(Fourth part)
Memory verse (John1:42): “And he brought him to Jesus.
Now when Jesus looked at him, He said: You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas ” (which is translated, A Stone).
God, who created everything and gave it’s name, has been in the business of renaming men and women whom men mistakenly named. He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, Jacob to Israel, Simon to peter, Saul to Paul and so on. In fact, some people God gave their names like; Samson, John the Baptist, Jesus etc. By the way, get me right, am not making a doctrine about names, the point am making is that we need to get in God’s word and have an intimate relationship with God so we can discover our true identity. This world can call you anything and it matters what people call you. Many people are negatively affected by what people call them; others get misled in life by what people call them. This world calls some people drunkards, prostitutes, feeble, failures, foolish etc. I have seen parents calling their children all kinds of things, foolish, dense, mad, etc. And we have no idea what damage we’re doing by calling people wrong things. So many believe what people call them and that’s what they life by.
Many people discovered their true identity when they had personal encounters with God. When Abraham had an encounter with God, God told Abram his true name and his wife. Nobody told Abraham that God has sent me to tell you your name. Abraham heard it from God’s mouth himself. He believed God word and they stopped calling each other the older names. Jacob had a whole night encounter with God, and in that intimacy God changed Jacob’s name. He heard God for Himself not through another. We all need divine encounters with God. The door into the throne room of God is open to every born again child of God, what are you waiting for? You don’t need an angel to usher you in, Jesus himself went through the door by his blood and left it open for all his followers to follow him even into God’s holiest place of intimacy. Please, come to a place where you stop hearing what people call you and begin to hear what God calls you. You need a divine revelation not only about God but also about yourself. You need God to reveal you to yourself. Jesus told Peter: flesh and blood could not reveal to you who I am but my Father who is in heaven (Matt 16: 17). Revelation is key to discovering who you are.
We will continue this teaching tomorrow.
