What is your Identity? Part 1
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According to Webster’s Dictionary the meaning of Identity is : the distinguishing character or personality of an individual.
-- the condition of being the same with something described or asserted (establish the identity of stolen goods)
Today we live in a world that tries to confuse our identity every day.
The world tries to tell us that we can be any gender we want to be, live any way we want to live and that we are never enough.
lt even tries to confuse us in what is good and evil. The world tries to tell us that our saviour isn’t real or that all religions are right. But that can’t be true. The bible tells us that
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The only way to truly know your identity and who you were created to be is by knowing Jesus and having a personal relationship with Him.
If we look at the definition of Identity, we see that it is about our character and our personality. I want you to stop a minute and think about how people would describe you.... your character.... your personality.....
Do we look like Jesus in our everyday lives?
Can people tell us apart from the world?
By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
When people see you in your everyday lives at school, work or other events, can they see Jesus in you?
It’s important to understand that we are to strive to be like Christians, not like the world.
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
We want our identity to be what God created us to. We want to accomplish what God created us to do. This doesn’t mean that we will be perfect or that we won’t make mistakes.
We all mess up sometimes.
We all have bad days sometimes.
But overall, are we striving to be like Jesus?
If we are confused by the world and what is trying to tell us, We will not understand who we are in Christ and what we were created to do.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
The first thing you need to understand is that God created you and he KNEW you before your were even born.
You are not a mistake! Regardless of how you were conceived and brought into this world, God formed you and He knew you, He loved you and He gave His only son for you!
I have struggled for my entire life because my dad didn’t love me (like a dad should) and i couldn’t understand how a parent could NOT love their own child. I still do not understand it and i probably never will, BUT I know that God loves me and He created me because He had a plan for me. I can’t get my true identity from my earthly father. I was never good enough and i could never do enough to earn his love..... But our heavenly Father is the complete opposite. There isn’t anything we can do to earn His unconditional love, because He already gives it to us.
the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
No matter what you have done or what you may still be involved with, God loves you and He has a plan for your life. He loves every part of us, even the parts that may not be very pretty.
We don’t have to use a filter or a special angle to impress God. So many of us look on social media and compare ourselves to what we see on there. But how many people are using a filter on their pictures or editing them? Most people on social media only put out there what they want people to THINK they are… but how much of it is real?
But we can’t hide from God. We can’t photo shop ourselves or edit ourselves to pretend we are someone we are not.... God sees us for exactly who we are, flaws and all, and He loves us anyway!
“I always thought love was shaped like a heart, but it’s actually shaped like a cross.”
“Jesus Christ knows the worst about you. Nonetheless, He is the one who loves you most.” A.W. Tozer
If you are facing an identity crisis today, God wants to show himself to you and He wants to show you who you are and what He has planned for your life.
Only God can give you your identity.
Don’t let the world try to tell you who you should be or what your identity should be. Look to Jesus.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
So until we come back together for our next meeting, I really want you to study the scriptures we went over tonight and really seek God for your identity. Talk to him just like you would talk to a friend or a parent.
I know that the phrase that we have heard over and over for many years may seem cheesy to some of you, but it is a good thought to ponder in your daily decisions.
What would Jesus do? And I like to even think, if Jesus were standing here right now, would I still say that, watch that, or wear that?
The fact of the matter is, He IS THERE! HE SEES AND KNOWS ALL THINGS!
We are going to stop here for tonight. But we will continue this series next time because there is so much more to discuss about Identity.