RELEASED: Living From Our True Identity, Part 7
SCRIPTURE
And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). - John 1:42
MEDITATION
One of the first things Jesus does when he meets Simon is speak identity over him.
Jesus looks at Simon and says, “You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas” (Peter). The Greek word Petros means “rock.” What’s remarkable is that Simon had not yet demonstrated the character of a rock. He had not preached at Pentecost or led the early church. Jesus spoke over him according to Heaven’s perspective rather than his current performance.
This raises an important question: Will we define ourselves by our present reality, or by God's vision for who we are becoming?
So often we derive our identity from what we do. We look to workplace success, accomplishments, influence, productivity, or the approval of others to tell us who we are. We begin to believe that our worth is connected to our performance. But in God’s Kingdom, doing flows from being. Our identity is not found in what we produce but in what the Lord has spoken over us.
The last year and a half has been one of the hardest seasons of my fifteen years in full-time ministry. It was marked by loss, transition, and change in multiple areas of life. Looking back on a seven-year ministry assignment fraught with uncertainty and discouragement, I often felt alone.
Yet what I initially viewed as loss became an invitation.
During this season, I read Jamie Winship’s book Living Fearless. Through that journey, the Holy Spirit began uncovering lies I had unknowingly believed about myself. As those lies surfaced, I spent time identifying them, breaking agreement with them, and surrendering them to the Lord. Through extended seasons of solitude and prayer, I began asking God, “Who do you say that I am?”
As I listened, three identities continually emerged in different ways and through different moments with him: “You are my beloved son. You are my bridge. You are my connector.”
For years, I had unconsciously looked to ministry to provide accomplishment, significance, validation, and identity. But in this season of prayer, God detached me from those things. What felt like wilderness became freedom. What felt like loss became discovery.
For perhaps the first time in my ministry journey, I found myself content simply being with the Lord. More free from people’s perceptions. My identity no longer anchored in success or outcomes but in who he said I was. I was his beloved son. I was his bridge. I was his connector.
Like Simon becoming Peter, I am learning that identity comes before assignment. Freedom comes when we stop striving to become someone and start living from who God says we already are.
Our doing will always be healthiest when it flows from our being/true identity.
REFLECTION
Who does Jesus say that you are?
What names, promises, or aspects of your identity has he spoken over your life?
If this is a new question for you, spend some extended time in solitude and ask the Lord:
What is my identity in you?
What specific name or names do you have for me?
What do you want me to know about who I am in Christ?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Clark and his wife Jenn have three sweet and wild children—one boy and two girls, ages 9, 7, and 2. Their family loves living in Southern California, where they have the opportunity to live among and build relationships with people from many different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Ryan serves with Novo’s Gospel Movements Division, where his passion is reaching and equipping international peoples with the good news of Jesus. Living in such a diverse community has deepened his desire to see disciples made and gospel movements flourish among every people group. Ryan enjoys spending time with his family and staying active through soccer, surfing, and golf.