Who Am I?
There are questions that a truth-seeking soul must ask. “Who am I?” is an essential one. Many go through life adrift, lost, and ambivalent to such an extent that this question remains unanswered. When life consists of the pursuit of pleasures and distractions; the need to consider our own identity is far too uncomfortable. Some use their careers as their identity, others use their associations and friendships to define themselves. Still, others will attempt to define themselves by various religious confessions or doctrines. God has provided a sure way for us to know our identity in Him.
“if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one has been like to a man viewing his natural face in a mirror, for he viewed himself, and has gone away, and immediately he forgot what kind of [man] he was”
James 1:23-24
The answer is not generic or obscure. It is not a simple “child of God” answer. Paul understood very clearly His identity in God. He knew well his expression and his standing for he had abandoned his life to obeying the mystery of Christ within.
Many believe but few experience the scope, the depth, and the power of stepping into the wonder of His Life through obedience. God is looking for those lives who are fully invested in His Will. True spiritual identity in our relation to God will produce a powerful expression of Him!
“As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
1 Kings 17:1
We see this same confidence as Paul declared amid a great and dreadful storm at sea.
“For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cæsar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.”
Acts 27:23-24
There is within the Call of God a place of knowing whose we are. It is from this foundation that we are unshakeable and immovable.
“…for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”
2 Timothy 1:12
Such words are not based on simply hearing God’s Word; these are words that can only be true in those who are “doers of the Word”. The words they hear, they walk in. They have seen His movements within and without. Demons obey their commands for their lives “are hid with Christ in God”!
In the Book of Acts, an individual was held in a demonic grasp. The “seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests” sought to use the Name of Jesus to deliver this one, to which the demon replied:
“And the evil spirit answered and said,
Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but
who are you?”
Acts 19:15
It is not enough for us to know the Name, the glorious Name of Jesus, in whom alone is salvation, power, and life. It is essential that we live and abide in Him whereby in our growing obedience to Him we know His authority over us. Obedience, or the lack thereof, IS the revelation of our submission to Him. It matters little what we know if we do not discover the Authority of Him over the issues of our hearts.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7
Victory over temptations is the path to victory in greater things. In overcoming we are enabled to overcome. The young shepherd David, in overcoming the lion and the bear out of sight of others (secret places), was able to confront Goliath. His former, and seemingly smaller victories were the path to a far greater victory. Faith grows and develops in its power moving in and through our lives.
Faith is presented as a growing dynamic, not a static belief. Consider the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31). Jesus later refers to this Parable when the disciples asked why they could not cast out a demon. Growth is the evidence of life and is vital in reference to our faith. It is a precious gift from God that requires our full attention for it to grow and become the means of His shining forth from our personal lives.
Who Am I?
The answer to the question “Who am I?” can only be found in our hearing and doing the will of God. These things cannot be taught; they can only be known by our personal walk.
“Who AM I?” left unsought, unattended, and ignored is the greatest tragedy of any life.
Every individual is born with an inherent unsolved riddle: “Who AM I?” It is a God-given desire and can only be solved by the direct consequence of truth in relation to the God who created us.
A life lived without questions
is a life lived without answers.
Ω
In order to begin to know “Who Am I” we must discover “whose am I” in our own personal walk with Him who is The Truth.
Brian Troxel
Amen