Identity
In this short study about Identity, I want to touch on 3 things:
We’ll start with some definitions for identity and some thoughts about identity
Then, we will look at the 7 churches in the book of revelation and how they reflect our identity
Finally, we will end with a prophetic act that will help us cement our identity within ourselves and in the atmosphere around us
IDENTITY DEFINITIONS:
The state of remaining the same even under varying aspects or conditions. An example of this is our fingerprints. They are unique to us and do not change. We can gain or lose weight. Grow or shrink in height. Get a tan, not get a tan. Use lotion, not use lotion. Wash, don’t wash. Our fingerprints remain the same. The identify us.
That is how our identity in God is. It remains the same even under varying aspects or conditions. What we do and what happens to us does not change our fingerprint. AND it does not change how God sees us and describes us.
Remember that. Our identity in God is like a fingerprint. It cannot be changed.
If Clark Kent got amnesia and forgot that he was superman, does that change the fact that he is superman? No. It changes his experience in life. He walks around using 1% of his potential when there’s so much more to him, he just has to rip open that shirt and remember.
Even when we don’t remember who we are, our identity in God doesn’t change. Our experiences in life are limited until we remember.
The condition of being oneself and not another.
Comparison is an identity killer.
We look at the lives of people who may share our gifts, but they seem more advanced in theirs, and we want to be them and be like them.
In comparing myself to you, I forget who God made me and what He has called me to do and who He has called me to reach
When I look at your walk and value your walk above my own, I neglect my call and forfeit my destiny trying to reach your destiny
I am me and not you, and that does not make me less than.
The million souls you are reaching don’t make you greater than me because I’m reaching ten.
AND, when we compare and forget our identity in God, we compromise and do things to get further than we are at a faster pace
Don’t compare. It will throw you off course and you will no longer be walking in your unique identity.
Resemblance is not identity.
Do we just resemble loving Christians or are we really walking in our identity as one who loves?
We are all responsible for examining our lives and seeing if what we portray on the outside is true of who we are.
Let’s look at it the opposite way. Let’s say we are walking in a way that does not honor the Lord. We do not resemble a Christian at all in that moment. Does that change our identity? Does that change what He calls us or take away the crown of victory He already sees us wearing? No!
Do not mistake resemblance for identity.
IDENTITY THOUGHTS:
It’s easier to accept our identity in Christ if we stop looking at ourselves as separate from Him our outside of Him
This is a quote from one of my devotionals: “It is now known that for the first year of an infant’s life, they do not see themselves as distinct from their mother. They have no sense of separation or unique identity apart from their mother. The two are one.”
That is how we are supposed to see ourselves. As one with Christ.
Here is another example: Look at the two pictures below. The first picture shows two fingers together. Some may thing this represents our identity as being one with Christ, but IT DOES NOT! The second picture of the two fingers, where one is behind the other, where you can’t distinguish one from the other, where you can’t tell that there are two. That represents our oneness with Christ. We are not just together, but we are ONE.
ANOTHER THOUGHT: It’s also easier to accept and walk in our identity in Christ if we remember how powerful and magnificent our Father is. No one can threaten Him or take anything away from Him, so we are safe in Him, and our Identity is safe in Him.
THE SEVEN CHURCHES:
After the Lord said what He had to say to each church, He always included the words “The one whose heart is open let him listen carefully to what the Spirit is presently saying to all the churches.” It’s interesting that the Bible doesn’t say, “let him listen carefully to what the Spirit said to all the churches.” It’s a present tense instruction. It’s what He is saying to the churches now. And, it’s a message, not just to the church named, but to ALL THE CHURCHES. As I was looking at what He said to the churches, I realized I skipped over what He called them. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamam, etc. What do their names mean? If we are being told to listen carefully to what the Spirit is presently saying to all the churches, it makes sense to start with what He calls them. And I found out that He is speaking to them, even thru their names, actually, firstly thru their names. So, that is what I want to concentrate on. The names of the churches, because they are not just what He called them, but what He calls us now.
The Church at Ephesus: desirable, darling
He called them desirable. Desirable means wanted. He called them darling. Some synonyms for darling are beloved, sweetheart, and dearest. That is how He talked to them. That is what He thought of them. We must know that that is our identity as well. The Everlasting Father, the Lofty One on High, the Majesty of Heaven wants you and me. And, he is a loving father who has given us beautiful pet names like beloved, sweetheart, and dearest. Look at the intimacy in those words.
In the letter to Ephesus, after praising them, He said, “but I have this against you.” They weren’t perfect, and neither are we, yet we are still desirable. We are still darling. That is still our identity.
The enemy wants you to feel unwanted and unlovely, but that is never the case when it comes to our Heavenly Father. EVEN when He has something against us. When man has something against us, we are rejected. Who cares! The one our hearts long for, the one our spirit cries out for, longs for us, cries out for us, wants us.
The Church at Smyrna: sweet smelling
Jesus introduced Himself with a different name for each church. For the Church at Ephesus, He called Himself “the one who holds the 7 stars in His hand.” For the Church at Smyrna, He called himself “the one who became a corpse but came back to life.”
How interesting that Smyrna means “sweet smelling.” The stench of death is no longer a part of who we are. We were crucified with Christ, we were buried with Christ, we were risen with Christ, and now we are seated with Christ in heaven. We are His sweet-smelling daughters, and that is who we are because He is the One who became a corpse but came back to life.
2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “we have become the unmistakable aroma of the victory of the Anointed One to God, a perfume of life...” the NLT says, “our lives are a Christ like fragrance rising up to God.”
We smell sweet to Him. Even when we mess up. Even when we mess up on purpose. We don’t lose our identity as His sweet-smelling daughters.
He never turns His nose up at us. He never holds us at a distance because He can’t stand the site and smell of us. If He is far, it’s because we moved away. We look at the wrong that we do, and we keep our distance out of guilt and shame thinking He doesn’t want to be around us. The truth is, He is smelling the one who was risen with His Son. He is smelling the finished work. He is smelling your eternal victory in Him.
When we do wrong, we hide until the stench of our sin leaves our own nostrils. That’s exactly what the enemy wants. He wants you to forget your identity as a “sweet smelling daughter” and hide yourselves from the presence of the Lord like Adam and Eve did. He wants you to forget that the last Adam took you with Him and that you are now seated with God in heavenly places. There is no stench of death in heaven.
The Church at Pergamam: married, elevation
The Lord had “a few things” against this church that He called married and elevated.
Despite the things He had against them which included things like idolatry and sexual immorality, BIG things, He still addressed them as married and elevated.
The running theme here seems to be that our identity is not stripped based on the wrong in our life; based on weakness in our life. You are still the bride, even if you messed up with your boyfriend last night. Is what you did wrong? Yes! Do you need to repent? Yes! Does it change the fact that you are His bride seated with Him in heavenly places? No. That’s the mystery. That’s the beauty of the mercy of God and the work of Christ on the Cross.
You see, it’s not what you think of yourself that defines you, or even the good that you do that determines who you are. Once you make that commitment to Christ, it’s His definition of you that stands, and it stands, even against the winds and rains of sin, sickness, affliction, disappointment, discouragement, etc.
He calls us married. That is who we are. Our job is not to try our best to be good in order to keep the title, but to simply walk as the Bride. And when we forget who we are and mess up, to repent and continue to walk as the Bride.
The Church at Thyatira: odor of affliction
John 16:33 says, “And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in Me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in Me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!”
John 15:20 says, “So remember what I taught you, that a servant isn’t superior to his master. And since they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.”
What does He say to the ones who wear this “odor of affliction”? Revelation 2:26 says that these ones will be given authority over nations.
What does Thyatira say of our identity? Just as sure as I am the wanted, beloved, sweet smelling Bride of Christ, I am also the suffering Bride of Christ. How is this good news?
Let’s look at the story of Esau and Jacob. They were brothers. Esau, the heir, was not the one called by God. God called and chose the younger brother, Jacob. Esau made some poor decisions and God said that He would hate Edom (which were Esau and his people) but He would love Jacob.
Let’s look at the life of the one “hated” by God: he was married, he had children, he had security, he had riches, he had land, he had friends, possessions, favor, security, pleasure, stability, and peace.
Let’s look at the life of the one “loved” by God: His life was characterized by wanderings, misunderstanding, rejection, labors, exploitations, deception, wrestling, affliction, famine, and bereavement.
God left Esau alone, and he led a peaceful life, but His descendants were so wicked, their entire nation came under the judgement of God.
I’m quoting Bob Sorge here: “In what way was Jacob loved? God set His fiery gaze on Jacob and would not let him go in the path he would have naturally chosen for himself. God interrupted his life, even chastened him, and because of it was able to raise up a nation that benefitted from the redemptive power and grace of God.”
The last thing you want God to do is leave you alone. So, we wear the odor of affliction with joy and walk in the identity as suffering daughters. In the end, we will end up where we always wanted to be, and our children will be blessed.
The Church at Sardis: those who have escaped
Hebrews chapter 11 talks about many of our heroes of the faith. This is how they are described in verses 13-16 from TPT: “These heroes all died still clinging to their faith, not even receiving all that had been promised them. But they saw beyond the horizon the fulfillment of their promises and gladly embraced it from afar. They all lived their lives on earth as those who belonged to another realm. For clearly, those who live this way are longing for the appearing of a heavenly city. And if their hearts were still remembering what they left behind, they would have found an opportunity to go back. But they couldn’t turn back for their hearts were fixed on what was far greater, that is, the heavenly realm! So because of this God is not ashamed in any way to be called their God, for he has prepared a heavenly city for them.”
We are in the world, but not of it. We are those who live our lives on this earth knowing that we belong to another realm.
When we find the cares of this world consuming us, it means that we have forgotten our identity as one of “those who have escaped” because of the finished work of Jesus.
The Church at Philadelphia: brotherly love
We all know that Philadelphia means brotherly love.
Brotherly love is our name, it is part of our identity. It is what we should be known for.
If our concern is only for ourselves, when we have forgotten an important part of our identity.
To be selfish is to operate outside of the parameters of our new nature in Christ. It is to say to the Father that you do not care about His other children
If He calls us brotherly love, and He does, then that means we can walk in brotherly love. So, despite how we may have been betrayed or mistreated or rejected in the past and possibly even now, we are still called brotherly love and equipped to walk in it and expected to walk in it.
Why? John 13:34-35 says, “So I give you now a new commandment: love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another, everyone will know that you’re my true followers.”
So we why do we walk in brotherly love? So others see our identity.
The Church at Laodicea: human rights
So, Philadelphia deals with our love for those who are our brothers Laodicia deals with how we value all humanity.
Part of our identity is having a concern and compassion for people. It doesn’t matter if they believe what you believe or look like you look. Are they human and do they need our prayers and our help?
According to the United Nations, human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination.
This was a hard one for me. I love my brothers and sisters in Christ. I show my love to them. How am I loving the world?
So these are some questions that I am asking myself, that perhaps you need to ask yourself: How am I letting people know that no matter their race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion or any other status that I value them and love them? How am I supporting the right to life and liberty and freedom from slavery and torture and freedom of opinion and expression? How am I supporting a person’s right to work and get an education? Where in my life is there discrimination?
I look at my life, and I don’t have any recent testimonies that answer those questions. I’ve realized that my vision has been me and the church and no real effort has gone into human rights in a very long time. That needs to change, NOW.
The more we walk in these identities, the better we will get at it. The more we embrace that we are wanted, beloved, sweet smelling, carrying the odor of affliction, those who have escaped, walking in brotherly love, and lovers of justice, we will accept them as part of our true identity and walk in them more readily. Zechariah 8:13 says, “Fear not, but let your hands be strong and hardened.” This puts me in mind of a carpenter or a construction worker. There are things their hands can handle that would incapacitate us, because our hands are not strong and hardened. Walking in our identity in Christ makes our hands strong and hardened, so that the more we walk in who He calls us to be, the easier it is to walk in those identities when trouble comes.
I have two prayers for you. I pray that you forget, and I pray that you remember:
To forget means to put something out of your mind and fail to think of it. I pray that when things get rough and scary and tempting, that your mind fails to think about what you would have done in the past, in your flesh, to get by. I pray that you forget those things which are behind. Close those doors, and enter the vibrant and victorious life that is ours in Jesus Christ.
AND, as you forget those things that are behind, I pray that you remember, every hour, who you are. Remember that you are His, that you are seated with Him in Christ and that you have the ability and authority to tackle this world from your place in Him and at His side.
Forget the past and remember who you are!
PROPHETIC ACT:
Find a small hand mirror
Look in the mirror, tell the Lord that you love what you see, tell Him how grateful you are for your face and even your body because despite what condition we are in, it’s this body that got you where you are today. Thank the Lord. Then, I want you to ask the Lord what He thinks about you, and when He tells you, speak it over yourself.
I asked the Lord what He thought of me, and I got the word Juicy. That didn’t make me very happy. Of all the words, He said Juicy. So, I humbled myself, sucked in my stomach, and thanked Him for being Juicy. Do you know that was a step in the direction of accepting myself for what I look like now instead of looking toward that day when I have the figure that I want? The enemy can’t hold me hostage to my figure when I embrace being Juicy. If God loves me Juicy, then I don’t have to isolate myself anymore because I don’t want certain people to see me. There’s freedom in knowing that God accepts you just as you are.
Last week, I went to a funeral. I asked the Lord what He wanted me to learn from this great man’s life. He told me to not be ashamed of my love for food. The deceased had a love affair with food. That’s not God telling me it’s ok to overeat. He’s telling me that He gave us food to enjoy and why should I hide my enjoyment of one of His gifts. He’s telling me to eat without guilt or shame. When I do this, I strip the enemy of His power over me in that area.
I read somewhere that all negative emotions are rooted in fear. So, if there is no fear in Love, and God is love, then there are no negative emotions in God for you. So, don’t be afraid of what He might say, and if You hear anything negative that has no hope attached to it, then it’s your voice, not His. Rebuke that thought and listen for the voice of your Father.
So, ask the Lord what He thinks about you and what He has to say about you and then repeat it over yourself and walk in it this week and see what happens. Don’t be surprised at the new confidence and the freedom.
Repeat for the next 30 days, and pray this prayer or one of your own each day: “Father, I thank you that today, I see myself the way you see me and WHERE you see me, which is in You. I know that it is what I believe about myself that defines the experiences I will have in life, so I declare here and now that I will believe about myself what You believe about me. By doing that, my experiences on this earth will change and line up with who I really am as your daughter. I rebuke the lie that I cannot measure up, and I walk in the assurance that I have been remade and renamed through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and not just His death and resurrection, but because I was crucified with Him and raised with Him, I have been remade and renamed through my own death and resurrection. I measure up! I embrace all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.”