DL Foundation: Identity

Do you ever have things come out of your mouth, and after hearing them think, “What does that even mean”? I guess it depends person to person, but I have a feeling we all say things like that. So, I’m just going to take a moment and apologize to you for all the times that I have typed something and not known what it meant!
 
Something that we talk about a lot at Wesley is “finding our identity in Christ”. It sounds nice, and it is a good thing to do, but often we can talk about it and not really be sure exactly what it means.  Something I often say about identity is that we should “live out of who God made us to be”. I throw that phrase around, without ever going into detail about what it means for someone specifically or how they can live it out. When I actually stop and think about it, I couldn’t tell anyone completely who God created them to be, but I can help point them in the right direction to find out. The best place to look is scripture.
 
There are certain things that describe all of us when it comes to who God created us to be.
Things like,

1. You have been adopted by God ( Ephesians 1:5)
2. So, you are a child of God (1 John 3:1, John 1:12-13; John 12:36)
3. Because we are children of God, Jesus is our brother. The things God gives to him, God also gives to us. We have full access to the Father. (Romans 8:16-17)
4. We get to enjoy the joy and the glory of Christ because we also partner with him in his suffering (1 Peter 4:13)
5. We are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)
6. We have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18)
7. You are a saint (Ephesians 1:1)

 
These are just a few of the things we are. This is just a starting place!
If you are just starting the adventure of claiming, believing, and discovering your identity, start here. Start with these 8. Say them out loud, pray that you would truly believe them for yourself, write them on a notecard and put it in your car. Get these truths in front of you as often as you can. The most fun part about this step is the morning you wake up, and you believe these things are who you are! These things aren’t just declarations anymore, they are your identity. They are what you consider yourself to be!
 
Through knowing these truths about yourself, God will begin to reveal things to you that have been inside of you all along. This is my favorite part about identity!

Your identity is not something you need to muster up, or create. These specifics are things already in you! They are things that have been in you this whole time; they have either been covered by a distraction or perverted by the enemy to a negative trait. But your identity is sealed by the one who gave it to you! No one can take it away!

This is the next step: take a self-inventory. Look inside of you, see what’s there! Ask the Lord to show you who you are. Look past insecurities and doubts. It might be hard to recognize at first, but, like anything, discovering and living out of your identity takes time and it gets easier! You’ll be able to recognize yourself more and more as you look inside at the wonderful creation the Lord has crafted! The cool thing about the truths that we started with and the specifics about you is they go hand in hand! They work together!
 
Who God created you specifically to be can only be known by you because it is the unique way He has designed you to live those truths out. You might not be able to describe those things until you experience them. You know you’ve discovered a new part of who you are when you get that feeling of purpose and think “I could actually do this forever”, or, “This is what I was made for”, or, “Why does this come so naturally to me?”, or, “I didn’t even realize that trait, or thought pattern, or instinct was in me this whole time.”
 
Identity is living out of the person God created. You are you. You are powerful. You are perfect. You are who God designed.