What is Your Real Name?
Names are important; they carry meaning. When we name a pet, we usually try to capture its “personality” or some strong identifying trait or characteristic. In Bible times, name giving was an important responsibility. People would pray and share insight in order to understand God’s intent for the new life that He was creating.
Have you ever realized that God invented you, planned you, created you and set you in this particular generation and location for His purposes? None of these things are happenstance. Whether or not your present “natural” name clearly reflects God’s purposes, He does have an intimate and purposeful name for you. (Revelation 2:17)
Other people, and the structures of this world, have their names for you, too. Some of these labels may be harmful or playful or affectionate, while others might describe how you have been useful (or not) for their purposes. We must be careful, however, not to build our identity on the names/labels coming from others, but only on God’s care and creation of us personally. When Daniel was taken captive by an invading country, he was given a “new (Babylonian) name.” (Daniel 1:7) Daniel, however, never referred to himself by the Babylonian name, but only by His God-given name. (Daniel means God is judge.) This seems to be an indication that Daniel was willing to be “in” the Babylonian culture, but not willing to be “of” it. In John 17, Jesus makes it clear that we are to be in the world, but not of it. We are to participate in our culture, but not be owned or controlled by it.
* Have you accepted any names/labels from others that you need to reject and remove from your identity? If so, simply pray about these labels, and declare in Jesus’ authority that you will not live under them anymore.
* Has God given you any clear names/labels or purposes that you need to embrace as part of your identity? If so, simply pray and receive these as part of your REAL identity. You may want to write them down somewhere and prayerfully proclaim them over your life from time to time.
Receiving God’s identity with you!
~Coach Tom
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