Living From the Awareness of Your True Identity

Marie
May 8
3 min read

But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

Matthew 3:14–15 (NIV)

Introduction

Think about everything you did today. How did you decide what was worth doing and what wasn’t? What influenced your decisions?

Most of us move through life without intentionality. We react to our circumstances instead of acting from a place of purpose. We make choices without really thinking, living as victims of our environments rather than as people with a clear God-given identity.

But when you live from awareness, everything changes.

Awareness: The Foundation of Identity

Jesus modeled this perfectly. He lived every moment with full awareness of His true identity. He knew He was the Son of God because the Father had declared it, and that awareness shaped every thought, decision, and action.

Even when He approached John the Baptist for baptism, Jesus didn’t waver. John, recognizing Jesus' greatness, tried to stop Him: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14 NIV). If Jesus hadn't done things with intentionality, He would have allowed John's compliment to puff Him up, causing Him to step outside of His assignment in that moment temporarily.

But being fully aware of His mission and what the Father required, responded: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15 NIV).

His awareness gave Him clarity. It prevented Him from being swayed by even the well-meaning compliments and, sometimes, even the insults of others.

Awareness Shapes Our Daily Habits

As we saw with the example of Jesus and John the Baptist, awareness doesn’t just influence major life decisions—it directs the small, daily ones too.

Matthew 9:10–12 tells us:

While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Him and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

Jesus wasn’t confused about why He was sitting with people others rejected. He knew His assignment. As the Son of God, He came to heal the broken, not to impress the self-righteous.

When you are aware of who you are, you stop letting critics, comparisons, or confusion dictate your actions. You choose your surroundings, relationships, and even your battles based on your identity, not your insecurity.

Living From the Awareness of Who You Are

Knowing who you are creates a stable foundation for every part of your life. It's what anchors you during painful seasons. Without that grounding, it’s easy to lose yourself when storms come.

When you know your true identity, you can say:

"This situation may have shaken me, but it doesn't define me. I know who I am, and I will return to the real me."

Without the awareness of our true identity, we create false versions of ourselves—versions shaped by trauma, fear, and unmet expectations. But when you live from the awareness of who God says you are, you live from a place of truth and stability. You can learn more about this topic from the book, Stolen Identity!