“Let God transform you into a new person

Pastor, you and your congregation need to understand the five factors that influence our identities in order to become all God created you to be.

The first two are our chemistry (how we are made) and connections (our relationships). We are a by-product of the way God created us and of the relationships in our lives.

Our identities are also influenced by two other factors—our circumstances and our consciousness.

We are a by-product of the trauma, troubles, suffering, shame, shock, pressures, and pain that have shaped our lives. Perhaps even abuse has affected our identities. If we’ve ever had a series of failures or catastrophes, it has left an undeniable mark on who we are.

And you know what? If we talked to our friends the way we talk to ourselves, we probably wouldn’t be friends anymore, because our thoughts are filled with the lies we’ve heard from other people that we’ve let simmer and fester. When we repeat other people’s opinions in our head, they go deeper and deeper into our consciousness, and begin to shape our identities.

The Bible reminds us of this truth in Proverbs 4:23, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts” (GNT). Our thoughts don’t have to be true in order to hurt us; we just need to believe them. If we tell ourselves our marriage won’t last, then it won’t. If we’re afraid we can’t do something, then we won’t do it. Our thoughts run our lives!

Our circumstances may be out of our control, but God is in control of everything. Although our thoughts shape who we are, we can change the way we think.

Our circumstances and consciousness have shaped who we are today, but the way we respond to our circumstances and the thoughts we choose to believe will shape the rest of our lives.