God identity.

James 1:23-24 TPT says, “If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin.”

Last week we were talking about how the word of God is a mirror. We talked about how it shows us things that are out of place. This is because God’s word speaks to who God created us to be. It speaks to the real you on the inside. Not the you, you have become so you can cope with life and the stresses of life. Not the you that is distressed and living beneath what God has for you. Not the you that is living as a victim of the past trauma and hurt.

God’s word speaks to the real you. The overcomer in you. The fighter in you. The joyful person in you. The free person in you. It speaks to that person, not so you can feel bad about where you are but so you can be filled with hope and faith to get up from where you are and go to where God wants to take you.  

We are not of the world, but we live in the world. That means sometimes world stuff gets on us. Worldly views, worldly opinions and so on. We can even lose ourselves in the world and begin to identify ourselves based on our surroundings or circumstances. God never meant for the world or life to label us and give us our identity. Just because you have been through something or are going through something, doesn’t mean that is who you are. Our identity is in God. Which is why it is so important that we look in our mirror and see ourselves the way God sees us. Circumstances change, world standards evolve, but God remains the same. He is stable, firm, solid, unmovable, immutable.

We need to be solid in our God identity before the storms of life come. I have had some storms come and take everything I thought was my identity and left me naked and exposed. Not literally, sanctify your mind. When storms come, everything that is not of God will be shaken and blown away. You need to make sure your identity is in Jesus. When our identity is in Jesus, we are stable. We are building on our firm foundation – Jesus. We are equipped to conquer and be overcomers in every situation.

The Apostle Paul left his identity as Saul the Christian killer behind and grabbed hold of his new identity in Christ. He introduced himself in Galatians 1:1 as follows, “From Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ. My apostleship was not granted to me by men, for I was appointed by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” He was secure in who God said He was and not what people around him thought of him.

This is why Paul was able to say in Philippians 4:12-13, “I know what it means to lack, and I know what it means to experience overwhelming abundance. For I’m trained in the secret of overcoming all things, whether in fullness or in hunger. And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.”

Paul was secure in his identity in Jesus and He also learnt to put his faith in Jesus’ ability to help him overcome whatever life threw at him and not trust in himself. It is one thing to know you are more than a conqueror, it is another to know that it is through Christ who loves you, Romans 8:37. Our identity cannot be separated from Jesus. It is interlocked with Him and that is how it is meant to be. Our victory through the storms of life is found in Jesus. Outside of Him we drown in the flood waters. In Him we are safe and secure.

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.