PROPHETIC IDENTITY : Who does God say that I am?

I have been so blessed and encouraged getting to know Kevin over the last year as we
live in this amazing nation where God has called us. He lives a truly prophetic lifestyle
that inspires and encourages me each time we are together. There is an aspect of living
a prophetic lifestyle that has been helping me connect with the Lord in new ways over
the last couple of years and that is identity - specifically prophetic identity. For me, for
there is one question that encapsulates identity from a Kingdom perspective - Who
does God say that I am?

So, what is identity? The Oxford dictionary says, identity is the fact of being who or
what a person or thing is. Simply put, identity is who we really are. Graham Cooke
says, identity is the practice of that which brings us into harmony with the life that the
Father has chosen for us. I love what the Message Bible says in 1 John 3:1. "What
marvellous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at itwe're called children of
God! That's who we really are. First and foremost I am His child, His son. That is who
I really am. As Gods children, we each have an identity which originates in the heart of
our amazing Father.

As I have looked at the life of Simon Peter from the perspective of identity, Ive received
some fresh revelation I would like to share with you:-

1. Jesus called out Peters true identity long before his life reflected who he truly was
(Matthew 16:18-19). God is speaking our true identity over us all the time and is calling
us to partner with Him to be those who speak our Kingdom identity over one another.

2. The name Simon means broken reed. The world had done its best to form Simon
Peters identity, but this was not the end of the story. Jesus called him Peter which
means rock", someone whom God would use powerfully to bring heaven to earth and to
build His church. No matter how our identity has been moulded by the world, what
Jesus says about us is the truest thing in all the universe.

3. Peters true kingdom identity required supernatural activation. Peter received
a "supernatural jump-start" into a new level of identity and sonship. This occurred most
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dramatically in the upper room as the Holy Spirit wind from heaven released a
supernatural sound that resonated with Peters spirit, activating him to walk in his true
identity (Acts 2:1-4). We each need this kind of identity activation through ongoing
personal encounter with God. Just like Peter, no matter where we find ourselves in life,
we are only one God-encounter away from being activated into a level of identity. We
are all "world-changers in waiting. That is who we really are!

There are times when I still hear the whispered lies of my old world-formed
identity. There are days when the voices of fear, rejection, insecurity and competition
seem louder than the Fathers voice over me. On one of those days, I cried out to my
Daddy. I didnt consciously know it, but what I desperately needed was an identity
activation. Holy Spirit said to me clearly, stand up. So, I stood up. Then He said,
step back into your sonship. As I physically took a step backwards, I could sense my
Father placing afresh my sonship identity around me like a robe. In this place I was
secure, loved, fully accepted and powerful. I had stepped supernaturally into a new level
of my true identity and Ill never be the same again. There is only one letter different
between the words robed" and robbed". The letter is b. Daily we get to choose; will
we be robed in sonship or robbed of our true identity? Which one will it be (pun
intended) for you?

The Word of God is full of truth about who God says we are. I am an overcomer
(Romans 8:37). I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). I
am a child of God (John 1:12). This is what Derek Prince calls General Revelation. This
is truth about our true identity. True for all Gods children, all the time. However, our
God-formed identity (who we really are) is also absolutely unique - a blend of awesome
characteristics shared fully by no one else in the universe but me.

One of the most powerful ways that God communicates with us is through prophecy. I
have discovered that the prophetic words that have been the most important in my life
always contained a strong identity component. The Father was calling out my unique
identity. When I hear the Father saying who I really am, this resonates powerfully with
my spirit. I love how Graham Cooke says it, "Prophecy upgrades identity and empowers
us into the next dimension of Gods purpose."

When talking about prophetic identity, Dano McCollum suggests that we go back over all
the prophetic words we have received and extract the identity elements. We can then
compile these identity elements into an identity statement - who God says I am. I would
then suggest running this statement past an experienced prophetic voice in your life to
help you bring things together. Nowadays, I find myself going back to this identity
statement again and again. Here is a part of my identity statement, "I am a prophetic
father and shepherd leader. I am an administrator of spiritual storehouses and releaser
of heavens resources - hope, wisdom, revelation, clarity, life, dreams and excellence. I
am a ground breaker, trailblazer and pioneer."

This brings me back to the question I asked at the beginning, "Who does God say that I
am?. What is your answer? What is your unique prophetic identity?