Your True Identity

Silencing the lies that try to tell you who you are

Jesus brings new life to places that may have felt stuck for a long time. He raises what feels buried inside you—your sense of belonging, your identity, your ability to believe you’re wanted. And sometimes the way He does that is through someone else’s story.

In our conversation with Christian artist Jamie MacDonald, she described how God met her at rock bottom and began to rebuild her life from the inside out. She said, “He really turned everything around for me from there… that just sometimes it just takes one prayer of surrender.”

Then she named the lies that had tried to define her for years: “I’m an orphan; I’m not wanted, and I’m misunderstood. I don’t belong anywhere.”

Those kinds of lies settle into your thoughts and begin to shape how you see yourself. If you’ve felt that same ache—unseen, out of place—Jamie’s story gives you a starting point you can take today: bring the lie into the light, and ask God what He says.

A Promise You Remember

Jamie shared that long before her turning point, God had planted something in her heart. Even in seasons when she wandered far, God had already planted seeds of truth in her story.

“I remember a promise that God spoke to me when I was a young girl that he had a plan for my life. And I actually had my first encounter with Jesus at a church camp at the age of 12.”

God’s promises don’t expire when life gets complicated.

The Holy Spirit has a gentle way of bringing truth back to the surface at the exact moment you’re ready to receive it. He knows how to circle back to the words He’s spoken over you, even when you’ve forgotten them.

When You’re Tired of the Life You’re Living

Jamie described the season that finally brought her to a decision. “Right before my born again experience, I was living at rock bottom and I was partying every day… totally lost and really lost my identity…”

Then she said something many people feel when they’re ready for change. “I just got tired of that lifestyle.”

That moment of holy dissatisfaction can become the doorway to change. She saw where it was heading. “I looked around at friends that were… overdosing and everybody’s drunk and high and a couple of my friends went to prison…”

Then she prayed with honesty and hunger. “I just said, ‘God, I want to know more about that plan that you have because the way I’m doing my life is not working. I’m tired of this life that I’m in.’”

That’s a powerful prayer because it’s personal. It’s you turning your face toward God. In that moment you stop trying to manage your life alone and invite Him to lead.

On the other side of that prayer, Jamie said, “And so He really turned everything around for me from there, that just sometimes it just takes one prayer of surrender. And the way that He showed up for me and spoke to me so clearly from then on, even through His Word and through other people and other believers, He just called me out of that dark life.”

Ask God What He Says

In the middle of the battle for her mind, Jamie found a practical habit. “One thing I’ve learned how to do is just… when you hear a lie and you just say, ‘Okay, clearly that’s not from God. God, what do you say?’”

Asking, “God, what do you say?” can change the atmosphere in your thoughts.

She went on to describe what that looks like in real time. “If the lie I’m believing is that I’m an orphan, like, what’s the truth? And usually it’s the very opposite. And so it takes a lot of intentionality and prayer and, you know, warfare, like the battle in our minds to choose to believe something even when you don’t feel it.”

Here’s how you can begin practicing this today:

• Write the sentence that keeps showing up in your mind.
• Bring it to God in prayer.
• Ask, “God, what do You say about me?”
• Write down the truth He brings to mind through scripture, wise believers, and His peace.

Here’s a powerful verse to anchor you when the “orphan” lie feels loud. “The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’” (Romans 8:15 NIV). Remember, you are never spiritually homeless. You are claimed, chosen and brought close.

A Healing Journey Of Identity

Jamie described what happened as God kept meeting her—through His word and through His people.

“The way that He showed up for me and spoke to me so clearly from then on, … He just called me out of that dark life.” More than a single moment in time, it became a pattern of how God continued to meet her.

Then she named the deeper work Jesus has been doing in her. “It’s just been such a healing journey to learn more about who he says I am rather than, all the false narratives that I had.”

If you’re in that process right now, this is what growth often looks like.

• Jesus speaks.
• You practice agreeing with Him.
• The Holy Spirit strengthens you as you keep choosing truth, one day at a time.

Like Jamie, you may find that healing unfolds for you step by step.

Jamie concludes, “I know God has brought me so far, but I know I still have a long way to go.”

GO DEEPER
Jesus still meets people right where they are. If you’re ready to explore who Jesus is in a more personal way, walk with us through our 5-day YouVersion plan “The Hope We Carry.” You’ll experience the names of Jesus and what they mean for your life today. You’ll find short reflections, simple action steps, and prayers to help you grow one day at a time.
Join us for “The Hope We Carry” RIGHT HERE.