Your Name??

On Monday nights, I have a Bible Study in my home with a group of college age students. A few weeks ago, the Lord lead me to do a study on names. It started when we were studying Daniel 1 and I noticed the Babylonians changed the names of Daniel and his friends when they were brought into captivity. This was a plot of the enemy to steal what belonged to these men.(John 10:10) Although they were in captivity in the physical realm, Daniel and his friends did not allow the name changes to alter who they were. They chose to believe God for their identity rather than give in to the change made by the Babylonians. For example, Daniel means "God is my Judge." If you read Daniel, you will notice he lives up to his name. In all of Daniel's endeavors, he chooses to find ways to honor God. He keeps his trust in God and ultimately he acts according to God's commandments putting the judgement of God above the authority of his Babylonian captors. He knows who he is and it leads to Babylonian kings confessing that Daniel's God is the Most High God. In Daniel 2:46, King Nebuchadnezzar, who was the most powerful man in the world at that time, falls on his face before Daniel and says in verse 47; "...Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings..." It takes the power of God to cause the most powerful king in the world to bow down to his slave!

Daniel spent 70 years of his life in captivity in Babylon, but not one of his days was spent in spiritual captivity. His spirit was free as he served God. It led him into a position of leadership in the greatest nation in the world even though he was technically a slave! Daniel gained his freedom by knowing who he was and knowing who God is! God had written in the DNA of Daniel that he would be a man who would honor God as the Judge of his life. And Daniel lived up to the call and was a powerful and well rewarded man regardless of his physical captivity!

I find great freedom in knowing who I am and who God created me to be! My first name, Kim, means; "Ruler or Fortress." My middle name, Annette, means; "Gracious." So as I interpret this name, I always remember I am a "Fortress of Grace" and a "Gracious Ruler." When my mother named me, she did not know the meaning of these names, but God knew who I was and led her to give me this name that reflects my DNA and points to my calling.

I have always been a person to whom others run to find safety when the trauma of life rages.
Before I understood who I was and who God had created me to be, these situations caused me stress and serious insecurity. I would freak out when people turned to me for help, and wonder what I should do. I have never been comfortable with death or even hospitals for that matter. This is where my middle name comes in: Gracious. I depend completely on the "grace of God" to show me what to do. I could never be a fortress for anyone in their time of need without understanding my total dependance on God to provide for the person. Ultimately, I know Jesus is their fortress but He uses me to act as His gracious safety agent in tramatic situations. Now that I know these things, I respond to the calls and go into all kinds of circumstances with the peace and confidence of knowing that God intended, before the foundations of the world, to use me in this way in this generation!

Self-awareness is a great tool in living a free and effective life on earth. We need to know who we are and live in this knowledge no matter what our circumstances. I have been called lots of names in my life other than the one God has given me. Names such as useless, worthless, fearful, foolish, bossy, arrogant, and many others including some that are inappropriate to mention in writing. For years, I believed some of these names and got off course from the life God has created me for. I wasted some time going back and forth from who I knew I was to who people around me said I was. Now, I stand strong and self-assured in the revelation of Jesus and identity He has given me. His presence, power, and love in my life are all the security I need to be free and useful for His glory!

Who are you? What is written in your DNA? Who has God created you to be? What is the meaning of your name? Take the time today to find out and hold onto the truth above the lies the enemy is trying to convince you of! You are very valuable to this generation! Only you can do what you were created to do! Jesus says in John 8:31-32; ..."If you hold to my teachings, you are really my disciples. Then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

Check out the meaning of your name at the website: http://www.name-meanings.com/search.php