"A New Name"
Sometimes I get up on the wrong side of the bed. All day long I feel like I create havoc in my relationships and interactions with others. The enemy lies to me and says that this is who I am. I am a failure. He brings up the past and says, “See, you will never change. You might as well stop trying.”
There were many people in the bible that struggled and had a less than desirable past, but God used them mightily for His purposes. Abraham lied about who Sarah was out of fear (Genesis 20.) Sarah laughed when God told her she was going to have a son (Genesis 18:8-15.) Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, in order to steal his brother’s birthright (Genesis 27.) Simon Peter was impulsive and out of his desire to protect Jesus, he tried to stop Jesus from his purpose (Matthew 16:21-21). Saul was a murderer but God had other plans for him…to bring the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 9).
The good news is that God is in the redemption business. He makes treasures out of broken jars of clay by taking us in our humanness and brokenness and molding us into something beautiful again (2 Corinthians 4:7). With all the people mentioned above, he brought transformation to them and confirmed it by changing their name. This had to help them realize their new identity. God has a new identity for all of us, too. This name is a reflection of the destiny and purpose God has for all of us.
“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)
I believe God is waiting to give us a new name. It is His name for us that will change the way we see ourselves. It is the opposite of the lies the enemy has made us believe about ourselves. When we see ourselves as a failure, He sees us as a work in progress. When we see ugly, He sees beautiful. As we soak in His presence, we can hear Him calling us by our new name. As we believe who He says we are, we begin to step into our destiny. It is a beautiful thing that He wants to do in our lives.
Will you join me as we begin this new journey toward all that God has for us?
~ Marla Brenneman
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