The Christian struggle of finding true identity

Soon after I was married, I sat in a waiting room as a nurse repeatedly called out the name “Jennifer Brooks.” I silently joined the others in wondering where this missing person could be until, with a jolt of embarrassment, I realized she was calling me!

Legally, my name had changed. It was printed on my driver’s license and official documents, but I hadn’t yet internalized it. I hadn’t fully embraced that it now belonged to me.

That moment is a picture of how many Christians live with their identity in Christ.

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Scripture is clear: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The moment we place our faith in Jesus, we are made new. The truth is, we don’t know what we don’t know. And if we haven’t taken time to learn what God’s Word says, we may live as though nothing has changed, when everything has.

Identity isn’t found — it’s given

Our culture offers an endless array of self-discovery tools: personality tests, affirmation cards, and bestselling books. But even the best of these fall short if we leave out the One who made us.

Left to ourselves, we define identity through warped filters: our past, our pain, our performance, or the opinions of others.

That was my story. Even after becoming a Christian at 20, I still carried deep-rooted lies about my worth. I believed I was stupid, unlovable, and broken beyond repair. I had been made new in Christ, but my inner narrative didn’t reflect the truth.

Everything began to shift when I started studying God’s Word. As I learned the truth, God gently exposed the deception I’d lived under for years. I came to realize I was operating from a spiritual stronghold, a mindset that contradicted God’s Word.

Here’s what every believer needs to know:

You can be redeemed and still live captive to lies. Thankfully, no follower of Jesus needs to stay stuck in any lie!

From head knowledge to heart belief

There’s a difference between knowing what God’s Word says and believing it.

I taught this concept in my adult Sunday School class using a chair analogy: Imagine reading the label that says, “This chair supports up to 400 pounds.” You may accept the statement intellectually, but unless you believe it, you won’t sit in it. You won’t trust it to support you.

We do the same with Scripture. I knew Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s workmanship,” and I could recite it easily. But deep down, I didn’t believe it was true of me. I couldn’t “sit in” that truth with confidence.

The gap between knowing and believing can keep us stuck. If you belong to Jesus, however, your identity is not up for debate, and it’s yours to “sit in”!

Receiving what’s already yours

Freedom comes when we learn what the Bible says, believe that it’s true, and choose to live in that truth — even when our emotions or circumstances say otherwise.

To do that, we have to silence other voices that try to define us:

• Society tells us our worth is based on appearance, possessions, or performance.
• Self suggests our thoughts or feelings determine reality, even when they contradict Scripture.
• Satan whispers that we’re too flawed or too far gone to be used by God.

We must exalt God’s truth and rely on it as our final authority, especially when we’re tempted to believe lies, no matter their source.

Choosing your authority

Abiding in our God-given identity is an intentional, deliberate choice to reject lies and stand on truth in moments when we’re tempted to accept false identity suggestions.

We must be diligent to take our thoughts captive, put our armor on, and wield the Sword of the Spirit as we rely on God’s Word to define who we are.

You are not who the world says you are. You are not defined by your past. Your trauma cannot attach itself to you and become who you are. No other person has the power to define you, not even yourself.

You are who God says you are!

The truth is already yours.

Now, it’s time to live like it.