-7 (NLT) says, “6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” That means you have a choice You can choose to do nothing and go on as usual, allowing sin, doubt and fear to control you and be your master Or you can choose to subdue those fleshly desires and make them your slave instead See Reflection/Question #5 Reflections/Questions: What are the things in your personal life that do NOT define your identity? What does Ephesians 1:14 say is our job in response to God’s lavish promise? What are the gifts that God has given you? How can you take that calling seriously and do it well? Looking back at Ephesians Chapter 1, what are the things that we need to fight against? In other words, what are the opposite of all the things that describe how God sees us and the things that He has called us to? What are some areas in your life that you need to take control over? Action Points: Write down all the things that do not define your identity, cross them out and throw away that paper Read through Ephesians Chapter 1 every day for the next week, stopping to pause on the words and phrases that demonstrate the way God sees you Make a list or create a bubble map of all the gifts and talents that you have been blessed with Write out Romans 12:1-2 and 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, bring them with you wherever you go and begin to say them to yourself over and over until they get deep down into your spirit