Recovering My Identity

Lesson I - ESTABLISHING OUR IDENTITY

What is identity?

The dictionary defines the term 'identity' as 'the particular character or personality of an individual'. Also
it says that it is the 'set of traits unique to an individual or a community that characterize it in front of others.'
Another definition states that it is the 'awareness that a person has of being herself and distinct from others.'

In recent times, this word has gained great relevance because humanity has been confronting it.
what psychologists call "identity crisis". The conflicts suffered by humanity and the social pressures caused
For this reason, they have created psychological confusion and behavioral disorders.

The Identity with which we were Created.

Human beings have been trying to solve their problem of 'psychological identity', but they have not realized
that the fundamental and primary problem is deeper, since it actually relates to their 'lack of'
spiritual identity." Man first lost his spiritual identity, and this is what has led him to suffer the
decadence in all other aspects of his existence. Man was created in the beginning to be a social being,
psychological and spiritual.

Luke 3:38 says that our father Adam was '... the son of God.' Adam's identity came from God, therefore
Our identity also comes from Him. The problem was that by being deceived and disobeying God, Adam lost this.
identity, and because of it, the entire human race was forced to live in a state of constant confusion and loss.
All good. In the Garden of Eden, Satan committed the first identity theft in history: he stole our identity.

Thus, as this happens, we see Adam and Eve naked, stripped of everything that could identify them with their progenitor.
and they cover themselves because when they see each other, they themselves begin to feel that something is missing. When man sins and separates himself from

God loses his identity, and along with it he also loses his purpose and reason for being, he twists his destiny. The communion,
that is, the "common union" that existed between Adam and God was broken. Sin had marked a difference, it had
a separation has been established. Adam no longer resembled his Father. He had lost his identity.

Understanding how we were created.

Genesis 1:26,27 - "Then God said: Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule"
in the fish of the sea, in the birds of the skies, in the beasts, throughout the earth and in every animal that crawls upon the
earth. And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and said to them:
Be fruitful and multiply, fill the Earth and subdue it...

This was the identity of the man that God created in the beginning: A being in the image and likeness of God himself; king and
Lord of all the Earth, just as God was in heaven; and that he should fill it with beings of equal identity, who could
to reflect the glory of their Father and Creator. This was the identity with which we were created, and the glorious destiny that
we were called to fulfill.

These are the biblical principles that establish our identity as being created:

Let us make man in our image

According to our likeness
And let them rule in... all the Earth
Fill the Earth and subdue it
1st Principle - According to the model of the creator: "In the image of God."
The image has to do with abilities such as reasoning, thinking, personality, and intellect; the capacity to
to relate, to see, to listen, to speak and to communicate.

The creative ability to undertake projects, to use the living and effective word to make everything that was good.

2nd Principle - With a Heart in Accordance with His: 'In the likeness of God.'
Likeness has to do with moral qualities such as love, mercy, justice, holiness, truth and
the other things related to the spirit.

Among the gifts given to him was the freedom to act, to decide for himself, that is, the free will to choose.
according to his will. This was also an attribute of the Father.

3rd Principle - We were created with a purpose: 'Have dominion over all the Earth.'
God created man to be an agent of His Kingdom, to govern and subdue the rest of creation. God us
he made partners participants in his government.

To lord over means to exercise absolute authority and control over something. The man had the power to command over the
nature. He was lord of creation. We were valuable to God.

4th. Beginning - We were created with a destiny: 'Fill the Earth and subdue it.'
God created man to fill the Earth with other beings similar to him, who were to reproduce in the same way.
identity that God gave to our first parents.

They would be in the image and likeness of God, they would rule over all the Earth and impose their authority over nature.

The man asks himself: Who am I? Why am I the way I am? Who do I resemble? Where do I come from? Where am I headed?
I go? And through these questions, it tries to find its lost identity. But this will only be answered in the
the same that gave us His identity in the beginning: THE CREATOR... THE FATHER... GOD.

Who am I in Christ?

In Christ all things are restored. Only in Him can we regain our lost identity. The Bible establishes
clearly who we are, what we have, and what we can do:

Matthew 5:13 - "I am the salt of the earth"

Matthew 5:14 - 'I am the light of the world'
John 15:14 - "I am a friend of Christ"
John 15:16 - "I am chosen by Christ to bear his fruit"
I am a servant of righteousness
Romans 6:22 - 'I am a servant of God'
Romans 8:14,15 - "I am an adopted child of God"
Romans 8:17 - "I am a heir of God and a joint heir with Christ"
2 Corinthians 5:17 - "I am a new creation"
2 Corinthians 5:18,19 - 'I am reconciled with God and I am a minister of reconciliation'
2 Corinthians 6:16 - 'I am the temple of the living God'
Galatians 3:26; 4:6 - "I am a child of God, He is my Father"
Galatians 3:27 - "I have been baptized in Christ and have been clothed with Christ"
Galatians 3:28 - "I am one with Christ"
Ephesians 5:30 - 'I am a member of the body of Christ'
I have been raised and seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:10 - 'I am God’s workmanship, created for good works'
I am a member of the family of God
Ephesians 3:20 - 'The power of God works in us'
Ephesians 4:24 - "I have been created in righteousness and holiness of truth"
Philippians 1:1
I am hidden with Christ in God
Colossians 3:12 - "I am chosen of God, holy and beloved"
1 Thessalonians 1:4 - 'I am chosen'
1 Thessalonians 5:5 - "I am a child of the light and of the day, not of the darkness"
Hebrews 3:14 - "I am a participant in Christ, I share in his life"
1 Peter 2:5 - 'I am a living stone, a holy priesthood'
1 Peter 2:9,10 - "I am a chosen lineage, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired by God"
1 Peter 2:11 - "I am a foreigner and a pilgrim in this world, in which I live temporarily"
1 Peter 5:8 - 'I am an enemy of the devil'
1 John 3:1,2 - "I am a child of God and I will be like Christ when he returns"
1 John 5:18 - "I am born of God, Christ keeps me, and the evil one cannot touch me"
In Christ Jesus we have restored our identity. Let us maintain that position until we receive the eternal inheritance that
He awaits us. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

Lesson II - THE IDENTITY OF THE CHRISTIAN

The Importance of Knowing Who We Are.

Knowing our identity is one of the most valuable and important things for a human being. When we do not know who we are...
We are, we will not be able to know where we are going. As born-again Christians through faith in Jesus Christ, we have a
new identity. Knowing this, we will also know what the purpose for which we were created is, and what is the
destiny that God prepared in advance for us.

The enemy knows very well the importance of knowing who we are. For this reason, it has been distorting our identity.
Well, in this way, it incapacitates us to fulfill the purpose that God has for us. This is one of His ways.
to hinder the work of God on Earth. For this purpose, it makes use, among other things, of lies, deceit, and
falsehood.

In Genesis 3:3-5, Satan deceived Eve by distorting her identity:

"...but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said: You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die."
Then the serpent said to the woman: You will not die, but God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened,
and they will be like God, knowing good and evil.

If Eve had understood well who she was, for what she was created, and what her destiny was, she would not have allowed herself to be deceived, nor
At least I should have allowed Satan to speak.

In Matthew 4:2-3, he tried to do the same with Jesus, but without result:
And after fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came to him and said: If you are the son
of God, say that these stones become bread. He answered and said: It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but
every word that comes out of the mouth of God". --- The person who is sure of their identity and knows their purpose well and
He is cunning, he is not deceived by Satan.

Today, the evil one continues to deceive people in this area of their lives, because he knows that the less secure...
the more we are about our identity, the more certain our failure will be. And our failure would be the cause of the delay of the
establishment of the Kingdom of God on Earth. Why? Because God counts on us for this work. That is the
purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ.

The first lost trait of Identity: Holiness.

The Bible says: "God is love..." (1 John 4:16), but it also says: "Holy and fearsome is His name" (Psalms 111:9). And
because God is infinitely holy, He cannot find grace in that which is lacking in holiness. The word "holy" means
separate, set apart, consecrated, pure. Our Father and creator calls us to identify with Him, to hold His same
"Be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16). When Adam sinned, he ceased to be holy; he no longer resembled
God was separated from Him and lost His identity. Who did He resemble now? The one who made Him disobey. Satan was
disobedient to God, and sought to make man like him and that now he would have his identity.

Adam chose to disobey of his own will. He exercised the right to act according to his free will and misused it.
Since then, everything fell apart, and the man has been searching everywhere, trying to find a
answer to the many questions that remained unanswered about your existence. Humanity does not have clear its
destno. There is an identity crisis.

Loss and restitution of identity.

Identity is something so important that God created each of us in a particular way. In the world there may be
millions of millions of people, but none will be identical to another. The Creator, in His infinite wisdom, has made that
we differ from others in certain things: fingerprints, the iris of the eye, voice, DNA, and others.
Identity is a set of characteristics that are unique to a person and that allow for differentiation.

As children of God, we want to resemble Him. But the enemy is cunning and came to Earth ready 'to steal, to kill and
to destroy" (John 10:10). Another of his purposes in robbing us of our identity is that we do not know who we are, so that
that we may never see ourselves as a reflection of the image of God. In this way, we will not see ourselves as 'children of God.'
because we think we are too insignificant, sinful, and bad. It is necessary for us to reflect on this: What
What concept do we have of ourselves?

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, generally, our mindset as new believers
has not yet embraced all the blessings that have been given to us and we still do not know our new identity. Although
before we were "children of disobedience, children of wrath and did the will of the flesh", now, "we who in another
At that time we were far away, we have been brought close by the blood of Christ" (Ephesians 2:13).

In Christ, we have been reconciled with God, we have been forgiven, we have been justified before the Father.
Cor. 5:18-21). We have been born again, we have eternal life, we are in the process of sanctification, we have a
new way of living, we have a new identity, we are already complete to be able to live the life of abundance that
Christ gives us. But for everything to be a reality, we have to take this in our minds and accept it by faith.
through the renewal of our understanding; changing our old way of thinking (Rom. 21:2).

Identity Cases of Certain Characters in the Bible.

Gideon.- In Judges 6:11-15 we find someone who had issues with his identity. In a moment of oppression
from the enemies of Israel, even when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and called him 'young and courageous'
He assured, "I am with you... go and you will save Israel... didn't I command you?" He continued to show his insecurity to do.
against the Amalekites.

Saul.- In 1 Samuel 9:20,21, a clear case of low self-esteem can be seen. He was the tallest, most handsome, and strongest young man.
all Israel (1 Samuel 9:2). However, when the prophet announces to him that he was going to be king, Saul belittles himself and
he is not considered capable of holding that position. Even after God "changed his heart," he still
considering himself insignificant and he was afraid that the title of king would be too much for him, he even hid himself (1 Samuel
10:21-23.

The Prodigal Son .- In Luke 15:13-17 we can see the case of this son who, by distancing himself from his father and living a life that
it was not his place, he lost his identity. When he 'came to' and understood again who he was, he got up to go to
to reconcile with his father. We know that he recovered everything he had lost and that his place was restored. This is
our own story with the Creator and Heavenly Father.

Jesus of Nazareth.- The conditions in which Jesus was born and grew up were not favorable at all. His family was not
rich, times were difficult, and Israel was ruled by the Roman Empire. And even more, the particular situation of its
birth gave way to murmuring and criticism.

He was born in Bethlehem (a small place), on the straw of a manger (Luke 2:1-7)
2) He grew up in Nazareth, where it was said: 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' (John 1:46)
3) When Mary found herself pregnant with Jesus, she was not yet married to Joseph, which is why the Pharisees
they murmured against Him saying that He had no father (John 8:12-19)

But none of these unfavorable conditions affected Jesus' identity. In the most difficult moments of the
temptations he was subjected to, he never lost control of the situation. He always knew who he was, what he had
came and what was the plan established by God for Him. He did not deviate at any moment. He was sure of his
identity.

Who should we identify ourselves with?

Human beings have lost their identity, and to feel good they imitate others. They want to create in their minds what they would like to be.
because he does not know who he is. Since he does not know what the purpose for which he was created is, nor what the glorious destiny is
would have the right if he recognizes Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, lives following wrong models and seeks
to imitate wealthy and famous characters, admired by the world. This was part of what Satan offered Jesus, and that
this rejection.

Our model must be Jesus Christ: 'He is the image of the invisible God' (Colossians 1:15). Only then will we be complete.
and satisfied when we find our true identity: the identity of children of God, members of a nation
saints, from a chosen people, heirs of God's greatness, kings and priests, who are more than conquerors in
Christ Jesus.

Lesson III - IN SEARCH OF THE LOST IDENTITY

Recovering Our Identity.

... by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners...

The sin of Adam condemned us all to an inevitable condition of sin. No matter how hard we try to be
Faithful and obedient to God was impossible. Our nature had adopted the condition of sin, so
we had to follow the natural instinct of disobedience to the will of God. Adam transmitted sin to his children and passed
to all men.

Since we are conceived in our mother's womb, sin is already in our genes: "Behold, in
I have been formed in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5). The Apostle Paul says: "For according to the
inner man, I delight in the law of God... but I see another law in my body, that rebels against the law of my mind,
and that leads me captive to the law of sin that is in my members" (Rom. 7:22,23). We were no longer as God had made us.
designed, we had begun to degenerate in all aspects, and with this we had also lost our
identity.

Given God's deep desire to have a relationship with human beings, He could not stand to see that relationship broken by the
sin. It is here that the figure of Jesus arises as the embodiment of God, with the aim of restoring that relationship.
From the beginning, in His infinite and eternal foreknowledge, God had proposed the plan to recover all things, and
together with them, the identity that had been lost due to sin.

... so also by the obedience of one, many will be made righteous.

Everything that was lost in the Garden of Eden could be recovered. But it had a price. An exceedingly high price.
so that any human being could pay it. A price that had to be paid in 'perfect blood' currency, without
stain, without guilt or sin." A price that only God could pay, for in Him alone were found the virtues and
necessary conditions for the payment to be acceptable. But His love was greater than the suffering that He could
to experiment, so he was willing to pay the set price.

Jesus came to Restore All Things.

Many people, including Christians, have limited the sacrifice made by Jesus to the salvation of our souls in order to
to lead us to enjoy the celestial glory. But when we understand what the Scriptures say, we see that believing that is
totally unaware of the general purpose that God had in sending His Son to suffer so many afflictions. God had
planned something infinitely more complete than just giving us a visa to enter heaven. His grand plan was that
We could recover everything lost due to the captivity of sin. Absolutely everything, including our identity.

For God, our future in which we will enjoy celestial glory is as important as our present.
enjoying now an abundant life in His presence. Since the fall of humanity in Eden, the devil had
state executing its plans making man's life miserable: "He came only to steal, to kill and
to destroy" (John 10:10a).

In contrast, Jesus says: '... I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it abundantly' (John 10:10b). And that
the life that Jesus offers us counts from this moment.

The devil had stolen man's ability to obey God / Jesus came to give it back to us again.
freedom to choose, through our free will, whom we serve.

The devil had caused the relationship with God / Jesus to break; through his sacrifice, he managed to restore that relationship and
give us a new dimension in which we can enjoy the presence of God at all times and in all places.

The devil had destroyed the personal image that each human being had of themselves, causing us to
we identified as vile sinners, away from God / Jesus came to rebuild within us the true identity that
God wants us to have: we are new justified creatures, free and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, to fulfill
the work that He has entrusted to us. Only those who know who they are will be able to fulfill their purpose in life.

Reflection on Identity, Purpose, and Destiny.

Once upon a time, in a place that could be anywhere, and in a time that could be any time, a
beautiful garden with apple trees, orange trees, pear trees, and beautiful rose bushes, all of them happy and satisfied. Everything was joy in
the garden, except for a deeply sad tree. The poor thing had a problem: "He didn't know who he was."

What you lack is concentration,

Do you see how easy it is?

"Don't listen to him," the rosebush demanded. "It's much simpler to have roses... and do you see how beautiful they are?"

The tree, desperate, tried everything they suggested. And as he couldn't be like the others, he felt more and more sad.
Frustrated. One day the owl, the wisest of birds, came to the garden, and seeing the despair of the tree, exclaimed:

Don't worry, your problem is not serious. It's the same as many beings on Earth. I will give you the solution:
Do not dedicate your life to being what others want you to be. Be yourself... get to know yourself. And to achieve this, listen to your voice.
"interior." And saying this, the owl disappeared.

"My inner voice...? To be myself...? To know myself...?" The desperate tree wondered, when suddenly,
he understood everything. And closing his eyes and ears, he opened his heart, and at last, he could hear his inner voice telling him:

You will never bear apples because you are not an apple tree; nor will you bloom every spring because you are not a rosebush. You are a
oak, and your destiny is to grow large and majestic. To provide shelter to the birds, shade to the travelers, beauty to the landscape... You have
a mission! Fulfill it!

And the tree felt strong and confident, and set out to do everything it was destined for. Soon
He filled his space and was admired and respected by everyone.

You... have you let the oak grow that is there? In life, everyone has a purpose to fulfill, a space to fill.
Do not allow anything or anyone to prevent you from knowing and sharing the wonderful essence of your being. But above all
remember, you will never be able to know the purpose of your life, if you do not surrender your heart to the one who created you. Knowing God is
find Your purpose for our life. Be like the tree of Psalm 1:3, 'that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.'
Fall...

Let's take hold of the victory of Christ.

We were not created to be dominated, but to dominate. Let us renew our understanding and begin to
to think and see things in the way of the Kingdom of God. As soon as we accept the truth of God in our minds and
our heart, we will have victory in our hands. We cannot continue in life looking calmly
how we lose the things that are ours, by doing nothing. We must regain our attitude of war against the
enemy. Christ has already won the battle for us, we just have to reach out and take possession of His Victory.

We have to activate the sense of belonging. God gave us things that the devil took away from us, those things are still
we have to start recovering them:

We have to recover what we lost in our mind

We need to recover what we have lost in our emotions.
We need to regain what we have lost in our physical well-being.
 4. We need to recover what was lost in our finances
We need to recover what was lost in our family.
We need to recover what was lost in our spiritual being.
We need to recover what we lost in our identity
And let's not stop until we recover everything that has been stolen from us, because: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil.)

4:13).
Identity: Because we start to judge situations and our decisions by external pressure and not by what the Lord
He is indicating to us through His Holy Spirit in our hearts.
We lost our Commitment to God as a result of this: For we gave more importance to what the
men will think or say.
When we go to the Bible, we find people who acted in this way and suffered consequences.
1 Samuel 15:24 "Then Saul said to Samuel: I have sinned for I have broken the commandment of the Lord and yours
words because I feared the people and consented to their voice. Forgive, then, my sin now.
Although in the next verses he will plead to regain his reign, to the prophet of God.
That was not granted to him, his reign ended this way.
In disobedience.
And fearing men rather than God.
He/She lost his/her privileges.
He lost his authority.
He lost his opportunity to be an instrument in the hands of God to lead his people.
He lost the company of a man like Samuel who could have been a mentor for his life.
Saul not only lost several things in his life.
But he also forgot about:
Who put him in that position.
He was the king.
At that moment, he was the chosen one by God.
This is what I mean when I say that when we fear men, we lose our identity.
When we fear men more than God, this brings its consequences.
The voice of the people for Saul turned out to be stronger than the voice of God.
The voice of the people was more important to Saul in his life than the voice of the Almighty.
Jesus' recommendation to his disciples in the Gospel of Luke not to fear men.
Who are we afraid of?
Which voice sounds louder in our ears, that of men or that of God?
I stopped to think about the words of Jesus to his disciples.
Do not fear those who kill the body, and after that, have nothing more they can do.
Don't worry, they can kill him, but after that, they can't do anything.
I say, isn't that enough?
WHEN JESUS LOOKS AT YOUR LIFE AND MINE, HE LOOKS AT IT IN THE DIMENSION OF ETERNITY.
Jesus, when he looks at your life and mine, looks beyond our earthly stay.
HE IS MORE CONCERNED ABOUT WHERE WE ARE GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY, IN HEAVEN OR IN HELL.
This leads us to (v5) which says the following:
But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who after he has killed has power to cast.
in hell; yes, I tell you, fear this.
The Lord's recommendation in this verse is to stop fearing those who can harm you.
PHYSICAL BODY WITHOUT FEAR, RESPECT, REVERENCE AND HONOR TO HIM WHO IS SOVEREIGN OVER OUR SOULS.
If you wish, you can repeat to the person next to you: 'God is sovereign over your soul, but you decide to whom'
you are going to fear.

The Lord seals the destiny of your and my decision.

The Lord simply gives a definitive verdict of the UN Case that was defined on the cross.
He does not WANT you to go to hell, he is not going to push you to that PLACE, you decide that step to eternity.
The question is what will you do with the cross of Christ?
? • Who will you fear, Christ or men
To whom will you give mayor honor in your life, to men or to God?
• Examples:
Daniel and his friends
Oh David
When we go to Psalms 56:11 we find THESE Words 'God is in whom I trust, without fear; What flowery words?'
make me the man
YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD, Don't Lose YOUR IDENTITY. Additional Help? What are some benefits of respecting, revering?
To Honor God or Psalms 103:11 'We reach His mercy' or Psalms 115:13 'He will bless those who fear the Lord, to'
"Small yet Great" We receive two Blessings "or Psalms 145:19 "19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He will hear their cry.
Likewise, their cry, and He will save them. "He fulfills the desire" or Proverbs 10:27 27 The Fear of the Lord will increase the
Days.; But the years of the wicked will be shortened 'We live' longer '