DISCOVERING OUR DIVINE IDENTITY

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Yes, we come from the union of a man and a woman. But ultimately, our conception is the miraculous work of the Father of creation — a Spirit-breathed moment in time, a flash of divine light, a miracle.

Recognising Our Divine Genesis

While ancestry databases have made it easier to trace our heritage, I wonder whether what people discover reflects their true search or deeper longing.

Somewhere along the way, the Church has lost sight of our marvellous, divine origin as spiritual beings created by God. 

In Acts, Paul emphasises to the secular Athenians that their existence is deeply connected to their origin in Father God. We were all created in him, and as the Aramaic translation suggests, so that humanity might “investigate him through his creation”.

“And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet He is actually not far from each one of us, for “‘In Him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed His offspring.’ Acts 17:26-28

It is worth encouraging one another to renew our minds in the truth, allowing God’s Word to shape our understanding of both our identity and our past. Let’s look at other verses that reveal the work of the Spirit of God: Psalm 104:30 – “You send forth your Spirit, and they are created.” Job 33:4 – “The Spirit of God has made me.” Psalm 139:5–6 – “From the beginning to the end, you have formed me and set your hand upon me. The knowledge and wonder are stronger than I and I could not master them.”

In personal investigation of this, any current anxieties about worthiness and un-wantedness would begin to fade in seeing the intentional work of the Spirit to give each of us life. The wounds and pains of the past would gradually diminish when we grapple with and grasp the depth of the Everlasting Father’s (Isaiah 9:6) love — abiding, perpetual, and unwavering.

By sharing this simple but profound truth about life and purpose, we can offer hope and healing to anyone who is seeking their true genesis. Never forgetting that the love of God may seem foolish to one, but to another it is the very power of God.

Look what AI (chat GPT) says about discovering our divine identity. I am impressed and will use it more in my study of God’s Word. Let me know about your experience. I will address it more in future posts.

CHAT GPT: Discovering our divine identity in Scripture is less about finding a label and more about learning who God says we are—and living from that truth. The Bible unfolds this identity gradually, relationally, and always in the context of God’s love and purpose. Here’s a clear, Scripture-rooted pathway.

1. Start with God’s Design: Created in His Image

Key texts: Genesis 1:26–27; Psalm 139:13–16

Scripture begins by telling us who we are before we do anything:

  • You are created intentionally, not accidentally
  • You bear the image of God (imago Dei), which gives every human dignity, worth, and purpose

Our divine identity is grounded in who God is, not in our performance or circumstances.

2. Understand the Problem: Identity Distorted by Sin

Key texts: Genesis 3; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6

Sin doesn’t erase God’s image in us, but it fractures our understanding of it.
We begin to define ourselves by:

  • Shame
  • Fear
  • Achievement
  • Failure

Scripture is honest about this distortion so we don’t build our identity on illusions.

3. Look to Christ: Identity Restored in Him

Key texts: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Colossians 1:15–20; Romans 8:1

Jesus is the true image of God (Colossians 1:15).
When Scripture says we are “in Christ,” it means:

  • We receive a new identity, not just new behavior
  • We are reconciled, forgiven, and made new

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Your divine identity is Christ-centered, not self-constructed.

4. Receive Your Status: Children of God

Key texts: John 1:12; Romans 8:14–17; Galatians 4:4–7

One of the clearest identity statements in Scripture:

  • You are adopted, not tolerated
  • You are a son or daughter, not a servant earning approval

This means:

  • You belong
  • You are loved before you perform
  • You have access to the Father

5. Listen to God’s Voice Through Scripture

Key texts: Psalm 1; Joshua 1:8; Hebrews 4:12

Identity is discovered through ongoing exposure to God’s Word, not one-time insight.
Scripture:

  • Renews your mind (Romans 12:2)
  • Corrects false narratives about yourself
  • Anchors you in truth when feelings fluctuate

Ask as you read: “What does this passage say about who I am in relation to God?”

6. Live It Out: Identity Shapes Calling

Key texts: Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 2:9; Micah 6:8

Once identity is received, purpose follows:

  • Chosen → to proclaim
  • Loved → to love others
  • Set apart → to reflect God’s character

We don’t act to become God’s people—we act because we already are.

7. Walk It Out in Community and the Spirit

Key texts: Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Galatians 5:16–25

Divine identity matures through:

  • The Holy Spirit’s guidance
  • Christian community
  • Obedience over time

God reveals who you are as you walk with Him, not all at once.

In short

Your divine identity in Scripture is this:

  • Created in God’s image
  • Redeemed in Christ
  • Adopted as God’s child
  • Empowered by the Spirit
  • Called to reflect God’s glory

If you want, I can also:

  • Walk through specific identity statements (e.g., “in Christ” passages)
  • Help you study this theme devotionally
  • Explore how this applies during seasons of doubt, suffering, or transition

Just tell me where you’d like to go next 🌿

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HEALING FROM GAY DESIRES IS POSSIBLE

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Taylor Simon Maxwell struggled with gay desires. In his book, The Desire Tree he relates how walking beside his Heavenly Father as a son, he found radical transformation and healing in the Lord. Healing is possible.

Maxwell says, that having God as our Father is like having the best therapist in the world. And the great news is that you don’t have to pay for it. It was purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. Humbly surrender before Him, recognizing that homosexual desires and behaviors are sinful. That homosexual desires are not a result of genetics but a result of sexualized wounds from our life stories. God wants to help you process and understand why you struggle with what you struggle with and bring healing. He is the loving Father who cares.

Christian men who are struggling with gay desires are not only sealed with the Spirit of God, forgiven of all their sins, and given eternal life, but are in a right relationship with the Father who loves them and longs to sanctify them. That means that we can bring our sinful desires, childhood wounds, hurts, and pains to the Father, and ask Him to bring healing. We can ask Him to change our desires in His Fatherly love. To help us see our sin the way He sees our sin. As God begins to mature us in the faith and change us from within, the things we once wanted lose their power.

Men who are struggling with gay desires must come to understand three truths in their healing journey. This is not an exhaustive list, but it is a good place to start.  

The first truth is that no one is born with hardwired homosexual desires. This argument is a creation of those who enjoy their sin and want to make an excuse to live the way they want to. Convincing oneself that you were born with homosexual desires is nothing more than a sinful coping mechanism. If you can convince yourself that you were born with homosexual desires, then you can convince yourself that the desires and the radical behaviors you indulge in are not sinful. “I was born this way baby. What do I have to repent for?”

The Bible says that we are born with a sin nature (Ps. 51:5), not that we are born with predetermined genetic sinful desires. Just like there is no such thing as an “I want to steal a pack of gum from the store gene,” or an “I want to cheat on my math exam gene,” there is no such thing as an “I want to commit homosexual acts gene.” The idea that people are born with a genetic proclivity towards homosexual behavior is not taught anywhere in the Bible. It is in direct opposition to what the Bible says about the location of our sinful desires. This brings us to point number two.

The Bible says that sinful desires, including sinful sexual desires, come from the heart (Matt. 15:19), not our genetics. And that through the power of Christ we can have our desires changed (Gal. 5:24). That we can have our minds renewed and find true and lasting freedom from the sin that is in our lives (Rom.12:2). Jesus said that a man who looks at a woman with lustful intent has committed adultery in his heart (Matt. 5:28), not his genetic code.

Nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to ask God to change the desires of our chromosomes. Rather, through repentance and the supernatural work of the Spirit in our lives, we can become more like Christ and have our hearts transformed (1 Thess. 4:3-8). This brings us to our third point, which is really two points in one.

Men who struggle with gay desires must understand that their sinful desires to connect with men in a relationally disordered way is a result of a complex assortment of wounds that have been sexualized. These men must also recognize, believing fully in their hearts, that homosexuality is contrary to God’s design for gender, marriage, and human sexuality.

Men were designed by God to relate platonically to one another as equal brothers. Fundamentally, homosexuality is predicated on men relating to one another not as equals, but within a sexualized hierarchy of dominance and submission. Truthfully, homosexuality is a desire/behavior to emasculate and/or be emasculated by another man. In the homosexual world, these are called “tops and bottoms.”

When it comes to gender expression according to God’s design, a husband will always express his masculinity by “giving,” and his wife will always express her femininity by “receiving.” A husband and his wife become one-flesh in marriage because a husband and his wife were created from the same flesh to begin with (Gen. 2:23). Homosexuality takes this beautiful design and distorts it. A man was never meant to “give” to another man, and/or “receive” from another man.

Homosexuality is thus, an attempt at recreating that relational dynamic, of which is proper for a husband and wife but is improper for two people who share the same gender. Men who struggle with homosexuality must recognize that the desire to engage in any behavior that is homosexual is a desire for something rebellious. Something rebellious against God’s design for gender, marriage, and human sexuality. The world says embrace these desires. God calls us to holiness (1 Thess. 4:3-8). A man for example, who desires a homosexual context, must humbly stand before God, recognizing it as a disordered desire. And that underneath the sinful desire for a sinful sexual context is a wound. The non-sexual desire, for example, to receive the love of an absent father figure is a very common wound amongst men who struggle with homosexual desires. And so, beyond repentance, there must also be a recognition in the individual that there are many wounds underneath the surface that need to be dealt with. This is not just “I desire sinful sexual contexts,” but also, “I have wounds that I have sexualized from childhood that I need to bring before the Father who loves me.”