Nothing “outside” of you has the authority to tell you who you are. You have given your life to God, he “owns” you, and he alone has the authority to define what and who you are.
So what does he say?
God says you are at peace with him by faith in Christ, and he says you’re in right-standing with him the same way. He defines the terms, and he enforces the rules. Righteousness is by faith, not works.
Also remember that God has placed his spirit in you, and his kingdom is in you, so essentially God is in you. If God determines your identity, he does it from the inside, not through external circumstances in your life.
Righteousness is not by works, holiness is not by works, and identity is not by works, it’s all given to you in Christ. Your actions do not define you. Nothing anyone does to you, defines you. Not even your DNA defines you.
Unfortunately, we can go through things in this life that are so traumatic we allow them to define us because they’re so overwhelming. What do we do in traumatic situations?
Trauma Based Identity
Trauma can be devastating. We all know what physical trauma is; when the body takes damage. A bruise, open wound, or loss of limb are all considered traumas of varying degrees. Economic, relational, or general emotional traumas are in the world as well.
All of those kinds of traumas are things that happen from the outside. You lose your job, you get a divorce, or someone abuses you; all of those happen to you.
You choose how you respond to those situations. It may not feel like in certain situations but you get to determine how those things affect you long term. Sometimes those events are so overwhelming that you allow them to shape how you see yourself.
If someone has taken advantage of you and you feel powerless, the emotion may linger. If your parents told you that you are stupid, that might be a belief that still carries weight in your life today. Your identity might be so connected to your job performance that you feel less valuable when you don’t do a good job.
All of those situations can create emotional trauma from the outside in.
Inside Out Identity
We must allow God to inform our self-worth and our identity. We are who God says we are and nothing else. We may behave in certain ways or hold specific positions, but those things are temporary and do not have the authority to tell you what kind of being you are and who you are in God’s sight.
God’s opinion is the ultimate reality in our lives. How God sees things are the truth of any situation. How he sees it is unchangeable.
We must learn to see ourselves through his eyes. It’s a bit challenging since he’s invisible, but we can know his perspective through the person of Jesus. Jesus is the most evident understanding we have of who God is.
How to Live In the Power of Your Identity In Christ
It’s easier than you think, but there’s an element of trust involved. Recently at church, my wife shared a story about going to the grocery store. She saw several people wearing masks and trying their best to keep their distance in the crowd. There were limitations on certain items, and all the employees were exhausted from working so many hours. Sara just didn’t feel like dealing with it.
I used that as an object lesson in my sermon above. The object lesson I’ll share here is the key to living in the power of your identity.
First, let me say again; there’s an element of trust involved. You have to trust that God’s spirit is giving you wisdom and actual strength, and it’s up to you to choose it.
Here’s the simple lesson, in this case, before you go into the store, remember who you are. You may do this before you get out of bed, go to work, interact with your family, whatever it may be. Before you proceed into whatever you’re doing, take a couple of minutes to remember who God is and who you are in him.
Before you go into the grocery store, you might say something like this; there are people in there who don’t know you, God, I may be the one to show them love and open their hearts to you. I am a child of God. Everywhere I go, I have your peace. I will not react, I will stand in your strength, and I will be open to your power in my life, in this store, whatever that may be. I choose to allow you to give me strength.
Expect strength to arise (trust) and then proceed.
VERY SIMPLE! What you’re doing is putting on the new man, you’re intentionally renewing your mind to who you are in him; therefore, you are positioned for the will of God to work through you.
That’s where the trust comes in, remembering God is present, and he will empower you to walk in love. If you’re going to work, or the doctor or whatever, do the same thing, yield your heart to his love and powerful grace before you go in.
Try it, don’t dismiss it because it’s too simple. Trust that God is giving you strength in a real way; it’s not just a nice idea. Go! Try it! Watch him work in your life!
