Knowing Who and Whose You Are 1
The world is constantly trying to tell us who we are, through social media, cultural expectations, and the opinions of others. But the Apostle Paul presents a radically different model. He shows us that a truly unstoppable life is built on one non-negotiable truth: knowing your divinely-given identity and standing firm in it.
- The Manufacturer’s Label: Your Identity is Assigned, Not Achieved
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…” (Ephesians 1:1)
The identity of any product stems from its maker. A masterpiece is defined by the artist who created it; a revolutionary invention is known by the genius who designed it. Paul understood this perfectly.
He didn’t introduce himself as “Paul, the former Pharisee,” or “Paul, the brilliant scholar,” or even “Paul, the guy who persecuted the church.” He led with his God-given title: “an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.”
His identity wasn’t rooted in his past failures, his resume, or his social status. It was rooted in the sovereign will of the One who made him. He was a “God product,” crafted in the divine image and assigned a sacred purpose. This is our foundation, too. Our value, purpose, and calling aren’t things we earn or create for ourselves. They are received from our Creator. When we start here, we build our lives on a rock that cannot be shaken.
Your Mirror vs. God’s Mirror: Seeing What Really Matters
We spend so much time staring into our own mirrors, forming an opinion of ourselves based on what we see. We catalog our failures and frame our achievements. We beat ourselves up over past mistakes and puff our chests over our accomplishments. But listen, friend: your opinion of yourself is not the final word. It’s not even the most important one.
The Apostle Paul had reached a level of spiritual maturity so profound that he understood this completely. He said he didn’t even judge himself. He knew that his own self-assessment was flawed, limited, and filtered through his own fleshly perspective. He knew that looking at himself was like trying to see his own face without a mirror, impossible to get right.
Why? Because you and I see “according to the flesh.” We see the scarred, imperfect surface. We see the version of us shaped by our wounds, our pride, our environment, and our history.
But God? God sees the real you. He sees the masterpiece He designed before you ever took your first breath. He sees the finished product, the spirit-man, the new creation in Christ that your natural eyes can’t perceive. His opinion isn’t just different from yours; it’s definitive. It is the ultimate truth of your existence.
This is where the miracle happens. When you finally make that shift, when you stop staring at your own flawed reflection and start seeing yourself through the lens of God’s Word, everything changes. You begin to agree with what He says about you: that you are righteous, loved, capable, forgiven, and purpose-built.
And when that internal shift happens, when your mindset aligns with His truth, the change on the outside isn’t a struggle. It becomes effortless. You don’t have to try to be confident; you simply are because you know who you are. You don’t have to force righteousness; you naturally walk in it because it’s who you’ve discovered yourself to be. You stop living up to your own limited expectations and start living into His limitless ones.
So, trade your mirror for His. Let His opinion become the only one that defines you. The moment you do, you step out of the prison of your own judgment and into the freedom of your God-given identity.
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