Who You Really Are
Your True Identity
From "Every Piece of Me: Shattering Toxic Beliefs and Discovering the Real You" by Jerusha Clark
Whatever your past, whether other people have esteemed or abused you, your Creator thinks highly of you. The Great I AM says that you are his highly prized, glorious beloved. You are precious. You are honored. You are loved.
Maybe you can accept this on a cognitive level, but your heart is weighed down by messages you’ve heard for as long as you can remember: not good enough, too much this and too little that, broken, needy, worthless. Maybe you’ve felt trapped by these lies.
I have lived in similar bondage. Even when family and friends tell me I am loved, their words often fail to penetrate the depth of who I am.
But if I don’t believe that the Great I AM tells me who I am, and if you don’t determine to live in that truth, too, no amount of “learning to love yourself,” no set of accomplishments or achievements, no measure of human affection will fill the gaping hole inside, the place of your true identity. You and I can choose to remain trapped in our own “I am . . .” thoughts, or we can be set free by the Great I AM.
Every day we battle the tension of “knowing” God’s truth and “knowing” the reality of our condition. Is there hope for this sad predicament? By the grace of God, yes! But it won’t come by doing our best to prove that we’re not as bad as we think we are. It will come by allowing the Great I AM to breathe his truth into every piece of us, down to the very core of our identity. If we truly believe that we are who he says we are, everything changes.
We simply cannot move forward without that knowledge. Indeed, I’m firmly convinced that it is impossible for us to face the sins and wounds of our past without an experiential understanding of God’s love. Without the truth of your belovedness, preciousness, and esteem in God’s eyes girding you up, the burdens of life are insupportable.
When the Great I AM tells me who I am, it matters to him that I hear it. It matters to him that you are listening to his call too. Are you?
Who God Says You Are
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
I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
Jeremiah 31:3
Forgiven
But if we confess our sins to Him. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 John 1:9
Pursued
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:6
Valuable
And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Luke 12:7
Special
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
Romans 12:4-5
Chosen
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for. He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.
1Peter 2:9
Wonderful
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.
Psalm 139:14
Protected
And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken.
Jeremiah 1:8
Wanted
The Lord isn't really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No. He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants everyone to repent.
2 Peter 3:9
Saved
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:3-7
Worth Fighting For
The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.
Exodus 14:14
Hopeful
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:22-23
Safe
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:8
Delighted In
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17
Washed Clean
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Isaiah 1:18
Free
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Galations 5:1
Righteous
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21
New
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: The old has gone, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Never Alone
The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you or forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:8
A Masterpiece
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:10
Victorious
You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.
Psalm 18:35
Holding a Secure Future
'For I know the plans I have for you.' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'
Jeremiah 29:11