Written by Aisha Darwesh
The Word
12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.
John 1:12-13 (NLT)
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
17Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.
Revelation 2:17 (NLT)
Aisha’s Analysis
It is evident from today’s scriptures that every believer has had, is having, and will have an identity change. Identity is something we all wrestle with. As we seek to answer the question “Who am I?,” what are we really looking at to define us? Is it our physical characteristics, our family background, the things we’ve experienced, or the decisions we’ve made? Certainly those have all shaped us in some form in this life, but is that what truly defines us?
I think the key to our identity rests squarely on how we relate to God. If you reject God, you are rejecting yourself. If you stubbornly refuse to accept God’s leadership and direction in your life and harden your heart to His voice, you will miss it.
I love the example God gives Jeremiah of the potter and the clay: So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. (Jeremiah 18:3-4 ESV).
Allowing God to form us and shape us according to His good pleasure requires trust and surrender. It’s an action of the heart. We must set our hearts to obey God and yield to His direction even if He takes us somewhere we had not planned to go. We must remember that He is the Potter, and we are the clay.
I don’t know about you, but I find this to be a huge relief. It takes all the pressure and angst out of trying to figure out who I am. We are who God makes us to be if, and only if, we are willing to be pliable like clay in His capable hands. We may not even know what the final product will look like at this point, but we can rest assured it will be glorious!
We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2nd Corinthians 3:18 (TPT)
Application
Today, as an act of faith, look into a mirror and declare the following aloud:
I am God’s masterpiece. He has created me anew in Christ Jesus so I can do the good things He planned for me long ago. (Adapted from Ephesians 2:10 NLT).
Prayer
Father God, thank You for making me a new creation in Christ Jesus. It’s out with the old, and in with You! In Jesus’ name, amen.
City Life Starter 
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