“God has an everlasting covenant of love, forgiveness of sins, and eternal inheritance for those who have a new covenant name in Him. This might not look like a physical name change, but it will always be a spiritual one, as we show evidence of a changed lifestyle and devotion to God.”- Esther Fleece Allen
“And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.”- Ephesians 1:13-14 (NLT)
As Esther Fleece Allen concludes Chapter 5 of Your New Name, she exhorts us to believe the best about God. For when we live into the new name God’s given us, we form our God-given identity. However, this occurs through His strength and His pursuit of us.
Furthermore, Esther encourages, you new name hints at your future. God never abandons us in our wrestling. Therefore, we need to persevere. And sometimes, Esther observes, this goes on throughout the night. To do so we need to keep our faith until the end. Above all, Esther asks, what if God assured us we’d find our new name on the other side? Would we be more apt to persevere? Esther adds:
“Scripture rarely talks about struggling without also talking about persevering. Not only are we to hold on to our faith, there may be a new name for us on the other side. All of us have to prevail through harsh circumstances, unkind people, and even the consequences of our own sins. The question is: Are we wrestling with God on the path toward becoming more like Him, or are we wrestling against Him in an attempt to push Him away?”
Finally, Esther observes, we’ll be tempted to incorrectly name ourselves or give up many times. So, here’s the big question: How do you choose to respond? Do you wrestle with God to discover your new name? Or settle for less?
Today’s question: What draws you to God’s everlasting covenant? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “A spiritual name change – a long process?”
