TSIYON NEWS

 

From Eliyahu

 

Your inner identity influences everything you do. Yet you may seldom think about it. However, there are seasons in life when the question of identity doesn’t just hover in the background - it presses in.

Who am I, really?

Am I just what others say I am?

Am I what I feel in this moment?

Am I what I’ve achieved (or failed to achieve)?

Some people spend years circling these questions. Others avoid them until something in life breaks: a relationship, a job, a health crisis, a disappointment. Then the ground beneath them shifts, and the old answers don’t hold anymore.

If that’s where you are right now, I want to offer a little guidance and a word of hope.

For starters, who gets to define you, anyway? Sometimes it can seem like someone else is holding the pen that defines you.

One of the most common traps is letting other people define who you are. This can come across as a sort of social pressure from:

The approval (or disapproval) of family.

The expectations of a religious or other community.

The labels of teachers, bosses, or even enemies.

The unspoken rule that you must “keep everyone happy”.

When we live this way, our identity becomes something like a group project. We’re constantly checking faces, reading the room, adjusting ourselves to stay accepted or at least tolerated. Over time, you can lose touch with your own heart, your own convictions, and your own relationship with YHWH.

This is shaky ground for your sense of self. If you feel like you’ve “lost yourself,” it may be that others have been quietly holding the pen that writes your story. How do you deal with that?

The larger culture might urge you to swing to the opposite extreme: try to re-invent yourself from scratch. Just “ignore what anyone thinks. Look inside. Create your own identity.” There is a grain of truth here. We do need to stop living as slaves to other people’s opinions. However, no man is an island. If you take this to an extreme you might find yourself casting off legitimate duties and responsibilities, and that will only make things worse.

There’s another danger: if I am the only authority on who I am, then my identity is only as stable as my current emotions. Problem is:

Our emotions change.

Our seasons of life change.

Our desires don’t always agree with each other.

So this too ends up with identity that feels like sand under your feet instead of solid rock.

Here’s the facts: your true identity must be revealed, not manufactured.

At the core of your being is the person that you were meant to become. God Himself created you as a unique person for a specific reason. In that person is your true identity. So far as it is about you, your walk with Yeshua is all about revealing and expressing that person you were meant to be. Yeshua is the perfect example of doing this, since, in His time with us, He always walked and lived in the Truth that He actually personifies.

Scripture points us down this same path.

At the core of biblical faith is this simple reality: YHWH knows you, names you, and calls you to do His will for your life.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” (Jer 1:5)

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are mine.” (Is 43:1)

“We are his workmanship, created in Messiah Yeshua for good works, which God prepared beforehand.” (Eph 2:10)

Our true identity is not something we ‘manufacture’ or something others ‘assign’ to us. It is something we received from the One who made us and redeemed us. Our job is to cut through all the flack to actually be that person - the person we can be in Yeshua Messiah.

 

 

Sometimes that comes through a spiritual encounter with YHWH, like Ezekiel being overwhelmed by the glory of God and receiving his calling as a watchman. Sometimes it comes ‘quietly over time’ - through Scripture, prayer, wise counsel, and the slow work of the Spirit reshaping how we see ourselves. Obedience to all of that guidance from above is our part that can help to get us there.

Either way, the key is the same: Move from “Who do they say I am?” and “Who do I say I am?” to “Who does HE say I am?”

If you’re wrestling with identity issues right now, here are a few simple steps you can take:

 

1. Name the voices.

Take time to notice: whose opinions are loudest in your mind?

Your boss?

A religious leader?

A former spouse?

A group you’re trying hard to impress?

Simply identifying those voices can be the first step toward getting your priorities straight.

 

2. Sit with Scripture that speaks directly to identity.

For a season, live in passages like:

Psalm 139 (YHWH’s intimate knowledge of you)

Isaiah 43:1–4 (called by name, precious in His sight)

John 10 (the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep)

Ephesians 1–2 (chosen, adopted, redeemed, YHWH’s workmanship)

Read slowly. Turn phrases into prayer. Let His words begin to contradict the false labels that have attached themselves to you.

 

3. Ask YHWH specific questions.

Be honest with Him:

“YHWH, where have I let others define me instead of You?”

“Whose voice have I feared more than Yours?”

“What do You say is true about me in this season of my life?”

He may not answer in a thunderclap, but over time He is faithful to untangle lies and bring truth to the surface.

 

4. If you can, invite another trusted believer into your journey.

Identity is deeply personal, but you don’t have to walk through this alone. Ask a mature friend, mentor, or spiritual leader to be involved. Simply say something like: “I’m realizing I’ve let others define me. Would you walk with me as I listen for YHWH’s voice about who I really am?”

Sometimes the Spirit uses the body of Messiah to confirm what He is already whispering to your heart.

 

5. A word of encouragement

If you are experiencing an identity crisis, it can feel like everything is falling apart. But very often, that is exactly where YHWH begins to rebuild on firmer ground.

He is not confused about who you are.

He is not exhausted by your questions.

He is not threatened by your doubts or your search.

Whether He meets you in a dramatic moment or a long, quiet journey, His goal is the same: to move you from a fragile, borrowed identity to a solid, truthful identity in Him.

My prayer for you is simple:

May YHWH cut through the noise.

May His voice rise above all others.

May you come to rest in His love as who you are in Him.

You need not be defined by the crowd, nor imprisoned by your past, but anchored in the One who knows you and calls you by name.

There is another factor I've not directly addressed above, and that is the formidable obstacle of Inner deception. Our Tsiyon Dudes Rising discussion group is addressing that on our live stream tonight, with the theme: Inner Deception: Who are you? That's tonight at 8 Central, at Tsiyon.Net and other video platforms. This is a deep subject, but one that effects us all.

 

In His Name. Eliyahu    

 

Contact:   https://tsiyon.org  -  https://eliyahubendavid.substack.com/

 

Join us tonight at Tsiyon.Net for this encouraging group discussion!