I went through this drama with my children when they were much younger, especially the younger one; she would always ask me, “Daddy, are you a boy? Is Mummy a girl? Am I a girl? Is so and so a boy or a girl?” I had to painstakingly answer her, and it got to a point she no longer asks that question. She knows she’s a girl and can define herself correctly.

Friend, do you know who you really are? Fathers supply identity. This is why before Jesus did any miracle while on earth, the Father’s voice was unequivocally expressed to him; “this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). This became the foundation for a life of wholeness and significance that Jesus led afterwards; He could not be convinced otherwise (Luke 4:1-4).

The fall of Adam began when the devil confused him about his identity; “…you will become like God”, the devil told him (Genesis 3:4-5). Adam did not realise that he was already like God. He did not need to become like God (Genesis 1:26-27). The same test Adam failed woefully, Jesus passed excellently! As joint heirs with Christ, we are to leverage this sense of identity for our own victory on earth (Romans 8:17)!

One of your most potent weapons of victory in life is a sense of identity. This is why it is often said that the mother of all crises is identity crisis. It is at the root of all evils you see in our world today. A life of greed is fed by a lack or loss of identity; it is the thinking that what you own or have is what makes you, without realising that a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses (Luke 12:15).

When you know who you truly are, you would not be under the pressure of performance. We are human BEings, not human DOings. It is who we are that dictates what we do. We don’t derive our identity from our performance, rather our identity is what drives our performance. Jesus passed this test excellently; no pressure of performance (Luke 4:3).

Get your identity right. This is why God gives us fathers; they open us up to who we truly are. This helped Jesus to fulfil His destiny in a grand style (Matthew 3:17). Peter realised he was a rock, not a reed, and a mighty Apostle came out of him (Matthew 16:18). Mordecai supplied Esther her identity and she rose up with audacity to fulfil destiny (Esther 4:14). Who is speaking into your life? Who is looking you straight in the eye to tell you who you are by destiny, even in the midst of conflicting realities?

© ‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria