This is session four of your Five Day Mini-Course on Discovering Your God-Given Identity. 

Day Four: The Making of a Strong Identity

Once you embrace the identity God has for you, a paradigm shift takes place…

You become more aware of how God designed you...

And possess a new orientation toward His purpose for your life.

But this is just the beginning.

To really thrive in your God-given identity, you must grow in it.

This is in keeping with the Christian doctrine of sanctification, where you put off the old ways of thinking and doing and put on new ones.

To help you in this, I’d like to cover three essential elements for growing strong in your identity.

Before getting into them, a quick warning…

The world, your flesh and the devil don’t want you becoming strong in your identity…

They prefer you spend your life functioning poorly in your fallen state, since this makes you ineffective in God’s kingdom.

So pay attention to these elements.

As you do, you will become strong in your God-given identity...

Which will put you in the best position to fulfill God’s purpose for your life.

Essential Element #1: Your Core Convictions

What you believe is at the foundation of having a strong identity.

So it’s important to internalize and keep going back to your core convictions.

I believe at the most basic level these core convictions ought to include the following…

- You’ve been created in God’s image with a unique design for a purpose.

- You’ve been made for dominion, to advance His kingdom in the world with Him.

- You’ve been redeemed by Christ, so no matter what your failings you can fulfill the purpose He has for you today.

These core convictions set the context for your life…

They ground you in the past… give meaning to the present… and vision for the future. 

These convictions frame your identity and set you up with the self-awareness you need to live the life God intends for you.

Essential Element #2: Living in Keeping with Your Core Convictions

It's one thing to ascribe to certain core beliefs, but building a strong identity requires living consistently with those beliefs.

Let’s face it, it’s hard to be a person of conviction today…

There is so much coming at us to demoralize, neutralize, and weaken us in our fundamental principles and values.

But committing yourself to biblical standards and practices is essential to growing in your identity.

Put another way…

A strong identity is the product of a growing character.

If you make compromises with your core beliefs, your identity will weaken.

But if you resolve to live a godly life… and make seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness your priority… your sense of identity will keep growing stronger.

So just as the Apostle Paul practiced...

Strive to ‘keep a good conscience before God and man’ (Acts 24:16).

This habit alone will do much to strengthen your identity.

Essential Element #3: Keep Telling Yourself the Right Story

We are storytelling people.

Some of the most significant stories are those we tell ourselves.

Too often the stories we recite are false, and they tend to run in one of two directions…

1) I am sufficient, I can live my life on my own. 

2) I have failed too many times, I have no future.

Neither of these storylines is true.

No one is self-sufficient and no one is beyond hope of being used by God for good.

But because these storylines are so common, we must be careful to avoid them and live out the story that is true…

The story that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are sovereign, and are working together to make all things new.

To assure you are living in this story…

- Don’t be taken captive by deception or lies.

- Don’t let the past define you.

- And don’t forget God’s grace at work in your life.

God Almighty is Lord.

He continues to implement His plan to redeem all things.

By faith in Christ, you are an active part of this grand narrative.

And you will be most effective in fulfilling your part as you…

Keep nurturing your core beliefs.

Take your standards and habits seriously.

And live as one who has a role to fill in God’s redemptive story.

David Bostrom

P.S. For a more on growing strong in your identity see Chapter Eight of The Identity Advantage.

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