*LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL* _By Pastor Mensa Otabil_ Monday 20th January 2025 *THE RIGHT IDENTITY* *Scripture Reading:* John 1:19-28 > _Then they said to him, Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” *John 1:22*_ How would you respond to the question, ‘Who are you?’ Sometimes, we answer that question by stating our name or vocation. Other times, we answer the question by our gender, ethnic grouping or a relationship we share with someone else. All of those answers give us parts of our identity. The Jews sent priests to ask John the Baptist, ‘Who are you?’ They wanted a direct answer from John to clarify their uncertainties about him. How would you have answered the question that was posed to John the Baptist? As Christians, our identity or who we are must always be related to God. We are who we are because of who God is. We must answer the question of who we are by considering: - *Who am I before God?* This involves how God sees me and how I see myself in the eyes of God. How close am I living to my true identity? If I’m a child of God, how close am I living to that identity? What does God want to do with my life? This is when you seek to live out God’s purpose and not your own. - *I am made in God’s image.* This is where our identity starts. God created us. We did not make ourselves; neither did we emerge by a spontaneous natural process of evolution. We have an Owner who designed us to be like Himself; as such, all of our abilities have their origins in God. The image of God is a general quality we share with all humanity. - *I am redeemed by faith in Christ.* Being created in the image of God is general to all. However, our redemption is unique to only those who have accepted Christ as Lord. In the Garden of Eden, humanity fell into sin. The image of God was broken. To fix the broken image, God came down in the form of a Man to pay for our redemption. Without redemption, we have a broken relationship with God. With redemption, we are ransomed, healed and restored to God. - *I am an ambassador of Jesus Christ.* After Christ had redeemed us, He recruited us to represent Him here on earth. As a result, we do not live to please ourselves again but to please the One who redeemed us. Now, our lives are God’s witness to the world. He uses us to show the world what He can do for a life that is surrendered to Him. *Prayer:* _Heavenly Father, you are the source of my being. I belong to you fully. Use me for your glory. In Jesus ’name, *Amen.*_ _Follow the Mensa Otabil channel on WhatsApp:_ https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaDGaZYKgsNpjYeBVM2S