Have you ever asked yourself the ‘who am I’ question? I bet this question might have crossed your mind, once or twice, or thrice… Well, whatever the case is, we all get to a stage in our lives where we want or need to define ourselves. Every aspect of life, including race, gender, social media, family norms, finance, culture, and spirituality, tries to define who we are. Gender says you are a man, culture says you are not a man until you get married and have children, social media says you can fake anything and make anyone believe whatever you want them to. Finance may say you are broke, while spirituality may say you can manifest riches. You may want to ask, who do we believe? Now, while not ignoring all these aspects of life that influence us, it is important to find us who you are.

As a young girl growing up in a small community where everyone knew everyone, I lived in the way I thought was best for me to get people’s approval. So when I was with my religious friends, I was religious, and when I was with my irreverent friends, you can guess what I was…lol. I tried to adjust my self-image to the crowd I was with at every point, and I can tell you for free that this was exhausting until I decided that I was going to take a break from all that, and truly find myself. I turned to many sources to help with that, from reading books to watching films, TED talks, and historical documentaries. However, in all that, I still wasn’t satisfied, and of course, I needed to go back to my source to ask for my manual; in that manual, I found myself.

In a world with so much confusion about who you are, the only definition that never changes is who God says you are. God’s words declared over you and about you are a true representation of your identity. Join me to explore God’s definition of you.

Created in God’s Image

Genesis 1:27 – So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

You may ask yourself, What does it mean to be created in God’s image? Simply put, it means we are made with the capacity to reflect God’s nature and likeness in different capacities, like;

• The ability to have a will, reason intellectually, and make choices
• The ability to create and be innovative
• The ability to be righteous and live holy. Even though the choices of Adam and Eve led to the corruption of man, it does not take away our ability to choose righteousness. Jesus made it clear that it is possible to live a holy life when he came to earth as 100% man and 100% God.

Being created in God’s image also means we have the tripartite nature of God. God operates as the Trinity, consisting of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity does not operate as three Gods, but as one God, just like every man is also made up of the spirit, soul, and body.   

Redeemed, not Condemned 

Colossians 1:13-14 – He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Yes, we were born into sin, but thanks be to God! In Him we have redemption, and our sins are forgiven and forgotten. When God forgives our sins, He sweeps them away, just as Isaiah 44:22 puts it ‘I have swept away your sins like a cloud. I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist. Oh, return to me, for I have paid the price to set you free.’ This means we can bask in the fact that we have been redeemed from sin, and sin no longer has a hold on our lives. God has paid the price for our sins, even before we decided to come to Him. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Now, no matter how deep into sin you were, be also aware that Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Called for a Divine Purpose

Ephesians 2:10 – 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.

God has a divinely ordained purpose for every person. So you are not a mere pilgrim on earth; God specifically created you to fulfil a specific purpose. This means you have a role to play in God’s master plan for humankind. The question is, do you know what your purpose is?

Having established who you are in Christ, here are a few definitions you should not accept.

You are not who social media says you are! Followers, likes, reposts, trends, filters, and curated content do not define you. Social media and the internet at large mostly reinforce a performance-based identity, while God sees you for who you are.

You are not defined by how much money and assets you have. Money comes and goes, so if your identity is defined by it, you might be on a constant rollercoaster. This shows that your identity is secure in your networth, but in the worth God sees you.

The success of other people does not define you. Everyone is on their journey, and everyone goes through different seasons. If you define yourself as a failure because of your peer’s success, what happens when that person’s situation changes? Do not let a temporary setback or failure define you. 

Your past mistakes do not define you. We all make mistakes, and yes, consequences may follow, but regardless, you are not defined by the mistakes you have made. Your identity is in the never-ending, overpowering love of Jesus Christ that cancels whatever your mistakes may be. God loves, forgives, and restores. Your past has happened, learn the lessons you need to learn, move on, and believe God when He says you are a new creature. Determine not to make the same mistakes and confront the devil with this truth when he tries to make you feel bad.

Your identity is not in the bad things that happened to you. Yes, bad things happen, but it does not accurately represent who they are or will become. Job lost all he had in less than 48 hours, but did not allow his present reality to determine his identity. He held on to God, and continued walking with Him, and guess what, His latter glory was far greater than his past. Hannah had to endure mockery because of her state of barrenness, but in the end, she had the last laugh because she never accepted the definition (barren woman) she was given. She not only had a child, but she also bore a child who became the oracle of the whole land of Israel.

Your identity is not in the lies people speak about you. Your identity is in the truth of God’s loving, affirming words HE declared over you before the foundations of the world. Maybe someone said you will never amount to anything, reject the lie, and declare God’s word about you. God’s word declares that you are a masterpiece, created in Christ to do good things that HE planned for you long ago.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].

You are not who the devil tries to manipulate you into believing you are.

The devil knows that if we do not know who we are, we will never be able to defeat him through Christ Jesus.. You are God’s child, filled with purpose and promise because He loves you, and the only way you will ever know who you really are is through Jesus Christ.

No matter what the world throws at you, always remember who you are, and whose you are.