“My aim each day is to adore God more than anything else.”
A.W. Tozer
Two fruits that come as a result of listening to God’s voice are identity, knowing who God made you to be, and intimacy with God. Intimacy in relationships is a by-product of communication and trust. Two-way communication, where both parties share their hearts, is necessary for laying a foundation of trust. The greater the trust, the closer the relationship. My intimacy with God deepens as I am known by God through the words He speaks to me.
Recently, the Lord kept giving me “pep talks” prior to speaking at my church conference on hearing God’s voice. Numerous words were centered around who He designed me to be, many of which I had believed the opposite of before He showed me differently. One day I prayed, “I confess Lord, it’s hard for me to believe I’m really not who I thought I was.” He encouraged me with these words: Stop living under your false identity. It’s time to let go of that and live from who you truly are. Learn and walk in your identity and the lies and things that have hounded you will fall off!
The enemy’s plan is to keep us locked behind the prison doors of shame, fear, and unworthiness to prevent the real us from being unleashed. Instead of being hindered by believing the lie “I’m shy,” I’m to walk in the boldness of God. I wonder what my life would look like if I lived from the identity of being God’s beloved daughter, the one He is well pleased with. “And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’” (Mark 1:11).
Identity and destiny go hand in hand. Once we know who we are, we will know what to do. Identity leads us in the direction of what our destiny is. God doesn’t ask us to do a particular vocation unless it aligns with our identity, who He created us to be. As a little girl, I loved playing “school” in my bedroom. I was the teacher while my stuffed animals were my students. It makes sense that my identity as a teacher will lead to teaching assignments from God. When you know your identity, who you are, there will be confidence and authority to be that person.
Intimacy and identity are two fruits that we harvest from our intentional times spent with God hearing His voice.
“When you know who you are, you know what to do.” Shelley Hendrix
Relevant Reflections: 1. How has listening to God’s voice deepened your intimacy with Him?
2. In what ways have you received clarity of your identity because of hearing God’s voice?
3. Describe examples of when your identity pointed to the direction of your destiny.
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