In 2017, 143 million Americans had their identities compromised through the hacking of Equifax, one of the nation’s three leading credit-rating companies. Many of these individuals were instantly on guard and concerned about what might happen with their personal information.
While it’s scary for someone else to be confused about our identity, like when private information is stolen and then used fraudulently, it’s even more dangerous if we don’t know who we are.
Crisis Reveals the Lies We've Believed
We often buy into and believe lies about who we are. Those lies get exposed during a life-change or when we look for something solid to grab onto when we feel unsettled or insecure.
If I can be transparent for a moment, I’m in the middle of a week I can’t wait to end. I’ve felt rocked on a deep emotional and spiritual level. As I’ve reached for something to ground me, this experience and the development of this devotional have forced me to face that, in subtle ways, some lies have invaded my self-understanding.
Many years ago, author and priest Henri Nouwen outlined five lies we believe about who we are. Despite my familiarity with Nouwen’s list, I must confess that I’ve bought into these lies too many times myself.
Lie #1 -I am what I have.
My new iPhone is nice and it feels good to upgrade, but it doesn’t fix the soul which aches within me.
Lie #2 -I am what I do.
Accidents, retirement, down-sizing, and illness can all rob us of an opportunity to do our work - and sadly, even steal our sense of self if we’re not careful.
Lie #3 -I am what other people say or think of me.
We buy into the dangerous lie that popularity, approval from others, and their acceptance define us. As Lecrae has said, “When we live for the approval of others, we die from their rejection.”
Lie #4 -I am nothing more than my worst moment.
When we feel overwhelmed with guilt, shame, regret, and despair, it’s easy to believe that our worst moments are the totality of who we are.
Lie #5 -I am nothing less than my best moment.
An identity based on success is fragile and fleeting. A moment or achievement of success does not fully define us, as it likely won’t endure and it can be eclipsed by the accomplishments of others.
Replacing Lies With Truth
When my identity was being questioned by the bank many years ago, I turned to genuine documents to verify who I was. My birth certificate, my passport, and my driver’s license were very helpful in confirming that I was who I said I was.
In his book, Kill The Spider, author Carlos Whittaker talks about how we conquer the lies in our lives. He has a three-step process that I’ve found helpful. He says, “we must identify the lie, renounce the lie, and replace the lie with the truth.”
The truth about our identity is found in the pages of Scripture. In the places where we’ve believed lies about who we are, we can replace the lies with truth.
If you’ve bought into any of the five lies above like I have, you're not alone.
Truth #1 -No product I buy will make me feel secure. My eternal security is a gift from God.
In Romans 8:38, the Apostle Paul says, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”
Truth #2 -What I do is not who I am. What I do flows out of who I am.
In many of Paul’s letters in the New Testament, he starts writing about who the Gospel says we are before he describes how we are to live as followers of Jesus. One commentator called this shift “moving from the indicative to the imperative.” It’s as if God speaking through Paul wanted us to know who we are before He wanted us to know what to do.
Truth #3 -I am not what others say about me; I am nothing more and nothing less than what God says about me.
Instead of making the opinion of others the final verdict on who we are, we can let what God says about us set the limits of our identity. In 1 John 3:1, the Apostle John tells us, “See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!”
Truth #4 -I am not a failure; I am a masterpiece.
As Pastor Craig Groeschel said, “Failure is an event, never a person.” In Ephesians 2, Paul describes who we are from God’s perspective. “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.”
Truth #5 -I am not defined by my success; I am defined by God’s grace.
The confidence and peace we have in our heart because of Jesus is not something we've earned; it is a gift we cannot take credit for, nor boast about. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
Start Busting Those Lies Today!
If you’ve traded the truth of who God says you are for a lie, you don’t have to hold on to those lies anymore. You can identify those lies for what they are, renounce them, and replace them with the truth of who God says you are.
We are nothing more and nothing less than God says we are.
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer who believes he has the best last name ever. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the parents of three “little savages.” He is the creator of the Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com.
