Genesis 32:27-28 MSG The man said, "What's your name?" He answered, "Jacob." The man said, "But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it's Israel (God-Wrestler); you've wrestled with God and you've come through."
When asked by the Lord, what his name was, Jacob responded as many of us do...he told God what people said about him. He gave God the name that he had been given by others. But in this face to face encounter with the Lord, God changes Jacob's name. He changes his name from the opinions of men to the name that speaks to his purpose and destiny.
Jacob had earned his name based on past behaviors. Jacob literally means "heel catcher" or "trickster." He was given that name because he was born holding onto his twin brother's heel. Jacob went on to live up to his name by later tricking both his father and brother. So, the name "Jacob" spoke to his past, but it did not line up with his future. God had to rename him based on who He created him to be. Many of us have had names that have been given to us by people. Names like "defeated", "sick", "depressed", "drug addict", "alcoholic", "abuse victim" or "liar". But, when we received Christ and submitted our lives to Him fully, we received a new name--son or daughter.
We tend to want to define ourselves based on our income, past experiences, family name, education, job titles, church titles and positions, or even our health. However, those are our circumstances. Our circumstances are our testimony, not our identity. Christ gave us our identity. We are new creatures in Him. It is crucial that we know who we are because we cannot ever be successful being someone else because that is not who God created us to be. Furthermore, our self-image determines how we think. According to Proverbs 23:7a KJV, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he..." The word translated here as thinketh is the Hebrew word sha`ar (shaw-ar'). It literally means to split or open; to act as gate-keeper; to estimate. What we think (or estimate) about ourselves opens the gates to determine what comes into our lives and it ultimately determines who we will become. Our Identity Unlocks Our Inheritance Our inheritance is given to us because of who we are. In the natural, people make out Last Wills & Testaments, which outline how their possessions should be distributed. But if your father wills you $10 million dollars, you still have to show up to the executor of the estate and say, "I am his son or daughter and I'm claiming my inheritance." Your inheritance is not given to you because of your gifts or talents; nor because of your stunning personality; nor is it because of who you impress. Your inheritance is given to you because of who you are. The receiving of our inheritance is tied to our identity. It was willed to us as a result of the relationship we have with our Father. It is who we are in God and to God that gives us the right to an inheritance. But we have to have a revelation of what it means to be a son or daughter of God to unlock our inheritance. We need to know that we are beloved. We are His Jedidiah. We need to know that we are the apple of His eye. We need to know that we are special to Him. We are not special to Him because of what we have. We are special to Him because of who we are--His Beloved Children. And we have a right to every promise our Father has made to us.
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