False Identities: Part 1

Identity Series: Part 1—Who Are You?

I’ve got a question for you: Who are you?

If you’re anything like most people, especially men, your first response to that question is probably your job title. After that, you may list off your age, how many kids you have, or perhaps even your hobbies.

If I had been asked that question a few years back, I would have answered, “I am a graphic designer.” This is true, but it’s not really who I am—it’s just what I do to pay the bills. I might also have told you that I am a dad to the coolest (and cutest) girl in the world, that I like being in the mountains, and that I love bacon almost as much as I love air.

Here’s the deal, though—these things may describe me, but they do not define me. In order to figure out what defines you—your true identity—you need to understand who your Creator says you are. After all, He’s the One who made you, so He is the only one with the authority to give you an identity.

TRUTH: Only God can define who you are.

If you don’t understand who God says you are, you are left to fill your identity void on your own. Anywhere you look outside of Him will result in a false identity, because your true identity is not something you can create or achieve—it can only be received.

Satan will try to exploit your identity void in a myriad of ways in order to wreak havoc in your life. One of the most prolific ways he does this is by convincing you that your identity is defined by your sin—or by the sins of others against you. How many times have you thought, I am a terrible sinner, or placed labels on yourself such as stupid, worthless, dirty, failure, and so on? Once you look to the Bible and see the truth about what God says about you, you will see that none of these labels are true about you. They are all false identities.

Not all false identities are based on “bad things.” In fact, it’s quite common for men to seek to find their identity in things most people would consider to be good. The problem with this approach, though, is these “good things” tend to become “god things,” because we allow them to replace God as the most important part of our lives.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a deeper look at a few of the more common false identities men tend to latch onto—Social Groups, Hobbies, and Romantic Relationships—as well as the truth of who God says you are. Please feel free to subscribe to the blog and follow along with us through this series.