Have you ever watched those television commercials that offer you protection against Identity Theft? They really have you thinking, especially as you watch the actors in the commercials who are either the victims of the crime or the people who purchased the protection. The ones who have purchased the protection are secure that their identities will not be stolen and that they can maintain who they are. I have been comparing this worldly situation to a spiritual one in my own life…
What I’ve learned over the years is that we usually grow up imitating those who help to raise us, good or bad. Our earthly identity is found in our parents. For me, the effect of growing up in a fractured home was that I had core identity issues, which led to a self-destructive lifestyle. Even though I had my father’s last name, I had no idea of what that really meant, so I never really knew my true identity.
Going Back to The Foundation
What I have learned in the process of finding myself is that in order to fix the “breach in the wall,” as it pertains to my identity, I have to survey my life and go back to the very beginning. I have to forgive my parents and work through issues of pain and disappointment so that I can accept the gift of God in my life. This is actually what I call healing the heart of the matter. God so loved us that he gave…we know this scripture, yet it’s hard to believe that God would do such an act of love for us.
To actually grab ahold of His truth over my life would literally take an unveiling (so to speak) that would reveal to me who I am in God’s eyes. The bible says in Genesis 1:27 that God created man in His image. The scriptures also say in Luke 12:7 that every hair on my head is numbered, and in Jeremiah 17:10 it says that he knows me inside and out; God actually knows my heart. The truth of the matter is that the enemy has worked tirelessly to rob us of who we are. The devil has used various things to accomplish this. For instance, I used to use substances, I was in destructive self-sabotaging relationships, and I was full of self-hatred…all because I had no idea who I was, or who I was created to be.
Enter In
As we gain full knowledge of who we are, we can rest assured that God will lead us, protect us, fill us, and raise us up. I believe that King David tapped into this reality. I read the 23rd Psalm differently now and now I read this as an heir, a child of God. I can enter into the place of rest, and know that God is my father who will lead me and provide my every need. I can now take part of God’s divine economy. My Heavenly Father withholds no good thing from me.
Safe and Sound
If the devil can convince us that we are not worthy to be a son or daughter of God, then he will think that he has disabled us. The enemy doesn’t want us to walk in our authority. Our true identity can be found in God, therefore, everything pertaining to me is kept safe and sound. I’m now aware when the enemy is trying to steal my identity and I can now stop it before it happens. I have tapped into divine protection and I have agreed with my Creator about my life and who I am. I believe this is why it is so important that there are mothers and fathers in the spirit so that they can help to raise spiritual sons and daughters. That these sons and daughters will grow and mature to see who they really are and that they will walk in dominion over the land. That these sons and daughters will be able to release the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Ask and It Will Be Given
We have to actually ask our Creator who we are and who we were created to be. As we settle into who we are and allow ourselves to Abide in Him, He will Abide in us (John 15:7). To Abide actually means to continue in a particular condition, attitude, or relationship (Dictionary.com). This is a verb which means it is in continual action. It is a movement and it must be stewarded.
When we engage the Presence of God, we actually begin to participate in a divine exchange. That exchange helps us to see ourselves beyond what our human experiences can comprehend. To walk in your authentic identity is actually the high calling you were meant to operate in and possess. It’s higher than any particular gifting or ability that you operate in. This is you walking in your divine status as a son or daughter of the Most High God.
The devil likes to keep us busy by preoccupying us with how we perceive ourselves. We end up comparing ourselves with others, being envious, self-promoting, antagonistic, or depressed because we don’t feel that God favors us. WOW! To think all of those lies are stomped out as we step into the truth of who we are! The devil knows that as soon as you walk into your true identity, you will be unstoppable to him. In Matthew 4:1-11, Satan approached Jesus when Jesus came off of a forty day fast. Satan thought he could confuse Jesus and speak to His flesh by trying to tempt Him in His identity. However, Jesus knew who He was and that He had already (key word) defeated the devil. Because of that, Jesus did not sell His inheritance and we are all now partakers in this glorious inheritance. Did you notice that after Jesus was firm in His identity as the Son of God, he began his ministry? The same goes for us.
Keeping Our Inheritance
I’ve started to compare the parable of the Prodigal Son to when we are not operating in our true identity. When we choose not to step into our true identity, but choose self-sabotage (strife, self-pity, and the like), we are selling our inheritance only to sleep in the pig pen. But like the Prodigal son, we can stand up, dust ourselves off, and determine to go back to our loving Father’s embrace. It is then that we begin to understand what it meant when the Prodigal Son “came to his senses” as we turn our affections towards the Father.
Let’s decide to protect our identity. Let’s agree with Heaven about who God says we are. Let’s decide to enter into Him and release this truth over the earth.