June 23rd, 5:44
Mistaken Identity? Get it right
23 June 2013
We need to know exactly who we are without question or doubt. Please excuse my crassness but I am not a [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] or a sinner, I am not the fifth generation of my family to be in the family business. I am not a high school graduate, a college graduate or even a dropout. I am not a certain denomination or ethnicity. I am a daughter of the Most High God, the King of all kings, the Creator of the universe and beyond. Period! The things I have been or tasks performed or other people’s assessment of me are just things and words they are not me. The Word said the Truth will set you free and the beginning of that needs to come from the starting point of who I am. We are approaching a time when all around us there will be turmoil and chaos and if we are to “Stand still and see the Salvation of God” it is imperative we know who we are. I am the daughter of a King, I am a princess by birth and nothing can change that. I may fight it, rebel against it or even deny it and run from it but Truth remains Truth. Esther went from the position of orphan girl to become the queen of Persia but it wasn’t until Mordecai confront her with her true identity that she able to embrace it boldly and fulfill her destiny to save the nation of Israel from destruction. Saul was anointed by the prophet Samuel, ran with the prophets and prophesied and yet never embrace his true identity and lost his kingdom and his life. Joshua knew from an early age who he truly was in part because whenever Moses went to meet with God Joshua would place himself at the entrance to the tent of meeting. Gideon was a frightened, insecure young man until finally after the fleeces he realized his true identity and then led the nation to a mighty victory. It took the apostle Paul being struck down and into blindness before he accepted it. All of the above were mere mortals, flawed and frail, but when they embraced their destiny they could call on the strength and fortitude of their Father with an assurance that He would respond.
When my son and then wife died suddenly three months apart my whole world came crashing to the ground and I was thoroughly lost. All the job titles, places of honor, financial rewards meant nothing and could not save me. The only thing I could do was cry out to Daddy, no real words but rather a heart cry from a hurting child, and He picked up all the pieces and brought me back to life. He didn’t just do a superficial fix but from the core of my being out He restored me. As children of our Father we have been given a place of favor and responsibility. We are being trained to one day rule with Him and that requires us to give ourselves to the task of learning who we are and what is desired of us. We need to carry ourselves with a quiet confidence and dignity befitting our place without haughtiness or pride. To run around bragging about who we are or our favored position would be blasphemous and a stench in the nostrils of our Father. I feel I need to make a confession here to drive this home. I am a daughter, Scripture tells me my body, my vessel, is a temple of the Holy Spirit. In days past this temple has been used as a bar, a free brothel, a sexual toy for others and much worse but that was never who I was, only what I had done, and the Father loved me enough to pursue me, lift me up and set me on the path again. There is always hope for the future, it doesn’t matter what the world calls you whether derogatory phrases over your sexual orientation or gender identity or even lies you have been conditioned to speak over yourselves, we were born with Divine DNA flowing through us and nothing can change that.
I was reminded of the parable of the prodigal son but not to the younger son but rather the older one. He complained when his father threw a banquet for his brother’s return and felt slighted. The father’s reply then is still true today, All I have is yours, you didn’t have to labor or work for it, you didn’t have to earn it. By right of your birth as my son it is all your inheritance, you just needed to ask. Not verbatim but the heart of the father’s response and God, our Father, has been saying the same thing to us. The older son saw himself as a head laborer, possibly the head of all the servants and workers but he never truly saw his true identity and place or position as a son. Both sons had mistaken identities to different extremes and yet the Father loved them both equally and unconditionally. Please don’t look into your mirror for your identity. Don’t allow your wardrobe, your position of honor or dishonor at work or even in life to define you. They are lies and deceptions just fleeting things meant to distract and dissuade you from your true identity. You are a son or a daughter of the Most High God. The one who created and holds it all together is your loving and victorious Father. If we are going to stand when the winds start blowing in a new season it is imperative we know who we are and when the dust settles those around you will see you standing still, confident in your God and Father, and you will be anointed to show them the way home, to the Father where they too will finally embrace their own true identity. Well it is 5:30 AM so I will try and get a little more sleep before heading to the weekly family gathering we call church. Be Blessed and be assured of your true identity, stand still and see the Salvation of Our God and our Father.
Charlena Marie Andrews-Hayes
