Day Two Of The 10th Annual End Of Summer Fast & Detox: Who Does God Say I Am?

Who Does God Say I Am? Who Do I Think I Am? & What Do I Actually Want?

Wow. We’re 48 hours into the fast and detox, and yesterday was really good.

I can’t tell you how many times I read yesterday’s blog post. Even during my prayer time this morning, I was just thinking, Thank God for who You are. Thank God for Your names, Your character, and Your consistency.

Sometimes I get like a nerd and fall into a rabbit hole when it comes to knowledge, especially with God. All of who He is and the more that I learn just amazes me and brings me so much joy.

Yesterday, we got into who God was and is and some of His character. Today, we’re digging into who God says that we are.

I’m not sure if this will be the theme for the entire fast yet, but I think I want to stay in Genesis because it’s such a good book and it’s filled with so many reminders of who God is and who we are because of Him.

Before You Know What You’re Supposed to Do, Know Who You Are

When it comes to identity and what we were created for, Ephesians 2:10 is such a good scripture, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

I love this scripture because it speaks to our purpose and what we were put here to do. I also think there’s a difference between what you were created to do and who you were created to be. Because you can’t really get into what you were here to do if you don’t know who you are.

Even in Genesis, God gives Adam and Eve an assignment to be fruitful and multiply. That’s something they were supposed to do, but it wasn’t who they were. Before the assignment, God tells us, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

Identity came before assignment.

We were created in His image.

We were created to reflect Him.

Jesus gives us the ultimate example of what that looks like. If you ever wanted to know what we were created to carry into the world, I would ultimately say love.

I heard a sermon recently that said, “Identity leads to functionality and proper influence.”

That really stuck with me. Think about Jesus. 

His identity influenced how He functioned. I think the same is true for us.

I can’t say that I am a child of God and not allow that to influence the way I live. I can’t say I am the light of the world and then refuse to shine.

The world tells us that we can create whatever identity we want. While we obviously have choices about who we become, kingdom identity is different.

God chose your identity before you ever had the ability to choose it. Before God formed you, He knew you. You weren’t an accident. You were created in His image, which means there is something about you that was intentionally designed to reflect Him.

That means there is something inside of you that you don’t have to spend your entire life trying to find from outside influences.

You don’t have to get your identity from your career.

You don’t have to get it from relationships.

You don’t have to get it from what people think of you.

You don’t have to get it from what the world says you should have accomplished by now.

You were created by God, in His image, on purpose. Your identity ultimately connects to your assignment.

We see this with Abraham. God gave Abraham a new identity that was directly connected to his purpose. He told him that he would become the father of many nations. His identity wasn’t random. The identity God gave him was connected to what God was calling him to do.

So, What Do You Want?

This brings me to another question I want you to sit with today:

Who do you think you are?

And then:

What do you want?

Not what does your family want for you.

Not what does social media tell you your life should look like.

Not what does society say you should have accomplished by this age.

What do YOU want?

Have you asked God for it? I mean specifically.

Sometimes we don’t ask God for what we really want because we think, Well, He already knows. Of course He knows. But have you actually talked to Him about it?

Have you given yourself permission to dream? I think somewhere along the way, a lot of us stopped dreaming like children. When you’re a kid, your dreams are HUGE. You don’t immediately start calculating how much something costs or whether it makes sense. You just dream.

Then we get older. Life happens. Disappointments happen. People tell us what’s realistic. And eventually, we start shrinking our dreams before we ever give them a chance.

So today, I want you to dream again.

Today’s Assignment

First, I want you to look through Scripture and write down five scriptures that tell you who God says you are.

I personally use Scripture almost like affirmations. I write them on sticky notes throughout my house and say them throughout the day, especially when I’m not feeling worthy or like I have a purpose.

Sometimes you have to remind yourself of what God already said. Then I want you to set a timer for 10 minutes and just write. 

Who do you want to be?

Not your job. Not your accomplishments.

What characteristics do you want to have?

How do you want to live your life?

What kind of woman do you want to become?

Then I want you to go back to the younger version of you.

Think about the way you used to imagine your future when you were a kid. Younger you had a way of looking at your future that seemed so big and so far away.

Then life happens, and we lose sight of some of those things.

So for another 10 minutes, write out your ideal day.

If money wasn’t an option, what would your day look like?

Where would you wake up?

What would you do?

Who would be around you?

What would your work look like?

What would your relationships look like?

Then write down your wildest dreams.

Don’t worry about whether they’re realistic. Just let your brain go to the biggest version of your life.

I know this exercise might sound daunting, but I promise it doesn’t have to be complicated. Just jot things down. Sometimes you have to let yourself dream bigger before you can come back and figure out what actually matters to you.

Then look at the goals you currently have, short term and long term, and ask yourself:

How do these connect to the life I actually want?

Are these dreams coming from who God says I am, or from what I think I’m supposed to be?

Yesterday, we wrote a mission statement, and I hope that helped you start thinking about your overall alignment and assignment in life.

Today, I want to take that a step further.

Two Days In

We’re two days in, and I hope you’ve actually taken the time to do these exercises because I have. I can’t tell you how much they’ve already helped me look beyond what’s happening right now and connect with God on a deeper level.

Learning His names, learning His character, and now learning to see myself through Him has been grounding me.

I don’t just want to get through this fast. I want to come out of it knowing God more deeply, knowing myself more honestly, and being more aligned with who He created me to be.

If you missed yesterday, I challenge you to go back and read it before you move forward. Yesterday was about knowing God. Today is about knowing who you are because of Him. And maybe that’s the real work we’re doing during this fast.

We’re not just detoxing our bodies. We’re clearing out some of the noise so we can hear God more clearly, and remember what He has already said about us.

You were created in His image.

You were created on purpose.

You have an assignment. Before you can fully walk in it, you have to know who you are.

So today, get quiet.

Open your Bible.

Write down the five scriptures.

Dream again.

And ask God,

Who do You say I am?

Who are You calling me to become?

And God, what do You want me to dream about?