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The world tells us to let our actions be what defines us. "Actions speak louder than words" gets applied to identity in ways that cripple us when it comes to trying to live out our victor status. Although it is true that actions are more powerful than words, when it comes to relationships, actions do nothing to add a permanence we need to make identity be what it is to be in our lives.
I believe that actions can't be trusted when it comes to identity because of the issue of flesh and blood. I know that sounds weird, but let me go into that a bit. First let's take a look at a Bible verse that talks about flesh and blood. Today's reading says...
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. Matthew 16:17 (NIV)
Jesus made a very emphatic point to commend Simon Peter for the answer he gave to an identity based question. Jesus had asked His disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter shot his hand up and said, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." Jesus commended Peter for the fact that this answer wasn't one that was taught to him by man, but was revealed to him by God Himself. In fact that answer is what Jesus told Peter he would build the Christian church upon. This was no small moment in the life of this man that followed Jesus.
I think Jesus commended Peter because he had come to a crossroads at that moment. Peter, just like the rest of us, had been conditioned to determine who someone is by what they do. Peter had seen Jesus do a lot of wild and crazy things up to this point. Reality is, that it wasn't enough for him, or anyone else to recognize God's plan for the world through Jesus. That had to be seen in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Up to this point, all people could say about Jesus, when it came to identity, was based on what they saw.
Peter gave an answer that came from someplace else. Jesus told him where it had come from. It wasn't from flesh and blood that Peter's answer came. It was from what God had revealed personally to Peter that made this answer be what Christ saw was to be the foundation of all that was to come. I believe we too need to have answers about identity questions that come from what God says, not what humans (flesh and blood) might say about who we are.
We rely on flesh and blood so much to determine who we are. We look for the words and actions of others to be the basis of our identity. We go out of our way to help others find words and actions that will make our identities be what we think they need to be. So much of our time is spent on making flesh and blood be more than what God wants it to be in our lives.
We need the rock solid footing that is the revelation of the gospel to be the basis of identity. Flesh and blood revelation - what others say is powerful but it isn’t complete. Flesh and blood often times fails to tell the truth. Flesh and blood is prone to change. Flesh and blood opinions don't have the power of perspective so they can’t be trusted. Relying on flesh and blood revelation sets us up for failure. God’s revelation is what we need and that’s the gospel.
The world wants us to just follow our hearts. It wants us to look to how we feel, what we think about and what we want for guidance in our actions. My pastor reminded us what a very old cartoon series character, Jiminy Cricket use to say "Always let your conscience be your guide". This is the the essence of flesh and blood revelation.
Not only does relying on flesh and blood make it possible for us to taste failure in our lives, flesh and blood revelation can be the basis of evil of all kinds in our world. Aaron reminded us that serial killers are basically doing what is in their heart when they do the unspeakable things we see as the evil that those actions represent.
If the heart is your guide for who your are and what you do you are heading for trouble. The heart can lead us to perform some to amazing feats of goodness. The heart also leads people to do horrible acts of evil. We need objectivity not actions based on feelings.
We get that objectivity by letting God reveal who we are rather than allowing the things we might do in this world be the foundation for our identity. You see, God is unchanging. What he says stands the test of time. What God says about us is specific. It isn't up for interpretation. It doesn't change with the times.
What God says about us isn't swayed by what He might want of us. If God is as sufficient as I'm learning Him to be, then He doesn't need me. If that's the case, what He says about me can be trusted. He doesn't have any motive to try and manipulate me with identity building statements. I can believe what God shows me about who I am because He doesn't need me to be anything to help Him achieve some purpose of His. This is such a different approach to revelation than what we are use to when it comes to flesh and blood.
The world says that these facts about what God says about us makes Him narrow and restrictive. They complain that the objectivity of God's word makes Him less inclusive than does a world based philosophy of life. The honest reply to this accusation is that they are 100% correct with their views on what God says about us. The perceived freedom that comes with a wide open view of identity offered by flesh and blood is that that view can't be trusted. There are too many motives behind what people say about us that make those words of revelation less impacting than what God says about us.
All I can say is, thank God that what He says about me is often times considered narrow and restrictive. The fact that what He says can't be changed makes what He says something we can trust. Truth that doesn’t change is all we can trust when it comes to who we are. The truth offered by flesh and blood is subject to change. That fact makes flesh and blood revelation regarding who we are something that is not all it is cracked up to be in our lives.
I believe Peter did a lot of soul searching to come up with the answer to the identity question Jesus posed to the disciples that day so long ago. We too need to do some soul searching when it comes to who we are. Sure, Peter took in all he saw and experienced walking with Jesus. He saw and experienced a lot. But, that experience wasn't enough to let Him come to the kind of conclusion that Jesus was so complementary of. Peter needed to have what he saw and what he experienced lit by the power of God's spirit in his life. We need the same in our lives as well.
God made you to have experiences that will blow you away. He made you to have flesh and blood connections throughout your day. What He doesn't want for us is to simply use those experiences as the foundation to who we are. God has made an identity for us. Whether we want it or not, that identity is the only one that will work when it comes to making us the victors we want to be seen as. Relying on this world for confirmation of that identity will always make us come up short when the question, "Who are you?" is posed in our lives.
Identity has to be founded on and made alive by the specific revelation of what God says about your life. Take time today to ponder who you are. Let God show you some things and then live in that place of power. Don't let what this world tells you be all you let in. Give God space to make your answers have the power to build something special in your life today.
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