How Do I Find My Identity In A Broken Lens World?
In a world where society pushes you to be the newest and most improved trend flowing through media and entertainment, it can become a burden and a confusing time for someone who does not know who they truly are. While trying to keep up with the Johnsons in these luxury lifestyles, which are broadcast and displayed everywhere, it can be tiring and stressful to figure out where you stand in this world, causing pressure and anxiety as you feel overwhelmed by the desperation of trying to find just an inch of yourself.
Perhaps you have invested a lot of time and effort in the wrong direction, and starting over to fulfill your emptiness is a daunting task, largely because you don’t know where to begin. You may also lack the energy to figure out where to start. Still, I am here to enlighten you on the truth that will set you free and guide you in the right direction to freedom and peace of mind about who you are.
Who Are You?
You are who God says you are. You are…
1. You are loved
2. You are CHOSEN “I Am My Father’s Child”
3. You Are Forgiven & Redeemed
4. You’re Justified & Validated Through God, Not people.
5. You Are NOT Your Own
6. You have a Guide and a Gardener.
7. You need wisdom to decide who gets to speak into your life!
1. You are loved
Where there is a need to be seen and a desire to be loved, no further seeking in the wrong places is needed. After time and merely your own efforts that may have led to disappointment, you don’t have to worry any longer when you know that you are loved by the one and only Creator who has not only created you in love, but has also sent His one and only son to die on the cross for you in love. You will never know any greater love than the love of your Heavenly Father and Lord and Savior. You will never receive a love that disappoints and leads you astray, let alone a love that will ever leave you that is apart from God. No one on earth can live up to those standards. Not even you towards yourself during hardships. So, try to be open to receiving the only love, who is love Himself, that will love you in ways that you do not even have to imagine, but that you can testify to.
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”
Jeremiah 31:3
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
“Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”
When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”
Daniel 10:19
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love
1 John 4:8
2.You are CHOSEN “I Am My Father’s Child”
The pressure is off when you read these very scriptures on how you have been chosen and adopted in sonship and called heirs to our Heavenly Father, King of Kings. You are beautifully chosen to be a part of the Kingdom of God and called to live a life entirely devoted to such creation, identity, and calling. These scriptures blessed over you should resonate and bring peace of who you are not, (what the world said), to who you are. (What God, your creator, said).
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
John 15:16
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Romans 8:17
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.Jeremiah 31:3
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalms 139:13-14
For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you.
1 Thessalonians 1:4
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10
3. You Are Forgiven & Redeemed
You Are Not Your Past Mistakes. Too often, it is easy for women to become emotional beings who can reminisce about past mistakes or ongoing issues, allowing those mistakes and even generational curses to linger and hinder their mental health, ultimately affecting their sense of self. I’m here to tell you that you are not the person you were in the past. You are not the mistakes of years past, nor are you the mistakes of your family either. Once you have woken up to know and accept our Lord and SAVIOR into your life, then you have positioned yourself to be healed, saved, and transformed. Satan is the father of lies. Please do not get distracted by the enemy’s tactics or your mind and forget who God says you are in Him. There will be many days when you will question life and yourself, but you must know that difficult times do not change who you are if you remain in Him. When you keep your focus on God and speak life into yourself, you will remain consistent and faithful in the identity that He has created you in, and you will see that you are unshakeable at that point. Never let the world and distractions change who you are, because Satan is a liar, and He can easily try to mess with you in your most vulnerable times, as well as when you are overcoming obstacles and becoming a threat to him in the process of you becoming a warrior for the Kingdom of Heaven. But you must remember and take heart that you have been forgiven and redeemed through our Lord and Savior, and NEVER let any deception tell you otherwise, because what has been done on the cross is a truth that will stand no matter what, whether you believe or not. But let me tell you, if you decide to repent and acknowledge the beautiful gesture of love that was made on the cross, then you will remember the truth of a redeemer who has not just rescued from the world but from yourself to be who He created you to be. His child.
“Satan is the Father of lies and knows our names, but he would rather degrade us by calling us out by our sins and weaknesses. He is an accuser and will label you by your sin to get you to think less of yourself.”
1 John 1:9
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22-24
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace
Ephesians 1:7
in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:14
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23-24
4. You’re Justified & Validated Through God, Not people.
Living life without knowing who you are in God can lead to an empty life, where you constantly strive to be better, but with an unclear idea of yourself, feeling like a failure due to the unfulfillment of expectations, and not reaching your ideal destination. This can become increasingly stressful when all you have done is live a life for an image set by a trend or even an image created by other people and their plans for your life, all for validation that does not align with the plans God has for you. You should never live to please others or feel the need to be validated by them.
There is a life that God has for you that does not need to be justified or validated through anyone outside of Him. You may seem like you’re sticking out from societal norms or even breaking traditions and a family image that has been idealized for you, but when you follow God and trust in His ways, you will be set apart from others, and it will be noticed.
*I want to enlighten you with something, there are a lot of people who will not see what God is doing in your life yet, or ever. They will not hear what you hear and will not understand the given path that you walk and your plans along the way. Honestly, you may even receive more criticism from family and friends, and be judged and persecuted by them, even from afar. However, remember that the Holy Spirit is at work in your life, speaking to you, which is a valid and accurate experience. All you need to do is be brave enough to follow His spirit of truth and His plans and see that His validation over you is greater than the world.
In Her True Worth, authors Brittany Maher and Cassandra Speer said it best.
“The cross of Christ has already defined our worth from the beginning. God so loved us that he sent his Son to pay the price for our sins so that we could be called sons and daughters of God
We can’t earn our status as children of God, or achieve it, or work for it, because our Creator has already determined it through his Son. The pressure is off because God has already determined our worth and value.”
Your family, friends, or spouse cannot validate who you are. You must learn to hear God’s voice for yourself and be assured of His truth, not theirs. His will and plans over your life are the plans you need to seek and live out, not the plans of mankind. His ways are better than the ways of this world. So, again, never feel like you need to be validated by anyone else outside of the one who is the Word, the breath of life.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10
5. You Are NOT Your Own
Part of the stress of living in your own skin and making choices that can change any part of your life is believing that the body in which your soul resides is your own. Having that knowledge and thinking can add pressure on trying to live life right and making sure that you didn’t drastically mess up along the way, which, with this thinking and belief, can cause mental overload on who you are. Do not fret, though! The fact that you have been informed so far that you are loved and chosen allows you to renew your mind with the Word and remind yourself that you are not your own, either. In fact, because of the Gospel, where Jesus Himself came down to earth to live life with people, healing, displaying miracles, and discipling others, He then, at a price, took on the cross, shedding blood and an earthly life, so that you may be saved and live an eternal life in Heaven. Jesus dying for you was a cost that you did not have to pay. His resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit to live life with you day and night are proof that He not only wanted to save your life from sin, but He also wanted to send the Holy Spirit to guide, teach, renew you to where you can repent, and remind you who you are and who you belong to. To whom you belong is who you serve, and in serving, you will reduce your anxiety with the pressure of “You” getting in the way, to the remembrance of Him stepping in and showing you the beauty of a simple life (in the eyes of the world) that He has called for you to live.
Pressures off!
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ
Romans 8:9
6. You have a Guide and a Gardener
The beautiful thing about living a life as a follower and believer is that you are not alone in your journey. When Jesus descended to Heaven, He sent down the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily lives so that we are never lost and strayed. Through the Holy Spirit, we are given the fruits of the Spirit that become our identity.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
It does not end there either! Because God has created you in His image, He then has taken the position of being your own personal Gardener who prunes your branches to remove what is not of Him and does not bear fruit so that you can become more fruitful. Fuller of life walking in your identity!
The Vine and the Branches
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
John 15:1-8
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:15-17
7. You need wisdom to decide who gets to speak into your life!
This might be more of advice than an identity claim, but this needs to be noted in your journey of discovery. It is interesting to consider the amount of noise we encounter on a day-to-day basis. The constant noise around us can drown out the voice of God, allowing us to easily get caught up in hearing the voices of others. Others who speak over you from a place of unhealed wounds, past trauma, jealousy, anger, and insecurity.
Instead of running off with the voices of the world, open your ears to hear only God’s voice so that His Words of truth and the plans He has for you can be the lead in your life to a promising, secure future in His hands.
Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more.
Mark 4:24
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me
John 10:27
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
Revelation 3:20
But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
John 14:26
He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.
Luke 16:15
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5
Where Do You Go From Here?
1. Reflect & Receive Truth
2. Repent
3. Invite God In Your Everyday Life & Decisions
4. Seek Community
5. Continue To Seek Truth
1. Reflect & Receive Truth
As I have said before, you have been chosen. In receiving such Word of truth, you may question how you could be chosen when you have been lost for some time, living in sin, and now come to this part of reading such news. Remember who the father of lies is. Satan will try to steal, kill, and destroy any part of God’s Word over your life with your past, but this is where you step in the mirror and look at yourself and speak life over yourself. This is where you remind yourself that you are chosen and stare into your eyes’ reflection and say in confidence, “I AM MY FATHER’S CHILD.” You speak every scripture that I have listed and is freely given to you through Word and Spirit over yourself daily until you receive that revelation internally.
2. Repent
Repenting is the act of deciding to apologize to God, asking for forgiveness, and turning away from sin. When you acknowledge your sin and come to a place where your heart grieves towards sin like your Heavenly Father to the point where you want to ask for forgiveness and turn away from that sin, that is when you start to see transformation in the works. Never take credit for changes that are not your own doing, but daily give thanks to God and pray that your heart will continue to transform, desiring purity and sanctification.
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord
Acts 3:19
3. Invite God In Your Everyday Life & Decisions
How exciting it is to have a life partner who knows you from the inside and out. This acknowledgment is supposed to be the best years of your life now. I am not saying it’s going to be beautiful and pleasant all the time, but now you know you have a Savior and love who is with you through each season of your life. Now you don’t have to be confused, but you can be guided and taught along the way. Take time to remind yourself that you have a Holy Spirit that is dwelling in the midst, and it is your priority to see Him in every part of your life and let Him be a part of every decision that you make. Although He never leaves nor forsakes, you can still just invite Him into your day and enjoy the journey of new self-discovery with your life partner!
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.Isaiah 55:6
4. Seek Community
You cannot walk this life alone. It is nearly impossible to believe that you can live on this earth as a Christian without any community. Community is essential to your transformed life as a follower of Christ. You need fellowship to encourage you to continue the race that you have been running. You need fellow believers who can speak life and pray with and over you. Community allows you to find discipleship and, in due time, to encounter someone who is transitioning from an unbeliever to a believer whom you can disciple. As it is written,
As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.Proverbs 27:17
5. Continue To Seek Truth
I know that finding yourself and your identity may be challenging, even when you have all the facts about who you are through the Word of God. However, remember, the lost sheep didn’t find the Shepherd. The Shepherd found the lost sheep. He has already chosen and found you; your only part is to wake up in due time and receive what He has already given you. During your revival season, you will naturally feel the urge to seek God and His presence. That is when submission follows, allowing you to lay all your weight at your Lord and Savior’s feet, enabling transformation to occur. Only then, through submission from transformation and devoted prayer, can you receive for yourself the words that were written and spoken over you when you were beautifully knitted and created by the most loving Creator. Love Himself, your Heavenly Father. I pray that you find peace in your journey and allow the Holy Spirit to continue to move and transform you.
Ask, Seek, Knock
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8
Sister, I hope these words move you closer to confirmation from Word and Spirit. I pray that if you were to look any further, you will look with your knees on the ground, crying out in prayer, or to your bible for clarity. In the end, I pray that this serves you well and that you will feel peace and a fire from the Holy Spirit as your new eyes are opened to who you have been created to be from the beginning.
God bless you, sister, a.k.a. Child of God!
Scriptures
The World Hates the Disciples
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
John 15:18-19
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23
The Wise and Foolish Builders
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
Matthew 7:24-27
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
But whoever loves God is known by God
1 Corinthians 8:3
For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin
Romans 6:6
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him.
Psalm 32:8-10
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
1 John 3:9-10
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
1 John 3:2-3
The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
1 John 3:24
But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 2:5-6
