Walking by Faith ~ Hello My Name Is.....

During her freshman year of high school, Priscilla Evans (now New York Times bestselling author, speaker, and actress, Priscilla Shirer ) transferred to a public school where almost none of the students, or any of the teachers, knew her.

Last minute, she gave herself a new name.

She decided not to be "Priscilla" anymore.

Interestingly enough, it worked.

By the time she graduated, not one teacher, not one coach, not one student, or member of the school administration referred to her as any other name than the one she had handpicked for herself. Each of her sports' uniforms and lettermen's jackets were designed with her "name" on them.

She had successfully changed her name!

At first...

However, as Priscilla's senior year of high school winded down to an end, her mother spoke in a voice of directness to her daughter, saying,

• "Priscilla, when I see you walk across that stage at graduation, I'd better not hear or see your little nickname anywhere...because no matter how many people call you that, it is not your name. The only two people who have the right to give you your name are you dad and I....the one we gave you on the day you were born." (Radiant, pg. 2)

Point blank.

No one else besides your parents, and the One who created you, has the right to give you your true name. Not even you own the right.

God has called you by name.

• "But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine." (Isaiah 43:1 NKJV)

You are His!

He made you.

He named you.

He loves you.

Who the Father made you as gives you worth.

Believe it or not, you "rename" yourself more often than you may realize.

• I'm unloved and unwanted.

• I'm worthless.

• I'm invisible.

• I'm a mistake.

• I'm ugly.

• I'm a failure.

• I'm not good enough.

• I'm unforgivable.

But it's not your identity.

Your identity is who/what God says you are.

Unloved? God loved you so much, that He sacrificed Himself for you! He loves you so much that you are His delight! He has called you His child!

• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16 ESV)

• "God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him." (1 John 4:9 NLT)

• "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NKJV)

• "The LORD your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in his love. He will delight in you with singing.”(Zephaniah 3:17 CSB)

• "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!..." (1 John 3:1 NKJV)

Worthless? You mean more to God than thousands of little birds!

• "Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?" (Matthew 6:26 CSB)

Invisible? No matter where you are, God is there with you and sees you!

• "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-9 NKJV)

A mistake? God never makes mistakes.

Ugly? You are wonderfully created by your Heavenly Father!

• "I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well." (Psalm 139:14 NKJV)

A failure? Not good enough? Christ will give you the strength and ability to do anything that is in His will.

• "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13 NKJV)

• "No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13 NKJV)

Unforgivable? Would you believe that a holy God was and is willing to forgive our sin?

• "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Matthew 26:28 NIV)

• "All the prophets testify of Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:43 NASB)

• "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”(Hebrews 8:12 NKJV)

• "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9 NASB)

This is who you are.

Loved, wanted, worthy, seen, beautifully built, strengthened, and forgiven by God!

You are a child of God, and this is what He has called you.