COUNTERFEIT IDENTITIES.
Identity can simply be described as how you view yourself and the roles you occupy in life. It is also your self views in relation to others. The tree of identity is central to how we function in life and as a Christian it’s central to how we relate with God & others, see ourselves and therefore our life’s purpose.
Counterfeit identities can be planted by the enemy or by default through what we consume. They are identities rooted in anything other than Christ (employment, financial standing, appearances, social media or human recognition). The wrong identity planted in our hearts can wreak havoc on the rest of the garden! It can lead to us living a life in ‘survival mode’, which is not what God intended for us (John 10:10). If the lens we use to view God, ourselves and others is blurred then we end up living in emotional and psychological survival mode. Just trying to make it through the day and life!
If we want to know the correct identity to plant in our hearts we must look to Christ. As believers our true identity is found in him. Once we accept Jesus, we have been reborn into a new identity in him. WE ARE A NEW CREATION (II cor 5:17), so remember who is living inside you. We believe in ourselves not because of our own strength, but because of who is living in us. ‘I AM’ is the personal name of God (Exo 3:14), and is His name FOREVER.
God has many more names in scripture, he’s known as El Elyon (Gen 14:20), Jehovah Raah (Psalm 23), Jehovah Nissi (Exo 17:15) and Jehovah Mekoddishkem (Exo 31:11) amongst many more. As Christ followers we believe that this same God lives within us in spirit form (I Cor 3:16; Eph 2:22). The simplest way to know who God says you are is through reading and dwelling on scripture. There it is revealed who God made us to be, and why we so desperately should examine our hearts daily to ensure we hold no counterfeit identities.
We have to continually renew our minds to believe the truth about who God says we are! Without the right identity we won’t be able to see ourselves accurately and therefore will be inattentive to what God is trying to say.
I am a child of God (John 1:12; Gal 3:26). I am a friend of Jesus (John 15:5). I am God’s heir and a co-heir with Christ (Rom 8:17). I am a branch connected to the vine of the LORD (John 15:5). I am in one spirit with God (I cor 6:16-17). I am a temple of the Holy Spirit (I cor 6:19-20). I am God’s masterpiece (Eph 2:10). I am a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation (I Pet 2:9). I am the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13). I am the light of the world (Matt 5:14). I am redeemed though the blood of Christ (Eph 1:7). I am the righteousness of God in Christ (II Cor 5:21). I am an ambassador for Christ (II Cor 5:20). I am complete in Christ (Col 2:10).
Prayer
Today, why not take a moment to talk to God.
“God I understand that identity is a central tree in my heart. I also know that if I want to find out who I am, I must first look to who you are. Help me today to always make you the source of my search for self. Remove from my heart any counterfeit identities I have allowed to be planted and help me to see myself through the correct lens, to see myself how you made me!”
In Jesus name,
Amen.