What You Do Is Not Who You Are
Illustration★★★★WHO is Michael Jordan? Most would probably say the greatest basketball player that has ever played the game. Who is Sylvester Stallone? Most would probably say a great actor depending on the movie.
Who is Diana Ross? Most would probably say one of the greatest singers of this generation. If you would say Michael Jordan is a basketball player, Sylvester Stallone is an actor, and Diana Ross a singer, you would be absolutely wrong for I would not have just described to you who they were. I would have only told you what they do.
The greatest mistake in the world is to use your performance to give you your identity. The greatest mistake in the world is to define yourself by what you do. And yet it is the primary way that people define themselves. When men get together, the first thing we want do in conversation is ask the other person what they do for a living.
We then figure that if they do a big job, with a big title, for big pay, they must be somebody. However, one’s self-definition, or identity, is not to be rooted in your performance because, if so, then you will always, always, always misdefine yourself.
People go to great lengths to get an identity. They’ll buy identities. They go to plastic surgeons to fix their looks in order to fix their identity. They seek higher-paying jobs or nice business cards to help their identity.
They pick their friends so that their friends can help elevate their identity. People go around asking for autographs so they can show other people whom they know in order to elevate their identity. Satan knows that if he can keep you from discovering your true identity in Christ, he can keep you from discovering who you are. If in fact you are a Christian by virtue of your relationship with Christ, he can keep you hostage.
He can keep you from claiming your inheritance. He can keep you from victory because you cannot be liberated if you don’t know who you are.
The point
One's true identity is not defined by performance or occupation, but by relationship with Christ; Satan works to keep believers ignorant of their true spiritual identity to prevent them from claiming their inheritance.