The Power of True Identity
For more than 20 years, I’ve contemplated, studied, and prayed over the scripture Matthew 7:22-23. How does this scripture reveal our true identity? Is this a Word for the Church today to understand how the Jewish roots of the faith point to her true identity?
- “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'” —Matthew 7:22-23 (emphasis added)
Yes, this is a Word for the Church today. When Yeshua says, “I will declare…,” it is a court order. Once He declares, it shall be done.
Yeshua declares that those who practice lawlessness will depart from Him. The commentary in The Complete Jewish Study Bible says this, “Lawlessness in Greek is anomia, which means ‘absence of law, absence of Torah.’ Hence, ‘you workers of lawlessness’ refers to those who act as if there is no Torah, thus confirming Yehsua’s teaching on the permanence of the Torah.”
This is a tremendous warning to the Church to understand what ‘not being under the law’ truly means. In Hebrew, the word “law” refers to the Torah, which also means instruction.
Does God give us no instructions? Or if He does, does it mean we don’t need to follow it? Of course not. God gives us instructions that are useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
How Does Lawlessness Influence True Identity?
Practicing man-made principles, as opposed to biblical principles, is practicing lawlessness. When we act willfully in accordance with anything other than God’s instruction, we are disobeying the law and our true nature.
When you walk in grace by the blood of Yeshua in the law of life—the Word—you have an automatic reward because that Word shall not come back void. It shall prosper in what it was sent to do (see Isaiah 55:11).
Your words and my words do not prosper. When we follow man-made principles, we do not prosper.
Only God’s Word prospers. Only God’s Word gives life. Only God’s Word reveals our true identity.
- “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” —John 6:63
Finding Faith on Earth to Believe Our Kingdom Identity
What causes you to lose faith? Do any of these situations resonate with you?
- I pray, and nothing happens.
- I decree, and nothing happens.
- I prophesy, and nothing happens.
- I ask the Lord, and nothing happens.
Simply put, faith wanes when there are no deliverables. So then, we make statements such as…
- I’m not going to believe that anymore because it doesn’t work.
When we decree this, it becomes a snare in Heaven’s courtroom, and it certainly won’t work!
So then, I ask you, could it be that we are approaching our faith in God incorrectly? If biblical principles don’t work for us, as God says, then either we lack knowledge—and therefore perish—or the principles aren’t true.
God is not a liar, so the issue must be in our understanding and thinking. There is no condemnation in acknowledging this, only a hopeful invitation to the more we’ve been looking for. It begins by breaking agreements with the enemy that stem from our disappointments and misunderstandings.
A Release to Experience the Deliverables and Miracles You Need
We’ve all contemplated these big questions in life…
- Who am I?
- What is my purpose?
How we perceive and answer these two questions determines who we become, what we will do, and what we will get out of life.
The problem arises when we believe a false narrative about our true identity.
I recently heard this statement: “Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” At some point, you must take responsibility for your actions, as they create your reality.
If your choices are being filtered through a counterfeit identity and false self-image, you are going to have undesirable outcomes in life.
A shift must occur to experience the release you need. Your life is not a problem to solve. The reality is that you must experience more of the Lord—this is what your life is about.
What’s at Risk When We Don’t Experience an Identity Shift
When we don’t experience new life in Jesus, we turn to other experiences to fill the gap…
- Toxic relationships
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Addictions
The man-made ways we try to fill these gaps will not prevail. They will not prosper and only waste time and money. You and others are hurt through these false narratives and experiences.
It is the truth that prevails. It is the truth that heals.
So, stand in your true identity. And when people attack you for it, let the Lord reveal what is true in His timing.
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.” —Romans 12:19
God says, “…The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).
Once your mind grasps this truth, there will be a release of faith as you wait for the needed miracle and breakthrough.
That means from the time you speak it, pray it, claim it, and decree it—from the time you start believing to the moment it’s delivered—faith is activated.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” —Hebrews 11:1
Knowing the Truth of Your True Identity
Yeshua, who is the Word, said this: “…If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” —John 8:31-32 (emphasis added)
By abiding in the Word, you will know the truth.
The Greek word for ‘know’ in this passage means…
- To have trust in the truth
- To have a relationship with the truth
It is more than just head knowledge about the truth. It’s about believing and practicing the truth and embracing your true identity that sets you free.
Why?
Because it is God’s principles—His laws and instructions—that prevail and prosper on this Earth.
- “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” —Joshua 1:8
Discover more about the power of your true identity through your spiritual heritage and covenant rights in Jesus!