Allowing God to define your identity
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. I will make a covenant with you, by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.” At this, Abram fell face down on the ground. Then God said to him, “This is my covenant with you: I will make you the father of a multitude of nations! What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations. I will make you extremely fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will be among them!
This past Sunday as I interviewed Emily (now Ember) I asked her about her name change. I have known Ember since 2004 but I knew her as Emily. When I first found out about her name change I thought “well, that’s interesting”. Most of the time people change their name because the are trying to run away from something. You also have celebrities that change their names so that they can be more catchy, easy to remember, or because they may have a famous parent that they want disconnect from to try and establish their own identity.
However, none of these are the case with Emily. She changed her name because God changed her name. Often in scripture we see where God wants to establish a new work or identity in someone’s life. God brings about this name change to signify that He is doing a new work in and through this individual. It’s a supernatural name change and identity change.
God changed Abram’s "high father" name to “Abraham,” "father of a multitude" (Genesis 17:5) and his wife’s name from “Sarai,” “my princess,” to “Sarah,” “mother of nations” (Genesis 17:15). God changed Jacob’s "supplanter" name to “Israel,” “having power with God” (Genesis 32:28). He changed Simon’s "God has heard" name to “Peter,” "rock" (John 1:42).
Why did God choose new names for some people? I personally believe the reason was to let them know they were destined for a new mission in life. The new name was a way to let them in on the divine plan and also to assure them that God’s plan would be fulfilled in them.
It can also be a great step of faith for that individual to prepare them for the great faith that they will need for a great work. I thought about this and I wondered how I would respond if during my devotional time my Lord spoke to me and said “Michael, I am changing your name”. Having the same name for 51 years and then all of a sudden God tell’s me He has given me a new name. In my flesh I would struggle with this. I have been Michael all my life! My mind would naturally go to all the implications of changing and explaining this new name. It would impact me to such a degree that I honestly don’t think I would be the same person. This is precisely the purpose.
Maybe, there is a another way that God changes our name and identity. When you think of who you are what comes to mind. Do you identity yourself by your physical attributes, your past failures, your inadequacies, your past accomplishments, or your by your profession. If so, maybe you need a name change. Are you listening? Because I can guarantee you that if you are identifying yourself by those ways I mentioned, God is speaking to you and he is desiring to change your name. Are you open and willing to release your old self and embrace God’s identity for you? I think many of us live below God’s purpose for our lives simply because we don’t know who we are in Him. We keep striving in our own strength and identity. My prayer for each of us is that we will lose self and completely embrace God’s name and identity for us.
--Michael Walker
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