What happens when the roles we carry begin to replace the identity God gave us? Has stress, overwhelm and life’s distractions made you forget who you are in God? Are you looking to the world for validation instead of to God? Let us begin here – Identity Reset: When Life Makes You Forget Who You Are.
There is that moment many Christian women do not talk about out loud. In the middle of her day, somewhere between making meals and doing laundry. Or at bedtime when her thoughts start racing. She pauses and asks herself – Who am I really beyond all these? What is my real value beyond marriage, motherhood and work? If I were stripped of all of these roles, who would I be? I have asked myself these same questions at some point in my life.
Yes, you are grateful for the gift of life. You love your family. You love your job and are excellent at what you do. But somewhere along the way, who you are begins to feel less important than the things you do. Your roles echo louder than your person. Wife, Mom, Caregiver, Strong, Great cook, Protector. Sounds familiar right? And slowly, almost invisibly, you start to forget who you were before all the roles and titles. You feel like you have lost your true essence and tomorrow looks like it holds no meaning.
Dear sister, if this is you, you are not alone. You are only human. It happens even to the best of us. Moses in the bible who grew up in the palace, and was raised as Egyptian royalty doubted his identity. He struggled to embrace his identity and God given ability to lead, so much that he asked God – Who am I? (Exodus 3:10)
If your identity is found in Christ, then it matters less and less what people think of you. – Leonard I. Sweet
In the world we currently live in, many still struggle to define themselves based on societal pressures and expectations, past failures, and even personal achievements. Some have allowed their past mistakes and validation from others define who they are. And somewhere between career, ministry and marriage, many Christian women begin to absorb subtle messages and lies from the world: You are what you accomplish. You are what others think of you and say about you. You are as valuable as your success stories and marriage. Your motherhood is a trophy. And without realizing it, we start checking for approval around us instead of looking to God. But God is calling us back to his word.
Before You Did Anything, You Were Someone
The very first book of the Bible, Genesis tells us something very foundational. Man is created in the exact image and likeness of God. And this includes the woman. You are made in the image of God.
Hence, the very first identity given to humanity was not worker, wife, or mother. It was image-bearer. A carrier and reflection of God’s image. That means your true value is not only eternal, it is rooted in God.
So, God created man and woman and shaped them with his image inside them. In his own beautiful image, he created his masterpiece. Yes, male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:27 TPT
God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and female. – Genesis 1:27 MSG
So, before the first woman Eve ever nurtured a child. Before she became a wife. Before she took up any kind of responsibility, she was a daughter of God, created in the image of God. This is the starting point of your identity. You are made in the image of God. You carry the DNA of God inside you.
This means that who you are was established before you ever became or did anything. Before anyone applauded you. Before social media existed. Before you proved yourself as a wife, mom and in your career and ministry. God defined your identity. Your true worth can only be found in God – not in material possessions, not in your looks, not even in your accomplishments. When you look to the world for validation, it is like you asking something temporary to confirm something eternal. So, whenever life and its many distractions, or whenever overwhelm, trauma and mistakes from the past make you forget who you are, find out or remind yourself who God says you are.
Who God Says You Are (Reclaiming your Identity in God)
An identity reset in God is needed when life’s distractions, societal pressures, past mistakes and experiences, overwhelm, tragedy and trauma make you forget your true worth and identity in God.
Have you embraced a counterfeit identity? Are you living the lie that the enemy has sold to you about who you are not? Are you letting those false labels define your worth and identity? It is time to let go and embrace who you are in God. You are a child of God. That is who you really are.
“What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.” – 1 John 3:1
Luke 8:43-48 tells the story of a woman with a 12-year hemorrhage who, after spending all her money on doctors without being cured, seeks Jesus and touches the hem of his garment and is instantly healed. Her condition had colored her true identity.
She was called unclean by others. She was ostracized in her community. She must have felt unworthy too. She also had a label – the woman with the issue of blood. This was her identity until she met Jesus. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” – Luke 8:48. When this unnamed woman in the bible stood before Jesus, he called her who she really was – ‘Daughter’. Jesus did not only heal her; he restored her identity.
God calls you a new creation. He says you are loved and forgiven. You are delivered and made whole. He says you are accepted. He calls you special and his prized possession. He says you are full of treasures. He says that you are unique, a masterpiece and one of a kind. So, whenever you feel like you are nothing special, sit down and remind yourself who God says you are. Declare out loud – I am fearfully and wonderfully made by God.
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14).
- Do you feel like a failure? God says – You are of God and have overcome the trials. You are victor.
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world”.- 1 John 4:4
- When you feel rejected, God says you are redeemed and belong to him.
“Do not fear. I have redeemed you. I have summoned you. You are mine” – Isaiah 43:1
- When you feel hopeless and clueless about your life? God says this – I have great plans for your life.
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” – Jeremiah 29:11
- When you feel lost. Always remember that you have a father who wants to hold you by the hand. He is your guide and will lead you one step at a time into your desired future.
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”- Psalm 37:23-24 NLT
- When you are in search of purpose – God says you can find your worth and purpose in Christ.
It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. – Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG
14 Biblical Truths About Your Identity in Christ
1. You are a Child of God
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. – 1 John 3:1
2. You are a New Creation
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17
3. You are Joint Heirs with Christ
And if children, then heirs — heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. – Romans 8:17
4. You are God’s Workmanship
For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us]. – Ephesians 2:10 AMP
5. You are Chosen
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. – John 15:16
6. You are the Beloved of God
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children – Ephesians 5:1
7. You are Forgiven and Free
In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace – Ephesians 1: 7 AMP
8. You are Royalty
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. – 1 Peter 2:9
9. You are Light
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16
10. You are Empowered
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. – Acts 1:8
11. You are Victorious
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Corinthians 15:57
12. You are Delivered
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. – Colossians 1:13
13. You are Loved
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. – John 15:15
14. You are Righteous and Holy
And to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. – Ephesians 4:24
I pray that these truths found in scripture strip you of every false label and lies of the enemy. May God’s word point you back to your true worth and identity in Christ today.
Conclusion
Dear sister, it is time to come back to who you already are. God knew you before you were formed in your mother’s womb and calls you, his daughter. The world will always have an opinion about you. It will make you question if you are doing enough. It will tell you that you are far behind your contemporaries. It will tell you who it thinks you should be. It will try to fit you into the world’s mold, image, and standards for living and success.
But God already settled who you are from the foundation of the world. You do not need to chase validation when you are already chosen by God. You do not have to prove your worth to anyone when God already called His own. You do not need to look to the world to tell you who you are, when God has defined your Identity.
An identity reset is not about becoming someone new. It is about going back to the One who named you first, and embracing who you already are in Christ. You are not “just” a mom. You are not “only” a wife. You are not valuable because you are useful. You are a daughter of the Most High God. Let this truth settle deep in your heart today.
A Prayer for Reclaiming your Identity in Christ
Lord, I come to you today as I am, and acknowledge that I have let the world, my circumstances and my past define my identity. Today, I choose to let go of a false identity.
Strip me of every false label and counterfeit identity. I release my mind from every lie that the enemy has sold me about who I am in God. Break every stronghold in my life that has been a hindrance to my embracing my God-given identity. I reject every lie that says that I am a failure, that I am not good enough, that I am ugly and that my future is bleak. I will no longer be held captive by the lies of the enemy over my identity in Christ.
Holy Spirit, fill my mind with your truth and renew my mind. Open my eyes to see who God says that I am. Help me to embrace who God calls me. I choose to believe this truth – that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I choose to believe that I am forgiven, redeemed and loved by God.
I choose to believe that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I choose to believe that I have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into God’s kingdom. I choose to believe that I have loads of treasures inside me that the world needs. I choose to believe that I am delivered and healed. I choose to believe that I am more than a conqueror through Christ that loved me. Alleluia!
I declare that these truths are my reality from this day forward. My true worth and validation comes from God alone. No more will the world, the past and my circumstances define who I am. Today, I declare boldly that I am a child of God. I belong to God. I am made in the image and likeness of God. I reflect God to my world. My identity is forever rooted in God. In Jesus name I pray. Amen!
“Never forget who you are in Christ. If you have thoughts or feelings that make you feel bad about yourself, remember they come from the enemy. Do not believe Satan’s lies. You are not who he says you are.”
― Identity Thief: Exposing Satan’s Plan to Steal Your Purpose, Passion and Power
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A Prayer for your Child’s Identity in God
