where is my identity?

A primary question I regularly ask myself is where my identity lies. Am I looking to my preconceived ideas of who I am and how I’ve been shaped by the world around me since I was a kid? Am I allowing those ideas or feelings of what I’ve been told or the things I’ve done, or what I tell myself, to rule my life on a daily basis? Who is shaping my identity as a person? Me? Others? Past relationships, World view? Opinion? If I find myself in that place of allowing my identity to be defined by something that is fluid, ever changing, emotional, high and low like waves crashing, and not found in unwavering, never changing TRUTH, then YIKES.

Our emotions, opinions, ideas, and processes of how we do things are all defined by some influence somewhere and depending on where we are at, the source of where we rely on our feedback tends to change. But guess what, God didn’t design us to constantly be searching for all the sources and places to find our truth about our lives, drive, passions, and identity. God calls us to look to Him every single day to see our past, present, and future self and to see the reality of who we were created to be. Because I can guarantee you no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord, your vision for your life will always pale in comparison for the plans He has made for you if you truly walk with Him in fulfilling them. God has given each of us an eternal purpose for our lives, and no matter what the world says to you, you were created perfectly and uniquely in His image to carry His image out to the world around you. That is your purpose, that is your drive. When we don’t look to God to drive us and give us purpose, we will constantly chase and seek every other avenue possible to fill that void in our lives. We will seek material pleasures, the nice car, perfect spouse, pretty house, perfect family, newest things, best vacations, best paying job, etc. We will also operate out of a place of always chasing down the next big thing in our lives, the next event, like that promotion, vacation, bigger house, next expansion, new product, next relationship, new hobby, more followers on social media, more knowledge, etc. We will fill our time with everything but God, and always feel empty once we’ve exhausted the excitement and interest of the newest thing, idea, achievement, relationship, or experience. Then it is on to the next thing, whatever that may be for you.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13

But what if I told you we weren’t designed to chase the material world, what if you believed, that if you lived with none of these things and sought relationship and identity from our Almighty Creator God, you would NEVER feel empty, without passion, love, joy, excitement, drive and an unwavering identity rooted in truth. God is all of that for His people and then SO MUCH MORE. You were created for more than just yourself and whatever revolves around you in your life. God created you for greater calling, serving a greater Kingdom than your own. You are not supposed to be the king or queen of your life. There is only one King, and His name is Jesus Christ Emmanuel, Son of God, and He gave his life for you, so you would have the opportunity to serve our Lord God and take a seat at his heavenly table when you pass through this life and on to the next. God desires to work with you and through you in your life, if you will allow Him. He wants to see you fulfill the calling on your life to the fullest and not squander it on the things of the world that you can’t take to the grave. When you die, God desires that you leave a mark on the world that can’t be erased by the world. A Divine mark of His Kingdom, an impact that spurs others to do the same, make more disciples of Christ, see more people enter the Kingdom of Heaven when they finish their work here. A by product of that being the ultimate unwavering passion and mission of your life, is a beautiful thing, you will be found operating out of a love and joy for yourself and others in your life that can only be defined as Divine. Love and joy of divine nature is like a fire that never burns out or burns others, it spreads and grows touching other people bringing light and a warmth to their lives they have never seen before.

Saying let’s go with God means we trash all the ideas the world throws at us as far as what it looks like to have a good life, be a good person, and be successful. I promise you, with God, pressing into His vision for how He created you, the sinless you, there will be intense growth in seeing who you are and what you can REALLY do when you let HIM do the work. God can help you shed your pride, anger, fear, anxiety, depression, lust, insecurities, frustration, sadness, striving, overachieving, and anything else you could define in your life as a life sucking quality that stresses you out and drives you to seek comfort. With God, you are capable of SO MUCH MORE, because He starts to cultivate this new life in front of your eyes. Those old ways of yourself start to fall away, and you start to see what can be, who you really are, and it DOESN’T CHANGE, because GOD’s TRUTH DOESN’T CHANGE. So as we get further into this idea of Let Go to Let’s Go, I’ll press more into specific ways that we do that and say YES to God’s will for our life. Because man He has plans that you and I can’t even begin to fathom that bring the greatest glory to Him and the greatest positive impact to ourselves and the community around us.

Thus says the Lord… Do not call on former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert. “

Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

Let go of your rebellion

Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

Hosea 6:1-3

Re-read that again, and maybe a few more times, line by line, of what Hosea is prophesying over Israel and Judah. The three verses are jam packed summarizing our rebellion against God, His reprimanding of us, redemption found for our souls because of Jesus Christ, and how our Father’s love is steadfast every day of our lives. God wants YOU, all of YOU, not just whatever part you give Him when it is convenient. He desires relationship with you, is for you, with you, and wants to work through you. BUT first we have to let go…

Hosea first speaks of returning to the Lord, to turn from our rebellion against Him. If we don’t, we get to learn the hard way through God allowing us to suffer and soak in misery. God allows us to make bad choices, allows us to turn from Him and follow the world Satan runs. He loves us enough to let us choose wrong and loves us enough to take us back when we realize the poor choices that we made without His counsel. The Father will let you take a spanking from the world if you live in disobedience. He allows it so you can choose to keep chasing you, your desires, and your strength, or you can choose relationship with Him, choosing His desires and His strength. So where do you begin to change and turn to the Lord, and seek His will for your life?

The bible speaks of letting go of your life and relying on God’s wisdom and guidance each day, rather than leaning on your own. So you must let go of YOU, let go of YOUR life, let go of YOUR thoughts, YOUR feelings, YOUR desires, YOUR identity, YOUR world, YOUR passion, LET GO OF YOUR FLESH and EVERYTHING that comes with it. God desires ALL of YOU, your complete and total submission, attention, emotions, feelings, desires, identity, talents, ideas, all of it. Why? Because God is: perfect, sovereign, creator of you and the world around you, all knowing, all seeing, and all powerful, perfectly kind, just, and merciful, grace giving, loving, and kind Father. He knows best for your life; the Creator of the universe, who gave His Son to pay your debt, for your sins, wants to know YOU and wants you to know HIM. We have a heavenly Father who uniquely made each one of us, and knows our every, everything better than we do. Yet we constantly live our lives acting like we know more about us and how we should feel, work, love, play, and spend our time. We act like our own gods on a daily basis making choices and excluding God from them as if we somehow have better plans than He does for our lives.

We have a problem with submission to God, our Father, who created us. We have an issue with living in daily surrender to God and His will for our daily walk. He knows this, yet doesn’t give up on each of our souls. He gave us Jesus, the perfect example of surrender and submission to God, in the flesh for the world to see. If you are unsure of what your walk should look like, get to know Jesus, make Him your best friend. He is the epitome of who God is and who we are called to be. Jesus lived a life constantly seeking the will God had for His life, always working to align His heart, with the heart of the Father. Jesus then outwardly encouraged everyone else to do the same. Jesus didn’t look to His own wisdom, identity, passions, ideas, or work to fill His life and His heart. Even though He was wholly God and wholly man, He looked to the Father, His Father, OUR Father, to seek out His identity, joy, and life mission. If we are really seeking God, and relationship with Him, then that means we are not seeking self satisfaction or self righteous lives. We are called to live greater than our own desires; our hearts are deceitful and imperfect because of our sin, so look to the One who is perfect.

Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Jeremiah 17:5-10

We encounter worldly temptations daily like a battering ram, and frequently lean on our own deceitful hearts (corrupted by our sin), but there’s a better solution and it is God’s solution, which is a complete turning away from self focus, to God focus. We are each completely equipped no matter where we are in our walk to seek communion with God each day and get before Him in total submission and thankfulness. If we create a space where we meet with God each day with intention, He will meet us there without fail every time. That is the beginning of relationship and then we see the transformative power of God working in our hearts. From that space where the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts and minds, we start to operate outwardly and not just inwardly. Then we can fulfill the ultimate calling on each of our lives, which is living outwardly a lifestyle of selfless love towards others and a spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ, our ultimate commission.

We cultivate relationship with God and change in our hearts through the active Holy Spirit, who Jesus left within each of us, the day He ascended to Heaven. He left us a helper, comforter, wise counsel, and direct line access to the voice of God and Spirit who gives us eyes to see life differently. The Holy Spirit knows the intimate knowledge of each of us and the complete and total nature, thoughts, and works of God. We have access to a mediator, the Spirit of God, who hovered over the waters and darkness in Genesis 1:2 as God created the world. We have that unique access to God, just as Jesus did; we just have to choose to cultivate that relationship, because He’s ready to go to work and grow us. We find the Holy Spirit many times in prayer, worship, scripture, and Christ centered community. It is in these places we find revelation, truth and true change of the heart. Prayer allows us to speak to God about where we need help in our growth, seek wise counsel, hear His voice, praise Him, and thank Him for all He does and has done. Scripture is the unwavering truth and living word of God, which speaks into our lives, breathing sobriety into the chaos we inevitably live in. Scripture without fail, never lies to us, and allows us to understand who God is throughout time, coming to understand His nature, and intentions for His people. Worship allows us to get before God in the most raw and open way. Worship whether there is music or silence is a place to praise, thank, and cry before God for all He has done, and all He has yet to do. Finally Christ focused community is a place where we can meet with other fellow believers and come to meet and speak truth to one another. Community allows us to have a space where we can encourage others, press into spiritual gifts, push on another forward to where they are called, as well as rebuke those falling from the truth.

So press on to know the Lord and let Him shape your life and identity. Allow Him to cultivate your soul and grow you in a way that the world never will. God desires unique and intimate relationship with each of us, so that we can spread His love, and the good news to others, fulfilling an eternal destiny in heaven. God wants to see all people come to know Him, so they can commune with Him at His table. All we have to do to accept and grow in relationship with God is to openly receive all that He has already given us. Hosea speaks of God coming to us as sure as the dawn every morning, and He does, but many times we don’t and He stands waiting. He waters us like spring rains encouraging growth, but we have to accept and soak in the rain. God is very simple with us, but we make it complicated. So the challenge is, will we receive what we are given freely, or will we keep God locked out of our house, only allowing Him to enter when it serves our purposes. God can bring peace, purpose, and patience in process to each of us in our walk. So will you let go of your life as you see it and allow God to give it greater vision? Will you let Him use you for greater purposes leading to an eternity with Him for you and for others? Will you tell God YES, to Him saying let’s go? Will you say yes to let’s go, no matter where it takes you? Will you put your faith in letting go of your life and identity and trusting God with it instead? Will you actively pursue His vision, instead of your own?

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Galations 5:16-25