Kingdom Identity

Over the past few days I’ve had some time to reflect on the things I’ve learned from World Race training camp. I spent 7 days living alongside all 43 of my squad members at the Adventures In Mission’s headquarters in Gainesville, GA, learning everything we need to know before entering the mission field in January. To my pleasant surprise, this training was much less focused on specific ministry/location training and much more on the foundations of our faith as men and women of God. As exciting as it may sound to say I spent 8+ hours each day in sessions learning from various AIM leaders, I’m extremely excited to share the life-changing things I learned. This post, centered on Kingdom Identity will be the first of five blog posts I’ve written to share what I learned at training camp. It’s my hope these blogs will impact you as much as the training sessions impacted me and I can’t wait to hear about how God is currently moving in your life!

Have you ever noticed how we often use our past to try and define our identity? We become so convinced that the things we say or do define who we are. Perhaps before we can find what our true identity IS, we must know what our identity IS NOT. Our identity is not what we’ve done. Our identity is not our job title or credentials behind our names. Our identity is not the things we own. Our identity is not our sexuality. Our identity is certainly not our false self: the image or persona we put on for others to be the kind of person we think is expected of us.

So what is our identity?

Our identity IS Christ! We need to realize that if God created me, Jesus died for me, and the Spirit lives in me, the true me is a reflection of God. We bear God’s image and His character.

If you’ve ever struggled to recognize God’s purpose for you, here’s a few healthy reminders:

1. God created you to be loved.
2. God created you to be in relationship with Him.
3. God created you to be an overcomer.
4. God created you to know His will.
5. God created you to represent Him on earth.

I urge you, today, to spend some personal time with the Lord. In doing so, ask yourself these questions:

• Who do You (God) say I am?
• What does my false self look like?
• Are there any lies that I’m believing about myself?
• Are there any truths you want to speak over me?

It’s amazing what can happen when you open yourself up to a relationship with the Lord. Who does the Lord say I am? I am a child of God, redeemed and hand-picked to do His work. I am a messenger, bringing the Kingdom to those not yet reached! I am a revivalist, bringing change to people and places who need God most. I no longer have to pretend to be the super organized, got-it-all-together, knows what I’m doing all the time, false self that I’ve built up. I can take my mess to the Lord knowing He has plans in place for me and will help me sort out all of my messes. I don’t have to believe the lies the devil tries to tell me that I’m not good enough or that I’m not worthy to do His work. I have the privilege of living in the truth that in the Lord I am brave, an encourager, and what I have to say matters!

I pray that you’re able to walk in truth and find your true identity in Christ! If you’re willing, I’d love to hear what the Lord is speaking to you through the bulleted questions above. Share your responses below or reach out to me directly!