Introduction
There is a matter that I have been studying and allowing the Father to teach me about over the years that he has given me the green light to talk about now. And that subject matter is…identity. My hope is that as you follow along and do your own research your vision will become clearer about who you are, why you are here, and the power you possess as a human being. This lesson will also deal with redemption, at some point, so that you can see the authority you have as a believer…and walk in it as you should.
God has invested so much into mankind. As a consequence, we should give him due honor by accepting what he has done and using our lives to glorify him.
Before we get into the heart of this lesson, I’ll spend the first couple of weeks laying a little foundation…sort of getting the ground ready for the subsequent broadcasts. Being an introduction to our topic, this lesson will be relatively brief. As our groundwork, I will be talking about what I want to call “the philosophy of identity.”
Now, in order for man to understand his role in the world, I think he must have a good understanding of his environment and the context in which he lives. Otherwise, he is prevented by his own ignorance, from being the best that he can possibly be. Life is very similar to a movie, I think. Imagine you are the president in this movie, but you don’t know you are the president. You think you are the gardener. So on the set of the movie, you are busy trying to plant flowers and trim bushes when you need to be talking with world leaders and solving problems that exist in our nation. Who you are is very important. But who you believe you are is MOST important. There must be an alignment between who you are and who you think you are to master your role in this world.
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
There is a saying that “No man is an island.” What that means is that no man lives in isolation. No man exists on his own. No one is independent. There is no one on the earth that doesn’t need other things or other people in order to live. There is ONLY one being in the universe who is INDEPENDENT. That being is who we call GOD. Everyone else needs the following 4 things to exist.
- God
- the Heavens
- Other people
- the environment (around you)
GOD
WHO IS GOD?
God is the creator of the universe. He authored the worlds. We live because of Him. The Bible says, it’s in him we live, we move, and have our being. In the book of Genesis, we really don’t have an introduction to who God is when the book opens. The book begins by talking about what he did. He spoke the world into being over the course of 6 days and then rested on the 7th day.
God spoke and created the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the hosts of heaven. God spoke and brought the plants, flowers, and trees into existence. He spoke and created animal life, both on the earth and in the water…and so forth.
So perhaps, in truth, the first chapter of Genesis could be recognized as God’s introduction of Himself.
THE ATHEIST
Well, what about the atheist. Does he still need God in order to live? The atheist is not exempt. An atheist is not someone who is living without God. An atheist is someone who uses God’s strength but doesn’t give God credit because he doesn’t believe God exists. Man’s unbelief does not remove God completely from the atheist’s life. The life, even of the atheist, is upheld by God’s power. It’s still because of God, the atheist lives. The atheist is just unaware of the source of his own life.
THE HEAVENS
THE SUN, THE MOON, AND THE STARS
This is not an exhaustive list, but to name a few things…man needs the sun, the moon, and the stars.
These celestial creations provide light and heat energy. They have also been put in place to designate time and season. These trigger many of the other elements that man needs in order to live. The sun enables the food sources that man needs to eat for his own survival to receive the nutrients they need. Without the sun, the moon, and the stars, man would die. So man is definitely in need of the heavens.
OTHER PEOPLE
PARENTS
Regardless of the relationship you have or don’t have with your parents, you needed them to have life. You would not have existed without them. If you grew up as I did, your parents put a roof over your head, food in your mouth, clothes on your back, and more toys in your hands than you could count.
Even if you never knew your parents or had a bad relationship with them, they were necessary for your life to exist. It was through your parents that you entered the world.
SPOUSE
If you are married, you need your spouse. You need their love, their care, their input, and their touch. You need their agreement. Your spouse is a necessary component of your life if you are married.
EMPLOYER
If you have a job, you need your manager…even if you don’t like them. If you own your own company, you need your employees and your clients or customers. If you’re a doctor, you need your patients and your supporting hospital cast. You need them ALL. There is purpose in other people.
THE ENVIRONMENT
SHELTER
You need a roof over your head. You won’t live long without shelter. Your body needs protection from the rain, snow, and other elements.
FOOD
You can live an estimated 1 to 2 months without food. This means basically, if your food is cut off for too long of a time, your body will die.
WATER
You can live an estimated 3 days without water. In other words, if you do not hydrate, your body will be dead in less than a week. So you definitely need water in order for your body to live.
So you need the environment.
Conclusion:
- Why are you talking about all of these things we already know? The reason I’m taking the time to go over these things is that you need to understand them all in the context of the role they all play so that you will better understand the role that you play on the earth.
- I’ll refer again to the point I made in the opening, it is most important for you to know the role you play. Imagine a lion who thinks he’s a gazelle. He would think he’s to be treated like food when he was created to be a predator. To kind of give you a clue where we are going with this, there was a time when ancient Israel thought they were grasshoppers and their opponents were giants. This mis-identity cost many their lives. Your correct identity means everything. You will never be all you can be so long as your image of yourself is misconstrued…and it could cost you…your life.
SHINE Ministries, International 