Identity pt.1

When I think of the word identity, I am often reminded of a place in time, or what my pastor calls a “P.I.T.”

I remember going on job interviews and being asked the familiar question:

“Can you tell me about yourself? What are your strengths and areas of weakness?”

And every time, I struggled to answer.

Not because I didn’t want to, but because I truly did not know who I was.

After some time, I began to reflect. I realized that I had never really spent time alone. I was always in a relationship. I couldn’t remember a true season of singleness where I learned myself, where I discovered my identity outside of males or “friendships.”

But I’ve come to understand this:

Nothing God allows in our lives is wasted.

He uses every experience to build us, shape us, and align us with who He predestined us to be. He makes no mistakes.

As it says in Romans 8:28, “All things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

Although I gave my life to Christ 10 years ago, it wasn’t until about 5 years ago that I truly began to learn who I was.

That understanding came through the teaching of my pastor, Apostle Fannie M. Wallace, and through developing my relationship with God and his word.

As I continue to grow and mature in my walk with Christ, He reminds me daily:

My identity is not defined by what people say about me.

It is not my hair.

It is not my makeup.

It is not my clothes.

It is not the amount of money in my bank account.

My identity is rooted in truth, and revealed through love.

The Word of God tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17,

“If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”

And in Jeremiah 1:5,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

That means God knew you before life tried to label you.

Your identity is not something you create—it is something God reveals.

I want to encourage you today:

Ask God to show you who He says you are.

Because there is a version of you that you haven’t fully met yet—but God already knows.

A life in Christ brings:

- healing in broken places

- freedom where there was bondage

- deliverance where there was captivity

As it says in John 8:36,

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

You have permission to grow.

You do not have to be who your mother was.

You do not have to be who your grandmother was.

You can break the cycle.

You can become who God has called you to be.

And you don’t have to do it alone.

Walking this journey with you,

Chantel Emanuel

Healed. Set Free. Delivered.