Identity

Once there lived a beautiful princess in the mountains of the east. She was very fond of the songs of birds and every morning a little yellow canary used to come to her palace balcony and sing for her. The princess was very happy to see the lovely bird and listen to its music. The bird visited the palace daily and the princess waited eagerly for its visit every day. She was almost in love with him and wished he would keep company with her all day.

One day the princess caught the bird by chance and put him in a golden cage, serving the best food and water a bird could desire. But the bird was sad and refused to sing. In spite of its surroundings the bird began to grow weak day by day. One day the concerned princess asked the bird the reason for its behaviour. The bird seemed to communicate to the princess through the tone of its soft, painful chirps, “I only want to be set free.”

Moved the kind princess set the bird free. The bird flew instantly to its freedom. The next morning the bird was back with its usual song. It was only then that the princess realised an eternal truth: even the birds do not want to live in bondage, however well their environment, when they were created to fly and be free.

 Finding our True Identity

This is one elementary subject that most Christians still don't fully understand, and yet it is a powerful key to personal victory in every area of our lives. How you see yourself and what you believe true about your identity is everything.

Every individual has the power to choose what they base their identity in, for good or bad. This is especially important when negative circumstances come against us in life. Identity is similar to the foundation of our house. How strong the foundation is will directly impact the stability of the house when storms and adversity come our way. As a man thinks in his heart so is he.  

Identity is defined as the distinct personality of a person and the individual's comprehension of him or herself. What is important is that every person is created uniquely from every other person in the world. A person’s fingerprints, eyes and DNA will never be identical to anyone else. You are fearfully and wonderfully made!

                                 

Like the story of the yellow canary, what is inside you was put there by your creator and no accident. Your desires, dreams, values, convictions and skills are a song that is meant to be sung for all to hear and see. Man is most alive when he freely expresses himself and lives in the fullness of how he was created.

Many things can give us a sense of identity and purpose in life, such as work, relationships, success, skills, position, wealth and/or possessions. These are all good and bring meaning in life, but are not to become our identity. When our heart is attached to temporal things of this world and shapes our identity, we are on shaky foundation. Nothing is certain in life. We came into this world with nothing and will leave this life with nothing, but who we are as an individual will never change.

True identity is not what we do or own, but who we are as a person. If everything was stripped away from you, you would still be the same person made in the image of God.

That heart that’s beating within you, its no accident. The blood running through your veins, that’s purpose and destiny. In contrast, how often do we see and read of others facing an identity crisis? When a person has everything but feels empty, or worse, has everything materially, and loses it and their own soul.

True Identity = In Christ

Ephesians 1:3-6 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 

In Christ, we have solutions to our problems. By having access to His name and spirit, fear of rejection, failure, and death are all solved when God sees us “in Christ.” Struggles for personal meaning and value are no longer burdened by our own flawed efforts. In God’s eyes, no one is more important, and no one is more secure, than the one He has entrusted with the name of His Son.

Again, you are not what you do but who you are before God – loved, accepted, called and chosen for destiny. The term sinner saved by grace is fundamentally incorrect, because that identity is based on what you do, not who you are.

Who you are never changes before God. True, safe and strong identity is found in resting and living in who you are as a child of God. In this reality there is no fear of failure, no concern of striving and working to be accepted. There is nothing you need to do, just receiving the goodness of God and His blessings as His child. This is everything Jesus lived and died for us to experience, the abundant life He promised us.  

Look these things up in the Word of God for yourself and know the truth. For Jesus said clearly that if we continue in His Word, we will know the truth and the truth will set us free! (John 8:32)

Romans 5:8 - But God commanded his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

You are loved by God, not because of what you've done, but because of who you are. The Bible tells us that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He longed to have a relationship with you even before you became His child!

Your true destiny is in your existence of being found in your Creator and Father in heaven which is eternal and never ends. Believe today that your identity is not found in this world, but who you are in Christ.