“Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic.” Or “Once a sinner, always a sinner.” Is your identity defined by sin? If you lie, does that mean you are a liar? If you commit adultery, does that make you an adulterer? Let’s look at what the Word says:

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (ESV) says, “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

Those who are identified by their wrong-doing are destined for failure. If I see myself as defined by “alcoholism,” then when I fail and have a drink, I come to the conclusion, “Well, you see, I failed because I’m an alcoholic.” How defeating a mindset that is! What about this? If I see myself as defined by the title “sinner,” then when I fail and commit a sin, I come to the conclusion, “Well, it makes sense that I sinned, because I’m a sinner. I just can’t help it.” I strongly believe this mindset is from the devil himself. It’s not from God.

Weakling Versus Mighty Man of Valor

Here’s a great example of someone who had a false belief about their identity, and God corrected him. In Judges 6:15, Gideon thought of himself as the least man in the weakest family of the entire tribe of Manasseh. Perhaps he embraced the term “weakling.” We know he was fearful of the Midianites because he was beating out wheat in a winepress, something you’d typically do up on a hill, not down in a winepress. But what happened when Gideon had an encounter with the angel of the Lord (likely Jesus Himself)?

The angel said, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” Judges 6:12 (ESV). Did Gideon see himself like this? No! But God did. The angel also said to him, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel…; do not I send you?” Judges 6:14 (ESV).

It matters what you think. A false identity can’t inherit the Kingdom of God. Not now and not in the future. You are not sin. You are no longer classified as a sinner. Remember what 1 Cor. 6:9:11 (ESV) said? “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” You were washed and cleansed by His blood, and you still are. Guess what? You were set apart as holy for His purposes, and you still are. You were declared innocent in His sight, and you still are. So you are clean, set apart as holy, and innocent. Right now. That’s how He sees you. That’s how you should think of yourself. 

Is It Prideful to Think Like This?

“But wait!” someone said to me once. “Isn’t it prideful to think of yourself this way? I like to think of myself as a wretched sinner, because it helps me stay humble.” And I didn’t know how to answer this question at the time. I didn’t think it was prideful. So I asked the Lord. Here’s what He showed me: if I think in any way that He doesn’t think, I’m claiming that my thought process is superior to His thought process, and THAT is the definition of pride. That’s straight from the devil, who thinks that he can run a better world than God. It is incredibly prideful to say to God, “I know that you see me as cleansed and holy and blameless, but in order to make myself feel bad for doing bad things, I choose to not think of myself this way.” Congratulations, you’ve just come into partnership with demonic spirits of guilt and shame. God does not partner with guilt and shame! And neither should we!

It is humble to think of yourself and those around you in the same way that God thinks about them. And that is a huge prayer of mine: “Lord, open my eyes and help me to see people the way you see them, and help me to see myself the way you see me.” I dare you to ask the Lord what He thinks about you. 

What Does the Lord Think About You?

Let’s do that now. Pray, “Lord, when you look at me, what do you see?” Now listen for his answer. 

What did the Lord say to you?

Here’s what the Lord said to me several weeks ago:

“There’s coming a time when men’s hearts on this earth will once again turn to me. I am releasing my glory now, says the Lord. Many will see and fear, for they will find out there is a God in Heaven who created them. Your role will be grand/great. Keep pressing into me. You (as in all of us, not just me) will be great. I will be great on this earth once again, and everyone will know me. Love like your life depends on it, because it actually does. I will be revealing new things to you, things never seen or heard before. You will once again be amazed. Trust me; trust in me, for I am your God, and you are my son, in the order of Melchizedek. It’s true. Ask for more; seek for more; knock and ask boldly for more. I love answering you. Walk in love and faithfulness, dear one. Now go…”

God’s Thoughts

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

I used to think that this was like a mic drop for God. Like, “Don’t even try to elevate yourself up to me; you’re never gonna measure up.” And, well, perhaps there’s some truth to that, but it’s pretty condemning. These days, I see it as an invitation, maybe even a challenge from the Lord. 

It’s as if God is saying to us, “If my thoughts are not your thoughts, why not? Why aren’t you thinking like me yet? You have my Spirit in you, don’t you? My Spirit searches my heart and my thoughts and makes them known to you, right? Then you should be thinking like me! My Spirit allows your thoughts to conform to my thoughts and your ways to conform to my ways.”

This is REPENTANCE. Metanoia. The changing of one’s mindset. The correcting of one’s identity. Our identity is in Him. His Name is His identity. His Name covers us. Therefore, His identity covers us. We are clothed with Christ’s identity. We are in Him.

Your Thought Process Matters

I want you to start thinking of yourself as a daughter. You are a daughter of God. You are a daughter of God! (For any men who may be reading this: you are a son of God!)

Romans 8:14-17 (ESV) says, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Galatians 3:26-28 (ESV) says, “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 8:19 (ESV) says,”For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.”

Does God the Father Love You Like He Loves Jesus?

One last thing, how can God think of us as His daughters if He already has a Son? Can He love us like He loves Jesus? His love for us as daughters is actually an answer to the most famous prayer of Jesus found in John 17. If anyone’s prayer would be answered at any time, it would be Jesus’ prayer!

John 17:22-23 (ESV) says, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Did you catch that? Jesus wants the whole world to know that God loves us as much as He loves Jesus. God loves us in the same way as He loves Jesus. He thinks of us like He thinks of Jesus. Why? Because we are the body of Christ! We are one with Jesus! We are covered in His blood and righteousness!

Revolution of Identity

When I caught this, it revolutionized my life. I no longer saw myself as a sinner, but I saw myself as a son. And I saw myself as holy and righteous and blameless and set apart. I am a son. If I am a son, then why would I behave like I’m not? Why would I do things that don’t agree with my identity? I don’t, as a general rule. Do I still have the capability to sin? Yes! But I am not a sinner. Adam was created with the capability to sin, yet he was not a sinner. Yes, he became that for a while, but I believe he was redeemed. Christ’s work on the cross brought us back to that state in Eden, having innocence. You are innocent. Jesus paid for that.

Titus 3:3-7 (ESV) says, “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Are You Ready To See Yourself Through the Eyes of Jesus?

When you catch a glimpse of your true identity in Him, your whole world changes. It’s like looking through new lenses. Life becomes more abundant, and you become convinced of His unconditional and eternal love and His kind intentions. Are you ready to believe what Jesus says about you? Are you ready to discard the old self with its guilt and shame, and put on the new self? It’s your choice. I encourage you: choose life!