Who Does God Say You Are?

In Mark 8:29, Jesus asks his apostles "who do you say that I am?" He certainly knows who he is, and he doesn't need them to encourage him... Why would he ask that?

Peter was the only one who responded by saying" "You are the Christ". Jesus then responded by telling Peter exactly who he was: "And I tell you, you are Peter (Petros--the Rock), and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"

I believe that until Peter acknowledged with his words exactly who he knew Jesus to be, he could not fully realize the authority with which Jesus declared Peter's identity. Althought Jesus did not need others to tell him who he was, we do. We need GOD to tell us who we really are. God planned each one of us carefully, and knows us intimately. That is why first we need to realize who God is to us. Then we can ask him "who do you say that I am?"

Until you know God well enough, you can't hear his voice. If you can't hear his voice, you won't know who you are in his eyes. If you would like help to learn to hear God's voice, please let us know.

We believe that God speaks through his faithful saints. If you are struggling with your Heavenly Identity, get with trusted brothers and sisters in Christ and allow them to tell you who you are in God's eyes. Write it down. Reflect and pray upon it. ACCEPT IT. That sounds obvious to some, but it can be a real stumbling point to many. Modesty and humility have no place in this process. God is excited about how he created you! LET HIM TELL YOU WHY! Then ask God what he wants you to do with that identity, and your giftings as he has described them to you.

You may not hear an answer right away. There may be many things we need to learn before we can step out into our identity. If we have lived outside of the will of God for most of our lives, we may have a lot of adjusting to do. And you can be assured there is a great deal to learn. Or it may be that you find out that what you were made to be has absolutely NOTHING in common with who you think you are. 

Soak your spirit in the Word. Grow closer to the Lord. He will begin to teach you what it means to be who you are. Ask for Wisdom and Knowledge. Begin to soak in whatever God brings your way. Realize that God is already here, with you, right now. He is not someone you have to search in the sky for. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, God is present within you. You need only to seek him within. Again, if you need help in this step, please let us know.

Be patient. This part of the process can be contrary to our nature, which has always been to deny any good about ourselves. But learn to thank Him for your good qualities, and ask for help to clean out the areas that are getting in the way of you living forward. This could mean severing toxic relationships, learning to love in a different way, chiseling out time DAILY to spend in the Word and in his presence. There is NOTHING more important in life than God time. NOTHING.

We now know who God is, and who we are in His eyes. Now how do we live in this world, without fear? And what makes us think we have the right to do that, or the ability? When you are done working step 1 & 2, step 3 will be ready for you. It's a doozy.