“Losing sight of our new name and settling for what we’ve always been is just another way the enemy tries to rob us of our joy and distract us from claiming our truest identity. This settling . . . can also be living in a way that doesn’t align with who God says we are. When we as Christians don’t live out of our new name, we are usually agreeing with a false label the enemy has assigned to us.”- Esther Fleece Allen
Esther Fleece Allen moves on in Chapter 1 of Your New Name as she underscores that, as God’s children, we can access new names and words at any and every point of our walk with Christ. Furthermore, this name change signals a change in us. And, this indicates precisely why God bestows new names on us. Also, God desires that we live out of those new names. Therefore, Esther exhorts, we need to live out our new names with confidence. She writes:
“My new name and your new name don’t come when we get married or when we achieve enough spiritual clout in our walk with God. Our first new name is ‘Son’ or ‘Daughter’ when we’re adopted by God and become His child forever. This makes a spiritual name change even more significant than a physical one. . . . I want you to know your name from God, and I want you to pursue God and ask Him for it.”
Above all, Esther observes, the word label rarely shows us in the Bible’s original languages. But when it does, label means something similar to the word called. In other words, someone calls a a biblical character something. Similarly, Esther believes, its’ easy for us to call ourselves- or call others – names that don’t really apply.
Because labeling only applies to titles we put on ourselves or others put on us. Also, labels only describe what’s on the outside. Naming, though, penetrates much deeper. Esther concludes:
“When we have old names and old labels in our vocabulary, we are tempted to live out of them, which dramatically affects how we see ourselves, others, and God. This is why it’s so important for you to realize that you’ve already been renamed by God . . . ”
Today’s question: What Scriptures keep you from losing sight of your new name? Please share.
New Crown Jewel post: “Everyone’s a Niggle”
Tomorrow’s blog: “Knowing our new name – living a new reality”
