State Your Identity

If there is a season in life common to all Christians, I would say that it is the season of identity. In this season the goal is to find one’s identity away from the things in this world. This season is known strongly for being a time of self-reflection and seeking to know one’s self through one’s creator.
A common struggle during this time is the difficulty of truly figuring one’s identity. If it is not regular for us to incorporate time into our routines to reflect and look back then it can be somewhat difficult to begin. Recently as I have been reading about Israel and the journey out of slavery I have come to find that I can identify myself and see many similarities between who Israel was during the time of the escape from slavery and my life as a Christian.
I can honestly say that things have not been easy. When I first gave my life to God and began to live wholeheartedly for Him, times were tough and seeking Him and living for Him was not as easy as I thought it would be. It came with much difficulty and much-required faith. In all my times and seasons I was ignorant to the fact that when we are to follow Jesus and be freed from our Egypt (captivity), tough times will follow. When Jesus began His ministry, He began it with a tough 40 days and nights full of temptation and trials. When Egypt was freed, they faced times of persecution and being chased down to be eliminated from the face of the earth, times of hunger and thirst, along with times to either believe or fall away.
Over the years God has shined a light over these matters and showed me how a life with Christ is a life full of trials and temptations. Everywhere we turn we will be faced with trials and whatever the enemy decides to throw our way. Therefore, I have seen that times will be difficult, but times will not have to be spent alone or walking the desert on my own. In every season, The Lord has been by my side, protecting me and guiding me to an overwhelming protection and love like no other that can only be given from above.
While in the wilderness, the Israelites were never on their own or had to be without the protection or guidance from the one who called them out of Egypt. While on their journey, God provided a cloud by day to guide them through the wilderness and keep them shaded from the hot sun, and by night the Lord provided a cloud of fire to guide them and keep them warm from the cold nights. Following while on the journey, the Lord also provided manna from the sky and water from a rock. Israel was promised and given several areas of land that seemed unattainable yet with God they were very attainable. And many more blessings came and followed. Yet, the Israelites kept on doubting and looking away from all that God had done in their lives. It is as if they walked around with short-term memory or selective memory just choosing to live from high to high without taking a time to reflect on all that God had previously done in their lives and how He brought them to this point without having to worry about much. The scripture clearly states in Deuteronomy 31:6 that God will not leave us or forsake us.
As much as I do not want to say this and it is not something that many would like to hear, WE are just like those Israelites. We too have those moments of weakness when we choose to look away from what God has done because He has not supplied for us that very moment. Once I had the moment that God taught me otherwise, I was able to start seeing who my identity was prior to allowing God to shape me through the life and decisions of Israel. I strongly advise you to study the journey of the Israelites and ask God how you identify with their lives and journey along with asking Him how He would like to help you shape your life and seek His glory more.
This post was to be cut off a little at the end to allow some time for reflecting and truly seeking God to help you see how your life is in His eyes and how to allow Him in your life more.
(Read Exodus & Deuteronomy)